Yeah, anyone who says they passed it with a few hours of studying is full of shit.
I’m a naturally good test taker (better test taker than I am an accountant) and probably spent 240 hours across all 4 exams, more than half of which was on REG. I’d believe someone could pass with half the study time bc my scores would indicate I over studied, but less than 100 hrs I’d call bs on.
Yeah, i was about the same. My rough breakdown would have been 130 REG, 65 FAR, 40 AUD, 5 BEC. Scores of 85, 87, 89, 92 so I overstudied but it was worth it to feel confident going in. Reg was the hardest by far because there’s no way to apply logic, you just have to memorize.
Same, I literally have the same hours for the other 3 and tried to take REG on 40 hours of studying last December and failed pretty badly, retook it with about another 60 hours or so but still don’t feel great, hoping to pass to be 4/4
I did the full Becker study plan for Reg, if I remember correctly (its been 7 years so I may not). For the others I just did MCQ’s and practice tests on repeat, maybe read a few chapters for the harder sections of FAR.
Reg first as it was far and away the hardest, and I also wanted to take it while still in school so I could utilize the minimal knowledge I have from my tax classes. I fully believe I could pass the other 3 again if given a few days to prepare, I would rather turn in my license than pass Reg again.
Work has treated me fine, I did 3 years B4 audit, left to Industry for a year and a half, boomeranged back, and I’m now an audit manager at B4.
This was true for me as well, crammed closer to each test as I progressed. Definitely almost pushed it too far on Reg studying the week of and got a 75 flat lol
I mean I passed AUD without studying. Basically knew everything from being an auditor for two years and hardly studied for BEC. Had to study a lot for FAR and REG though.
Define few. I barely studied, and I didn't register to take the exams until 3+ years after graduation and never worked in public.
I had to retake one section, but passed all the others on the first try. Everything in the exams is something you should already know from school, so it shouldn't be that hard.
The first section I took was audit, since I knew it was the one I was least comfortable with, so it's the one I studied the most for.
That meant skimming 3 year old Becker books from the prior version of the exam, flashcards and example questions 2-3 hours a night after work plus a few hours on Saturday for a few weeks after registering.
After I passed the first section and knew it wasn't that bad, I cut it down. It became flashcards on the couch when I felt like it and an hour or two of example questions each night the week before the exam. I also scored between 76 & 83 on all the sections and didn't care at all about the scores, just that I passed.
How would you recommend studying for it? I have becker but not sure how to approach it. Im also a naturally good test taker and as a result don't really have good study habits plus am a somewhat lazy person to begin with. I want to figure out an efficient way to put time into this.
I studied a long time for all 4 exams (BEC was more like 4-5 weeks but that was the easy one), and i averaged 92.5. I really wish I took the exams quicker bc I overstudied and can't help but feel some regret that the journey could've been maybe 6 months long instead of 9-10. Those days weren't the most fun
Yeah… maybe they mean more like they went to a MAC/MSA program that heavily focused on the cpa exams and they did well there and then were able to pass with some additional studying but idk.
I passed AUD after finishing my audit class which heavily relayed to the cpa exams because I both studied well for that class and the exam at the same time… even then I wouldn’t say it was easy lol
100%
It’s like the hardest professional thing I’ve attempted so far.
I passed my Series 7 in 6 weeks as a cakewalk
Been trying to pass CPA for a year and I have yet to pass a section.
Godspeed my friend lol
Not necessarily. Depends how much they knew before studying and how well they retain and retrieve information.
I studied 8 days for FAR and REG and less than a week each for AUD and BEC all while working full time big 4 as a senior and passed all 4 first try.
I know some people who passed without studying much and others who failed 4 times the same exam.
Sitting for 4 four hour test is a fucking pain no matter who you are. Someone saying that’s easy is like a runner saying a marathon is easy. Easier for some maybe, but it’s never easy. Fundamentally impossible for it to be “easy”.
Crazy you’re being downvoted for just sharing your experience. I agree, it depends on the person. Some people are more suited for the CPA exam than others.
I certainly know that if you’re autistic & very much enjoy accounting, you may consider it “easy”. Similar to someone who really enjoys playing games can sit down & play for 8 hours straight.
This should not be downvoted. I also know some people who crammed for a week or 2 and passed exams. If you had a solid undergraduate program and tried hard then you probably only need a refresher on most topics.
I think this is suffering from the classic problem of Reddit; people don’t understand where the other person is coming from or why they are making the comment.
It’s because OP says they are getting shit from people saying the exam is “easy”, the person 2 comments above says they are definitely lying to console OP/farm karma with the snippy response, and then the above comment feels a little like someone butting in with “aCtUaLy”.
Now, any mature adult should think “hmm, yeah this is a possibility”. But what u/kaperisk missed the mark on was throwing the people at OP’s company under the buss. Something like:
> I know people who passed without studying much; still no reason to go around claiming it’s “easy” to other people.
And maybe I am way over thinking it, and people are just offended that someone could possibly find the test easy lol
A couple clarifying questions:
Can you try "hard" and still describe something as easy?
Can one leverage 150 hours of course work to take an exam, and then call it easy?
If one can both try hard and put forth over 2,000 hours of coursework towards a task and call it easy, we may just have different definitions of what is easy.
I didn’t describe it as easy, I just don’t think OP’s coworkers are lying about their prep time after college. I agree though, putting in the work upfront is hard. Once that’s done the test is easy
Pass rates at my university are around 80%-85% (for the Canadian exam).
And before people downvote without looking it up, even without a specialized University prep program, the overall passing rates at the CFE are around 70%, and they modify the passing criterias to keep it at at least 70%. From 2015 to 2020 the september exams were between 76% and 83%.
CPA in US is pretty strictly 50% pass rate across the board. It also costs a couple hundred per test, and people pay two to $3,000 for test prep. It may be easy for some in the US, specifically, but they are easily defined as outliers.
Even 50% isn't that low compared to some other fields. Here in canada it also costs 2000$ just for the exam. Now id like to mention it's clearly alnost impossible to pass if You're not prepared, but well prepared the exam is much less daunting than people think
Yeah but excluding your class time when the program is clearly designed to prepare you for the exams is disingenuous.
We have some universities like that in the US too which boast very high CPA exam pass rates as well from their Master’s programs but they are heavily geared towards that prep and many of them require you to at least attempt the exams as a graduation requirement.
Excluding the time and money spent when you did a MAC or MSA program vs someone who picked up their extra credits elsewhere to hit the 150 required in the US is basically just lying about the time and money invested when many of those programs are designed to help you pass. Mine wasn’t quite as blatant but some of my classes required Becker and completing sections of Becker lol
I’m not sure if Canada is the same way
I canada you have 2 routes you can take, either the official national program of given out by CPA Canada, or an acredited school that offers a similar type of program, either way both will prep you specifically for the CFE exam.
Not sure how it works in the US, but in canada you can't just accunulate 150 credits in random accounting or finance classes and be eligible to the exam, this might also be a reason why the average passing percentage is higher
There are some requirements for accounting specific classes but most of which can be done within a 120 credit program so the extra 30 credit hours tends to vary in how people do it. Some do dual majors, some pick up extra classes at community college some do a master’s program.
The other thing is the requirements actually vary by state as well.
Pass rates for bar, physician, etc exams is like 70%+ in most states. But their academic coursework is way more rigorous and demanding than accounting. They don’t have time to do part time jobs
For sure. CPA exam is more like "can you hold all this info at one time" whereas I'd assume for physicians it's more "we gotta make sure you're not about to kill someone"
For US that's only one of four exams tho. Making the likelihood to pass all 4 first time about 6.25%.
About $1k for test fees. $250 a pop
Edit: after peer review it was determined that my analytic was inadequate. The percentage of people that pass all four the first time is about 20%.
What do you mean? If it's 50% that's a coin flip. Say a pass is heads. First coin flip = 50% chance for heads. The next flip has a 50% chance as well. So we multiply the probability: 50%*50% = 25%. We flip again, 50% * 25% = 12.5%. final flip, 50% * 12.5% = 6.25%. do you have a different understanding of how this works?
Because you can't consider the math as if it was a coin flip. Most people who fail one usually fail multiple. Those who aren't ready fail all of them. If you find the statistics of how many people pass all 4 exams on the first try and see if it's anywhere close to 6%...
20% so you're right, not 6.25%, but closer to 6.25% than 50%.
https://www.efficientlearning.com/cpa/resources/cpa-exam-pass-rates/#:~:text=The%20overall%20pass%20rate%20for,section%20on%20their%20first%20try.
Fair, but bare in mind the pass rates are low because they allow so many unprepared candidates to take the exam. In canada you can only go to the exam if you did a PEP program which specifically prepares you for the exam. Sure there still candidates who pass the PEP courses and are somehow still unprepared, but it eliminates a major portion of candidates who are unprepared.
You can see in the source you provided pass rates on U.S CPA exam when the candidates have attended major accounting programs at universities, those pass rates are all above 80%.
It also shows pass rates for candidates who completed the Wiley CPA review courses, those pass rates are at 90% global, meaning 90% of them pass all 4 exams.
This clearly shows that the average pass rates at 20% is just because they allow so many unprepared candidates in the exam, not because the exam is that difficult
Universities in Quebec have a D.E.S.S program after the Bachelors degree, it's a 1 year full time peogram that preps you for the CFE exam. This is another route instead of doing the national program. And yes, we still all do the same CFE at the same date.
Students who went through this program at our university have on average an 80% or higher passing rate at the CFE. Our teachers are correctors at the CFE and we had 1 on 1 retroactive feedback on around 30 mock exams in addition to all the theoretical classes.
These programs are available at many QC universities, including Corcordia, HEC, ESG, UQAM, UQTR, U-Sherbrooke, Mcgill, etc.
I believe my uni has a similar thing but in ontario but wouldnt say that is the university passing rate but the designated program passing rate, like I think there has to be at least like 60-70 graduates a year but only like 10-20 max do this designated program. Kinda skews the results to certain types of poeple that still wanna do full time schooling after a degree
The CPA exams generally falls into 2 categories, people who either pass all exams on the first try or with maybe 1-2 retake exams in total.
The other group of people tend to struggle and take several attempts at each exam, many give up and never become CPAs.
At the end of the day, if you pass the exam you’re a CPA. Who cares about anything else.
That being said, I know a super smart person who passed all 4 exams in 6 weeks while working full time. They are a beast and 99% if people can’t do that.
Yeah I’ve found, generally, those who passed on first try are absolute beasts on the job. Don’t know what it is that makes someone like that. I work with an EWS winner and he’s just stupidly knowledgeable.
Honestly, I’m a big believer in standardized tests in general. Like, I feel like it’s rare to meet someone who crushed the ACT/SAT that is an absolute moron. Sure, some lack common sense and can still go down a bad path, but most everyone I know who did extraordinarily well on any given standardized exam is doing quite well in life.
Most people who I meet who say they aren’t “book smart” with that smug attitude tend to think they’re much smarter than they really are.
I agree with this sentiment, especially the part about people that self identify as not being book smart. It feels like they are making an excuse as to why they don’t try harder.
It seems there is usually a “sweet spot” between someone who is very talented on standardized tests and also has applied knowledge.
Ie someone getting 36-34 on the ACT is usually crazy book smart to the point their common sense is a little clouded, whereas some people getting a 30-34 tend to be more well rounded and actually more successful in most aspects of life. At least that has been my observation.
Oh yeah, and by no means am I saying someone who isn’t crazy book smart can’t succeed. I think pure grit and hard work is like 75% of “success”, however you define it.
But yeah, I’d tend to agree. I think a 30 on the ACT still puts you in the 90th percentile of exam takers, though, so that’s still quite impressive!
That’s such a ridiculous and untrue take. If you go to a top school where almost everyone gets a 34+ most people are still normal, sociable, and have lots of common sense. I hear this all the time and I think people don’t like the fact that there are lots of people out there who are book smart and emotionally intelligent. I might agree that those who need to brag about their high scores probably lack in the social intelligence area.
You bring up a good point about standardized tests that I think isn’t mentioned too often. I agree with the high ACT/SAT score compared to IQ. This is a profession we are using are brains and not our bodies so it makes sense.
I’m dumb but I weasled my way into this career to make good $ that is steady and recession proof, but it’s difficult for me.
I think the most important thing is that everyone challenges themselves based on their abilities. Ex my friend comes from doctor parents, definitely 30+ ACT, and works a cushy government job; he could easily do more. Meanwhile my ACT was probably a 20 and I’m pushing myself as much as I can so i have no regrets later in life (and also want to be financially independent/retire early lol). But to each their own
If it makes you feel better I scored in the 90’s on all the exams… my average was a 93 so no ews admittedly
And I’m literally dumb asf, I’ve just always been good at taking tests for whatever reason
I’m pretty fucking lazy as most of my problem the other is I am the type who studies, takes the test, and then dumps the info it seems
Yeah, I'm in a similar spot - hard to describe it without sounding like bragging and haven't gotten AUD back yet, but got 93/89/97 on FAR/REG/BEC and don't feel like a super-genius or anything. I did study harder for the CPA than anything I had in school, but it wasn't the nonstop suffering people here seem to describe, either - just usually kind of an irritating chore that'd only hit me as an urgent "get this right NOW" like 3 days out
I say all that to say that I don't think test results are *nearly* as generalizable to "overall" intelligence as people think. It's just that the same few key things (being able to get into the mind of the guy making the MCQs, decently structured writing, pump and dump studying tactics, etc.) are interpreted as capability across a bunch of arenas - and if you've managed to highroll those, people will buy you as "smarter than people with more usable forms of intelligence outside of academic contexts" til the end of time. Hell, in my specific situation (sort of unpleasant looking, awkward, bespectacled Indian guy), I could be a huge moron and no one would believe it - and in some sense I am, just not in the stereotypical way
I’m with you man. Got a 94, 93, 91, 91 all in the same 6 week window. Huge waste of time studying for 10+ hours for ~8 weeks straight all in.
The only thing that was excruciatingly difficult was the ethics exam. Thing sucked so bad.
To be honest though, I’m glad I did that, because I probably wouldn’t be a CPA the past 12 years if I did it while working at a big4.
Damn, that's insane. I pretty much didn't like *buckle down* til the last few weeks of each 2-3 month period I set aside for each exam, but I also don't know how much the period of passively soaking in the material in the background actually helped. So I doubt I could've done that, but those three exams still felt like less effort than how people portrayed them - especially with how far I overshot the 75 (and the REG 89 still ruling me out of EWS lol)
Not looking forward to the ethics exam either, expect it to be annoying. I don't think I'd have really gotten through the exam without my workplace giving some structure to it, but honestly feel kinda bad seeing the abject suffering here while just naturally highrolling being optimized for those specific tasks
I mean it's true to certain extent
put it like this the person iq is usually higher than a regular person on average
Atleast in my experience I remember we took a iq test in highschool
Our psych teacher has the results and compared it to the sat scores mind you people could've lied about what they got on it
But in general those who had higher IQ generally had higher sat act score
Atleast a few became mba, becomes nurses, and even psychologists. Also computer science
But it wasmt alot of us mind you not everyone has that type of ambition son couldn't afford th education or didn't see the value in it
But the guy who didn't see the value in it managed to get a job in the mill and got a house now worth more than 500k easily
I think out of everyone in highschool he was probably smartest I ever met in the end especially now
I've worked with incredibly competent and intelligent people in tax who really struggled to get their license because of one or two exams. It wasn't unheard of at my first firm out of college for people to have taken at least one exam 4+ times. I don't think we can really put people into just the two buckets you described, because in reality, the exams are a gauntlet more than anything else. They exist almost entirely to limit the number of licensed individuals, and the pass rate can be manipulated arbitrarily.
You can be smart and good at your job already, and still struggle with one or more exams. It's not strictly as "pass or fail all of them on the first or second attempt, or struggle endlessly and never success". Some people really struggle with FAR, while breezing through the others. For others, REG is a pain. My buddy who works in tax failed AUD like 3 times, and one of the smartest people I knew in the firm failed one exam 5 times. It's really difficult to categorize this sort of thing, because it varies quite a bit. I imagine your buckets reflect your own anecdotal experience, but I don't think it necessarily works to describe the whole population.
You gain a lot of working knowledge from working in the field. They also probably studied pretty hard in college.
Manager may be gaslighting in order to look good to his superiors and encourage seniors to pass their exams. There's a lot of bullshit in this field, and no one is as smart as they claim to be once you dig down into the details of what they actually do.
I wouldn't worry about any of this and keep on learning / succeeding. Everyone's journey is a bit different as well. What may be easy subject to some may not be to others and vice versa. Progress isn't linear.
Came here to say something similar. I was a “gifted” student who always got top scores nationally on exams, including math competitions. I thought the CPA exams were the hardest exams I’ve taken and I’m honest about that. Yes, I’ve taken exams that require higher level mathematical reasoning, but the volume of information that needs to be retained for each CPA exam is unquestionably challenging.
I used to wonder how so many people found them so easy when they are, in fact, challenging. I’m sure some of them are truly gifted test takers but most are just straight up lying. It took me a while to see how much posturing and dishonesty there is in this profession but there is a lot.
Who the FK cares lol.
You know what they call someone who passes their exams after studying their butt off or failing 3 times?
A CPA.
There's always going to be someone who did it better/faster/slower. In the end who the FK cares.
I failed financial reporting twice before I passed, tax I failed once, BEC and audit passed first time. Took me like two years but got it done, was awful. I’m not as smart as those who passed all four first time around, but I didn’t quit. I’m in industry now and will never use it to sign anything, but it’s never coming off of my resume.
Anyone bragging about the exams being easy to someone who has not taken them is tone deaf at best and a complete jerk at worst.
Many people fail, it’s ok to fail. Also after you have passed it’s easy to forget the hardships you went through. The exams are not easy and while some people may be better test takers or have just finished accounting classes may have an easier time- it’s really cruel to gloat about that and bring down your peers who are struggling.
It’s not just ok to fail, it’s critical for people to experience failure. If I’m given an employee that’s never failed before it means they’ve only taken assignments they were comfortable with. Getting your ass kicked is a great teacher and makes people stronger
Passing the exams was the most difficult thing I’ve ever done and it’s also my proudest accomplishment. I only passed one exam on the first try (and scored a perfect 75), far and Reg took me 4 tries each
What makes the CPA exam hard is that the questions are formatted in such a way that you either understand the concepts or your don’t. It’s not an IQ test and I’ve seen relatively average intelligence people pass the exams quickly and smart people struggle. It’s a marathon and it’s not easy for most people.
They’re just lying to be cool. Reminds me of the kids in middle school who used to ace math exams and then brag that they didn’t study at all. Very middle school of them lol
There are some people like that though. I was like that throughout highschool. Never had to study for math exams other than 1-2 hours come exam time, since doing the hw regularly was enough. I struggled in science courses though.
I’ll reiterate what others are saying: your coworkers are lying to you. It’s objectively a hard test. You can look up the pass rates yourself to corroborate.
To go a step further, why do your coworkers feel the need to lie?
In my experience this is a red flag. 🚩
I’ve worked with people that lied about how easy the CPA was, how many hours they billed every year, and accomplishments in past positions. It was always a reflection of the culture of the company.
These people felt they needed to lie because the company culture was such that it only accepted and rewarded those that projected perfection. No one is perfect, so it creates a culture of lying where people feel like they have to make up achievements to be accepted by the group.
Once that gets started it’s a race to the bottom, as each lie has to outdo the last lie. The senior only studied a few hours? That means the manager didn’t study at all and the director showed up to the test half drunk from the night before.
I only say this because it took me a while to realize what was going on. It created toxic work environments and I wish I would have left each situation sooner than I did. I’m hoping to save you some time.
I mean you go down this crazy rabbithole where you assume people are lying and toxic work culture, but exclude the possibility maybe people studied and really paid attention during their 5 years of undergrad/grad school, and thus didn't find the exam's that difficult?
Hearing associates talk about the CPA exam as if they've never seen the material before is really confusing to me
It’s not “a crazy rabbit hole”. It’s living in the real world with real people.
Less than 50% of test takers pass a given section of the exam. The pass rate for all four sections is even lower. That is objectively a hard exam.
What’s more likely, that you are talking to someone with a top 1% IQ that couldn’t leverage it to get into a better school with an investment banking/PE/consulting pipeline, or that this person is lying to try and make themselves feel better?
The top 10% of accountants make $138k a year. This genius decided to use their brain power to take a role that tops out in the middle class? You’re talking about a guy making $103k/ year trying to convince you he has a top 1% IQ. If you believe that, I question your IQ.
Sources:
https://www.aicpa-cima.com/resources/article/learn-more-about-cpa-exam-scoring-and-pass-rates?
https://www.bls.gov/ooh/business-and-financial/accountants-and-auditors.htm
There's a middle ground between top 1% IQ and lying to make themselves feel better - you're again going to these extreme scenarios to exaggerate your point. And correlating some BS points about salary and potential IQ caps in the field to how well people do on standardized testing that is literally based on the concepts in their field of study.
If you compare FAR to the average college course loads, its mostly intermediate 1 & 2 and govt accounting. Like 3-4 chapters were just breaking out the financial statements and ratios, and 2 chapters on govt (atleast back when I took it). It's not anything new.
There's some weird default assumption out there where people claim no one remembers what they learned in school and they all forget it. I think that's the lie where people cope. The tests are not difficult if you truly studied and paid attention through an average undergrad/grad accounting program. The underlying material doesn't change significantly.
Similarly 1-2 years of exp can make the sections a lot easier once you have practical industry exp. What was the big SIM on FAR - a basic bank reconciliation?
So I think there are plenty of people who can pass with way less than the recommended hours that arent lying or fall within the 1% IQ or w/e nonsense. They just spent 300 hrs studying in school vs right before the CPA exam.
A lot of people I know found it extremely difficult. Some never passed, some took more than a few times until they passed. I found it medium difficulty. Some areas, like audit, which I never worked in required much more studying, but financial reporting, which is literally what I do, knocked that shit out of the park. It also depends if you are a good tester or not. Some people just are never good at exams, some naturally are.
Doesn't matter if you found it easy or hard. Pass with a high score, or just the minimum. All that matters is you pass.
Reminds me of the joke - what do you call the doctor who graduated at the bottom of the class? Doctor.
There was a time in the late 90s where the exam was multiple choice only. Success rates skyrocketed and they re-structured the exam. If these people are early 50s, they might have taken it when it was super easy.
There is a reason why the pass rate is around 50%.
I'm a great test taker and while I've found them easier than I expected them to be, your coworkers are lying out their teeth. The stuff that is tested on isn't something you would know intuitively; you need to study. You need to work through problems to get the random ass rules to stick in your brain. Even if the tests were easier for them, they are dicks for bragging. I know I've been having an easier time taking the tests than a lot of other people, but it's because my brain is like wired for standardized tests - I've always outperformed my actual skill set on these types of tests. I'm on track to pass all mine first time while working full-time and it's not something I would brag about (outside a job interview ofc lol).
That being said, two weeks for FAR might be legit though if he was fresh out of school. I know mine focused heavily on the CPA exams and with some luck, I might have been able to pass the FAR exam right after taking my higher-level accounting classes given a couple weeks with Becker's final review stuff.
bragging about or even caring about how difficult or easy the CPA exam was is the mark of a clueless associate. unless you're an elijah watts sells award winner, nobody cares about how difficult or easy the CPA exam was for you.
i imagine someone on an RFP response telling the potential client how high they scored on the CPA exam and it makes me chuckle.
I'll say I found it pretty easy to pass all four on the first try, while working fulltime. I'll also say I feel like I studied pretty hard, which is what made the tests themselves feel pretty easy.
I'll also say fuckem: it's pass/fail for a reason. No one cares how you got it, just that you have it.
While they could be lying there is wild variance within (and between) people when it comes to intelligence and test taking. There are lots of very smart people and you can’t let that detour you or permeate your thought process. You passed and your world is a better place.
You can’t pass them with hardly studying. The challenge in them is having to memorize massive quantities of info. The “smart person” shortcut of being able to learn concept X and intuitively apply it to Y and Z doesn’t work, you have to read and learn all the shit.
Some people are just better at that kind of focused, disciplined study though. Or are able to leverage significant work experience in which they learn the requisite info.
It is hard. I scored high (scores 92, 86, 96, and 92. I worked like crazy to get there, 16 months total. I know more people that studied and failed than passed. Take pride in it.
I have a colleague in my tax department who I consider very bright and has put in some hard time studying and failed FAR 3 or 4 times already. I doubt anyone finds it easy
Ha! If someone felt that the exam was easy, good for them. I promise that I did not have that same experience.
It basically occupied a year of my life. I studied for each part for two months, then took the exam. I passed them all on the first try, which was very important to me because I didn’t know how I would emotionally react to failing.
I was working full time and doing my master’s, so I’m sure that didn’t help, but even if that wasn’t the case, I still believe that the material was broad enough to make it difficult.
If you can think something isn’t that hard while also thinking you wouldn’t have been able to pass without a lot of studying, that’s what I think. No way in hell I could have passed with just a few hours of studying (tried it, did horrible) but it’s more that it’s hard to study enough than that the material is difficult.
As a tax accountant, I passed REG and BEC first try so it was easy FOR ME. But it’s NOT an easy exam. In fact, I failed FAR and AUD twice each.
Don’t bother with other people’s bragging and don’t compare yourself. I’m just posting my results to give perspective and to be honest/open
A lot of it could just be down to what school they went too. Some schools, and particularly some masters programs, basically just 'teach the test'
It's really easy to "not study" after a 16 week course.
The exam is graded on a curve and they could have been lucky but in no means is cpa easy. That damn chatgpt failed the cpa exam at least once. I earned mine the hard way and it doesn't matter the score once you hit 75....CPA is spelled the same way 75 or 95
They're lying. Even if you're a great test taker and have a photographic memory you still need to study 50 or so hours per section just because of the amount of material.
I went 89 92 92 96. FAR AUD REG BEC. I'm a really good test taker,I got a 1410 on the SAT hungover, my uni placed me into calc 2 on their entrance exam, took that test still drunk. Took all my cpa sober with proper rest and still felt like a beaten dog after each one, don't let anyone tell you otherwise, it is an extremely difficult test.
I didn’t want to take my chances so I may have “overstudied” by some peoples’ standards (I don’t think I did, but some may think). I passed all 4 sections within 10 months while in grad school full time.
The people who were competitive and always wanted to know my score and if I passed, passed too. Good for them. We’re all CPA’s. Didn’t matter how we got there.
In Canada, it's quite difficult, but I didn't find it difficult in the sense of the material being difficult. There is such an extreme range of material they can test on in our big 3 day final, it could be anything in the textbook. For someone working in public though, I don't think they're overly complex problems, assuming you spent the hundreds of hours studying the textbook
That shit was hard because it encompasses so much shit that, unless you are in that unique area in your career you aren’t going to have experience doing. I passed all my exams with an 82 or higher but I studied my ass off
I took AUD without studying and passed, but I was also presenting our firm’s Audit 101 annually for new hires. My initial try I studied and failed all four parts miserably when I was fresh out of college. I used the Becker study plan exactly as presented. Second round (4yrs later) I was an experienced senior and focussed solely on multiple choice questions. I probably studied a quarter (if not less) than the first round, but it was very efficient and focussed studying. I could see how it’s possible to study very little and pass, but the majority of these people are probably exaggerating.
Simple… can they naturally apply accounting concepts with ease while working? Like without looking up publications or articles on how to treat or report something?
If not, they’re lying and CPA isn’t easy. CPA isn’t easy because it’s not something natural, it’s not like 2+2=4 because that’s natural. These are rules created by humans, how do people know about those rules without studying them.
FAR was exceptionally difficult. but after passing FAR i kinda got a sense for what study strategies work best with my brain and the remaining exams were progressively easier. I took the tax one last. REG is it called? By that point shit was easy.
I passed all four sections first try, lowest score was an 87, did it all in 6 months. It was the hardest thing I've done academically in my entire life by far. They are full of shit lol
People who brag/flex about how the CPA exam was "so easy" have literally nothing going on in their lives. It's a hard exam, if it wasn't then the certification wouldn't be as valuable.
I want to say they could be lying but alot of them likely had previous experiences with some of the material whether it be through a good macc program or their work
So while that's guy your speaking off was def capping l.
If someone said the did it in say 200 hrs some as low as 58 hrs I could believe it people have done it before
Typical CPA. Nothing else to brag about in their lives so they have to lie about everything being easy for them. I’m a Partner in a mid-sized firm and cannot stand the general attitudes and egos of 90% of the Partner/Manager level people in my firm. If someone asks a question in the Partner email thread (we have 4 locations) it’s met with a response like “from what I understand that is a very simple and easy blah blah blah…”
I swear these people were all shunned in high school or something and now have something to prove to society, but are still so socially awkward they only interact with co-workers who end up getting the brunt of it.
Most accountants I’ve met seem to be somewhat on the socially awkward spectrum. You mix social awkwardness with cockiness, it creates an awful dynamic. Thanks for sharing your perspective.
It’s definitely a flex.
To be able to pull information and answers like that without studying a ton speaks to the information that they’ve retained over the years and their ability to logically think through problems.
I’m the opposite - my GPA was lower (got a few Cs In my Accounting courses actually) but passed all 4 on first try.
I found the CPA more manageable to study for than college exams/finals because it was literally 1 exam at a time . Also , I didn’t start my full time job until months after I graduated so that break helped. That’s just my experience.
I passed all 4 on my first try. Studied one day for each module in the section (this was back in 2014), so FAR took the longest which i studied for 10 days. Its disingenuous for me to tell people that I found it easy, because studying was hard, I got a ton of stuff wrong while studying, i just committed myself to study several hours each day until i was passing practice tests with flying colors. I'm sure if you had a time machine and went back and saw what they really did, it'd be more than they let on.
When I took the exams, I found that the harder the exam felt, the better I did. (For example, I walked out of FAR questioning if I ever understood accounting at all...and got a 95.)
That said, beyond that it's test-taking ability. Some might find them relatively easy (I did, passed all 4 first try, and barely studied for sections other than FAR \[for BEC I didn't even study at all\]), but that doesn't mean you're not just as capable of doing the material if you find the exam harder. At the end of the day, if you can do the work, the exam's just a step in that direction. (Plus, once you pass all 4 sections, and the ethics test for your state...that's it. Just keep up your CPE \[some of which doesn't require a test at all!\] and you're golden.)
lol they lying about 2 weeks. Unless they worked at a test prep job before - they will be doing a lot more than two weeks of studying. My coworker loves to brag about two weeks for FAR but he also worked at Wiley in college for 3 years.
I found the exams "easy," I scored 96, 94, 94, 97 on each one. But I studied a lot (no weekends) and studied to get a 100%. I studied 9 weeks for each exam and probably 12 weeks for FAR because it was first and I didn't know what I was getting into.
I did a similar approach with similar results. But, I don't consider the tests "easy" so much as I was well prepared by having done a lot of studying.
If you can just walk in after cramming for an afternoon and walk out with a 90, that would be an easy exam.
I was close to a ESW winner - but didn't quite get there. I didn't find the exam "hard", but not "easy". Its the most I've ever studied for any test. I had high SATs, and generally speaking was a better test taker than most. I studied Becker 4-5 hours a day for 2 weeks straight and took each exam. All that being said - there is no difference in my CPA vs someone who got all 75s. Study hard, do your best - get your CPA and you'll be fine.
It’s hard. For me the material wasn’t the hardest part though, it was just making time to study on top of a full time job. It’s very hard for basically everyone If you are also juggling work. I don’t think they require as much study time as some people have said, but I’m also fresher out of school and never did books and lecture which probably cut my time down.
1. No one gives a shit, anyone bragging about their scores is trying to compensate for something
2. Like with any standardized test, some people are really good at retaining a bunch of information and some aren't, doesn't make you a better or worse accountant
REG was relatively easy for me bc it was mostly tax when I sat and I had been working and training in a tax dept for about 6 years when I sat for and passed REG. The 3 other exams were much tougher since I had to study more outside work. Audit in particular since all I knew about audit was from one college course
I studied a month for each section. 3 hrs per day during workweek, 5 hrs total over weekend. I passed all 4 on the first try, thought they were relatively easy. But imo I studied my balls off, which made it easy.
The studying was difficult, the exams not so much. If you studied properly it should be easy or medium difficulty. I never even used the full four hours and some exams only took two. The exams were easier than the practice questions. Good practice material should prepare you with very difficult questions.
Edit: I also worked in accounting for years before the exams so maybe I had an easier time from that.
I found it quite easy, and honestly a bit underwhelming. Day 1 I finished 45 minutes early, day 2 and 3 I finished with time to spare too, I went out of the exam knowing I passed for sure.
THAT BEING SAID, I was very well prepared and in the 6 months leading to the exam I had redone every CPA exam of the past 6 years, + many other similar exams. My mock exams also had retroactive feedback 1 on 1 with teachers who were correctors for the CPA exams.
Anyone I worked with who passed the first try usually end up doing other work that’s higher paying and/or less stress because the pay to work ratio is low in public.
There are some super smart people who go into accounting, which is an odd career choice for them. I’m a chimpanzee if that gives you any assurance and I chose this because I didn’t know what the hell else I could do and make 6 figures.
Most partners get to that point by working hard and long, not necessarily being super smart (this isn’t engineering/computer science etc), of course there are some outliers who are great at both technical acctg and sales
they're all lying. It's like in College, you had those try hards that would brag about not even studying before the exam and then getting a good grade. But any time you ask them what theyre doing outside of class, theyre just studying.
Some people need validation that theyre "smart" by bragging in this way. Its super pointless and borderline childish
People bragging about their smartness. lol. CPA exams are fairly difficult here in Canada, and I expect a similar difficulty level in US.
You do need to put in time and effort to pass the exams
I think it depends on what kind of test taker you are. I found it to be easy but I’m really good at cramming and memorizing test questions/concepts. If you aren’t good at that I imagine it’s pretty difficult.
Not saying they're lying but I'd take what they're saying with a grain of salt. Honestly, it's not even a beneficial lie: they're effectively downgrading the difficulty of the exam if they're making it out to be easy. Like I get the mental gymnastics on their side, but if I had no clue about the CPA exam except through your coworkers, I'd be less than impressed.
If there's no difficulty then why should I care/be impressed? There's no flex. Personally I would tell people it's the hardest exam I've ever taken, even if it wasn't, if I were to lie about it.
I studied for two weeks. 8 AM to 11 PM every day for two weeks. I also felt like I bombed it and was shocked I actually passed.
They’re definitely lying.
If a person was heavy into tax, passing REG and TCP wouldn't be that difficult. It would be possible for an EA, or a person with several years of tax experience to pass both exams without study. If a person had a significant background in IT audit, cybersecurity, and networking, passing ISC would be rather easy. A few days study would be enough.
I found it quite difficult to pass the CPA, granted I logged four 74s during my CPA journey and that’s all the while coming back after a 12 year break from even looking at the stuff.
However I’ve never been the strongest test taker and I knew that going into my battle.
One of my classmates from undergrad; he sat for the exam the summer after we all graduated, he ended up taking a boot camp style program- passed it with all 90s.
Some folks have that brain that can just do it; others take a lot longer and a hell of a lot more studying.
My advice: never measure yourself up against others. Comparison is the theft of joy.
Yeah, the more they brag the more you know they sucked! No one discloses the hurdles and the challenges they faced to pass the exams. Next time you talk to one of them, use one upper up:
They: It took me a few hours to prep for each section
You: What a looser! I walked into Prometric and passed on the spot.
Love all of the people getting bent on the flex. It's hard for some, but others it may find it easy. Big deal. I passed 3 sections with reviewing maybe about 2-3 hours per section. REG on the other hand took me several times.
I studied 40 hours for BEC & passed by only 5 points. But the other sections omg… I studied my ass off for 4 months for Audit. For REG and FAR, studied my ass off for 2-3 months…..I basically dropped out of society for 18 months.
So like, it was easier than people around me made it out to be, but I mean it was still hard. The people in my form made it sound like the hardest thing I would ever do and could ever imagine doing and that made me brace myself for the worst hell imaginable and it ended up being just pretty hard. I also had 6 years of public experience and that helped a ton. I couldnt imagine doing it fresh out of college.
Not trying to flex but when I took the exam way back in 2003, it was the written exam and everyone had to take all four sections first time. I hardly studied at all and just figured I’d take it the first time as a learning experience and hope to pass two sections to get credit. I ended up passing 3 sections. I studied waaayyy more to make sure I passed that last section than I did when taking all 4 the first time. I’ve never told people that though as a brag of any kind because I’m not an asshole.
I studied one week for BEC and AUD, but I was not working and put in 8 hour days. They were also my last two exams and I got really good at learning how to study quickly.
FAR I think took a full month and REG 3
Studying for 8 hours a day (of actual studying not just an 8-5
So many comments here are treating this like a black and white issue. It's an exam with a roughly 50% pass rate for each section. "Hard" is subjective and the studying/exam experience can vary.
Personally I studied some but only to go after Watt Sells. If I just aimed to pass I think I could have got away with about 40-50 hours total (based off my initial practice scores, adjusted using some data I found on the Internet). I'm definitely not the average experience but there definitely are people who it just clicks for more than others.
Also pro tip: you can speed up the review videos
I took the last paper and pencil exam in CA now over 20 years ago. If it was your first attempt you had to take all 4 sections over two days back to back.
To prepare I studied harder than I ever did for a test in college. I passed all 4 sections, but it was hard as hell. I was proudest of the 76 score in one section (can’t remember which one now) because it meant I didn’t over study.
The hardest part for me was the breadth of the possible subject matter that could come up on the exam - they couldn’t test it all in the time given but there were a lot of potential topics on the table.
I can only imagine the computer exam is harder.
i passed all 4 parts of the exam in the 1st try with scores all above 90. However, i truly believe, that even if you study a lot, you pass the exam by sheer luck of which iteration of the exam you receive. Had i received an exam heavily weighed more towards IFRS instead of gaap, fail. Had i received an exam more to do with govermental accounting vs regular accounting, fail.
I did thousands of test questions and studied each part for months and each time i took a part i was on the fence of "maybe I did okay?" or "maybe I just failed" and then was shocked each time my score was so high. The exam was very difficult and in depth and accounting can be very vast so its nearly impossible to know everything to that degree.
There are certainly some people that don’t have to study as long to pass the exams. There were some in my starting class in PA that had passed all 4 parts before starting, or had done at least 2. I myself had only passed FAR for which I studied 2.5 months for.
With that being said, my experience was that the exam questions were noticeably easier than the practice exam/problems from the Becker courses. At least during the time I took the exams (2016-17) it was commonly accepted that if you scored at least 60% on the Becker exams you had a pretty good chance of getting a passing score, and this was the case for me.
The only exam I’d say was just as difficult was REG. Otherwise, the trickiest part about the actual exams were the way the questions were written in that you had to pay attention to the language used which could lead you to choosing the wrong answer.
The material is easy but there is a lot of it. Think about it, is there any single concept or piece of information that is really that hard or complex to understand? Not really.
Finding time to study for it, and making a consistent disciplined approach to studying is the hard part. You need to retain everything you've just crammed, long enough to regurgitate it for an exam.
I have seen very good accountants fail repeatedly, and very bad accountants pass it quickly. It's mostly based on your ability to commit time to it. I averaged over 90 on the 4 parts, and never had to study so much for anything before.
lol they’re definitely lying
Yeah, anyone who says they passed it with a few hours of studying is full of shit. I’m a naturally good test taker (better test taker than I am an accountant) and probably spent 240 hours across all 4 exams, more than half of which was on REG. I’d believe someone could pass with half the study time bc my scores would indicate I over studied, but less than 100 hrs I’d call bs on.
yeah i agree. by all means my study time was incredibly minimal. but it was still 125 hours or so across all exams
I studied less than 5 hours for BEC but that whole exam is BS which is prob why it changed
Yeah, i was about the same. My rough breakdown would have been 130 REG, 65 FAR, 40 AUD, 5 BEC. Scores of 85, 87, 89, 92 so I overstudied but it was worth it to feel confident going in. Reg was the hardest by far because there’s no way to apply logic, you just have to memorize.
Same, I literally have the same hours for the other 3 and tried to take REG on 40 hours of studying last December and failed pretty badly, retook it with about another 60 hours or so but still don’t feel great, hoping to pass to be 4/4
Did you just do mcqs orcws and the lectures ?
I did the full Becker study plan for Reg, if I remember correctly (its been 7 years so I may not). For the others I just did MCQ’s and practice tests on repeat, maybe read a few chapters for the harder sections of FAR.
It you had to do it all again which part would you have done first also how has the 7 years treated you since getting the certificate
Reg first as it was far and away the hardest, and I also wanted to take it while still in school so I could utilize the minimal knowledge I have from my tax classes. I fully believe I could pass the other 3 again if given a few days to prepare, I would rather turn in my license than pass Reg again. Work has treated me fine, I did 3 years B4 audit, left to Industry for a year and a half, boomeranged back, and I’m now an audit manager at B4.
Man BEC tripped me up, I found the practice exam on becker was like 100 times harder than the real exam lol.
[удалено]
This was true for me as well, crammed closer to each test as I progressed. Definitely almost pushed it too far on Reg studying the week of and got a 75 flat lol
I mean I passed AUD without studying. Basically knew everything from being an auditor for two years and hardly studied for BEC. Had to study a lot for FAR and REG though.
I studied 20 hours total. I didn't study for FAR and got a 75, it's my greatest professional achievement. Sorry, but it's true.
Define few. I barely studied, and I didn't register to take the exams until 3+ years after graduation and never worked in public. I had to retake one section, but passed all the others on the first try. Everything in the exams is something you should already know from school, so it shouldn't be that hard. The first section I took was audit, since I knew it was the one I was least comfortable with, so it's the one I studied the most for. That meant skimming 3 year old Becker books from the prior version of the exam, flashcards and example questions 2-3 hours a night after work plus a few hours on Saturday for a few weeks after registering. After I passed the first section and knew it wasn't that bad, I cut it down. It became flashcards on the couch when I felt like it and an hour or two of example questions each night the week before the exam. I also scored between 76 & 83 on all the sections and didn't care at all about the scores, just that I passed.
How would you recommend studying for it? I have becker but not sure how to approach it. Im also a naturally good test taker and as a result don't really have good study habits plus am a somewhat lazy person to begin with. I want to figure out an efficient way to put time into this.
Not BS for me 🤷🏽♀️
I studied a long time for all 4 exams (BEC was more like 4-5 weeks but that was the easy one), and i averaged 92.5. I really wish I took the exams quicker bc I overstudied and can't help but feel some regret that the journey could've been maybe 6 months long instead of 9-10. Those days weren't the most fun
Yeah… maybe they mean more like they went to a MAC/MSA program that heavily focused on the cpa exams and they did well there and then were able to pass with some additional studying but idk. I passed AUD after finishing my audit class which heavily relayed to the cpa exams because I both studied well for that class and the exam at the same time… even then I wouldn’t say it was easy lol
100% It’s like the hardest professional thing I’ve attempted so far. I passed my Series 7 in 6 weeks as a cakewalk Been trying to pass CPA for a year and I have yet to pass a section. Godspeed my friend lol
Not necessarily. Depends how much they knew before studying and how well they retain and retrieve information. I studied 8 days for FAR and REG and less than a week each for AUD and BEC all while working full time big 4 as a senior and passed all 4 first try. I know some people who passed without studying much and others who failed 4 times the same exam.
Sitting for 4 four hour test is a fucking pain no matter who you are. Someone saying that’s easy is like a runner saying a marathon is easy. Easier for some maybe, but it’s never easy. Fundamentally impossible for it to be “easy”.
Crazy you’re being downvoted for just sharing your experience. I agree, it depends on the person. Some people are more suited for the CPA exam than others. I certainly know that if you’re autistic & very much enjoy accounting, you may consider it “easy”. Similar to someone who really enjoys playing games can sit down & play for 8 hours straight.
This should not be downvoted. I also know some people who crammed for a week or 2 and passed exams. If you had a solid undergraduate program and tried hard then you probably only need a refresher on most topics.
I think this is suffering from the classic problem of Reddit; people don’t understand where the other person is coming from or why they are making the comment. It’s because OP says they are getting shit from people saying the exam is “easy”, the person 2 comments above says they are definitely lying to console OP/farm karma with the snippy response, and then the above comment feels a little like someone butting in with “aCtUaLy”. Now, any mature adult should think “hmm, yeah this is a possibility”. But what u/kaperisk missed the mark on was throwing the people at OP’s company under the buss. Something like: > I know people who passed without studying much; still no reason to go around claiming it’s “easy” to other people. And maybe I am way over thinking it, and people are just offended that someone could possibly find the test easy lol
A couple clarifying questions: Can you try "hard" and still describe something as easy? Can one leverage 150 hours of course work to take an exam, and then call it easy? If one can both try hard and put forth over 2,000 hours of coursework towards a task and call it easy, we may just have different definitions of what is easy.
I didn’t describe it as easy, I just don’t think OP’s coworkers are lying about their prep time after college. I agree though, putting in the work upfront is hard. Once that’s done the test is easy
You passed the exam! Stand proud
Did they pass the exam because they are a CPA, or are they a CPA because they passed the exam?
They are a CPA because they passed the exam (and all other requisite requirements) I'm a CPA, and I could not pass the exam again.
CPA = Can’t Pass Again
I was so much smarter at 23. No way in hell I’d crack 60% right now 12 years later.
I hope its a jjk reference:p
If it was easy, the pass rates would be higher.
Pass rates at my university are around 80%-85% (for the Canadian exam). And before people downvote without looking it up, even without a specialized University prep program, the overall passing rates at the CFE are around 70%, and they modify the passing criterias to keep it at at least 70%. From 2015 to 2020 the september exams were between 76% and 83%.
CPA in US is pretty strictly 50% pass rate across the board. It also costs a couple hundred per test, and people pay two to $3,000 for test prep. It may be easy for some in the US, specifically, but they are easily defined as outliers.
Even 50% isn't that low compared to some other fields. Here in canada it also costs 2000$ just for the exam. Now id like to mention it's clearly alnost impossible to pass if You're not prepared, but well prepared the exam is much less daunting than people think
Yeah but excluding your class time when the program is clearly designed to prepare you for the exams is disingenuous. We have some universities like that in the US too which boast very high CPA exam pass rates as well from their Master’s programs but they are heavily geared towards that prep and many of them require you to at least attempt the exams as a graduation requirement. Excluding the time and money spent when you did a MAC or MSA program vs someone who picked up their extra credits elsewhere to hit the 150 required in the US is basically just lying about the time and money invested when many of those programs are designed to help you pass. Mine wasn’t quite as blatant but some of my classes required Becker and completing sections of Becker lol I’m not sure if Canada is the same way
I canada you have 2 routes you can take, either the official national program of given out by CPA Canada, or an acredited school that offers a similar type of program, either way both will prep you specifically for the CFE exam. Not sure how it works in the US, but in canada you can't just accunulate 150 credits in random accounting or finance classes and be eligible to the exam, this might also be a reason why the average passing percentage is higher
There are some requirements for accounting specific classes but most of which can be done within a 120 credit program so the extra 30 credit hours tends to vary in how people do it. Some do dual majors, some pick up extra classes at community college some do a master’s program. The other thing is the requirements actually vary by state as well.
Pass rates for bar, physician, etc exams is like 70%+ in most states. But their academic coursework is way more rigorous and demanding than accounting. They don’t have time to do part time jobs
For sure. CPA exam is more like "can you hold all this info at one time" whereas I'd assume for physicians it's more "we gotta make sure you're not about to kill someone"
For US that's only one of four exams tho. Making the likelihood to pass all 4 first time about 6.25%. About $1k for test fees. $250 a pop Edit: after peer review it was determined that my analytic was inadequate. The percentage of people that pass all four the first time is about 20%.
Not how it works lol
What do you mean? If it's 50% that's a coin flip. Say a pass is heads. First coin flip = 50% chance for heads. The next flip has a 50% chance as well. So we multiply the probability: 50%*50% = 25%. We flip again, 50% * 25% = 12.5%. final flip, 50% * 12.5% = 6.25%. do you have a different understanding of how this works?
Because you can't consider the math as if it was a coin flip. Most people who fail one usually fail multiple. Those who aren't ready fail all of them. If you find the statistics of how many people pass all 4 exams on the first try and see if it's anywhere close to 6%...
20% so you're right, not 6.25%, but closer to 6.25% than 50%. https://www.efficientlearning.com/cpa/resources/cpa-exam-pass-rates/#:~:text=The%20overall%20pass%20rate%20for,section%20on%20their%20first%20try.
Fair, but bare in mind the pass rates are low because they allow so many unprepared candidates to take the exam. In canada you can only go to the exam if you did a PEP program which specifically prepares you for the exam. Sure there still candidates who pass the PEP courses and are somehow still unprepared, but it eliminates a major portion of candidates who are unprepared. You can see in the source you provided pass rates on U.S CPA exam when the candidates have attended major accounting programs at universities, those pass rates are all above 80%. It also shows pass rates for candidates who completed the Wiley CPA review courses, those pass rates are at 90% global, meaning 90% of them pass all 4 exams. This clearly shows that the average pass rates at 20% is just because they allow so many unprepared candidates in the exam, not because the exam is that difficult
you dont even take a cfe at uni what you talking about?
Universities in Quebec have a D.E.S.S program after the Bachelors degree, it's a 1 year full time peogram that preps you for the CFE exam. This is another route instead of doing the national program. And yes, we still all do the same CFE at the same date. Students who went through this program at our university have on average an 80% or higher passing rate at the CFE. Our teachers are correctors at the CFE and we had 1 on 1 retroactive feedback on around 30 mock exams in addition to all the theoretical classes. These programs are available at many QC universities, including Corcordia, HEC, ESG, UQAM, UQTR, U-Sherbrooke, Mcgill, etc.
I believe my uni has a similar thing but in ontario but wouldnt say that is the university passing rate but the designated program passing rate, like I think there has to be at least like 60-70 graduates a year but only like 10-20 max do this designated program. Kinda skews the results to certain types of poeple that still wanna do full time schooling after a degree
Same here
I had a 4.0 and took the summer off to study/pass exams and it was still very hard for me.
The CPA exams generally falls into 2 categories, people who either pass all exams on the first try or with maybe 1-2 retake exams in total. The other group of people tend to struggle and take several attempts at each exam, many give up and never become CPAs. At the end of the day, if you pass the exam you’re a CPA. Who cares about anything else. That being said, I know a super smart person who passed all 4 exams in 6 weeks while working full time. They are a beast and 99% if people can’t do that.
Yeah I’ve found, generally, those who passed on first try are absolute beasts on the job. Don’t know what it is that makes someone like that. I work with an EWS winner and he’s just stupidly knowledgeable. Honestly, I’m a big believer in standardized tests in general. Like, I feel like it’s rare to meet someone who crushed the ACT/SAT that is an absolute moron. Sure, some lack common sense and can still go down a bad path, but most everyone I know who did extraordinarily well on any given standardized exam is doing quite well in life. Most people who I meet who say they aren’t “book smart” with that smug attitude tend to think they’re much smarter than they really are.
I agree with this sentiment, especially the part about people that self identify as not being book smart. It feels like they are making an excuse as to why they don’t try harder.
It seems there is usually a “sweet spot” between someone who is very talented on standardized tests and also has applied knowledge. Ie someone getting 36-34 on the ACT is usually crazy book smart to the point their common sense is a little clouded, whereas some people getting a 30-34 tend to be more well rounded and actually more successful in most aspects of life. At least that has been my observation.
Oh yeah, and by no means am I saying someone who isn’t crazy book smart can’t succeed. I think pure grit and hard work is like 75% of “success”, however you define it. But yeah, I’d tend to agree. I think a 30 on the ACT still puts you in the 90th percentile of exam takers, though, so that’s still quite impressive!
That’s such a ridiculous and untrue take. If you go to a top school where almost everyone gets a 34+ most people are still normal, sociable, and have lots of common sense. I hear this all the time and I think people don’t like the fact that there are lots of people out there who are book smart and emotionally intelligent. I might agree that those who need to brag about their high scores probably lack in the social intelligence area.
You bring up a good point about standardized tests that I think isn’t mentioned too often. I agree with the high ACT/SAT score compared to IQ. This is a profession we are using are brains and not our bodies so it makes sense. I’m dumb but I weasled my way into this career to make good $ that is steady and recession proof, but it’s difficult for me. I think the most important thing is that everyone challenges themselves based on their abilities. Ex my friend comes from doctor parents, definitely 30+ ACT, and works a cushy government job; he could easily do more. Meanwhile my ACT was probably a 20 and I’m pushing myself as much as I can so i have no regrets later in life (and also want to be financially independent/retire early lol). But to each their own
If it makes you feel better I scored in the 90’s on all the exams… my average was a 93 so no ews admittedly And I’m literally dumb asf, I’ve just always been good at taking tests for whatever reason I’m pretty fucking lazy as most of my problem the other is I am the type who studies, takes the test, and then dumps the info it seems
Yeah, I'm in a similar spot - hard to describe it without sounding like bragging and haven't gotten AUD back yet, but got 93/89/97 on FAR/REG/BEC and don't feel like a super-genius or anything. I did study harder for the CPA than anything I had in school, but it wasn't the nonstop suffering people here seem to describe, either - just usually kind of an irritating chore that'd only hit me as an urgent "get this right NOW" like 3 days out I say all that to say that I don't think test results are *nearly* as generalizable to "overall" intelligence as people think. It's just that the same few key things (being able to get into the mind of the guy making the MCQs, decently structured writing, pump and dump studying tactics, etc.) are interpreted as capability across a bunch of arenas - and if you've managed to highroll those, people will buy you as "smarter than people with more usable forms of intelligence outside of academic contexts" til the end of time. Hell, in my specific situation (sort of unpleasant looking, awkward, bespectacled Indian guy), I could be a huge moron and no one would believe it - and in some sense I am, just not in the stereotypical way
I’m with you man. Got a 94, 93, 91, 91 all in the same 6 week window. Huge waste of time studying for 10+ hours for ~8 weeks straight all in. The only thing that was excruciatingly difficult was the ethics exam. Thing sucked so bad. To be honest though, I’m glad I did that, because I probably wouldn’t be a CPA the past 12 years if I did it while working at a big4.
Damn, that's insane. I pretty much didn't like *buckle down* til the last few weeks of each 2-3 month period I set aside for each exam, but I also don't know how much the period of passively soaking in the material in the background actually helped. So I doubt I could've done that, but those three exams still felt like less effort than how people portrayed them - especially with how far I overshot the 75 (and the REG 89 still ruling me out of EWS lol) Not looking forward to the ethics exam either, expect it to be annoying. I don't think I'd have really gotten through the exam without my workplace giving some structure to it, but honestly feel kinda bad seeing the abject suffering here while just naturally highrolling being optimized for those specific tasks
Good luck out there.
I mean it's true to certain extent put it like this the person iq is usually higher than a regular person on average Atleast in my experience I remember we took a iq test in highschool Our psych teacher has the results and compared it to the sat scores mind you people could've lied about what they got on it But in general those who had higher IQ generally had higher sat act score Atleast a few became mba, becomes nurses, and even psychologists. Also computer science But it wasmt alot of us mind you not everyone has that type of ambition son couldn't afford th education or didn't see the value in it But the guy who didn't see the value in it managed to get a job in the mill and got a house now worth more than 500k easily I think out of everyone in highschool he was probably smartest I ever met in the end especially now
I've worked with incredibly competent and intelligent people in tax who really struggled to get their license because of one or two exams. It wasn't unheard of at my first firm out of college for people to have taken at least one exam 4+ times. I don't think we can really put people into just the two buckets you described, because in reality, the exams are a gauntlet more than anything else. They exist almost entirely to limit the number of licensed individuals, and the pass rate can be manipulated arbitrarily. You can be smart and good at your job already, and still struggle with one or more exams. It's not strictly as "pass or fail all of them on the first or second attempt, or struggle endlessly and never success". Some people really struggle with FAR, while breezing through the others. For others, REG is a pain. My buddy who works in tax failed AUD like 3 times, and one of the smartest people I knew in the firm failed one exam 5 times. It's really difficult to categorize this sort of thing, because it varies quite a bit. I imagine your buckets reflect your own anecdotal experience, but I don't think it necessarily works to describe the whole population.
I’d agree with this. It’s such a large function of both time available to study and existing knowledge base heading into the exam prep.
You gain a lot of working knowledge from working in the field. They also probably studied pretty hard in college. Manager may be gaslighting in order to look good to his superiors and encourage seniors to pass their exams. There's a lot of bullshit in this field, and no one is as smart as they claim to be once you dig down into the details of what they actually do. I wouldn't worry about any of this and keep on learning / succeeding. Everyone's journey is a bit different as well. What may be easy subject to some may not be to others and vice versa. Progress isn't linear.
Came here to say something similar. I was a “gifted” student who always got top scores nationally on exams, including math competitions. I thought the CPA exams were the hardest exams I’ve taken and I’m honest about that. Yes, I’ve taken exams that require higher level mathematical reasoning, but the volume of information that needs to be retained for each CPA exam is unquestionably challenging. I used to wonder how so many people found them so easy when they are, in fact, challenging. I’m sure some of them are truly gifted test takers but most are just straight up lying. It took me a while to see how much posturing and dishonesty there is in this profession but there is a lot.
Who the FK cares lol. You know what they call someone who passes their exams after studying their butt off or failing 3 times? A CPA. There's always going to be someone who did it better/faster/slower. In the end who the FK cares.
It’s not like we’re doctors. I’d care quite a bit if they failed 2x’s. CPA? Don’t care.
I failed financial reporting twice before I passed, tax I failed once, BEC and audit passed first time. Took me like two years but got it done, was awful. I’m not as smart as those who passed all four first time around, but I didn’t quit. I’m in industry now and will never use it to sign anything, but it’s never coming off of my resume.
Anyone bragging about the exams being easy to someone who has not taken them is tone deaf at best and a complete jerk at worst. Many people fail, it’s ok to fail. Also after you have passed it’s easy to forget the hardships you went through. The exams are not easy and while some people may be better test takers or have just finished accounting classes may have an easier time- it’s really cruel to gloat about that and bring down your peers who are struggling.
It’s not just ok to fail, it’s critical for people to experience failure. If I’m given an employee that’s never failed before it means they’ve only taken assignments they were comfortable with. Getting your ass kicked is a great teacher and makes people stronger
Passing the exams was the most difficult thing I’ve ever done and it’s also my proudest accomplishment. I only passed one exam on the first try (and scored a perfect 75), far and Reg took me 4 tries each
That's badass. If theres a chance it'll rain I just hide under the bed for a month and you're out there gritting out an existence. Good on ya
Sounds like you work with a bunch of liars lol 2 hours for FAR?
What makes the CPA exam hard is that the questions are formatted in such a way that you either understand the concepts or your don’t. It’s not an IQ test and I’ve seen relatively average intelligence people pass the exams quickly and smart people struggle. It’s a marathon and it’s not easy for most people.
They’re just lying to be cool. Reminds me of the kids in middle school who used to ace math exams and then brag that they didn’t study at all. Very middle school of them lol
There are some people like that though. I was like that throughout highschool. Never had to study for math exams other than 1-2 hours come exam time, since doing the hw regularly was enough. I struggled in science courses though.
Everybody finds it difficult. I passed all 4 parts on the first try but I busted my ass to be prepared. It was hard.
I’ll reiterate what others are saying: your coworkers are lying to you. It’s objectively a hard test. You can look up the pass rates yourself to corroborate. To go a step further, why do your coworkers feel the need to lie? In my experience this is a red flag. 🚩 I’ve worked with people that lied about how easy the CPA was, how many hours they billed every year, and accomplishments in past positions. It was always a reflection of the culture of the company. These people felt they needed to lie because the company culture was such that it only accepted and rewarded those that projected perfection. No one is perfect, so it creates a culture of lying where people feel like they have to make up achievements to be accepted by the group. Once that gets started it’s a race to the bottom, as each lie has to outdo the last lie. The senior only studied a few hours? That means the manager didn’t study at all and the director showed up to the test half drunk from the night before. I only say this because it took me a while to realize what was going on. It created toxic work environments and I wish I would have left each situation sooner than I did. I’m hoping to save you some time.
I mean you go down this crazy rabbithole where you assume people are lying and toxic work culture, but exclude the possibility maybe people studied and really paid attention during their 5 years of undergrad/grad school, and thus didn't find the exam's that difficult? Hearing associates talk about the CPA exam as if they've never seen the material before is really confusing to me
It’s not “a crazy rabbit hole”. It’s living in the real world with real people. Less than 50% of test takers pass a given section of the exam. The pass rate for all four sections is even lower. That is objectively a hard exam. What’s more likely, that you are talking to someone with a top 1% IQ that couldn’t leverage it to get into a better school with an investment banking/PE/consulting pipeline, or that this person is lying to try and make themselves feel better? The top 10% of accountants make $138k a year. This genius decided to use their brain power to take a role that tops out in the middle class? You’re talking about a guy making $103k/ year trying to convince you he has a top 1% IQ. If you believe that, I question your IQ. Sources: https://www.aicpa-cima.com/resources/article/learn-more-about-cpa-exam-scoring-and-pass-rates? https://www.bls.gov/ooh/business-and-financial/accountants-and-auditors.htm
There's a middle ground between top 1% IQ and lying to make themselves feel better - you're again going to these extreme scenarios to exaggerate your point. And correlating some BS points about salary and potential IQ caps in the field to how well people do on standardized testing that is literally based on the concepts in their field of study. If you compare FAR to the average college course loads, its mostly intermediate 1 & 2 and govt accounting. Like 3-4 chapters were just breaking out the financial statements and ratios, and 2 chapters on govt (atleast back when I took it). It's not anything new. There's some weird default assumption out there where people claim no one remembers what they learned in school and they all forget it. I think that's the lie where people cope. The tests are not difficult if you truly studied and paid attention through an average undergrad/grad accounting program. The underlying material doesn't change significantly. Similarly 1-2 years of exp can make the sections a lot easier once you have practical industry exp. What was the big SIM on FAR - a basic bank reconciliation? So I think there are plenty of people who can pass with way less than the recommended hours that arent lying or fall within the 1% IQ or w/e nonsense. They just spent 300 hrs studying in school vs right before the CPA exam.
A lot of people I know found it extremely difficult. Some never passed, some took more than a few times until they passed. I found it medium difficulty. Some areas, like audit, which I never worked in required much more studying, but financial reporting, which is literally what I do, knocked that shit out of the park. It also depends if you are a good tester or not. Some people just are never good at exams, some naturally are.
Doesn't matter if you found it easy or hard. Pass with a high score, or just the minimum. All that matters is you pass. Reminds me of the joke - what do you call the doctor who graduated at the bottom of the class? Doctor.
There was a time in the late 90s where the exam was multiple choice only. Success rates skyrocketed and they re-structured the exam. If these people are early 50s, they might have taken it when it was super easy.
There is a reason why the pass rate is around 50%. I'm a great test taker and while I've found them easier than I expected them to be, your coworkers are lying out their teeth. The stuff that is tested on isn't something you would know intuitively; you need to study. You need to work through problems to get the random ass rules to stick in your brain. Even if the tests were easier for them, they are dicks for bragging. I know I've been having an easier time taking the tests than a lot of other people, but it's because my brain is like wired for standardized tests - I've always outperformed my actual skill set on these types of tests. I'm on track to pass all mine first time while working full-time and it's not something I would brag about (outside a job interview ofc lol). That being said, two weeks for FAR might be legit though if he was fresh out of school. I know mine focused heavily on the CPA exams and with some luck, I might have been able to pass the FAR exam right after taking my higher-level accounting classes given a couple weeks with Becker's final review stuff.
bragging about or even caring about how difficult or easy the CPA exam was is the mark of a clueless associate. unless you're an elijah watts sells award winner, nobody cares about how difficult or easy the CPA exam was for you. i imagine someone on an RFP response telling the potential client how high they scored on the CPA exam and it makes me chuckle.
I'll say I found it pretty easy to pass all four on the first try, while working fulltime. I'll also say I feel like I studied pretty hard, which is what made the tests themselves feel pretty easy. I'll also say fuckem: it's pass/fail for a reason. No one cares how you got it, just that you have it.
Of course it’s not easy. It’s considered one of the hardest exams for all industries period. Only behind the CFA and the Actuarial Exams.
While they could be lying there is wild variance within (and between) people when it comes to intelligence and test taking. There are lots of very smart people and you can’t let that detour you or permeate your thought process. You passed and your world is a better place.
You can’t pass them with hardly studying. The challenge in them is having to memorize massive quantities of info. The “smart person” shortcut of being able to learn concept X and intuitively apply it to Y and Z doesn’t work, you have to read and learn all the shit. Some people are just better at that kind of focused, disciplined study though. Or are able to leverage significant work experience in which they learn the requisite info.
It is hard. I scored high (scores 92, 86, 96, and 92. I worked like crazy to get there, 16 months total. I know more people that studied and failed than passed. Take pride in it.
I have a colleague in my tax department who I consider very bright and has put in some hard time studying and failed FAR 3 or 4 times already. I doubt anyone finds it easy
Ha! If someone felt that the exam was easy, good for them. I promise that I did not have that same experience. It basically occupied a year of my life. I studied for each part for two months, then took the exam. I passed them all on the first try, which was very important to me because I didn’t know how I would emotionally react to failing. I was working full time and doing my master’s, so I’m sure that didn’t help, but even if that wasn’t the case, I still believe that the material was broad enough to make it difficult.
I suspect they’re exaggerating. It took me a few months of studying to pass each exam, and I had to re-take FAR.
If you can think something isn’t that hard while also thinking you wouldn’t have been able to pass without a lot of studying, that’s what I think. No way in hell I could have passed with just a few hours of studying (tried it, did horrible) but it’s more that it’s hard to study enough than that the material is difficult.
As a tax accountant, I passed REG and BEC first try so it was easy FOR ME. But it’s NOT an easy exam. In fact, I failed FAR and AUD twice each. Don’t bother with other people’s bragging and don’t compare yourself. I’m just posting my results to give perspective and to be honest/open
A lot of it could just be down to what school they went too. Some schools, and particularly some masters programs, basically just 'teach the test' It's really easy to "not study" after a 16 week course.
The exam is graded on a curve and they could have been lucky but in no means is cpa easy. That damn chatgpt failed the cpa exam at least once. I earned mine the hard way and it doesn't matter the score once you hit 75....CPA is spelled the same way 75 or 95
They're lying. Even if you're a great test taker and have a photographic memory you still need to study 50 or so hours per section just because of the amount of material. I went 89 92 92 96. FAR AUD REG BEC. I'm a really good test taker,I got a 1410 on the SAT hungover, my uni placed me into calc 2 on their entrance exam, took that test still drunk. Took all my cpa sober with proper rest and still felt like a beaten dog after each one, don't let anyone tell you otherwise, it is an extremely difficult test.
Theyre lying to you my guy What else do we have to brag about in this profession?
lol good point 🤣
Liars. Accounting isn’t an intuitive sport.
He studied 2 weeks for FAR !!! Yeah my a$$. They’re all lying to come across as genius when isn’t the case
They're lying.
I didn’t want to take my chances so I may have “overstudied” by some peoples’ standards (I don’t think I did, but some may think). I passed all 4 sections within 10 months while in grad school full time. The people who were competitive and always wanted to know my score and if I passed, passed too. Good for them. We’re all CPA’s. Didn’t matter how we got there.
It is famously difficult. I don’t know why anyone would say they studied so little, obvious BS.
In Canada, it's quite difficult, but I didn't find it difficult in the sense of the material being difficult. There is such an extreme range of material they can test on in our big 3 day final, it could be anything in the textbook. For someone working in public though, I don't think they're overly complex problems, assuming you spent the hundreds of hours studying the textbook
I thought I failed every part of the exam when I left the testing center. Thankfully I was only correct once. *thanks adderall*
That shit was hard because it encompasses so much shit that, unless you are in that unique area in your career you aren’t going to have experience doing. I passed all my exams with an 82 or higher but I studied my ass off
I took AUD without studying and passed, but I was also presenting our firm’s Audit 101 annually for new hires. My initial try I studied and failed all four parts miserably when I was fresh out of college. I used the Becker study plan exactly as presented. Second round (4yrs later) I was an experienced senior and focussed solely on multiple choice questions. I probably studied a quarter (if not less) than the first round, but it was very efficient and focussed studying. I could see how it’s possible to study very little and pass, but the majority of these people are probably exaggerating.
I don't think it's hard, but also don't think it's easy either. Your manager is a liar.
Simple… can they naturally apply accounting concepts with ease while working? Like without looking up publications or articles on how to treat or report something? If not, they’re lying and CPA isn’t easy. CPA isn’t easy because it’s not something natural, it’s not like 2+2=4 because that’s natural. These are rules created by humans, how do people know about those rules without studying them.
FAR was exceptionally difficult. but after passing FAR i kinda got a sense for what study strategies work best with my brain and the remaining exams were progressively easier. I took the tax one last. REG is it called? By that point shit was easy.
I passed all four sections first try, lowest score was an 87, did it all in 6 months. It was the hardest thing I've done academically in my entire life by far. They are full of shit lol
It was easy. I didn't study for it at all. I passed the CPA exam when I was 4, barely spoke English, or any language for that matter.
There is nothing about individual questions that are complex IMO. It’s just a lot information
Every one I talked to said CPA exam is very hard.
People who brag/flex about how the CPA exam was "so easy" have literally nothing going on in their lives. It's a hard exam, if it wasn't then the certification wouldn't be as valuable.
I didn’t think FAR was very difficult but I failed tax twice. I also studied for all the sections for way more than a “couple of hours”.
Studied 250 hours for FAR and 125 for REG and BEC each. About 75 hours for audit. I would never say it’s easy.
I found how boring it was to be particularly difficult. I had to smoke weed constantly while studying to stay interested.
CPA in Philippines has an average of 15-20% passing rate. Its too hard for an average dude.
I want to say they could be lying but alot of them likely had previous experiences with some of the material whether it be through a good macc program or their work So while that's guy your speaking off was def capping l. If someone said the did it in say 200 hrs some as low as 58 hrs I could believe it people have done it before
Typical CPA. Nothing else to brag about in their lives so they have to lie about everything being easy for them. I’m a Partner in a mid-sized firm and cannot stand the general attitudes and egos of 90% of the Partner/Manager level people in my firm. If someone asks a question in the Partner email thread (we have 4 locations) it’s met with a response like “from what I understand that is a very simple and easy blah blah blah…” I swear these people were all shunned in high school or something and now have something to prove to society, but are still so socially awkward they only interact with co-workers who end up getting the brunt of it.
Most accountants I’ve met seem to be somewhat on the socially awkward spectrum. You mix social awkwardness with cockiness, it creates an awful dynamic. Thanks for sharing your perspective.
It’s definitely a flex. To be able to pull information and answers like that without studying a ton speaks to the information that they’ve retained over the years and their ability to logically think through problems.
It’s definitely was hard for me and took about a whole year. Some people may breeze through it but it’s kinda like a fishing story, people exaggerate
My GPAs were close to 4.0 in both undergrad and my masters and I haven't passed any on the first try yet. It is a very difficult exam.
I’m the opposite - my GPA was lower (got a few Cs In my Accounting courses actually) but passed all 4 on first try. I found the CPA more manageable to study for than college exams/finals because it was literally 1 exam at a time . Also , I didn’t start my full time job until months after I graduated so that break helped. That’s just my experience.
I passed all 4 on my first try. Studied one day for each module in the section (this was back in 2014), so FAR took the longest which i studied for 10 days. Its disingenuous for me to tell people that I found it easy, because studying was hard, I got a ton of stuff wrong while studying, i just committed myself to study several hours each day until i was passing practice tests with flying colors. I'm sure if you had a time machine and went back and saw what they really did, it'd be more than they let on.
When I took the exams, I found that the harder the exam felt, the better I did. (For example, I walked out of FAR questioning if I ever understood accounting at all...and got a 95.) That said, beyond that it's test-taking ability. Some might find them relatively easy (I did, passed all 4 first try, and barely studied for sections other than FAR \[for BEC I didn't even study at all\]), but that doesn't mean you're not just as capable of doing the material if you find the exam harder. At the end of the day, if you can do the work, the exam's just a step in that direction. (Plus, once you pass all 4 sections, and the ethics test for your state...that's it. Just keep up your CPE \[some of which doesn't require a test at all!\] and you're golden.)
lol they lying about 2 weeks. Unless they worked at a test prep job before - they will be doing a lot more than two weeks of studying. My coworker loves to brag about two weeks for FAR but he also worked at Wiley in college for 3 years.
I found the exams "easy," I scored 96, 94, 94, 97 on each one. But I studied a lot (no weekends) and studied to get a 100%. I studied 9 weeks for each exam and probably 12 weeks for FAR because it was first and I didn't know what I was getting into.
I did a similar approach with similar results. But, I don't consider the tests "easy" so much as I was well prepared by having done a lot of studying. If you can just walk in after cramming for an afternoon and walk out with a 90, that would be an easy exam.
Definitely lying.
I was close to a ESW winner - but didn't quite get there. I didn't find the exam "hard", but not "easy". Its the most I've ever studied for any test. I had high SATs, and generally speaking was a better test taker than most. I studied Becker 4-5 hours a day for 2 weeks straight and took each exam. All that being said - there is no difference in my CPA vs someone who got all 75s. Study hard, do your best - get your CPA and you'll be fine.
I’ve come to realize that a lot of people are liars, ESPECIALLY when it comes to things that “make them look better”
It’s hard. For me the material wasn’t the hardest part though, it was just making time to study on top of a full time job. It’s very hard for basically everyone If you are also juggling work. I don’t think they require as much study time as some people have said, but I’m also fresher out of school and never did books and lecture which probably cut my time down.
1. No one gives a shit, anyone bragging about their scores is trying to compensate for something 2. Like with any standardized test, some people are really good at retaining a bunch of information and some aren't, doesn't make you a better or worse accountant
REG was relatively easy for me bc it was mostly tax when I sat and I had been working and training in a tax dept for about 6 years when I sat for and passed REG. The 3 other exams were much tougher since I had to study more outside work. Audit in particular since all I knew about audit was from one college course
I studied a month for each section. 3 hrs per day during workweek, 5 hrs total over weekend. I passed all 4 on the first try, thought they were relatively easy. But imo I studied my balls off, which made it easy.
I passed 2/4 without studying (AUD and BEC) but REG and FAR were different beasts.
Either way, whether it took you one try or 15, it’s the same license at the end of the day.
The studying was difficult, the exams not so much. If you studied properly it should be easy or medium difficulty. I never even used the full four hours and some exams only took two. The exams were easier than the practice questions. Good practice material should prepare you with very difficult questions. Edit: I also worked in accounting for years before the exams so maybe I had an easier time from that.
I found it quite easy, and honestly a bit underwhelming. Day 1 I finished 45 minutes early, day 2 and 3 I finished with time to spare too, I went out of the exam knowing I passed for sure. THAT BEING SAID, I was very well prepared and in the 6 months leading to the exam I had redone every CPA exam of the past 6 years, + many other similar exams. My mock exams also had retroactive feedback 1 on 1 with teachers who were correctors for the CPA exams.
Yes. Everyone. They are lying.
Anyone I worked with who passed the first try usually end up doing other work that’s higher paying and/or less stress because the pay to work ratio is low in public. There are some super smart people who go into accounting, which is an odd career choice for them. I’m a chimpanzee if that gives you any assurance and I chose this because I didn’t know what the hell else I could do and make 6 figures. Most partners get to that point by working hard and long, not necessarily being super smart (this isn’t engineering/computer science etc), of course there are some outliers who are great at both technical acctg and sales
they're all lying. It's like in College, you had those try hards that would brag about not even studying before the exam and then getting a good grade. But any time you ask them what theyre doing outside of class, theyre just studying. Some people need validation that theyre "smart" by bragging in this way. Its super pointless and borderline childish
I studied for 25-30 hours a week and failed reg 3x and FAR 2x
Uh, yeah. Not everyone tests the same
Passed my 5th section with an 76 and didn’t look back.
People bragging about their smartness. lol. CPA exams are fairly difficult here in Canada, and I expect a similar difficulty level in US. You do need to put in time and effort to pass the exams
I think it depends on what kind of test taker you are. I found it to be easy but I’m really good at cramming and memorizing test questions/concepts. If you aren’t good at that I imagine it’s pretty difficult.
Not saying they're lying but I'd take what they're saying with a grain of salt. Honestly, it's not even a beneficial lie: they're effectively downgrading the difficulty of the exam if they're making it out to be easy. Like I get the mental gymnastics on their side, but if I had no clue about the CPA exam except through your coworkers, I'd be less than impressed. If there's no difficulty then why should I care/be impressed? There's no flex. Personally I would tell people it's the hardest exam I've ever taken, even if it wasn't, if I were to lie about it.
It took some serious work. To me, the bar exam was harder.
I studied for two weeks. 8 AM to 11 PM every day for two weeks. I also felt like I bombed it and was shocked I actually passed. They’re definitely lying.
I studied about 15 mins a day for about 4 weeks and passed reg with an 82. I studied the same way for aud and got a 52.
If a person was heavy into tax, passing REG and TCP wouldn't be that difficult. It would be possible for an EA, or a person with several years of tax experience to pass both exams without study. If a person had a significant background in IT audit, cybersecurity, and networking, passing ISC would be rather easy. A few days study would be enough.
Lol. The failure rate for first time exam takers is like 51% on average. They're fucking with you.
It was hard. I almost lost it trying to pass.
I found it quite difficult to pass the CPA, granted I logged four 74s during my CPA journey and that’s all the while coming back after a 12 year break from even looking at the stuff. However I’ve never been the strongest test taker and I knew that going into my battle. One of my classmates from undergrad; he sat for the exam the summer after we all graduated, he ended up taking a boot camp style program- passed it with all 90s. Some folks have that brain that can just do it; others take a lot longer and a hell of a lot more studying. My advice: never measure yourself up against others. Comparison is the theft of joy.
Yeah, the more they brag the more you know they sucked! No one discloses the hurdles and the challenges they faced to pass the exams. Next time you talk to one of them, use one upper up: They: It took me a few hours to prep for each section You: What a looser! I walked into Prometric and passed on the spot.
Obviously 🤥 🤥 🤥 lying
Love all of the people getting bent on the flex. It's hard for some, but others it may find it easy. Big deal. I passed 3 sections with reviewing maybe about 2-3 hours per section. REG on the other hand took me several times.
I did the entire Becker program , and that’s was probably many many hours
I studied 40 hours for BEC & passed by only 5 points. But the other sections omg… I studied my ass off for 4 months for Audit. For REG and FAR, studied my ass off for 2-3 months…..I basically dropped out of society for 18 months.
So like, it was easier than people around me made it out to be, but I mean it was still hard. The people in my form made it sound like the hardest thing I would ever do and could ever imagine doing and that made me brace myself for the worst hell imaginable and it ended up being just pretty hard. I also had 6 years of public experience and that helped a ton. I couldnt imagine doing it fresh out of college.
Not trying to flex but when I took the exam way back in 2003, it was the written exam and everyone had to take all four sections first time. I hardly studied at all and just figured I’d take it the first time as a learning experience and hope to pass two sections to get credit. I ended up passing 3 sections. I studied waaayyy more to make sure I passed that last section than I did when taking all 4 the first time. I’ve never told people that though as a brag of any kind because I’m not an asshole.
I studied one week for BEC and AUD, but I was not working and put in 8 hour days. They were also my last two exams and I got really good at learning how to study quickly. FAR I think took a full month and REG 3 Studying for 8 hours a day (of actual studying not just an 8-5
They’re lying. It’s a test on diligence not intelligence.
So many comments here are treating this like a black and white issue. It's an exam with a roughly 50% pass rate for each section. "Hard" is subjective and the studying/exam experience can vary. Personally I studied some but only to go after Watt Sells. If I just aimed to pass I think I could have got away with about 40-50 hours total (based off my initial practice scores, adjusted using some data I found on the Internet). I'm definitely not the average experience but there definitely are people who it just clicks for more than others. Also pro tip: you can speed up the review videos
I took the last paper and pencil exam in CA now over 20 years ago. If it was your first attempt you had to take all 4 sections over two days back to back. To prepare I studied harder than I ever did for a test in college. I passed all 4 sections, but it was hard as hell. I was proudest of the 76 score in one section (can’t remember which one now) because it meant I didn’t over study. The hardest part for me was the breadth of the possible subject matter that could come up on the exam - they couldn’t test it all in the time given but there were a lot of potential topics on the table. I can only imagine the computer exam is harder.
The only hard part about the cpa exam was the stupid ethics test. Thing sucked. Much harder than all 4 individual tests.
i passed all 4 parts of the exam in the 1st try with scores all above 90. However, i truly believe, that even if you study a lot, you pass the exam by sheer luck of which iteration of the exam you receive. Had i received an exam heavily weighed more towards IFRS instead of gaap, fail. Had i received an exam more to do with govermental accounting vs regular accounting, fail. I did thousands of test questions and studied each part for months and each time i took a part i was on the fence of "maybe I did okay?" or "maybe I just failed" and then was shocked each time my score was so high. The exam was very difficult and in depth and accounting can be very vast so its nearly impossible to know everything to that degree.
There are certainly some people that don’t have to study as long to pass the exams. There were some in my starting class in PA that had passed all 4 parts before starting, or had done at least 2. I myself had only passed FAR for which I studied 2.5 months for. With that being said, my experience was that the exam questions were noticeably easier than the practice exam/problems from the Becker courses. At least during the time I took the exams (2016-17) it was commonly accepted that if you scored at least 60% on the Becker exams you had a pretty good chance of getting a passing score, and this was the case for me. The only exam I’d say was just as difficult was REG. Otherwise, the trickiest part about the actual exams were the way the questions were written in that you had to pay attention to the language used which could lead you to choosing the wrong answer.
The material is easy but there is a lot of it. Think about it, is there any single concept or piece of information that is really that hard or complex to understand? Not really. Finding time to study for it, and making a consistent disciplined approach to studying is the hard part. You need to retain everything you've just crammed, long enough to regurgitate it for an exam. I have seen very good accountants fail repeatedly, and very bad accountants pass it quickly. It's mostly based on your ability to commit time to it. I averaged over 90 on the 4 parts, and never had to study so much for anything before.
Can’t trust people who say these things. They have ulterior motives. In fact, I wouldn’t hang out with them.