Passing the CPA Exam - These Tips Will Help
Passing the CPA exam may be a frustrating task, especially if you have heard of the vast number of people that have had to take several sections a number of times before ultimately passing the exam. Below are 10 CPA exam tips that have served me well in the past, and I am sure that they'll help you also. You will pass the CPA exam, eventually ¨C it is bound to happen unless you give up.

1)Adopt the Appropriate Mentality
It's never easy to pass the CPA. Prepare yourself for the possibility that you may fail some of the sections before passing them, and accept that as a normal part of the journey of preparing for and passing the CPA. But then, remind yourself of previous achievements that serve as concrete proof of your capabilities, for example having a university degree. Innumerable other people have struggled through and passed the CPA exam ultimately, and so will you.

2)Get Help From Friends and Family
Start enlisting help from your friends & family members by explaining to them the reason why you want to get your CPA and how time-consuming and difficult this undertaking is. If they are supportive of what you're trying to accomplish, they may assist you with some of your current duties (e.g. chores such as cleaning & cooking), and will understand if you can't attend every social gathering.


3)Stay in Good Health
Poor health has damaging results on mental acumen, which can seriously impact on your capability to study & think. Eat a balanced diet, exercise regularly, and above all, sleep for a minimal of six to eight hours each night, and take a 15-30 minute nap in between if you must. In order to pass the exam, you need to keep your body and mind in great shape.

4)Invest in a Good CPA Exam Review Course
The better CPA review programs even comes with lists of practice exam questions spend time on, that have the highest likelihood of appearing on the real exam. Undoubtedly, investing in a good CPA exam review course can really cut your exam prep time and inflate your odds of passing the CPA exam.

5)Find a Study Buddy - Or Two
CPAnet.com has a forum where you can post a request for study partners or browse requests from other people also looking for study partners. Create a strict schedule and ask everyone to commit to it by not letting other obligations to interfere with the study schedule. Studying with others can help you to stay focused, and two (or three) heads are better than one when it comes to figuring out difficult concepts or problems. 6)Only Study One Section At a Time
A more manageable strategy would be to concentrate only on studying for one section at a time, do the exam for that section, take a break, and then start studying for the next section etc. Another piece of advice would be to try for the most difficult section first (the one that is most challenging for you - this will vary from person to person), because as soon as you pass the first section, you only have eighteen months to pass your other three sections. Getting rid of that most difficult section first will minimize your chances of running out of time and having the 18-month window expire on you.











7)Identify Difficult Areas
Browse through all of your learning materials, identify your weak areas, and focus on them
It is crucial to take ample notes when you're studying, so that you'll have something to study from during the last several days before the actual exam. Because you'll be using mostly your short-term memory during the exam, materials you study during those last several days will be remembered the most clearly on your exam day. This small window of time is just not sufficient for you to study all materials from start to end, so be sure you have a comprehensive set of study notes that you can cram into your short-term memory during the last few valuable days before your exam.

9)Use a Timer
When doing practice problems, time yourself like you're actually doing the exam. This will train yourself to perform under pressure and prepare you more effectively for the actual exam. Moreover, by preparing in this way, you'll be less likely to panic on exam day when you have trouble answering a question.

10)The More Practice the Better
Try to do as many practice problems as you have time for. Find out about how Dave Bryant managed to pass three previously-failed CPA exam sections over the course of ten months, with flying colors, in his blog PasstheCPAExam.org.