The Final Chapter

If anyone was following my posts, they probably thought I was done with my blogging for the OSCPA. I may not always be the most consistent person, but the truth is, I had to wait for the final chapter to develop itself.

My last blog was titled “FAR Sucks”… and I still feel that title 100%. But something happened. My NTS was expiring for that last section even though I felt completely unprepared for it. I went in to take the test with the full expectation of failing it, I thought I would get an idea of what was on it so that I would be better prepared when I took it “for real”. I think it was luck in my simulation material, but either way, you can imagine my excitement when I found out that I passed FAR with a 78. I met my goal of passing each section the first time, a goal that I had given up on.

Also, behind the scenes of the blogs I’ve written over the last several months, has been the quest to join a public accounting firm and pursue my interest in tax. I thought it would be easy with a good GPA, industry experience, and a CPA certification in progress and/or completed. I was wrong.

I had no internship with my unconventional schooling, I can not (ok, refuse to) work countless hours because I have young children at home, and I have no public accounting experience to my name. It felt like the last 8 years of work I have put in to building the foundation of my career was going to waste.

With a little help from a friend and the tenacity that has gotten me this far, I finally found someone who saw past their immediate financial benefit and agreed to give me a chance. This year will be my first tax season, and I absolutely can not wait. It will be hard work, but it is the new beginning I have already worked so hard for. It is another goal I had almost given up on, but it has given me the proper appreciation for the chance I am being given.

So no matter where you are in the testing process, hang in there. You can do it. If you work hard, even when you are failing, you are still succeeding… just in a different way than you had planned.

Sad good-byes and new hellos

Three of our current four bloggers, Kim, Andrea, and Rochelle, have successfully passed all four sections of the CPA Exam. So, it is with much pride that we must send them on their way. They may continue to post every once in a while about their lives as CPAs. However, we will soon be welcoming new bloggers to join Cody. Best wishes, ladies!

My Favorite Four Letter Word

Okay, yes it’s been awhile since I have posted on here. Shame on me.

July has been a very busy month.

July 5^th, 2011 Regulation (REG) 3 hour exam

July 14^th, 2011 Audit and Attestation (AUD) 4 hour exam

July 18^th, 2011 Financial Accounting and Reporting (FAR) 4 hour exam

 

A great question would be – WTH was I thinking?

To give an honest answer I have to go back to December – when 2011 was coming around I realized that I needed updated study materials that related to 2011. Gleim has a great program where customers can get updated course materials for up to 18 months after purchasing the course. What’s the catch? You just have to show that you have paid for your exams. I decided to spend the money in December and pay for three exams REG, AUD and FAR – why I choose to spend an additional 600 bucks at Christmas time is also beyond me but that is what I did. By paying for the exams in December I started a clock ticking – a 6 month clock in fact.  Once you pay for the exams you have 6 months to take the exams.

My deadline for taking all three exams was July 19^th, 2011. No problem I said to myself – I can study and take one exam each Testing Window.  Now for those of you that have no idea what a Testing Window – let me explain-

There are Four CPA Exam Testing Windows each year as follows:

January -February

April – May

July – August

October – November

 

So in Null Hypothesis was I could take one then study for the next one then take one and study for the next one. I was able to reject my null hypothesis about being able to study for all three during those 6 months.

Can you guess what my favorite four letter word is? Some may guess EXAM or TEST but no my favorite four letter word is LIFE.

Life happens to us all. When it does we have to make choices – for me, I had to realize that there is just a finite amount of time. I made choices of how I thought best to spend that time for better or worse. Do I have some good excuses? Heck yeah.

Once you have paid your money and receive your Notice To Schedule (NTS) you cannot ask for an extension on the date to take the test by – either take the test or don’t take the test.

So when did my studying really kick in – June time frame.

For those of you that don’t know the cumulative pass rates for 2010:

AUD       47.80%
FAR        47.81%
REG        50.66%

 

Now for my first exam in July REG – I did get to study and review quite a bit

But I did not start studying for AUD until after July 5^th and I took the exam on July 14^th.

I did not start studying for FAR until July 14^th and took the exam on July 18^th.

Some of you may still be laughing after reading that but trust me even though I am usually very optimistic I have no real illusions about my pass rates on these three exams. The only good thing about taking the exams is that I was able to remain Cool, Calm and Collected before and during the exams. I was able to get a feel for how the exams questions were worded.

 

Another fun thing about taking the exams in July is that I was able to get the new TSA treatment – what does that mean you may be asking. Well starting July 1, 2011 everyone gets to enjoy wanding before going into the testing room.

WANTED: Bloggers!

Want to share your experiences studying and taking the CPA exam?  Want to be a source of help to others also studying for the exam?  We need some new bloggers to share CPA Exam experiences, study tips, and whatever other random thoughts come to mind in the middle of hours of studying!!  If you are interested, please email the OSCPA Membership Manager, Michelle Sopp, at msopp@oscpa.com.

Congrats, Rochelle!

A BIG congratulations goes out to our blogger, Rochelle, who successfully passed the CPA Exam in the IV Window of 2010, and become certified in early 2011!!!  Congratulations, Rochelle…wishing you all the best with your career!!