kevinS2OOO

Hello,

So I graduated with a Management Science degree with only one accounting class. I have been having a difficult time seeking a career job.

My brother-in-law suggested me to take the CPA (which he is currently working on), he said he knows people in his CPA firm that had no accounting background but still able to pass the CPA exams. At the moment, I am taking the required accounting classes at my local community college and meeting the required total of 225 quarter units.

Has anyone here passed the CPA exams? If so, any advice or suggestion on the study habit? My brother in law says if I have the time to put into it I will be fine...and he says he is having a hard time because he has to work his butt off as an accountant already and when he gets home it's hard to even focus.

Thanks!
Kevin

ViperASR

I just finished my CPA earlier this year. I have experience in public accounting and publicly traded corporate accounting.

The CPA fully sucks, it's by far the hardest thing I've ever done. You have to dedicate a ton of time to get through it, some of the smartest people I know have struggled with it. It's also an expensive exam, each section is a few hundred bucks, and the study materials range from expensive to insane.

I'd certainly never discourage anyone from furthering their education. But like your brother said, you really need to have the time to put in it. If you put the time in to studying, you will be fine.

magician

Although I have a degree in accounting, I've never taken (nor considered taking) the CPA exams; however, I know many people who have, and they're unquestionably difficult exams.

Interestingly, I know people who have taken the CFA (Chartered Financial Analyst) exams in addition to the CPA exams, and universally agree that the CFA exams are tougher. (In particular, in the accounting section of the Level II CFA exam you get a lot of multinational accounting with currency translation and restatement that never appears on the CPA exams.) Either way, expect to spend a lot of time studying.

Best of luck.

kevinS2OOO

Thanks everyone.

Congratulations ViperASR for passing the four stages. Not doubt about it they were difficult exams. I bet I am going to have a hard time with the CPA exams given I have absolutely no experience and the fact that I just started taking the required accounting classes...

But we will see. I am currently reading on the REG since I heard it is one of the "harder" ones, just to get a feel of the misery I am about to drag myself into.

Jeremy Clarkson

I just passed REG although it is one of the harder section, IMO it doesn't hold a candle to FAR, which with the Becker software is 2 sections longer meaning an additional 8 hours of lectures no including the additional MC questions and simulations.

Before you commit the time to the test I'd consider the reasons why you want to take it? Professionally what will it help you achieve? If you don't have an end goal for getting the CPA it is going to be pretty difficult to motivate yourself to study at 7 o'clock on a Saturday when all your friends are going out. If you are moving in a specified area of accounting then you may want to consider the certifications that are specific to that area. If you end up moving in an area closer to finance then you may want to consider financial certifications. If you decide a CPA is a right for you based on your career path then the unspoken benfits of the CPA are giving you preference over other candidates when applying for a job will also give you the ability to demand a higher salary than a someone without a CPA. However in practice the only thing a CPA can do that a non-cpa can't do is sign off on financial statements everything is exactly the same. Good luck with the decision!

trainwreck

i went to ucsd and graduated with management science degree as well. however, job prospects were bleak when i neared graduation, as ucsd does not have a strong recruiting program for those wishing to go into finance or accounting. so in order to catch up, i enrolled in an accounting program at UCSB Extension where you can earn 16 semester units of accounting in 1 summer. eventually completed the rest of my units at a CC and passed the CPA. i never practiced public accounting or worked for a firm, but the cert certainly opens many doors and gives you a leg up vs those without it. essentially, it tells employers you have a minimal level of competency related to financial matters.

test is not that tough, but it just takes discipline to cover the wide breadth of topics. took me 6 months while working and i used becker.

also, the best part about UCSB's program is that you get an excuse to live in isla vista for a summer mauahahahhaa.

bballplaya210

I passed the CPA exams year and I would also agree that it was the hardest thing I have ever had to study for. I would also say that I believe anyone who is intelligent and hardworking can pass the exams though. It is more a test of determination than anything. Sure, many of the concepts can be difficult to grasp but as others have said, the hardest part is setting aside all of the time necessary to study when instead you could be spending time with friends/family. If you make passing the exam a priority and put in the time necessary, you will be able to pass.

If you pass the exams, your job prospects will increase exponentially; however, I wouldn't recommend taking the CPA exam unless you are planning on a career path that would truly benefit from having the certification.

Scot

if I passed the CPA exam they can't be all that hard.... I took them in 1997 when you had to pass at least 2 parts (out of 4) or you had to start over...I think it is easier now with only having to pass one part at a time....

anyway... CPA life sucks.... I work in Manufacturing due to hating CPA nerd-ness....(I actually quit Public Accounting before getting the required hours to get my CPA license, despite passing the nerd test). Public = too many hours, not great pay and generally a short life span... ahahhahaha.

good luck which ever direction you go.....

Jeremy Clarkson

If you don't mind me asking, how did you get out of accounting? Did you go back to school? Apply for jobs in the manufacturing field?

ludeguy13

I agree with everyone here. Cliff notes: 1) It is definitely do-able like anything else in life 2) Working in public accounting and passing the exams at the same time was the hardest thing I did in life to date, by a FAR FAR FAR margin! Some say its harder than the BAR, but I never took the BAR, so I can't chime in on that one. 3) It is a huge investment of your money (if not sponsored) and your time, so make sure you need it for your future goals. In other words, don't just get it because it might "help" you get a good job.