I continue to plug through Regulation using Wiley/Yeager. So far so good. Phil Yeager is the teacher and so far his lectures are the best in my opinion. He's a little side tracked here and there, but I don't really mind that. He presents the information clearly and I can grasp it.
Plus Business Law is fairly interesting to me.
I should be through the business law lectures by this weekend, and then I will spend a couple of weeks doing MC questions and studying the handout before starting on tax.
My NTS is waiting approval and I hope to schedule the exam late this week or early next week!
Tuesday, November 8, 2011
Saturday, November 5, 2011
I'm Still Here!
After my BEC exam was over the plan was to take 2 weeks off. I ended up taking 3 weeks off and then did a poor job of studying during week 4.
I am happy to report that I am finally back in the game and studying my way through Regulation!
After BEC I was wiped. I knew I needed some time to just stop, refocus, and have a normal couple of weeks. I won't do the same after Reg (maybe a week off), but I had been going non-stop since last January (busy season), so it was a welcomed break.
I found out yesterday that I PASSED BEC! I was shocked. I had so much going on in my life at the time, that the test wasn't my first priority. I passed by the skin on my teeth though, so I know I need to crank it up another notch to pull out passing scores on Reg and Far. Having 2 of the 4 done really makes me motivated though. There actually is an end in sight! Amazing.
So my goal for regulation is to get through Business Law in November and Taxes in December. I've already warned friends and family that the holidays will be a little stressful for me this year! I am planning on taking the exam in mid January. I haven't scheduled it yet, but I'll get around to that next week. Once I have a date, it is that must more motivating!
Happy Studying!
I am happy to report that I am finally back in the game and studying my way through Regulation!
After BEC I was wiped. I knew I needed some time to just stop, refocus, and have a normal couple of weeks. I won't do the same after Reg (maybe a week off), but I had been going non-stop since last January (busy season), so it was a welcomed break.
I found out yesterday that I PASSED BEC! I was shocked. I had so much going on in my life at the time, that the test wasn't my first priority. I passed by the skin on my teeth though, so I know I need to crank it up another notch to pull out passing scores on Reg and Far. Having 2 of the 4 done really makes me motivated though. There actually is an end in sight! Amazing.
So my goal for regulation is to get through Business Law in November and Taxes in December. I've already warned friends and family that the holidays will be a little stressful for me this year! I am planning on taking the exam in mid January. I haven't scheduled it yet, but I'll get around to that next week. Once I have a date, it is that must more motivating!
Happy Studying!
Friday, September 30, 2011
Eve of BEC
Here we are the day before BEC. What a switch from the day before I took AUD! I day before Audit I took the entire day to study, I reviewed, I got everything together (NTS, ID’s etc.) Planned out what I was going to wear since I didn’t want to be too hot or too cold. This time? Well, I am SWAMPED at work, I’ll be stuck here late, then I’ll run out and try to study for a couple of hours. A final review of sorts. Then I’ll drive home, maybe paint, but hopefully not, and crash into bed as early as possible. I should probably locate my NTS in there somewhere J
I have a lot of anxiety about this test. Not worried anxiety, just the I WANT THIS TO BE OVER WITH anxiety. I think the promise of 2 whole weeks off is a huge breather for me. I seriously am so excited, I can’t wait.
I have definitely put in my time for this exam. I didn’t keep track but I have to be around 120 hours, which I think is plenty for BEC. I know all of the material, but the past 2 weeks I haven’t had the time to study like I would like, and that is what worries me the most. Will I remember enough to pass? All I need is a 75. I know I need to stop and slow down and really read the questions and use my common sense to answer them.
I can do this!!
I’ll be back to let you know how it goes.
I have a lot of anxiety about this test. Not worried anxiety, just the I WANT THIS TO BE OVER WITH anxiety. I think the promise of 2 whole weeks off is a huge breather for me. I seriously am so excited, I can’t wait.
I have definitely put in my time for this exam. I didn’t keep track but I have to be around 120 hours, which I think is plenty for BEC. I know all of the material, but the past 2 weeks I haven’t had the time to study like I would like, and that is what worries me the most. Will I remember enough to pass? All I need is a 75. I know I need to stop and slow down and really read the questions and use my common sense to answer them.
I can do this!!
I’ll be back to let you know how it goes.
Tuesday, September 27, 2011
Less than a week until BEC
Don’t buy a house the week before sitting for a section of the CPA Exam.
Trust me on this one, it’s a bad idea.
So, we’ve moved, we are in our new place, we have no fridge, no furniture set up, and until this morning, no running water. I have been so distracted that I either A) haven’t even bothered to open up my BEC book, or B) Have opened up the book, only to find I can’t concentrate on a darn thing, so I close it again. We have 3000 square feet of painting to do (enameling the trim and painting the walls), which is a major process and I have to study.
I was reminded this morning at work, that it would be better to just try to push it and cram, cram, cram so that I hopefully don’t have to re-take this section. Probably good advice, since my mentality was along the lines of “screw it.” I have been doing so poorly on the multiple choice questions that I almost decided in my head that there was no way I was learning this stuff in a week, so I might as well take it and see what happens, expecting the worse of course.
And while I am definitely not as prepared as I would like, not even close, I decided that I still need to give it my best shot. The one thing I don’t want, is to walk out of the exam thinking that another hour or two may have made a difference. I am stressed about it and have no desire to study but I guess that doesn’t matter. I am going to study and I am going to push through this. If I don’t pass, at least I know that I gave it my best shot based on my current crazy situation.
One of my favorite quotes:
“Ability is what you are capable of doing.
Motivation determines what you do.
Attitude determines how well you do it.”
Happy Studying!
Trust me on this one, it’s a bad idea.
So, we’ve moved, we are in our new place, we have no fridge, no furniture set up, and until this morning, no running water. I have been so distracted that I either A) haven’t even bothered to open up my BEC book, or B) Have opened up the book, only to find I can’t concentrate on a darn thing, so I close it again. We have 3000 square feet of painting to do (enameling the trim and painting the walls), which is a major process and I have to study.
I was reminded this morning at work, that it would be better to just try to push it and cram, cram, cram so that I hopefully don’t have to re-take this section. Probably good advice, since my mentality was along the lines of “screw it.” I have been doing so poorly on the multiple choice questions that I almost decided in my head that there was no way I was learning this stuff in a week, so I might as well take it and see what happens, expecting the worse of course.
And while I am definitely not as prepared as I would like, not even close, I decided that I still need to give it my best shot. The one thing I don’t want, is to walk out of the exam thinking that another hour or two may have made a difference. I am stressed about it and have no desire to study but I guess that doesn’t matter. I am going to study and I am going to push through this. If I don’t pass, at least I know that I gave it my best shot based on my current crazy situation.
One of my favorite quotes:
“Ability is what you are capable of doing.
Motivation determines what you do.
Attitude determines how well you do it.”
Happy Studying!
Saturday, September 24, 2011
one week until exam day!
So we are down to 1 week until exam day. I hope to get a decent amount done this weekend. Saturday, my husband who normally works, has the day off. I am planning on going out in the morning and studying for a few hours. Then on Sunday, my mom and dad are coming into town to pick up the kids and take them off of my hands for the week while we close on the house and move. I think they’ll be in town mid-morning so I’ll have the opportunity to spend the afternoon studying. My husband is actually working Sunday, so once he’s off work at 3:00, we’ll do the final walk-through on the house and then maybe I can study some more that evening. It’s amazing the amount of free-study time you get without kids!
I was feeling confident in BEC at the beginning of the week, but as the week went on, I am feeling less and less confident and more and more freaked out. I don’t know if it’s because I haven’t put in as many hours as I have wanted to (maybe 2 per day), or if it’s because exam day is getting closer, which always invites a few nerves into my life, but I am certainly starting to get scared. Having passed one already is also tough, because now I have more pressure to pass the others. Some days I feel like I am nailing those MCQ’s. Other days, not so much. I just want it over with!
We close/move on Monday so I won’t be studying then. Also, this next week at work will be getting busier as we ramp up for month end the first week of October. It should be okay, just busy. Plus we will be trying to get a good chunk of the new house painted before the kids come back from my parent’s house, so that adds to the business, but we want their rooms to be as done as possible and certainly have their beds set up! I will really have to plan my time wisely and stick to a time schedule so that I can get some study time in and some work time in. I can’t leave it all on my husband! (which reminds me that I will probably have to tell him about my plans so I don’t get the “you’re going out to study again?” look).
I also feel like I am getting a cold, so I am hoping that this will stay away until after the exam!
On the agenda is to work on the written communications (since I have yet to do ANY), and then keep doing MCQ’s. Right now I think I am fairly strong with the formulas, but weaker with the theory type questions. Specifically with IT. I’ve been told that some BEC exams are weighted heavily with IT questions and some are weighted heavily with Cost Accounting type questions. I don’t like Cost accounting, but at this point I’d rather see those questions on the exam as opposed to the IT questions!
Happy Studying!
I was feeling confident in BEC at the beginning of the week, but as the week went on, I am feeling less and less confident and more and more freaked out. I don’t know if it’s because I haven’t put in as many hours as I have wanted to (maybe 2 per day), or if it’s because exam day is getting closer, which always invites a few nerves into my life, but I am certainly starting to get scared. Having passed one already is also tough, because now I have more pressure to pass the others. Some days I feel like I am nailing those MCQ’s. Other days, not so much. I just want it over with!
We close/move on Monday so I won’t be studying then. Also, this next week at work will be getting busier as we ramp up for month end the first week of October. It should be okay, just busy. Plus we will be trying to get a good chunk of the new house painted before the kids come back from my parent’s house, so that adds to the business, but we want their rooms to be as done as possible and certainly have their beds set up! I will really have to plan my time wisely and stick to a time schedule so that I can get some study time in and some work time in. I can’t leave it all on my husband! (which reminds me that I will probably have to tell him about my plans so I don’t get the “you’re going out to study again?” look).
I also feel like I am getting a cold, so I am hoping that this will stay away until after the exam!
On the agenda is to work on the written communications (since I have yet to do ANY), and then keep doing MCQ’s. Right now I think I am fairly strong with the formulas, but weaker with the theory type questions. Specifically with IT. I’ve been told that some BEC exams are weighted heavily with IT questions and some are weighted heavily with Cost Accounting type questions. I don’t like Cost accounting, but at this point I’d rather see those questions on the exam as opposed to the IT questions!
Happy Studying!
Saturday, September 17, 2011
AUD Score In!
I passed with a 79!
I cried tears of joy. I really did. I don't like to think about how this would have ruined my day had I not passed. You see, I don't like audit. Not at all. Part of me thought this would be my hardest exam, and I studied forever for it. Plus it was my first exam, so I went into it not knowing what to expect. I actually thought that the exam was okay, and I was pretty well prepared for it. If I were an Auditor it would have been much easier.
Just nice knowing I passed going into BEC. It gives me the extra push I need to ramp it up for BEC in a couple of weeks. The 18 month clock is ticking!
I cried tears of joy. I really did. I don't like to think about how this would have ruined my day had I not passed. You see, I don't like audit. Not at all. Part of me thought this would be my hardest exam, and I studied forever for it. Plus it was my first exam, so I went into it not knowing what to expect. I actually thought that the exam was okay, and I was pretty well prepared for it. If I were an Auditor it would have been much easier.
Just nice knowing I passed going into BEC. It gives me the extra push I need to ramp it up for BEC in a couple of weeks. The 18 month clock is ticking!
Study Update- 2 weeks to go!
This is the point in my studying where I just want to take the exam and get a break already! I’m at the point where I (hopefully) have a decent understanding of things, I’m thinking about the imminent exam constantly, wondering if I studied enough, counting down the days, trying to watch lectures one more time, re-read sections that still have me stumped, and drill formulas that for some reason I just CANNOT remember.
Ahh, the sweet life of a CPA Exam taker. Gotta love it.
What I don’t love, is the fact that
1) My computer is having connectivity issues, and has currently taken up residence at the Genius Bar at our local Apple Store (what would I do without you guys)?
2) We are moving this weekend
3) My to do list includes about 100 items (rent moving truck, get hotel room for 1 homeless night, file change of address with post office, cancel Netflix DVD’s due to changing prices, change address with bank, call title company, change address with work, call mortgage lender, remind husband to print off paystubs, get insurance binder, pay insurance premium, pick out paint colors, pack, eat, breath…).
4) Nothing on my to do list says anything about studying for the exam.
I think at this point, I have decided that I am just going to do my best in regards to studying. I’ve put in a decent amount of time, and thankfully, because we are mid month at work, things are pretty slow, and I have been able to do about 2 hours of studying a day here (1 hour at lunch and 1 hour throughout the day). I strategically scheduled my exam this way. Month end close is the week after my exam. There is only so much a person can do you know? I am not taking this lightly at all, I however, am just feeling like as long as I keep my head above water, I won’t drown. Hopefully.
So this past week went okay. Down to drilling those MC questions now. I don’t have an exact number in my head, but I am guessing I am doing about 100 per day. Next on the agenda is practicing those TBS!!
Ahh, the sweet life of a CPA Exam taker. Gotta love it.
What I don’t love, is the fact that
1) My computer is having connectivity issues, and has currently taken up residence at the Genius Bar at our local Apple Store (what would I do without you guys)?
2) We are moving this weekend
3) My to do list includes about 100 items (rent moving truck, get hotel room for 1 homeless night, file change of address with post office, cancel Netflix DVD’s due to changing prices, change address with bank, call title company, change address with work, call mortgage lender, remind husband to print off paystubs, get insurance binder, pay insurance premium, pick out paint colors, pack, eat, breath…).
4) Nothing on my to do list says anything about studying for the exam.
I think at this point, I have decided that I am just going to do my best in regards to studying. I’ve put in a decent amount of time, and thankfully, because we are mid month at work, things are pretty slow, and I have been able to do about 2 hours of studying a day here (1 hour at lunch and 1 hour throughout the day). I strategically scheduled my exam this way. Month end close is the week after my exam. There is only so much a person can do you know? I am not taking this lightly at all, I however, am just feeling like as long as I keep my head above water, I won’t drown. Hopefully.
So this past week went okay. Down to drilling those MC questions now. I don’t have an exact number in my head, but I am guessing I am doing about 100 per day. Next on the agenda is practicing those TBS!!
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