Can anybody give me advice on taking the CPA exam?

Question

I just use Gleim as my review tool because it's affordable,but I wonder if it's effective? Are those sample questions similar to the real ones in the Exam? And how long does it take you to prepare per section? I plan to take Financial and Reporting section on August and BEC on October, any thoughts or advices are greatly appreciated. Thank you!

Answer 1

I can't speak to Gleim's program personally since I used Becker, but I would imagine that Gleim's questions will be similar to those found on the real exam. Becker's questions were a tremendous help for me. Each of my sections had between 2-5 multiple choice questions that were word-for-word from the practice questions.

Study time will depend on your strengths and weaknesses. I would recommend at least 80 hours of devoted study time per section. (That is the MINIMUM I would suggest). My feeling is to be over prepared and pass it the first time rather than have to study all over again if you fail.

FAR is harder than most of the other sections because of the amount of material that is covered. I would add another 20 hours total to bring that section to 100. I know this may sound like a lot, but you have plenty of time. Just do a few hours per day/night and try to devote 4-6 hours during your weekend. This schedule will allow you ample opportunity between your scheduled exam to get in the hours I suggest. Whatever you do, don't try to cram it all in at the last minute. There is far too much material to do this.

Lastly, the 14-year old's advice is correct. Relax when you are taking the exam knowing that you did everything you could in preparation for the exam. Also, you will probably walk out of the test feeling as though you failed miserably. That is normal. Nearly everyone I know (including me) has felt the same way leaving the testing center.

Good Luck!

Answer 2

Wow, that's really impressive, i know ur probably in college or high school and u don't want advice from a 14-year old, but my best advice would be to stay calm throughout the test, don't freak!  It's easy to start wondering other things while taking the test, so stay focused. Um... try taking some older CPA test reviews to help u get prepared.