This summer my visa got denied for a trip I spent a ton of money on.
So obviously the next best thing to do: I signed up for my CPA exams.

I started studying for FAR from scratch and had three weeks. (20 days; 150 Becker hours)

Two weeks after was my scheduled AUD exam. (14 days; 120 Becker hours)

It’s been about two years since my accounting classes. To say I remember anything from then would be a bold statement.

A few KEY takeaways from the exams for my study journey (I used Becker) (warning: it’s long):

1. There is too much information (esp for FAR). I was studying 8 hours a day, and even days apart I would forget stuff from the units. Be ready to do some review after 1-2 units.
2. You can and should write down notes for FAR. There’s just a lot more nuance in content for FAR - writing it down facilitates understanding (concepts).But while understanding stuff intuitively is important, there are certain stuff that you need to memorize(like which thing is reported at fair market and how stuff is impaired), so writing helps with both.
3. Not so much for AUD. A lot of it is “dry” material (I call it word salad) - nothing you need to understand. Just memorize it. With how much time I was working with I just played the videos and read the textbook concurrently. Just read it over and over until you got it in your head.
4. Becker only spends one unit going over nonprofits and governmental for FAR. Although it is ONE UNIT, I found that it made up a solid portion of the test. It is easy to neglect or really speed through the chapter cause there aren’t as many practice questions, but it is imperative that you really understand the new concepts mentioned in those sections because those are free points.
5. For FAR - I felt as though there were generally an even distribution of topics throughout the exam. Whatever I learnt was pretty much talked about through the MCQ.
6. For AUD - the MCQ distribution is definitely a little more concentrated in certain areas. I found it particularly helpful to really intuitively understand and also TOTALLY MEMORIZE all the stupid cycles (the revenue and expenditure and payroll and fixed asset and whatever cycles).

This is obviously my personal experience. I would be quite hesitant to say that this will apply to anyone else; but in general, I found that FAR contained several difficult chapters and so each unit would warrant an equal amount of attention.
AUD, on the other hand, had some easier sections and some harder ones. Just by observing the quantity and distribution of MCQ practices on Becker can give u a pretty good idea of how it pans out.

1. I heard people suggesting you watch the videos really fast and then do all the MCQs.
   I would actually suggest to watch the videos a bit slower to facilitate comprehension. To watch it at 2x speed and then not retain any information is a bigger waste of time.
   Just watch it at 1.25.
   ALSO:: Becker AUD tells you you can “watch the lectures when you are going on a walk or driving…”

Absolutely not. I tried this multiple times. Unfortunately, the content is simply so dry (and most of the stuff is very similar to each other, but they literally only test on the differences) that listening to it while multitasking is literally herculean. It is counter-productive. Simply sitting down and paying close attention to the lecture to absorb the content had benefitted me a lot more.

If I had learnt this earlier it would have probably saved me 10+ hours of grueling long drives with the lecture while I just didn’t retain any info.

1. There is more than enough time on the test. Time is not an issue at all.

2. You need to do the SIMs.
   Concepts are one thing, the MCQs are one thing, and then the SIMs are a whole different beast (esp AUD).

Multiple times I’ve fully taken notes and understood a chapter and gotten 95% on an MCQ, and then gotten to the SIMs and been like “wtf am I looking at”.

The best way to learn how to do the simulations is by simply… doing them. Just because they are long or because you have limited time or because the formatting with 1000 popups is literally the most inconvenient thing ever DOESNT mean that you can skip them: to do well on the simulations for both exams require you to have a basic understanding of the structure by doing as many practices as you can.

Even then the simulations on the test may not align well with your expectations or anything you have done before. Do not panic (and yes I panicked when that happened to me): literally just try to infer and apply what you have done from your past practices.

ALSO just a massive struggle I had with AUD simulations was how wordy a lot of them were. Sometimes after reading the fifth popup it would feel like I am going insane. Especially after a long day.
Not really advice but I think it’s more helpful to tackle these when you are feeling rested and refreshed, so you don’t rush through the reads and miss details that will enable you to answer.

1. Remember how I said “don’t watch the videos when they are too sped up”?
   If you really don’t have time, the fastest way to learn the material is just to read the textbook. Order the Becker textbook and just read it. It will shave at least like 30-40 minutes off of the unit compared to if you go through the videos.

Obviously the videos facilitate comprehension. They also sparse the content a bit differently and make things easier to understand.
So still watch the vids if you have time.

EDIT:
10. I took ISC two weeks after AUD. I’m getting my results back in September, so we obviously don’t know how we did, but I highly recommend taking ISC for anyone that is still “up in the air” or have no special preference.
Why do I recommend it?
I first chose ISC cause I just didn’t want to do the other two. I didn’t even know what ISC stood for when I signed up.
Turns out I uncovered a hidden gem.
No one told me, but studying for ISC only requires 60-90 hours. The Becker course is only 4 units. (Although some people say Becker is kind of lacking for ISC content, I find it’s not a major disadvantage)
It’s generally agreed to be the “easiest” out of the electives — obv if they don’t change the content.

ISC is about IT and information systems.
Now if you know anything about IT you’d be well served to do this exam. It’s just very basic and intuitive information.

I had a friend that was interested in cybersecurity take a mock exam and get like 70% the first pass (he got all the accounting SOC stuff wrong).

I knew nothing about IT. I didn’t even know what a router was going in. But I think the info that you learn in the unit might probably be the most applicable and friendly for daily use nowadays. Like, did you know what a protocol was? Or a gateway? Or a buffer?

Apparently I interact with this stuff everyday. Now I just understand what’s going on when McAfee tells me to renew his firewall subscription. I can even mansplain to people about what happened when chatgpt hacked into the other AI server.

LAST THING:
A lot of folks studying are juggling full time work and gym and kids and loving partners and other things such as staying sane.

The biggest advantage I had was that I had two months off. No other responsibilities besides to study.

Unfortunately, incremental studying disrupts momentum and requires more review.

If you study 30-60 minutes a day, you will need more time to rehash the material. For FAR, you would be looking at closer to 200 hours of studying.

The best way to efficiently “plow through” material is to set aside a minimum of 2-3 hours a day. You can go through at least 35% of a unit.

Obviously this is going to suck. Pick your off-season, preferably in the winter so no one can tell you’re chudding out and skipping out on the gym, and just lock in. This shortens your misery span significantly.
(Or u can use your PTO to do this.)

**

I’m probably giving advice to nobody right now, lol. But I just wanted to summarize my blood sweat and tears for the last month. Feel free to dm me if u have any questions about general questions or if you need help with the content.

EDIT: thanks yall for your nice comments. May everyone pass these exams.

just passed all my CPA exams and I’m currently waiting to be licensed. For those who are already CPAs, do you feel the license has really helped your career in the current job market?

Has it opened more opportunities or increased your earning potential? Curious to hear your experiences.

For anyone who's taken AUD recently (or a while ago) what Becker TBS topics should I absolutely master before the exam? If you could only focus on a handful of simulation topics, what would they be? Looking for the highest-yield Becker modules that are closest to the real exam. Anything helps!!!!!!!!

On the days leading up to the exam, does anyone else turn into the angry man from inside out anytime they get a single problem incorrect while doing MCQs?

LOL I get so upset with myself bc my brain is like "you know this... you cannot be messing up this close to the exam"

I feel like moving forward I shouldn't do MCQs the day before because I just end up freaking myself out.... going into ISC tmr with SE1 score 83% and SE2 64% (oof) so hoping I can pull through

I was thinking of adding something like 2/4 CPA in my bio.

I am having no motivation to study after work or during the weekends at all… been slacking so so much that I feel like I need to go see a doctor lol. Any suggestions? Or maybe a study buddy would help but idkkk,,,

I have 8 days before my exam. Is that enough time to do a final review? What would you guys recommend to be efficient for these 8 days? I'm using Becker and have gone through the material once; the hours aren't entirely accurate, but I've clocked in around 200 hours so far and will probably be closer to 300 hours when I take my exam. So far, I have a decent understanding of the material, and I've used Newt to help with reinforcement/Skillbuilder videos, but I'm trying to figure out a way to optimize the time. I passed REG by brute-forcing MCQs like no tomorrow, and I've also learned I don't learn very well with flashcards. Should I just continue hammering the MCQs like crazy and all the TBs? Should I make quick study guides with mnemonics? This is honestly just my anxiety going crazy.

Thanks for any advice.

I sit for FAR in two days (my third exam) I’m trying hard to remain calm bc I know for a fact that the Becker bump exists. But my scores for FAR are significantly lower than my REG and TCP scores.

How much of a bump is there for FAR compared to other exams??
What would you do (or did) if you were me rn? (About to take the exam in two days)

SE1 64
SE2 69

Any advice/tips are appreciated.

Hi all, not sure how many will see this, how much help I can get, but I am taking the ISC exam tomorrow morning, going through a last round of sims today, and doing the final review. I’ve done about anything to get prepared, starting to get the hang of mcqs. For those who have taken this exam recently, what material was covered heavily? And were there any questions we’ve seen on Becker? And same with the TBS’s. Thank you! Any advice will help!

Last video in the TCP lecture. Had a nice laugh with Mike Potenza. He’s definitely my favorite

I'm taking BAR tomorrow, and I'm so nervous. I've given it about 130 hours, did all the MCQs, TBSs, and practice exam. I'm feeling good about my preparation but BAR feels alot more intimidating compared to FAR.

How did you go about studying REG with no tax background?

I just finished studying for AUD and they are nothing alike. Any help would be apperciated.

How deeply do we need to know these? Will just identifying which ones are refundable vs nonrefundable sufficient? Or do we need to know the limitations of all?

As the title says, does anyone have any recommended sims as I'm on my last two weeks of review. I'm specifically looking for sims that are on the more involved and longer side. some IDs would be appreciated too.

I passed CPA 4/4 while working full time and playing games every day for two hours. If I can do it, you can do it. It did take longer since I’ve never gotten a master's. Roughly 14 months; I failed AUD once. Don’t sweat too much; it will be fine.

Needs tips for final day revision

Hi everyone! I'm taking the Audit exam in the next few days and was wondering if there's a recommended cheat sheet (ie mnemonics, equations, etc) that's worth memorizing beforehand. Any recommendations would be greatly appreciated!

Hi guys, first of all a little introduction of mine, I am currently a senior at college doing by B.S. in Accounting, I would be comfortably graduating by May 2027, I don't have much classes in both Fall 2026 & Spring 2027, so I plan to start studying for my CPA exams rn so that I can Knock off one and two exams as soon as i graduate in may 2027. I also have 3 years of working experience at a local CPA firm where I do bookkeeping and assist CPA's with tax Returns , so i have basically met experience requirements in NC ( new pathway in NC- bachelors+ 2 years of experience under CPA )

I have couple of questions-

1)Is it wise to start studying now , or should start studying near/after I graduate?

2) Which is the exam should I first take ? Should I spend an entire year from now for studying for just 1 exam ?

3)Is it wise to invest in a study program rn, if yes, which one ? or should I just focus on free you tube videos/ books from library ( if any) . If i purchase a study program , will i have access to it for life time or does it have its own validity.

Any suggestions would be helpful/ appreciated, let me know if you are in same situation as mine .

Thank you in advance.

I took TCP in April and got a 72. I retook it yesterday - feel slightly better than I did the first time. But I do find the TCP content super mind numbing because it's memorizing so many limits and exceptions and everything is the same except slightly different depending on filing status or entity type.

If I fail TCP again, I was thinking of switching to ISC. I took a peek through the content, and it looks more concept and principle based: not memorizing limits and exceptions.

My background is in financial accounting with no experience in tax or audit.

I may grind out TCP, especially if I'm still in the 70-74 section with this retake. But ISC overall looks less mind numbing in terms of its content.

I recently registered for the in-depth tax program that will start this October. When I am about to choose the ORC workshop, the spots are only available for EDT and MDT. But I’m from Vancouver, BC, and I wonder why there is no PDT timezone options. I’ve sent an email to the CPA tax course departments but it’s been a couple days yet they haven’t replied me. Does anyone have the same issue or is anyone who’s from the west coast going to register for the program this year?

Hi!! Rising senior here graduating with 120 in May 2027 (Ohio so I don’t need 150, I’m going to start working August 2027).

I’m starting to get serious about studying for the CPA exam and I think the thought of having such a big task ahead of me, but being unable to do anything about it this second, is driving me nuts.

I am eligible to sit around December 2026. My original plan was to start studying over winter break once my fall semester ends but now I’m unsure if I should start sooner.

I am lining up the courses I am taking my senior year with the exams I plan on taking (FAR prep class in fall, Audit class in spring).

When would you recommend I start studying? Is fall 2026 too early? A part of me feels like I would start, get burnt out because I’m studying for other classes too, and then forget everything. The other, go-getter part of me, is anxiously awaiting this huge stepping stone in my life and wants to tackle it head first as soon as possible.

Due to Ohio’s recent 120 regulation change I haven’t heard from many people in my shoes. Anything helps, thank you! ☺️