If you’ve come across this article, it probably means you’re interested in becoming a CPA- Certified Public Accountant. You may also have already explored the many benefits of this profession, like bagging a CPA license empowers you with more employment opportunities, more money and more reputation. But with the difficulties candidates often face in passing the exam arises the most typical question- “How to pass CPA Exam test?”
The CPA exam consists of four main sections, commonly referred as AUD, BEC, FAR, and REG.
- Auditing and Attestation (AUD)
- Business Environment and Concepts (BEC)
- Financial Accounting and Reporting (FAR)
- Regulation (REG)
Passing all these four sections can take anywhere from 4 to 18 months and usually requires about 400 hours of preparation. So to maximize your chances of passing the exam essentially requires a good strategy. Most candidates cannot make an effective plan of study that also maintains the balance between study, work, family & friends and, of course, sleep.
Therefore, here we have brought effective tips that you can employ in your study plan to pass the CPA exams.
Prepare a routine
Allot about 100 hours to every section; keeping this in mind, prepare a schedule and daily routine that you can stick to. You can fix your study hours for the time when your mind is most active- whether early morning, late night or evening.
Narrow your focus
Nearly all the CPA exam preparation modules include questions by the Association of International Certified Professional Accountants (AICPA), used on previous versions of the exam. You can find the question pattern through your observation and narrow your focus on particular topics. Of course, there will be some other topics as well, but remember your goal is not to get every question right but to pass the CPA exam.
Take mock tests
You can sign up for CPA tutoring, which includes a few practice tests. Take those tests on a regular basis that will be useful in developing a sense of your timing. Moreover, you can learn about the areas you should focus on while answering the questions and studying. You will get an idea of the actual exam situation. Practicing tests will enable you to take the exam with more confidence.
Develop your thinking ability
Studying for the CPA exam doesn’t simply mean reading the materials, you must also develop your thinking ability. While taking a practice test, don’t skip the questions that are unfamiliar to you. Instead, take a pause, and think about what makes sense to you in the given situation. What would be your call if you had written the accounting/tax rules? When you think about the problem, you will be actively engaged with the question. Reading the right explanation of that question and identifying why your way of doing it was wrong and how the given answer makes more sense, is more likely to stay with you.
Final Thoughts
You improve day by day with your preparation for the CPA exam. Don’t rush to master all the material; instead, focus on the areas that can help you score. These tips for ‘how to pass CPA exams’ are only to enrich your preparations and should not be mistaken as the only way to pass the exam. For more guidance and complete information on CPA exam preparation, you can reach out to Andrew Katz Tutoring.
They provide customized study plans and strategies with one-on-one support and dedicated weekly check-ins. During the sessions, they emphasize the key concepts and include multiple-choice questions and mockups to track the improvement of students.