Hey everyone! I want to start off by saying that it was an honor meeting everyone from the 2011 Scholar's Institute community at the event back in June. I had such a great time and met so many amazing people. The networking event even played an essential part in landing my first full-time position which I begin at the end of this month. I could not have done it without all the help and support of the NJSCPA staff!
So, the purpose of my blog today is to discourage anyone else from making the same mistake I recently did when planning my CPA Examinations. I know, I know, we've all heard it a million times: read the AICPA and NASBA websites thoroughly, make sure you get all your materials in, don't wait until the last minute to apply. I followed all of these directions explicitly and still managed to make a pretty costly mistake.
My mistake, and one that doesn't come up as often, occurred when I signed up for my Becker Online review course. Now unfortunately, even though I had spent quite some time browsing the site and deciding which plan of action would best fit my needs, I did not realize that the review course section titles were links that brought you to the detailed schedule (a table of when each class would be held and when assignments would be due). I was quite confused as to why it did not give exact dates, but I figured "eh, it's Becker they've been doing this for years I'm sure it will all work out." Wrong. I got my schedule and realized that they gave a month or more between the end of one class and the beginning of the next. Since I had graduated in August and was not slated to begin work until late November, I wanted to cram and try to get three or four done by then, and finish in January at the latest before busy season really geared up (and I had already paid to take all 4 before the end of February).
I quickly called up Becker and explained the situation to a very helpful customer service rep. She helped me change my classes so that they would all be completed before the end of the year. I knew it would be a lot of information, but I have always been a great test taker with a good memory, and I figured I had at least 50 hours a week to dedicate to the classes. Wrong again.
I had flew through a few weeks of studying in August and was already half way through Regulation when I got a call from my Director of HR. An opportunity had opened up for me to start a few months earlier, and it was something I knew I did not want to pass up. Now, I have finally resigned to paying the $200 change fee to Becker (only your first change is free) to switch over to the self-study method. I am still very confident in my ability to complete all 4 exams by February, although I do not necessarily expect to pass them all. I figure they are already paid for and it will be a great learning experience in case there is a Round 2 of exams for me.
With all that being said, I know many of you will not have as tumultuous an experience with the review course as I did. However, I think I learned a lot of things from this mini fiasco that anyone can appreciate. First of all, I now realize how unrealistic it was to think I could take 4 exams in only two months. Unless you have a truly photographic memory, no one is that good. Secondly, even if you do have 50 hours a week to dedicate to the review course, it is very hard to stay motivated. I started off strong, but a few weeks in I lost momentum and also began worrying about other things like starting work, when to fit in online classes to meet the 150 credit requirement, and finding an apartment closer to my office. Finally, I have learned that when in doubt you should ALWAYS call customer service. If I had simply called the rep BEFORE I authorized payment for the course I could have avoided making a change right off the bat. Anyway, I'm chalking this one up as a good lesson learned. The $200 fee is hurting right now, but in the long run it will help me achieve a credential that will work for me the rest of my life.
Good luck to all the other crammers out there! Stay positive and keep posting your pointers and experience; they are very motivating!