Pass The Cpa Exam With These Preparation Tips

By Author: David Bryant
Total Articles: 28
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Passing the CPA exam may be a frustrating project, especially if you have heard of the vast number of people who have had to sit through more than one section several times before finally passing the CPA. Below are several CPA preparation tips that have helped me to pass the CPA, and I am quite sure that they'll help you too. Pass the CPA exam you will, finally - it is inevitable unless you give up.

1)Develop the Appropriate Outlook
Nobody said passing the CPA was easy. Passing the CPA is a great task that may need a great deal of tenacity and time in order to succeed. Some people fail several sections several times before ultimately passing all 4 sections of the CPA. Prepare yourself for the likelihood that you may fail multiple sections before passing them, and accept that as a natural part of the journey of preparing for and passing the CPA. Then again, you'd want to remind yourself of preceding achievements that serve as concrete validation of your capabilities, e.g. having a college degree. Countless other people have studied for and passed the CPA exam in the end, and you will also.

2)Ask for ...
... Assistance From People Around You
Trying to pass the CPA is not an easy task, fortunately you don't need to take it on alone. You can request help from your friends & family by telling them the reasons why you want to get your CPA and how complicated this task is. If they are supportive of what you're trying to accomplish, they may help you out with some of your current duties (for example household chores such as cooking), and will understand if you can't make it to every social gathering.

3)Stay in Great Health
Poor health can cause harmful outcomes on concentration, which in turn can seriously impact on your capability to think and study. Eat a nutritious diet, get adequate exercise, and most especially, get at least 6-8 hours of sleep each night, and take a 15-30 minute afternoon nap if you must. Also, do not forget to schedule regular study breaks - they'll help you to stay refreshed and focused, and will also help you to learn better when you resume from the study break. Preparing for the CPA exam can be quite a battle. In order to successfully pass the exam, you need to keep both your body and mind in great condition.

4)Make Use of a Reputable CPA Exam Review Program
The best CPA exam review courses available come with lectures on DVDs that clarify hard-to-understand concepts much better than printed words ever could. The better CPA review courses are even accompanied by lists of practice exam problems to concentrate on, that are most likely to appear on the real exam. The best CPA exam review courses offer phone support that you can call to ask for further clarification on study materials, and get immediate feedback and detailed clarification from live instructors. Without doubt, investing in a good CPA review course can considerably shorten your exam studying time and inflate your chances of passing the CPA exam.

5)Find a Study Buddy Or Two
Seek out people who are also preparing for the exam in your area and invite them to study together. CPAnet.com has a forum where you can post or answer to a request for study partners. Create a strict study schedule and request for everyone to commit to it by putting studying ahead of other obligations. Studying with other people can help you to stay focused, and two heads are better than one when it comes to solving tough questions or concepts. When you're feeling discouraged, your study buddies may just give you the emotional support you need to keep going - after all, they're in the same position as you and should understand how you feel.

6)Concentrate on One Section At a Time
Many people find it overwhelming when trying to study for all sections of the CPA exam simultaneously. There's simply too much material to cover all at once. A better strategy would be to only focus on one single section at a time, do the exam for that section, take a break, and then start studying for the next section etc. Another piece of advice would be to go for the most difficult section first (the one that is most difficult for you - this will vary from person to person), because once you pass your first section, you only have 18 months to pass your other three sections. Getting that most difficult section out of your way first will minimize your chances of running out of time and having the 18-month window expire on you.

7)Identify Difficult Areas
Although reviewing materials you know the best give you that good feeling, it probably won't help your exam scores by much in the end. To get the highest ROI for your effrot and time, spend it on learning material you have the most trouble with. Browse through all of your learning materials, identify your problematic areas, and study them one by one until you have conquered them.

8)Taking Notes is Important
It is crucial to take ample notes when you're studying, so that you'll have something to study from during the last several days before the actual exam. Because you'll be using mostly your short-term memory during the exam, materials you review during those last several days will be remembered the most clearly on your exam day. This small window of time is simply not enough for you to study all your materials from start to finish, so be sure you have a comprehensive set of study notes that you can refresh your memory with during the last few precious days before your exam.

9)Time Yourself
While you're doing practice problems, time yourself like you're actually doing the exam. This will condition your brain to work under time constraints and prepare you more effectively for the actual exam. Also, by training yourself in this way, you'll be less likely to panic on exam day when you don't know the answer to a problem.

10)Practice Makes Perfect
Try to do as many practice problems as you can. By doing this, not only will you know the materials better, but you'll also feel more positive about your odds of passing the exam - both of which will help to increase your exam score!
Read more about how Dave Bryant managed to pass three previously failed CPA sections over the course of just ten months, with flying colors, in his blog PasstheCPAExam.org.