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Writer's pictureNikkWinstonCPA

I Passed the CPA Exam! Check my post-CPA Vibes!!


Y'all!! I'm done! I passed the CPA exam! cannot explain how this even feels. My IG has been full of celebratory meals, drinks and random shit I postponed up until this moment. Many of you know my struggle with my desire to become a Certified Public Accountant but if you don't...hang on to your edges, clutch your pearls, and read on.

Picture it. September 26, 2014. Pulling up to the Prometric testing center in Smyrna to take FAR - Financial Accounting and Reporting. This came about 2 months after having impromptu accountability conversations with some friends and fellow board members who knew all too well what I was up against as they were both CPAs already. We stood in the dark outside of the SEC building in downtown #Atlanta after our board meeting as I picked their brains about certification and what it takes and the benefits it brings. Fast forward 45 minutes later - after I've run out of excuses as to why I haven't "sat" yet and after hearing how after several failed attempts and thousands of dollars later these amazing ladies had ",CPA" behind their names. I was inspired. I was pumped. I was scared. How in the entire hell am I going to do this with my demanding job at #GE, with 2 babies at home, I have a household to run, I'm a volunteer, I'm a busy mom. I'm a cousin and friend and need to be on deck for girls trips. Hell I need a massage and can't even find the time to do that. How, where, in my overwhelming life am I going to find the time to make this happen?

I was still a little confused though. I saw job titles where “CPA preferred” was pretty common so again, do I need to do this? Is it worth it? Will it elevate me to another level that I’m not thinking of? The short and long is YES. Next came the mental and physical preparation for what I was up against. I had to recalibrate my time because I do have 2 babies and a job and all this other stuff going on. When I want something bad enough there's no stopping me. It was always in the back of my mind, even before I left THE Ohio State. Accounting is analogous to medicine (before the science prereq’s I was on the path to becoming an OB/GYN). It’s like going to medical school but not finishing a residency. Get an #accounting degree but not pursue the designation that puts you in a whole new stratosphere when it comes to business, who does that?! I did for many years I mean, I had made it to a manager and later executive level without it. But I still felt incomplete. I had blatantly and directly placed obstacles in my own way. What I won’t do is be defeated by the CPA exam.

Bond amortization, liquidity ratios, expense classification – this was my day job at GE so I’m like shiiiiiid I’m Gucci! Most people say #FAR is the hardest – it is the section that covers the most content so it can be intimidating. This exam would set the tone for the next 3 so I wanted to put good habits in place right away. Lunch hours became extra study breaks. Lit playlists at the gym were replaced with audio lectures. I had some late nights and stacks of notes and hella #flashcards to be ready for it nonetheless. I went IN ok?! Got my score in November 2014 and I passed! Ok that was easy, so I thought. Without a second look I chose to take audit next, 8 weeks of studying #audit reports should be good. What came next left me like W.T.F.

Stay tuned next week for the AUD journey. I’m writing my story and creating a #CPA review strategy for candidates who need more than videos and 60-page lessons to pass these exams. You can actually study and have a life. Get on the waitlist and be the first to get my notes and study tips that got me over the exam hump with a demanding job, 2 kids, a house and lots more going on.

Also feel free to shoot me an email if you have a specific question about LIFO or adverse opinions or COSO or qualifying relative criteria. If you haven't downloaded have the latest CPAExam Blueprint from the AICPA's website, get it here.

Talk to y’all soon.

~N

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