Becoming a CPA can be a great milestone in a person’s life. It signifies the ending of sleepless nights of toiling through pages of exam materials, and the beginning of new opportunities. Whether your goal is to become an Elijah Watt Sells Award winner, or to earn a passing score on each exam, you are not alone. Here are some tips to help you get started on your CPA exam journey.
Determine The Why
Before you begin any journey, it is important to determine WHY you’re doing so. While some people desire the satisfaction that comes with being called a CPA, others look forward to the new opportunities that will arise from completing the exam. Having a WHY keeps you grounded and helps to remind you during times of despair, why you started this journey in the first place.
Set Your Desired Timeline
Setting a timeline for completing the exam allows you to prioritize your time. The exam must be taken within 18 months. Therefore, establishing a timeline for yourself and factoring in unforeseen circumstances, like retakes, could help to ensure that you do not run the risk of losing credit for any section.
Get A review Course
If you’re like the 99% of candidates who take the exam, you’re going to need a good review course to help you prepare. It is advisable to shop around and do your research when it comes to review courses. Several review courses offer a free trial, take full advantage of it. While one review course may be great, it may not be designed to meet your specific learning style and that could become problematic down the road.
Get A CPA Mentor/Coach or Join a CPA Study group
Your CPA mentor/coach should be a CPA and preferably has some professional and industry knowledge. This individual should be able to guide your through your CPA journey and be available for anything from tutoring on complex content areas, to recommending exam strategies for test day. Most candidates also join a CPA study group to maintain their morale and share exam resources. Remember, you’re not alone. This exam was designed to be hard and thus, it will be very much rewarding once you become a CPA.
Determine A Study Schedule That works For You.
Are you a morning person? If so, maybe studying in the morning as opposed to the night might be a better way for you to be as efficient and productive as possible. The common mistake candidates make is trying to convince themselves that they will suddenly become a morning or night person. Studying for the CPA exam is not the time to develop new patterns. Stick to a routine that has proven to work for you and just improve upon it. For greater proficiency, I recommend using a CPA Exam Planner to help you to stay on track with your daily/weekly exam goals.
Stick To your Study Patterns
This has to do with what you’re doing each time you study. I often say that how you study is how you tend to perform during exam day. Make sure that you are creating a simulated study experience that reflects the exam setting you will have on exam day.
Limit The Distraction During Your Study Hours
Many candidates only have few hours a day to invest in studying for the exam. If this, is you, you cannot afford to allocate that time to other distractors like social media. It is advisable to let your friends, family, and employer (if you choose) know that you are studying for a major exam, so they do not disturb you during your study hours.
Understand the exam structure and scoring
To do well on the exam, you must first understand how the exam will be scored. Most importantly, this will help you to allocate your time wisely on exam day so that you’re not spending too much time on one section, like multiple choice, and not having enough time to answer the simulations or written response questions (for the BEC exam).
understand the different types of exam questions
Most candidates go into the exam not fully understanding how to answer the different types of exam questions. Your CPA review course should reflect the actual exam that you’ll see. However, it is up to you to ensure that you understand the types of questions and how to answer them appropriately.
finish strong
Go into your exam knowing that you have put in the necessary work to do great and perform as such. Remember, this is a marathon and not a sprint. You have all the tools to be great.