I have taken many parts of the CPA exam multiple times and have not passed any part, and yet I have never postponed an exam. Until now!
I knew I wasn't ready. That is one thing I do know, its what it feels like to not be ready and get score close to passing. So I decided to pay the $35 fee and change the date of my exam to July 3rd. I don't have another NTS for any other part, and no 18 month window clock staring me in the face, so why not give myself another month?
I can truly say, that I think it was one of the best decisions I have made through this journey. I am scoring in the 90's on my test and am gaining confidence everyday. I am also learning to tell people that I don't have time. It's surprising how many times I have caved in the past to whatever anyone wanted of me, but now, well its a different story. Some of them are getting upset, but they soon realize that this is MY priority, and come to respect my decision to put my exam first. I still struggle with putting the exam before my projects at work, but I am getting better.
So 21 days until FAR, going to pass this time, or die trying!
Tuesday, June 12, 2012
Friday, April 6, 2012
FAR - May 30th
Took a break from studying give me time to get some things more straightened out in life and help me to get re-focused on why I want to pass the CPA exam.
As tax season is winding down I find myself a little behind in my FAR study schedule. I am going on vacation right after tax season, and before you say WHAT, vacation during exam prep?!?! I haven't taken a vacation in over 6 years, if I don't take one soon I am going to go insane. Every vacation week I take is to study (cram) for an exam, which hasn't really been working for me. So... new tactic, plain old hard work day in and day out.
I purchased a new laptop which will allow me to study where ever and whenever I want. I think this is going to be HUGE! My local library closes at 6pm, I live in a small town, we have no coffee shops so all of my studying has to be done at the office or at home. Often times at the office if someone see's me there late, they come in and talk to me. It gets to frustrating to keep telling them I am studying and asking them to leave... they always say, "oh just one more thing" then 20 minutes later they are still rambling. My studying at home has not been going well because of the interruptions (computer is in living room).
I put a sign on my bedroom door that says "STUDY ZONE - Unless the house is on fire or you are dying, go AWAY". This has worked wonderfully to remind my family of how important my study time is to me, interruptions are almost none.
I plan to setup my laptop tonight and get my study materials all loaded. Then its back into Inventory.
As tax season is winding down I find myself a little behind in my FAR study schedule. I am going on vacation right after tax season, and before you say WHAT, vacation during exam prep?!?! I haven't taken a vacation in over 6 years, if I don't take one soon I am going to go insane. Every vacation week I take is to study (cram) for an exam, which hasn't really been working for me. So... new tactic, plain old hard work day in and day out.
I purchased a new laptop which will allow me to study where ever and whenever I want. I think this is going to be HUGE! My local library closes at 6pm, I live in a small town, we have no coffee shops so all of my studying has to be done at the office or at home. Often times at the office if someone see's me there late, they come in and talk to me. It gets to frustrating to keep telling them I am studying and asking them to leave... they always say, "oh just one more thing" then 20 minutes later they are still rambling. My studying at home has not been going well because of the interruptions (computer is in living room).
I put a sign on my bedroom door that says "STUDY ZONE - Unless the house is on fire or you are dying, go AWAY". This has worked wonderfully to remind my family of how important my study time is to me, interruptions are almost none.
I plan to setup my laptop tonight and get my study materials all loaded. Then its back into Inventory.
Wednesday, August 31, 2011
My REG Exam, Next section to study
Well I took my REG exam yesterday at it was BRUTAL. I had prepared for it, and used the Rogers cram for the last two weeks. I can say that there were several questions and a simulation based off of the material that Roger went over. I had one simulation that was giving me a hard time and ran out of time trying to figure it out, I sure hope its the one they throw out! I left the testing center feeling defeated. I don't feel like I passed so I am not going to count on it.
Onto FAR, which I will schedule at the end of November. We are in the full swing of audit season at my firm so time will be limited for studying as I will be exhausted when I get home. Planning 3-5 hours a week for the next 3 months, with a 2 week cram/refresher.
I will be blogging much less since my spare time is spent studying.
"The only real failure in life is the failure to try"
Onto FAR, which I will schedule at the end of November. We are in the full swing of audit season at my firm so time will be limited for studying as I will be exhausted when I get home. Planning 3-5 hours a week for the next 3 months, with a 2 week cram/refresher.
I will be blogging much less since my spare time is spent studying.
"The only real failure in life is the failure to try"
Friday, August 5, 2011
How to react to your fail section
3 ways people react to failure
1. Give up - Often times when failure meets someone face to face, rather than trudging through the difficult times ahead some people choose to just give up. It isn't that they want to fail or that they really want to give up, often times its the fact that the failure has shown them new light. Each time we fail at something it is a learning experience, and some learn that this isn't the right road for them.
2. Persistence - Lets be honest, some of us are just stubborn and never give up. We put our head to the grind and try, try, try again. Self believers, they often times are hard workers. But is it positive to just do the same thing you did last time? I know it didn't work for me with audit, I got a 70 last February, decided to take it again right away in the next testing window. Persistence in me made me think that it would work if I just in another 40-60 hours of studying. Wrong! If you didn't pass the first time, something was amiss, and doing saly (accounting term for same as last year) won't work.
3. Re-strategize - Sit down and look at your study plan, what was working for you. Your feelings about your studying are typically spot on, if you feel that you are jamming through a section and everything is clicking then you are absorbing the information. If you get to a section, and we all know which sections are our troublesome ones, and you feel like you are trudging through 4 feet of mud up-hill, well then something in your studying techniques isn't working for you. Change it! Step back and ask yourself what will make this more enjoyable. Purchase some other studying books, there are several out there that offer different perspectives on a subject. The books are always inexpensive, just order the book and read the section and if it catches your attention and things start clicking then you have found something that works.
"If you greatly desire something, have the guts to stake everything on obtaining it"
1. Give up - Often times when failure meets someone face to face, rather than trudging through the difficult times ahead some people choose to just give up. It isn't that they want to fail or that they really want to give up, often times its the fact that the failure has shown them new light. Each time we fail at something it is a learning experience, and some learn that this isn't the right road for them.
2. Persistence - Lets be honest, some of us are just stubborn and never give up. We put our head to the grind and try, try, try again. Self believers, they often times are hard workers. But is it positive to just do the same thing you did last time? I know it didn't work for me with audit, I got a 70 last February, decided to take it again right away in the next testing window. Persistence in me made me think that it would work if I just in another 40-60 hours of studying. Wrong! If you didn't pass the first time, something was amiss, and doing saly (accounting term for same as last year) won't work.
3. Re-strategize - Sit down and look at your study plan, what was working for you. Your feelings about your studying are typically spot on, if you feel that you are jamming through a section and everything is clicking then you are absorbing the information. If you get to a section, and we all know which sections are our troublesome ones, and you feel like you are trudging through 4 feet of mud up-hill, well then something in your studying techniques isn't working for you. Change it! Step back and ask yourself what will make this more enjoyable. Purchase some other studying books, there are several out there that offer different perspectives on a subject. The books are always inexpensive, just order the book and read the section and if it catches your attention and things start clicking then you have found something that works.
"If you greatly desire something, have the guts to stake everything on obtaining it"
Monday, July 11, 2011
Motivation
I think the most difficult part of taking this exam is staying motivated to finish it. The information is never-ending and difficult for most which makes it increasingly difficult to maintain a steady study schedule. We start out focused and driven to complete this goal we have set for ourselves and somewhere along the line we get distracted or burned out. Other things in life seem more appealing and we forget the things which kept us driven to achieve this goal in the first place.
The difficulty of these exams can make us feel less self-confident in ourselves which can also hinder our motivation. When we are feeling low it can seem almost impossible to focus or concentrate. I need a daily dose of motivation to keep myself focused on this goal. I can't look far into the distance and see how far I have to go, that for me is discouraging. It feels like I will never be able to finish, the road is to long, to hard, or has to many bumps in it. Instead I need to focus on one day at a time. Accomplishing my small goals that are right in front of me today. That makes me feel successful and keeps me motivated to do it again tomorrow.
What motivates you? I am motivated by competition, I strive to be the best at whatever I do. I try to be so good that they can't ignore me. Instead of striving for a 75 I plan to get as close a 99 as possible. I will learn each section and not move onto another section until I feel that I am so good that I can get a 99 on that section. At the end of each section I plan to assess how good I am. If I feel 100% confident about the material then I shouldn't have any problems when I review the material. For me, being the best at something is motivating for me. If I feel confident about what I am doing and can get 95% on the tests this gives me motivation to move on and master the next section. Motivation is contagious. Surround yourself with positive motivation in every aspect of your life.
"Success or failure is caused more by mental attitude than my mental capacity"
The difficulty of these exams can make us feel less self-confident in ourselves which can also hinder our motivation. When we are feeling low it can seem almost impossible to focus or concentrate. I need a daily dose of motivation to keep myself focused on this goal. I can't look far into the distance and see how far I have to go, that for me is discouraging. It feels like I will never be able to finish, the road is to long, to hard, or has to many bumps in it. Instead I need to focus on one day at a time. Accomplishing my small goals that are right in front of me today. That makes me feel successful and keeps me motivated to do it again tomorrow.
What motivates you? I am motivated by competition, I strive to be the best at whatever I do. I try to be so good that they can't ignore me. Instead of striving for a 75 I plan to get as close a 99 as possible. I will learn each section and not move onto another section until I feel that I am so good that I can get a 99 on that section. At the end of each section I plan to assess how good I am. If I feel 100% confident about the material then I shouldn't have any problems when I review the material. For me, being the best at something is motivating for me. If I feel confident about what I am doing and can get 95% on the tests this gives me motivation to move on and master the next section. Motivation is contagious. Surround yourself with positive motivation in every aspect of your life.
"Success or failure is caused more by mental attitude than my mental capacity"
Friday, July 8, 2011
Priorities and the CPA exam
In life, we choose whether or not we want to be a winner or a loser by the simple choices we make day in and day out. We choose to study or not, we choose to focus on whats important or slack off for a day.
I would rather watch the special television shows that my daughter and me love so much instead of outlining a chapter and making notes on it.
I would rather teach my son how to make a broccoli and chicken casserole instead of listening to the lectures on the chapter I just outlined.
I would rather go to the Harry Potter premier with my bestest friend and then go for massages after than study for the entire day to finish a review of an entire section.
I would rather spend the evenings in my husbands arms laughing at our comedy shows and playing games together than making flashcards on the questions that are difficult for me.
Priorities are difficult for me to see the difference between. My children are 14 & 17 and they still like me, they think I am smart and come to be for guidance (for the moment) and I hope to keep those relationships intact.
My priority are always my family first, so how can I put my family first and still study enough to pass the CPA exam? I thought about this for quite some time and realized that passing the exam will greatly benefit my entire family more in the long run of things. I need to think of the benefits this will provide my family in the years to come and not what its taking away from them here today.
Benefits in future - potential employment opportunities: my own business, my daughter to work with me, larger income, more vacations, retire sooner.
Now that I have my head screwed on straight it will become easier for me to spend the time studying because I know its an investment into our future.
"Purposeful work means you care deeply about something. You're passionate about doing it."
I would rather watch the special television shows that my daughter and me love so much instead of outlining a chapter and making notes on it.
I would rather teach my son how to make a broccoli and chicken casserole instead of listening to the lectures on the chapter I just outlined.
I would rather go to the Harry Potter premier with my bestest friend and then go for massages after than study for the entire day to finish a review of an entire section.
I would rather spend the evenings in my husbands arms laughing at our comedy shows and playing games together than making flashcards on the questions that are difficult for me.
Priorities are difficult for me to see the difference between. My children are 14 & 17 and they still like me, they think I am smart and come to be for guidance (for the moment) and I hope to keep those relationships intact.
My priority are always my family first, so how can I put my family first and still study enough to pass the CPA exam? I thought about this for quite some time and realized that passing the exam will greatly benefit my entire family more in the long run of things. I need to think of the benefits this will provide my family in the years to come and not what its taking away from them here today.
Benefits in future - potential employment opportunities: my own business, my daughter to work with me, larger income, more vacations, retire sooner.
Now that I have my head screwed on straight it will become easier for me to spend the time studying because I know its an investment into our future.
"Purposeful work means you care deeply about something. You're passionate about doing it."
Wednesday, July 6, 2011
Still learning/regrouping from my failure
Success. It is the result of preparation, hard work and learning from failure.
I am still regrouping from my score that came in. I still can't believe it, I really thought I had nailed audit this time. Somehow I got a lower score. I did change some things this time, so going back to what I was doing before.
Now its time to keep my focus on the present and future and not so much on my past. Failures are learning experiences. They are here for us to learn something from. I learned that I need to become more focused and study with more focus. Most of the time when I would study I was tired and drained from work. I need to go workout for a bit before my exams so that I have a clearer mind and have more energy.
I have a poor long-term memory, so I plan to review/cram for the last 2-3 days before the exam instead of relaxing. My test scores show I did good in area's that I studied more recently so I think this will benefit me tremendously.
I am still regrouping from my score that came in. I still can't believe it, I really thought I had nailed audit this time. Somehow I got a lower score. I did change some things this time, so going back to what I was doing before.
Now its time to keep my focus on the present and future and not so much on my past. Failures are learning experiences. They are here for us to learn something from. I learned that I need to become more focused and study with more focus. Most of the time when I would study I was tired and drained from work. I need to go workout for a bit before my exams so that I have a clearer mind and have more energy.
I have a poor long-term memory, so I plan to review/cram for the last 2-3 days before the exam instead of relaxing. My test scores show I did good in area's that I studied more recently so I think this will benefit me tremendously.
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