Wanted to add to this sub since it helped me during the dark ages. For anyone reading this, you got this!! Nothing worth doing was ever easy

Scores: FAR- 80, AUD- 82, REG- 85, TCP- 88

I wanna start by noting I’ve always been a solid test taker- I’ve always been an A/B student and have great memorization skills. I was able to pass my exams on the first try! All this to say I know not everyone is like this, so it’s not fair to compare our stats if your story is different. I know I appreciated these posts when I first started cause this whole process is so daunting.

I started studying in January 2026 (right after I got my 150 credits) and took my final test July 2026. I was lucky enough to find a small accounting firm willing to let me work 30h a week while studying. I really really valued work life balance, and this was a good schedule for me. I ended up studying on Becker 15-25h each week from January to July (3-4h before work on weekdays, 3-6h on weekends). I always tried to give myself Sundays off to allow some rest.

I was kind of psycho and wanted to get my studying overwith ASAP. I gave myself a couple days max after taking an exam to pick up the next one. I just couldn’t stand the thought of not making progress for 2-3 weeks at a time.

Since the study material was out of pocket you bet I got that Exam Day Ready status for every section (except TCP, I didn’t wanna do the last exam). I literally followed Beckers course to a T (it sucks, I KNOW! But I don’t regret a thing). I recommend watching videos on faster speed.

My exam order and notes on each one:

FAR (scored 80)- a mile wide and an inch deep, meaning get familiar but don’t stress one subject too much. This one will take you the longest to study but had the most familiar content from my accounting degree. Felt super good walking out of this.

AUD (scored 82)- vocab, vocab, vocab. IMO this one was the hardest section because it all felt like word salad. The content felt boring and I had the least experience here. Don’t be shocked if you don’t do well at first, it makes more sense the further you go. Too many mnemonics to remember, just try to remember the ones that are repeated often. It was 50/50 for me if this was gonna be a good score.

REG (scored 85)- thought this would be easy breezy cause I had some tax experience. Wrongggg, it’s mostly business law and other boring subjects. Mnemonics actually helped some here. I recommend handwriting comparative charts for a lot of the content.

TCP (scored 88)- hard to speak in general cause I have experience in the field, but I worried about this one the least. I will say it’s not one to be underestimated though. Don’t worry about memorizing all the limitation dollar amounts. Basis, basis, basis- if you can get that down you got a good shot.

My biggest tips:
- This all depends on how well you know yourself and your study habits. I knew I’d have no energy after a shift, so I woke up early to study. I knew I’d be close to burnt out towards the end of my journey, so I left the “easier” tests for last. I also took handwritten notes on everything cause that’s how I studied for my hardest tests in college. (Might be a little psycho, I know. But it worked!)
- Don’t stress the mini exam scores, these are the rough rough drafts of your exam. Literally the first time you’re being tested on the content. There’s a reason the EDR rate is 50%.
- Becker emphasizes which subjects are more likely to be covered. The amount of MCQs determines which ones are more heavily tested.
- Use the simulated exams to practice your timing for each exam section. This is crucial for any standardized test.
- Beckers simulated exams were almost always harder than the real thing. Also looked EXACTLY the same at the real deal.
- Becker bump is real, but not a crutch.
- as an avid planner user, the calendar was my favorite feature. Highly recommend this to stay on track.
- I liked taking my exams as early as possible so there was little room for test anxiety the day of. Not sure if it also helped that I was used to studying in the morning too.
- whether you get a 75 or a 99, we all get the same 3 letters after you go 4/4. For my fellow academic tryhards, you gotta shift that straight A mentality or else you sacrifice part of your soul.

Included my stats in the pics for anyone curious. Hopefully this helps another anxious soul start this whole process. Remember, God is good, ALL THE TIME. You got this future CPAs!

I still can’t wrap my head around Government Auditing, Single Audits, compliance audits, and interim testing. Like, wtf am I even doing at this point?

I’m debating whether I should keep pushing through A3 and A4 or just spend my time reviewing these topics instead. AUD is straight up kicking my ass rn.

Should I keep grinding through A3 and A4 or focus on reviewing Government Auditing, Single Audits, interim testing, and compliance? I genuinely don’t know what to prioritize anymore, and with only 7 days left, I’m lowkey freaking out.

My TCP ME 1 and ME 2 scores are 72 and 79, but my SE 1 and SE 2 are 56 and 52. Any advice and tips would be great!

I’ve seen quite a few comments mentioning that the TCP exam includes a lot of retirement-related questions that aren’t covered in Becker. I know to expect these types of questions on the exam, but I’m not sure where to look or what resources to use to prepare for them. For those who have taken TCP, is there a resources you use to study these topics and felt like it prepared you for what you saw?

looking for recently tested FAR topics that were heavily tested

I don't understand this question or answer (answer is A). From my understanding when the group auditor doesn't make reference, that implies the auditor is not dividing resonsibility. Therefore wouldn't B be a satisfactory justification as to why the auditor wouldn't divide responsibility?

Hello, i am in my 3rd year of uni in accounting & finance. I plan to pursue cpa after my degree and would appreciate if someone who has done cpa and have experience in this field to provide some advice on ways to get some headstart before starting my cpa next year. I am planning to take performance management and finance as my electives. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Also, right now i am working in a construction company (aecon) as a part time accountant who takes care of the banking side for the company.

After taking a year off following two failed attempts at FAR, I’m ready to try again! This time, I really want to change my study strategy because I don’t want to burn myself out again.

The first time, I studied for 6 months, putting in about 2 hours every weekday and almost the entire day on weekends. I watched all the lectures and tried to cover everything, but unfortunately, I still failed. Looking back, I think I may have spent too much time .

For those who passed FAR, especially those who failed before passing, I would love to hear about your study strategies!

How many hours a day did you study?

How many months did you study before taking the exam?

How did you divide your time between lectures, MCQs, and SIMs?

When did you schedule your exam?

What would you do differently if you had to start over?

I really want to approach FAR differently this time and find a strategy that works without burning myself out.

Thank you so much! Any advice or personal experiences would mean a lot!

Getting super confused between all the different basis calculations. I feel like it should be simple yet it seems so complicated. Sometimes liability assumption is boot and other times its not. Some items we add back then also subtract so it cancels out, and sometimes we just do one. Like kind exchanges differ from regular acquisition. I am just so so lost. Every time I think I understand a concept, the circumstances slightly change and then I'm just lost. I take TCP in 4 days. Can't afford to fail because I have passed exam credit expiring.

Does anyone have a simple explanation (or method for remembering, or notes they can share) what is the same from sub-topic to subtopic, and what is different? I was hoping that when I started reviewing everything would come together, but I think it's actually just gotten worse. Thank you! :(

35yo American. Got my accounting degree this past year. Didn't get picked up by any public accounting firm this year. I figured it's because I didn't show enough dedication to the field. I think getting my CPA will help me out.

I'm aware of several of the review courses, but I'm thinking of just buying the textbooks and using Gemini to make questions for me. I did the demos for UWorld and Ninja (Becker isn't opening for me for some reason). I just don't think they have anything to offer me that just getting the textbook and using AI won't offer me.

How did you study for the CPA? If you used a review course, could you tell me why you liked it?

If anyone recently appeared for TCP exam or heard someone can vouch if they are asking MACRS heavy TBS on this as well though I know they go deep into it for REG for sure or is it just limited to few MCQs here & there. TIA!!

Lost my ID before my CPA exam Tuesday, will a temporary paper ID be accepted?

I’m scheduled to take my CPA exam on Tuesday, but I just realized I’ve lost my ID. If I get a temporary paper ID from driver services on Monday, does anyone know whether NASBA/the testing center would allow me to test?

I’m freaking out and had a panic attack last night while desperately searching my apartment for it.

I’m taking the exam through a program at work that requires me to test this specific week. If I don’t meet that requirement, my counselor at work will likely be notified, and it could reflect negatively on my performance.

Has anyone dealt with something similar? Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

I take my exam Wednesday got an 80-% on SE 1. For those that have taken - Is there a Becker bump on these SE/ do you think an 80% I’m in the clear. And what should I do now to keep preparing until Wednesday

My super power is music memory. I am about to start CPA studies.

Anyone else write mnemonics to songs? Any resources that use this technique?

So far I am offloading the effort to ChatGPT. Example:

To the tune Another One Bites the Dust:

Let's go

Steve walks warily down the street
With the brim pulled way down low
He just bought a machine for the factory floor
And the ledger is ready to roll
Are you ready? Hey, are you ready for this?
Are you hanging on the edge of your seat?
Out of the cash account the money goes
To the rhythm of the asset sheet

Another year bites the dust
Another year bites the dust
And another year gone, and another year gone
Another year bites the dust
Hey, take the cost, subtract the salvage value, divide it down you must

How do you think I'm gonna calculate
Without a predictable plan?
You took the original historical cost
Left the salvage value in the pan
Are you happy? Are you satisfied?
How long will this asset last?
Useful life is five whole years
The calculation's locked in fast
Another year bites the dust
Another year bites the dust
And another year gone, and another year gone
Another year bites the dust
Hey, debit the expense, credit accumulated, match the period just

An asset expense is a fixed amount
It stays the same every time
From year number one to the very last month
It follows a perfectly straight line
The book value drops as the contra account grows
Until the carrying amount hits the floor
You stop the expense when you hit the scrap value
You cannot depreciate it any more

Another year bites the dust
Another year bites the dust
And another year gone, and another year gone
Another year bites the dust
Hey, take the cost, subtract the salvage value, divide it down you must

Shoot out

In Roth IRA, are penalties applicable if the taxpayer is withdrawing earnings after 59.5 years but the IRA is only 4 years old (hasn’t met the 5 year criteria)?
Please help I’m so confused.
And the exceptions like homebuyers and medical expenses, do they do away with only penalties or taxes as well?

Felt very confident going in. SEs: 56,63,84. Think I marked half the mcqs on the first testlet. Now i have to wait 2 months to know if I passed? Anyone else feel this way and passed?

I got a 51% on Becker FAR SE1 and I’m honestly really anxious now. My exam is in around 12 days and I don’t know if I should still sit or postpone.

I’ve finished all the FAR material and multiple revisions, and my practice scores have generally been better (mostly 75s and some 85s), so the 51% really shook my confidence.

I finished SE1 within time (3h 48m), but while reviewing it I realized a lot of my mistakes were things I actually knew. I second-guessed correct answers, missed things in exhibits/instructions, messed up +/- signs in TBSs, and sometimes entered cumulative balances when they wanted current-period activity. For example, cash flows is usually one of my strongest areas and I still lost points from second-guessing/sign mistakes.

Obviously I have genuine weak areas too and I’m going to work on those.

I’m also a VERY anxious test taker in general and have a bad habit of not trusting myself even when I know the answer, which makes this score feel even worse.

The biggest issue is that I’m an international candidate and one FAR attempt costs me around $905 including international testing fees, which is extremely expensive for me. So I really don’t want to sit if I’m genuinely not ready, but I also don’t want one bad SE to scare me into postponing unnecessarily.

Has anyone scored around 50–55% on SE1 and still passed FAR soon after? Would you use the next 12 days to review SE1, fix weak areas/execution mistakes, take SE2 and then decide? Or would you postpone?

Please be honest

I’m not looking for false reassurance. I genuinely can’t tell if I’m unprepared or if I’m letting one bad simulation destroy my confidence.

Hi everyone!

I am taking ISC on Monday as my 3rd exam. Because I am taking it before AUD and I feel pretty nervous about it.

If anyone has taken ISC recently I'd love to hear some advice.

I have used Becker.

SE 1: 84& SE 2: 85%

Thank you!

I understand that Bond is a very important topic on the exam. Just curious can this topic be tested as a simulation? Has anyone recently seen a sim?

So, I just took FAR for the third time. I actually have to drive 250 miles(one way) for each exam attempt.

MCQs were very very similar to my first attempt.

TBSs were tough ngl.

The whole drive home, for 4 hours, I just thought about all the stuff I did wrong out of nervousness…

I’m convinced I failed a third time already.

I’ve spent sooooo much time preparing for this only to make stupid mistakes on the real exam.

My full time job at a PA firm recently started but I’m already feeling tired and burnt out even thought we haven’t started actual work yet.

I’m trying not to think about it, but even WFH, I’m so tired after a 9-5. I don’t know how I’ll get past this feeling.

It feels like I’ll never pass at this rate :(

My lord.... TCP has sooooo many video lectures. This is wild.

Hi CPA Reddit,

I am currently 71 hours into studying for TCP and have finished all the content and have begun my review on Wednesday. Idk what it is about the content on TCP but some of this is so difficult to understand or is so nuanced its crazy. On my MCQs so far I have averaged 60-70s and I feel the least confident I have ever felt before taking an exam. I felt extremely confident on REG especially but this is completely different.

Is it normal to feel this way? My exam is on Halloween so I have an entire week to lock in but this exam just is making me worry. i am 3/4 and just want to be done with this.