As I sit and write this I am a married woman. Not much has changed really since we have been living together for a while now. He understands that there are days I like to hang around in my pajamas and not shower because my laziness trumps everything. Imagine the horror of discovering that little dirty secret post marriage. The wedding was so much fun. I wish I could just rewind the time and relive that day all over again for the rest of my life.
In the world of studying I am slowly getting back into the groove of things. I broke down and purchased the Roger Cram for audit. I had his cram textbook from 2013 that I read the last time I took audit and really liked how the material was very clear and concise. I doubt that I will really spend much time on the videos. I know I will definitely watch the lectures for Audit Evidence, Internal Control, and Audit Reports. The Ninja MCQs will be my main source for questions. There are approximately 1,597 questions in the testbank. I have work travel coming up in a week which usually involves long hours. I plan on getting through 100 MCQs a day during that week. I figured I will probably work till 10pm each day and if I go to bed right away I can get up at 4am (stupid o'clock) and study for at least 3 hours. I plan on spending the Saturday after I get back working through the Simulations with the hope of getting through as many as I possibly can during that week. Which will leave me a week and half for final review. If I stick to my schedule, I should get through all the Ninja MCQs at least twice prior to me sitting for my exam on July 2. And then party my face off during the weekend of the fourth and then start studying for BEC that Monday. I have to schedule some play time in there because by the time I take Audit I will have been burned out.
I just have to stick to my study schedule! Good Luck!
Thursday, April 23, 2015
Forever Changing Schedule
With my wedding less than a month away and my audit retake scheduled for May 9th I came to the realization that there is no way I can pull that passing score. My family is coming from abroad and will start coming in May 4, so that really puts a damper on my plans of taking the exam May 9 since they will all be staying with us.
To add to all the madness I also thought it was a great idea to adopt a 2 year old hound mix with no training whatsoever. Yeah, I am losing it! She is slowly getting trained but hasn't grasped the concept of not peeing on carpet. So, for a while I called our house, "The house of piss" because it smelled like piss. We have been diligent about letting her out every 2 hours and blocking her off from going to upstairs where there is carpet. Our basset hound has a friend now and he seems happy to have someone to play with.
I broke down and bought the Audit Ninja Book because I could not stomach reading the Wiley Textbook since I read that from cover to cover the last time I took Audit. It as been easier on the eyes and an easy read. There are approximately 7 chapters in the book, with the last chapter only 6 pages long. I have been spending approximately 2 to 3 hours a night and trying to get through one chapter over 2 days. The heavily tested chapters with more pages to read, I have been saving those for the weekend. I also work through the questions as I am reading the chapters. I tend to forget the material, so waiting till after I am done with reading the book to work MCQs. I also invested in the Audit MCQs and they have been amazing especially for the price point. I have converted to full Ninja products, however, I will still reference the Wiley Textbook and my other plethora of cpa exam materials. Because we all know I am CPA exam material hoarder.
So, plan has changed and I will be taking my exam July 2. Which will give me plenty of time to study and work through questions. In the meantime enjoy this lovely pic of Bailey, the new addition, sleeping in her new home the first day we had her. Very tall and lanky that Bailey and mischievous.
To add to all the madness I also thought it was a great idea to adopt a 2 year old hound mix with no training whatsoever. Yeah, I am losing it! She is slowly getting trained but hasn't grasped the concept of not peeing on carpet. So, for a while I called our house, "The house of piss" because it smelled like piss. We have been diligent about letting her out every 2 hours and blocking her off from going to upstairs where there is carpet. Our basset hound has a friend now and he seems happy to have someone to play with.
I broke down and bought the Audit Ninja Book because I could not stomach reading the Wiley Textbook since I read that from cover to cover the last time I took Audit. It as been easier on the eyes and an easy read. There are approximately 7 chapters in the book, with the last chapter only 6 pages long. I have been spending approximately 2 to 3 hours a night and trying to get through one chapter over 2 days. The heavily tested chapters with more pages to read, I have been saving those for the weekend. I also work through the questions as I am reading the chapters. I tend to forget the material, so waiting till after I am done with reading the book to work MCQs. I also invested in the Audit MCQs and they have been amazing especially for the price point. I have converted to full Ninja products, however, I will still reference the Wiley Textbook and my other plethora of cpa exam materials. Because we all know I am CPA exam material hoarder.
So, plan has changed and I will be taking my exam July 2. Which will give me plenty of time to study and work through questions. In the meantime enjoy this lovely pic of Bailey, the new addition, sleeping in her new home the first day we had her. Very tall and lanky that Bailey and mischievous.
Wednesday, December 24, 2014
Audit!
Seeing that my last post was titled Failed Audit, I really did not want another Failed Audit title even though that is what happened. I have not updated my blog in a few months. A lot has been happening and just didnt have the time to write.
I retook Audit on November 25 and lo and behold I got a 73. I felt nothing when that score pooped up on my screen at 5am. I was numb because I had worked so hard for that retake and felt like I truly understood the material. Later when I got to work I was so angry I cried. This exam is so frustrating. I was 2 points away from having my first pass.
Since then, I left public accounting and now work in healthcare still auditing. I have only been in my new position 2 weeks but I already know there is so much to learn and so lots of potential for professional growth. The team seems really nice as well. I feel like I have known these people longer than just 2 weeks. The other nice thing is each year the company shuts down from Dec 25 through Jan 1. During the break I plan on restudying for audit yet again. I feel like at this point I am a pro.
I ordered the 2015 Wiley Audit textbook and it should get delivered today. I am going to reread the textbook one more time and take notes. During that time I plan on working through all the questions in the book. Once I am done I am going to work through all the Ninja MCQ until exam day. At this time the goal is to retake Audit early February. There have been a few simulations that stumped me and will keep preparing for any FAR related material because I seem to get it each time I have taken audit. I was weaker in audit reports the last 2 times that I have taken the exam. Other areas I actually improved and had some stronger sections. I have always known I was weak in Audit Evidence so I broke down and bought the Bisk Audit Evidence hotspot. I think it was 2 hours total of lecture. Once I was done viewing the lecture I worked through the questions. I went from weaker to comparable. Not that those reports mean anything. Since I have consistently been doing terribly in Reports I am going order the Audit Reports Bisk hotspot and hope that I can learn a few things from Bob.
I am starting from scratch for this retake. My very first score was a 47 and I have consistently improved. I can pass the exam, I just need to study hard.
I will try and update my progress at least weekly so I dont fall off the face of the planet.
I retook Audit on November 25 and lo and behold I got a 73. I felt nothing when that score pooped up on my screen at 5am. I was numb because I had worked so hard for that retake and felt like I truly understood the material. Later when I got to work I was so angry I cried. This exam is so frustrating. I was 2 points away from having my first pass.
Since then, I left public accounting and now work in healthcare still auditing. I have only been in my new position 2 weeks but I already know there is so much to learn and so lots of potential for professional growth. The team seems really nice as well. I feel like I have known these people longer than just 2 weeks. The other nice thing is each year the company shuts down from Dec 25 through Jan 1. During the break I plan on restudying for audit yet again. I feel like at this point I am a pro.
I ordered the 2015 Wiley Audit textbook and it should get delivered today. I am going to reread the textbook one more time and take notes. During that time I plan on working through all the questions in the book. Once I am done I am going to work through all the Ninja MCQ until exam day. At this time the goal is to retake Audit early February. There have been a few simulations that stumped me and will keep preparing for any FAR related material because I seem to get it each time I have taken audit. I was weaker in audit reports the last 2 times that I have taken the exam. Other areas I actually improved and had some stronger sections. I have always known I was weak in Audit Evidence so I broke down and bought the Bisk Audit Evidence hotspot. I think it was 2 hours total of lecture. Once I was done viewing the lecture I worked through the questions. I went from weaker to comparable. Not that those reports mean anything. Since I have consistently been doing terribly in Reports I am going order the Audit Reports Bisk hotspot and hope that I can learn a few things from Bob.
I am starting from scratch for this retake. My very first score was a 47 and I have consistently improved. I can pass the exam, I just need to study hard.
I will try and update my progress at least weekly so I dont fall off the face of the planet.
Tuesday, September 2, 2014
Failed Audit
I found out during the last score release that I failed Audit. I was so close but yet so far away. I was so mad at myself for not being consistent with my studying. Had I studies as hard as I did the last two weeks prior to taking my exam I believe I would have seen that 75. So, here I am back at it again. And once again chanting the mantra that this is the last time I will be studying for audit. The one thing different this time around is I am beyond motivated to pass. Getting a score fairly close always leaves me hopeful that I can pass these exams.
I posted on the Yaeger CPA Review message board that I failed and I was not sure on restudying from scratch with the Homestudy or purchase their Cram. The wonderful folks at Yaeger were kind enough to give me access to the 2014 Audit Cram since I had 2012 on hand. I was beyond elated since that is less money for to shell out since I have to pay for my retake. I was already planning on taking BEC October 3 but that will not be happening. I am going to focus on Audit and then take BEC in November prior to Thanksgiving. I have vowed to be consistent with my studying. I am going to be studying pretty much every night except for some Friday nights since those are date nights with my wonderful fiance.
So, here we go again. This time determined and coming for audit with a vengeance. I will post more frequently during the week so I stay accountable. This week's study plan is listed below (I plan on just watching the Cram videos on each day and taking extensive notes. I will probably do at least 30 questions after each section and then do 30 progressive tests each day from sections previously covered).
I posted on the Yaeger CPA Review message board that I failed and I was not sure on restudying from scratch with the Homestudy or purchase their Cram. The wonderful folks at Yaeger were kind enough to give me access to the 2014 Audit Cram since I had 2012 on hand. I was beyond elated since that is less money for to shell out since I have to pay for my retake. I was already planning on taking BEC October 3 but that will not be happening. I am going to focus on Audit and then take BEC in November prior to Thanksgiving. I have vowed to be consistent with my studying. I am going to be studying pretty much every night except for some Friday nights since those are date nights with my wonderful fiance.
So, here we go again. This time determined and coming for audit with a vengeance. I will post more frequently during the week so I stay accountable. This week's study plan is listed below (I plan on just watching the Cram videos on each day and taking extensive notes. I will probably do at least 30 questions after each section and then do 30 progressive tests each day from sections previously covered).
| 9/2/2014 | Tuesday | Professional Responsibilities |
| 9/3/2014 | Wednesday | Engagement Planning |
| 9/4/2014 | Thursday | Internal Control |
| 9/5/2014 | Friday | Internal Control |
| 9/6/2014 | Saturday | Audit Evidence |
| 9/7/2014 | Sunday | Audit Reports |
Friday, August 8, 2014
Six Days Before Audit
I am down to 6 days before my Audit retake and I am slowly starting to freak out. When I get nervous, anxiety takes me over and I bite my nails down to nothing. I have been trying not to bite my nails. I literally chewed the nail polish off and am now getting to having no nails to bite on and resorting to skin.
For the first time in all my time and years of studying for the exam I actually went through all the questions in the Wiley Testbank. They were having some technical difficulties which was a bit annoying since I was in exam mode. And then I found out that they do not have the offline access anymore. I was planning on going to a local community college's library and studying on Saturday. In the past I have not been able to get internet access, and since I am not a student there I was afraid to ask. I finally broke down and called and all I have to do is give them my ID and they will give me a temporary username and password. Turns out they let community members use the library.
I reviewed the progress report for the Wiley Testbank and in some areas I scored in the 80s, other areas were iin the 70s and 3 areas I was in the 60s. The three areas that I am weak in are Audit Sampling, Evidence and Reporting. I plan on spending this evening on working through at least 50 questions from each area and referencing the textbook where necessary. I also invested in the Ninja MCQ so I had a different set of questions. I have a tendency of memorizing answers. I have started reading through every single answer and explaining why it is correct or incorrect. I also need to learn to go with my first choice. I tend to start overthinking and pick a different answer and of course its wrong.
I don't think in all the time I have been studying I have really invested as much time as I have this go around, nor have been consistent. If I fail I will not be mad because I know what I do need to pass. But I shall not think about that because when August 21 rolls around I will be 25% to being a CPA. I will get that 75.
Next week I will start waking up at stupid o'clock (3am) to study. I do best in the wee hours of the morning because there are no distractions. There is not much going on the interweb and I am not going to wake up at 3am to surf the net. I tend to be more productive.
Here's to that 75!
Happy Studying.
For the first time in all my time and years of studying for the exam I actually went through all the questions in the Wiley Testbank. They were having some technical difficulties which was a bit annoying since I was in exam mode. And then I found out that they do not have the offline access anymore. I was planning on going to a local community college's library and studying on Saturday. In the past I have not been able to get internet access, and since I am not a student there I was afraid to ask. I finally broke down and called and all I have to do is give them my ID and they will give me a temporary username and password. Turns out they let community members use the library.
I reviewed the progress report for the Wiley Testbank and in some areas I scored in the 80s, other areas were iin the 70s and 3 areas I was in the 60s. The three areas that I am weak in are Audit Sampling, Evidence and Reporting. I plan on spending this evening on working through at least 50 questions from each area and referencing the textbook where necessary. I also invested in the Ninja MCQ so I had a different set of questions. I have a tendency of memorizing answers. I have started reading through every single answer and explaining why it is correct or incorrect. I also need to learn to go with my first choice. I tend to start overthinking and pick a different answer and of course its wrong.
I don't think in all the time I have been studying I have really invested as much time as I have this go around, nor have been consistent. If I fail I will not be mad because I know what I do need to pass. But I shall not think about that because when August 21 rolls around I will be 25% to being a CPA. I will get that 75.
Next week I will start waking up at stupid o'clock (3am) to study. I do best in the wee hours of the morning because there are no distractions. There is not much going on the interweb and I am not going to wake up at 3am to surf the net. I tend to be more productive.
Here's to that 75!
Happy Studying.
Wednesday, July 23, 2014
Audit!!!!!!
I have been studying for audit for what seems like a century, the joys of being a procrastinator. I actually took some time to reflect on what I have been doing wrong the last few years that I have spent studying. One of the things that I realized during this wonderful time of reflection was how I am always in a hurry to take an exam. I have never actually taken the time to learn the material. This time around I have been taking my time and am ok with not squeezing in another test this window. Which I could have, had I actually spent all of June studying.
Reading the Wiley Audit book as awful as it sounds really helped. I am now going through the notes I took and rewriting them. During this process I am reading them and when I rewrite the notes, I try to explain the material to myself and then write the notes in my own words. Its taking my time to get through everything, however, I am scoring in the 80s as I go through the questions. Part of me is really amazed by how much answering questions gets easier when you actually know the material. I also go through each answer and explain why its wrong. As I get tired, I get lazy and just read real quick and try to answer quick. I have started taking breaks when my brain gets tired. Mostly because I dont want to ruin my trending score.
I am using the Wiley testbank and also invested $47 for the Ninja MCQ. I like the adaptive learning that is offered with the Ninja questions. I have been saving doing those the last 2 weeks prior to my exam date so I can get the questions on my weak areas.
I am really getting weary of this whole CPA exam process. However, looking at how half assed I have attempted the exam in the past I cant really get mad at anyone other than myself. My goal for this year is to pass at least 3 parts. And then taking on the last part in 2015.
Reading the Wiley Audit book as awful as it sounds really helped. I am now going through the notes I took and rewriting them. During this process I am reading them and when I rewrite the notes, I try to explain the material to myself and then write the notes in my own words. Its taking my time to get through everything, however, I am scoring in the 80s as I go through the questions. Part of me is really amazed by how much answering questions gets easier when you actually know the material. I also go through each answer and explain why its wrong. As I get tired, I get lazy and just read real quick and try to answer quick. I have started taking breaks when my brain gets tired. Mostly because I dont want to ruin my trending score.
I am using the Wiley testbank and also invested $47 for the Ninja MCQ. I like the adaptive learning that is offered with the Ninja questions. I have been saving doing those the last 2 weeks prior to my exam date so I can get the questions on my weak areas.
I am really getting weary of this whole CPA exam process. However, looking at how half assed I have attempted the exam in the past I cant really get mad at anyone other than myself. My goal for this year is to pass at least 3 parts. And then taking on the last part in 2015.
Tuesday, July 1, 2014
Still At It...
I am back studying AGAIN for an audit retake. I have come to realize that the material is not hard, however, I tend to rush through the material and never really take the time to learn it. Without actually learning the material, they can throw the same concept at me a million times and I would get those questions wrong. This time around, hopefully the last time I take Audit (raise your hand if you have read that statement before on this blog), I am talking to myself and explaining the reason why an answer is correct or wrong. I am just tired of studying and would like to be done with this exam early 2015.
I have been reading Eckhart Tolle's "The Power Of Now" and I must say it has been very insightful. I find joy in studying and do not feel guilty when I choose to take a night off from studying. He talks about living in the Now. Not to focus and obsess on the past or the future. I want to be a CPA and based on the book, constantly ask myself "What am I doing today to get to that goal." If you haven't read this book, its a must. I am trying not let studying consume me like it has done in the past. I will make the most of my one night a week that I choose not to study.
In other news, my fiancé and I bought a house and will be closing in a week. I cannot wait to move in to our new space. Everyone's needs, including our dog, were factored into picking our new home. Once we move in, I will post pictures of the new place. I am really excited about finally having office space.
Happy Studying!
I have been reading Eckhart Tolle's "The Power Of Now" and I must say it has been very insightful. I find joy in studying and do not feel guilty when I choose to take a night off from studying. He talks about living in the Now. Not to focus and obsess on the past or the future. I want to be a CPA and based on the book, constantly ask myself "What am I doing today to get to that goal." If you haven't read this book, its a must. I am trying not let studying consume me like it has done in the past. I will make the most of my one night a week that I choose not to study.
In other news, my fiancé and I bought a house and will be closing in a week. I cannot wait to move in to our new space. Everyone's needs, including our dog, were factored into picking our new home. Once we move in, I will post pictures of the new place. I am really excited about finally having office space.
Happy Studying!
