Accountant's Musings: CPA Exam & Life Beyond

I wrote a post a couple of weeks ago, and it was titled, 3 things. The questions were not the toughest in the world, but they were not easy either. They required some soul-searching and a discovery of the value you attach to certain things (including people).

I believe that taking time to answer tough questions benefits a person in so many ways. For example, previously unanswered questions now get answers; some people get a sense of direction; others change their ways for the better; other people may come up with mission statements; fear may be dispersed; courage may be developed; etc.

It is hard to answer tough questions when you have not mastered the basics.

What would be your response to the following question?

What are the three things you cannot do without?

My response, which is not necessarily the best one or correct one, would be something like this: Air/Oxygen, water, and good health.

What would your response be?

Thanks for reading, and I hope you found that helpful.

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I know that I prayed quite a bit while I was preparing for the CPA exams, and I believe that at least before one of the exams, I said a quick prayer. [Of course, you don't want to say such a long prayer that you time out!] I prayed before I started studying for the exams, when I studied, before the exams, during the exams [at least once], and obviously, after the exam. Well, and after the results came out, even though I am not so sure I prayed after finding out that REG didn’t go my way the first time I took it. Today, I was reflecting on the many things I have prayed for… and wondering if my effort counted for anything, (and there have been times when I have wondered if my prayers counted for anything.) If you believe in what the Bible says, as I do, then it is fair to assume/believe that prayer counts for something. Then the question becomes, when does prayer become efficacious? What makes the Lord decide to answer your prayer and not another’s? What makes the Lord answer some of your prayers and not others? We do not know the workings of the Lord. We can only “assume” from what we read, from what we experience, from what we think… keeping in mind that He is good. However, one of the things that we “know” from reading quite a few stories in the Bible, and which I truly believe, is that the Lord cares about your worship, and/or the sacrifice that you bring to Him. So, I was wondering what kind of sacrifice you could bring to the Lord as you work towards your CPA, and which you would ask Him to bless. One of the possible answers is your work/preparation/qualification. I think it is respectful/honorable, to bring only that which we think is worthy of the Lord’s blessings. Of course, we have read and been taught that we are not worthy to come before the Lord, thus we could extrapolate to say even our works are not worthy of the Lord. At the same time, we have been taught that the Lord is merciful, and he welcomes the humble and the meek,… and thereby, if we humbly and faithfully do our work, and meekly and confidently bring it before Him to bless, He shall do so.

I am not a good student, but I can be a good student. I try to be one. It is a struggle sometimes. Luckily, the struggle is not intellectual. It is discipline. I am not a good Christian. I sin all the time. I make efforts, once in a while to be a good person. I am saying this just to share the fact that I am not good or perfect, but along the way, I have picked up on what works. Effort works. Not giving up helps. Hope helps. Goals help. God answers prayer. God is just. God is merciful. God sees your heart.

So, as you prepare for the exam, and as you know that some day, as you wait for the results to come out you will say a prayer, you can keep in mind that you should put forth effort that when you ask the Lord to help you pass the exam, you have no doubts that may be you didn’t do a good enough job preparing.

What shall you give to the Lord to bless?

Good luck! Thanks for reading, and I hope you found that helpful.

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During my preparation for the CPA exams, there were times when I didn’t want to study, think, work, or study. I just needed a break, something that would cheer/freshen me up quickly, or just sooth my mind, heart and soul. There were times when all I wanted was to go to bed with a smile, and there was not much that could do that [to me]… During those days, I would just rush to 1000 awesome things and read a few posts, and by the end of it all, I would be happy that I was alive, and I looked forward to tomorrow. It made me realize, again and again, that there was more to life… that I could choose what to focus on… that in the world of galaxies, the micro and the nano matter. So, here is a shout out to Neil! His book has been out a couple of weeks now… so if you have a moment, go take a look at his site, and if you share my feeling, grab the book of awesome!

Here is one of the posts that I remember reading way back when and I laughed my heart out.

Here is one of the posts that made me … swallow hard.

Here is one of my many favorites.

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The other day I was talking to Leigh, a friend at work. Among the things we discussed was my preparation for the CPA exam, and how she prepared for her SPHRM and other certifications… She mentioned that her husband had told her, at some point, to treat her school or study as work. Set a time that you need to show up for study, and do the studying – just like you would show up for work, and do the work. For me, that was one of the greatest words of wisdom regarding how to develop discipline to study.

What if you got paid to study? What if you got paid to pass the CPA exam? What if you would be fired if you didn’t study enough or if you didn’t pass the exam? Well, all those things happen in one way or another. For example, if you get your certification, you generally get paid more than those who don’t have the certification; trust me, I know! If you get your certification, you are generally not as dispensable (in layoffs) as the not certified. This doesn’t happen one time, it happens for the rest of your work life. Well, these are the benefits of actually passing and getting certified. But, the benefits aside, I think that the logic of looking at school and study as work, and setting time for it, and showing up on time, working set hours, and making sure you do outstanding work each time, is great.

I think knowing this and thinking about it, and trying to put it into practice, helped me in my preparation for my last exam or two. Thanks, Leigh!

Thanks for reading, and I hope you found that helpful.

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This is a series in which I am thanking those who helped me pass the CPA exam.

Next up, my girlfriend, Mwayi!

When we see people who have accomplished something thank their family and friends, or go on an endless litany of how who did what when where, we sometimes don’t appreciate how certain people can make or break a person or his/her dreams. I have read of a few stories where a boyfriend or girlfriend lost “patience” or “love” because the other person was studying all the time. Sometimes they will say hurtful or discouraging things. At a minimum, I think you need somebody who will not “distract” you emotionally, mentally, or physically. Well, that’s my minimum. I was lucky to have somebody who was selfless in her support of my goals. I had alluded to her help in when I was thanking God for His help. I may repeat some of those things here. If I do, it is totally-deserved and I cannot thank her enough.

Her love: I cannot explain it enough. I have heard it said that “love is a verb.” To have somebody whom you have no doubts or questions about her love is a blessing. How am I so sure about her love? I don’t know. Her works, her presence, my feelings,.. and other “unexplainables.”  I am lucky and thankful to have that.

Her goodness: There are some things that she did/does that I know she does them not because it is me or because she loves me as her boyfriend, but because she is just a good person. It is nice and helpful to be surrounded by goodness and love when you are stressed out, and when you are not at your best self. I am sure that when I was preparing for the exams and she was around, I was not the best boyfriend in the world, and the exam may have seemed as first, middle, and last priority. I suspect that her core goodness and the love made her go through those times with grace.

Her spirituality: She has prayed for me/us/others a million times – whether it was on the phone, or in the car, or the couch… Any time is God-time, especially when things are overwhelming. It was nice to pray when we were not stressed, and when we were stressed out. Sometimes I don’t feel like praying… either because I am tired, or I feel sinful, or I am just too stressed to focus, and yet part of me wants a prayer to be said to God. To have somebody who will say that prayer with you or for you, is always great. Even though I don’t act it, I believe that there is nothing more important that one’s spirituality and relationship with God. To have somebody who is a constant reminder of God is a blessing beyond description.

Her encouragement: I am pretty certain that I am smart, that if I invest enough time in something, I will get it, and on any day I can look back to see things I have sought and achieved. But even with that knowledge and proof, there were times when I thought I was missing something to pass the CPA exams. I had doubts before I passed my first exam, and I had doubts after I had passed 3 exams. I read my positive thinking note, I prayed, I listened to positive thinking notes, but doubts could overwhelm me sometimes. To have somebody who knew me so well, and could either laugh at my doubts, or recite my successes, or just find a way to tell me, it was doable, I could do it, I would do it, that was very helpful, and a special blessing.

Her achievements and intellect: she is very smart. Overall, I think she is smarter than me. Even though I was not in competition with her, her achievements (those past, present, and to come) inspired me to make something of the opportunity I had to be a CPA. It was nice to double-check my thinking at times, especially on Economic theory (BEC). I knew she would become a CFA at some point or go to do a Ph.D, so out of love, I could become a CPA! (LOL!)

Her cooking: other than my mom (!), I think she is the best cook I have ever met/loved! I don’t think it is just because I love my mom or I love my girlfriend, or that I have eaten their food the most, I truly believe they cook good food. The sentiment aside, it was nice to not worry about cooking lunch or dinner after spending 12+ hours at work, and then trying to study after that. I cooked a few times when she was around, but it was so rare/few that it should not even count. The difference was so noticeable when she was gone, and I started cooking for myself again. I would usually cook different foods on the weekend, so that I didn’t have to cook during the week. I don’t mind eating the same foods over and over, or reheating foods, but still, I could not help but miss her presence and cooking. [Note: we didn't breakup! ]

Her presence: It was nice to come home and get a hug, to share the happenings of the day, share our thoughts, goals, dreams, etc. Eat together, go for walks, go to the movies, hear the noise, laugh with each other, look in each other’s eyes, talk while cooking, watch “Friends” together… what more can I say?

Some of the things here may seem obvious, small, insignificant… but it is when the bases and fundamentals are sound that you are able to launch, take off, and reach for the skies. The CPA exams was one of the bigger clouds in the sky, and I could not have touched it without Mwayi. It is my prayer that I will be half as good to her as she has been to me and help her reach her goals and be happy.

Thanks, babe! I love you!

Thanks for reading, and I hope you found that helpful.

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I just finished my Ethics exam a few minutes ago [scored 95], so I am now completely done with the CPA exams. It feels great to be done with that last part.

I had ordered the CD version of the exam. It was misdelivered about a week ago, and I contacted the AICPA. They were gracious in their reply and they issued a replacement order, which arrived yesterday after I found out that REG was in the bag. I could not start working on it yesterday for all sorts of reasons. The major one was that my personal laptop’s disk drive doesn’t work, so I planned to go to work Sunday to use my work laptop, and also to be in a study mode/mood.

I went to church and from there drove straight to work, 5 minutes away. Got lunch, and started going through the 145 pages of the CD study parket. At around page 25, I lost patience and decided to start working on the test and read as I go. That was around 1pm or thereabout. Since there are 40 questions, each question is worth 2.5 points, so if you miss more than 4 you would have to “retake” the test. I didn’t want to do that, so I took my time, verifying things. I had read somewhere, (I think it was on cpanet.com forum or another71.com forum that) even if you order the CD version, it is best to print the exam and mark off your answers even if you plan to take the exam online. Printing did not work for me because for some reason, the printers on the network were not connecting to my computer or vice versa. Lucky enough, we have Adobe Acrobat (Standard), and I could use that to mark/highlight/make notes on the PDF version of the exam. I preferred doing that to using the AICPA’s Multiple Choice Answer Sheet that came in the mail.

Anyway, so, after about 7 hours, I was ready to register online to take the exam. It was so nice to just click through as I had already marked off the answers. Of course, I verified the first few questions and a few other random ones to make sure the order was the same!

A couple of minutes later, it was 8:30pm and I got my 95. I will print my certificate tomorrow and I will send it via USPS certified mail.

I guess in the next couple of days I will start reflecting on my journey and the insights – (more like thoughts and reflections) – of this journey. I decided to take sit for the CPA exam sometime in January this year. I am showing that Yaeger CPA Review shipped my order on 1/30/2009. I paid NASBA for the four exams on 2/26/2009. I received the NTS on 2/27/2009. I scheduled all my exams with Prometric on 3/9/2009. I spaced them about 6 – 8 weeks apart.  My first exam was Financial Accounting and Reporting (FAR) scheduled to be taken on 4/20/2009. I supplemented Yaeger with Gleim Testprep CDs and my first CD order was on 3/15/2009. It has been an intense year – school, working insane 60+ hour-weeks at times, and a few other interesting things. About 11 months later, it is nice to be done with all the CPA exams.

To God be all the glory, forever and ever, Amen!

Thanks for reading, and I hope you found that helpful.

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While studying for the CPA exam, or any other exam for that matter, there will be things that will distract you from studying. In my case, this past week, or two weeks, I have had to deal with work pressures and other personal issues. I have been upset, frustrated, and overwhelmed. It was hard to to study. There were days when I didn’t study at all or I barely studied.

I had to remind myself what’s important, and what my goals are. Passing the CPA exam is one of the important things. It is one of the top goals that I have. I have to make time for what’s important. I cannot change other people. I may not be able to change the demands that life puts on me. I can, however, find time to take care of the important stuff.

So, that’s what I am doing. I am regrouping. I will make time for focused study regardless of what’s going on in life, at work, in my body, or in my heart. It may not be easy, but it has to be done. If it has to be done, then I just do it.

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