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!!
Monday, September 12, 2011
9/5 Week Recap
Study recap- so not as good as hoped (is it ever?), but overall not terrible. I managed to get a few hours in nearly every day. Some days the study juices just flow. Other days, I keep asking myself if it is worth my time since I don’t seem to be retaining anything. It’s very frustrating! The hardest thing for me about the CPA exam is that realistically, you’ll never know EVERYTHING in the book. It’s just pretty impossible. My goal is to know about ¾ of it (haha), But seriously, it’s tough to know what to study thoroughly and what not to study thoroughly. There is just SO MUCH information.
We have been packing like crazy people, since we are moving out of our house this Saturday. It doesn’t help with the ‘motivation to study’ but it is what it is. Hopefully I’ll be able to log some later nights this week and next week. Once the packing gets done we’ll hopefully be able to relax a bit and I can take some time to study, without feeling like I am being pulled in 500 directions. I think the best thing that worked for me is picking up the kids from daycare, coming home, eating with the family, spending some time with the kids and then heading out to study right around their bedtime, having my husband put them to bed. That way, I can study for a couple of hours and still get home and in bed without it being so late. I get so distracted studying at home. When I go out I leave the computer at home so there aren’t any temptations for checking email or Facebook.
I am also thinking about re-watching some of the lectures. I think now that I have studied the material more, if I watch the lectures again it might all make more sense to me. It’s 3-4 hours per module though, so hard to fit it in one night unless I stay up until midnight, which I might just have to do…
Here’s to coffee!
Tuesday, September 6, 2011
Weekend Recap
BEC is less than a month away now and I still feel like I have plenty of studying to do. However, since I took the ENTIRE Labor Day weekend off, you may assume that I am not stressed out about this.
Wrong. I am.
We went out of town for Labor Day, and I knew that there was no way I was going to have time getting any quality studying in, so I decided to quit joking with myself and decided to leave the books at home. I didn't miss them...
But now Labor Day is over and BEC is looming over my head again. It's a stressful time to be studying. We are moving in 2 weeks, closing on a house at the end of the month, and my husband is running a marathon the day after my BEC exam. We are tag-teaming the kids so he can find time to run and I can find time to study. Sleep is sort of a joke. I can usually have both of my kids asleep by 8:00. Between 8:00 and the time I go to bed I need to get some quality studying and some quality packing done. Easier said than done. My morning begin at 5:15, so by 8:00 I'm already quite worn out. Pulling out the BEC books is a chore, but I have to push it this month.
You know its bad when you make a pot of coffee at 5:00 pm just to get through the evening!
My goal this week is to drop the kids off at home (I do daycare pickup) and then immediately head out to study two days this week. I'll be home by 7:30-8:00 so that I can help get them into bed and then work on packing. The other days I'll just study after the kids are in bed and have my husband pack at night. I won't see the kids as much as I would like, but I rationalize this by knowing if I don't pass this thing, and have to take it again that will be more time away from them. Get er done.
My motto this month is "this too shall pass." We have terrible timing, my husband and I, right before Audit I was interviewing and accepting a new job, family was moving to Australia, it was my birthday, and a family wedding. Now...buying a house, moving, new daycare, picking out paint colors, buying a washer and dryer...ugh.
Be back later this week to let you know how it went!
Wrong. I am.
We went out of town for Labor Day, and I knew that there was no way I was going to have time getting any quality studying in, so I decided to quit joking with myself and decided to leave the books at home. I didn't miss them...
But now Labor Day is over and BEC is looming over my head again. It's a stressful time to be studying. We are moving in 2 weeks, closing on a house at the end of the month, and my husband is running a marathon the day after my BEC exam. We are tag-teaming the kids so he can find time to run and I can find time to study. Sleep is sort of a joke. I can usually have both of my kids asleep by 8:00. Between 8:00 and the time I go to bed I need to get some quality studying and some quality packing done. Easier said than done. My morning begin at 5:15, so by 8:00 I'm already quite worn out. Pulling out the BEC books is a chore, but I have to push it this month.
You know its bad when you make a pot of coffee at 5:00 pm just to get through the evening!
My goal this week is to drop the kids off at home (I do daycare pickup) and then immediately head out to study two days this week. I'll be home by 7:30-8:00 so that I can help get them into bed and then work on packing. The other days I'll just study after the kids are in bed and have my husband pack at night. I won't see the kids as much as I would like, but I rationalize this by knowing if I don't pass this thing, and have to take it again that will be more time away from them. Get er done.
My motto this month is "this too shall pass." We have terrible timing, my husband and I, right before Audit I was interviewing and accepting a new job, family was moving to Australia, it was my birthday, and a family wedding. Now...buying a house, moving, new daycare, picking out paint colors, buying a washer and dryer...ugh.
Be back later this week to let you know how it went!
Thursday, September 1, 2011
Introductions
Let me introduce myself. I’m a 28 year old married, full-time working, mother of two, and I am taking on the CPA exams. You can just call me Mrs. Crazy. Oh, and we are buying a house and moving this month. Mrs. Crazy it is.
Originally I went to school and got a Psychology degree. In other words, upon graduation, I was faced with the same question as when I started school, What do I want to do? I got my first job in the “real world” working at a brokerage firm, after a year with the company I transferred to their accounting department. I decided I was hooked on Accounting and should head back to school for another degree and more student loans. The more the merrier right?
So 5 months after getting married I went back to school. January 2007. Fast forward one month and I find out I’m pregnant. Yikes! Not exactly part of the “plan” but we were still happy. After one semester school was put on hold. We welcomed our daughter in October of 2007, and 6 short months later made a big move from the Midwest to the Pacific Northwest. Fast forward another month and I was pregnant again. This time on purpose. An accounting degree was the furthest thing from my mind. My son was born in February of 2009 and when he was just a little guy of 10 days old, we moved back to the Midwest. Six weeks later I went back to school. I finally graduated with an Accounting degree in December 2010.
The CPA exams were always part of my plans. Being 4 credits short of the requirements to take the exams I landed an internship at a public firm during Busy Season 2011. I had a great experience at the firm. Loved the piles of work and the overall business. Didn’t like Partner’s breathing down my neck, and hated the fact that I only saw my 2 kids a handful of hours each WEEK. However, I decided I would go back to the firm in the fall, and we’d just make due during busy season. However in July, just 2 months ago, I landed a Corporate Accounting job at a large, highly respected, corporation, and quickly accepted. So far, I am loving the work-life balance.
So now, the CPA exam. I started studying after busy season. I took Audit on July 6th 2011, and I am STILL waiting on the score. Overall I think it went okay, you never can tell. I thought the MCQ’s were okay, but didn’t get more difficult as the exam went on. The SIMS were okay too. I felt great about 3, okay about 2, and clueless on about 2. We’ll see what happens. Audit was never my strong point.
BEC is scheduled for October 1st. I rescheduled my original test date of August 18th, since starting a new job and buying a house was stealing time away from studying. (Heck, who am I kidding, working full-time, being married, and having a 2 year old and a 3 year old take time away from studying)! I study during my lunch hours and after the kids go to bed. I study Sunday afternoons as well, and I actually even study a bit at work during slower times (don’t worry, cleared with my boss). Do I study as much as I should? No. But I do the best I can and try to be as balanced as possible. I depend on a lot of coffee to keep me motivated.
Please join me as I blog weekly about my frustrations, my studying, my exam taking, and my victories as I work towards putting those 3 little letters after my name.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)