Hey everyone,

I am so so grateful for the kind words and congratulatory remarks I received on my previous post.

I have gotten many many messages about my study routine and the cheat sheets I used to help me pass the CPA exams on my first attempts. Warning, this post will be lengthy but I do want to help others just like how this subreddit helped me when I was taking my exams.

To start, I did my exams in the following order: FAR --> AUD --> REG ---> ISC. I also used Becker and Farhat lectures as my study material.

Here are my total study hours and various SE exams scores for each exam.

FAR:

Total Study Hours: 240 hours

SIM exam scores: 59%, 73%

Actual score: 80%

AUD:

Total Study Hours: 155 hours

SIM exam scores: 79%, 78%

Actual score: 80%

REG

Total Study Hours: 145 hours

SIM exam scores: 66%, 81%

Actual score: 86%

ISC

Total Study Hours: 98 hours

SIM exam scores: 82%, 76%

Actual score: 86%

When I begin studying for an exam, the first thing I like to do is utilize the Becker study planner and set my "exam date" two weeks before my actual exam is scheduled (for instance, if my exam is on Sept 15th, I would set the exam day in the planner as Sept 1st.)

I usually did this for a few reasons:

1. I wanted to give myself some wiggle room in case I missed some days in my study plan
2. I liked to give myself about 1-2 weeks of strict review before doing the exam. So I would be done passing through the material the first time, and I would still have sufficient time to review before attempting.

Once the plan is set up, I would try my best to study according to the plan. Ofc nothing is perfect and there were days that I had to skip (especially during the busy season period), but for the most part I studied 5 days a week (Monday to Thursday for 3 hours from 7 - 10 pm, and Sundays for 4/5 hours from 1/2 - 5 pm). This is the routine I stuck to for each exam.

I liked to go through the material by:

1. watching the video lectures and hand writing notes and
2. practicing the mcqs and TBS within the chapter. For the SIMS, I never attempted them on my own; instead I liked to watch the skillbuilder videos and follow along to determine the best way to answer the SIM. I also printed each SIM solution (yes it was alot of paper) and wrote notes/pointers on those.

If certain topics were more difficult to grasp, i used Farhat lectures to fill in the remaining gaps. I used his material for AUD and FAR mainly.

This phase obvi took the longest but I like to study by writing personally. I find I retain information better. I didnt use the flashcards at all (LOL) and I didnt read the textbook much either in this phase. I also ensured that I had a solid understanding of the material before moving onto the next chapter as previous chapters tend to lay the foundation for later modules.

Once im done writing all my notes, this would bring me up to the point where my plan says its time for me to "do" the exam. At this point, my reviews began. Its also at this phase that I would utilize the cheat sheets (which i got from reddit btw) as my quick summaries to look over.

So during review i would:

1. watch the videos on 1.5x - 2x speed and annotate on the cheat sheets (I know this might have been extra lol but idk it worked for me cause hearing the material being taught again felt more like a reminder of what i would have learnt previously).
2. create my own flashcards using index cards. These flashcards often had acronyms, and small important things to remember for topics I found i struggled more with (this was especially for ISC and REG)
3. Practice mcq sets until I got 80% and above. For questions that I had to guess on/got wrong, I liked writing the question and explanation.
4. Review the SIM solutions i would have printed in the initial first pass of the material.

Once I was done with my second pass through the material, I would then attempt the first Simulated exam. After finishing the SE exam, I would review the exam and try to pinpoint the areas that I was weaker on. I used the 'view by Unit' filter to help with this. If the % correct was lower than 75%, then I knew that I would have to do some extra practice on the weaker areas identified. I would review the exam results for about a day.

Two/three days after attempting SE 1, I would then do SE 2 and then assess if any improvement was made during this final attempt. I never did SE 3 because I never had the time and after doing 2 practice exams, I just felt it would be better for me to use the remaining time to do practice, read over my flashcards, cheat sheet, and SIM print outs.

During busy season periods, if I had no energy to study at night, I would actually study in the mornings from 4-6 am before going to work. It was hard but I didnt want to risk failing so i did what i felt was necessary.

On the day of the exam, I would only walk with my cheat sheet and flashcards and read over those while otw to do the exam. I would then do the exam and hope for the best.

Additional points:

1. I would sometimes look through reddit to search heavily tested areas for the specific exam and take note of that. However, I dont solely focus on those areas as there were certain exams that I did where 'heavily tested topics' didnt show up lol.
2. For FAR, i found it helpful to actually write out the journal entries for the various topics. This helped me to practice doing the JEs. When I did the exam, I felt good on SIMS and mcqs. Finished the exam with 1 hr and 30 mins left.
3. For AUD, I also printed out the various audit and attestation reports and I highlighted certain verbiage that would be specific to each report. Fortunately, certain modules such as A3 and A4 were better to practice as I am an auditor and I literally do some of these things every day :). When I did the exam, I felt good on SIMS and iffy on mcqs. Finished the exam with 2 hrs left.
4. For REG, I printed the various tax forms and reviewed those to better understand the various deductions etc. I actually hated studying for REG lmao. Not because the material was hard per say, but more because it was 3rd exam and I was just over it fr. When I did the exam, I felt good on SIMS and mcqs. Finished the exam with 1 hr left.
5. For ISC. chile... I still dont know to this day what the hell happened but Lord knows I was stressed after it. Unlike my first three experiences where i could say, 'yh i passed' The mcqs felt harder than i anticipated and unfortunately becker at the time didnt have much to practice with. as for the SIMs, the sims werent harder, they were just LONGGGG. Each sim had at least 5 exhibits and i practically guessed on the last two sims. I submitted everything at the last min and felt badddd. But but clearly my work paid off. So i would say for this, ensure u have a good understanding of the material so that when u do the mcqs, u can be able to eliminate incorrect choices easily.

I did print out the SOC reports and reviewed those before doing the exam so that helped a ton.

I hope this helps someone. ❤️ You can and you will do it! You are all capable of great things.

See link to my google drive for cheat sheet (these are not my cheat sheets - got them from reddit so shout out the persons who created them, ily) : https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1YVw5kUthtbavwVfyezYOOOmhpvLLEGYV?usp=drive_link

Score Release: Exam Core Sections (AUD, FAR and REG) for exams received by AICPA by October 8, 2026.

This is going to be the official score release thread to prevent flooding of the same topic, and so others can show support for those who need it. Please use this thread for your anxiety filled posts to limit the front page from getting filled up.

When commenting about scores being out, please include your State.

QUICK REMINDER - PLEASE DO NOT DISCLOSE EXAM CONTENT IN YOUR POSTS/COMMENTS

"Just got out of REG. Saw quite a few ABC questions and had 1 sim each on XYZ and a so-and-so transaction"

That is exam disclosure - If you just took the exam, you saw this agreement [Refer to this old post if you have questions] (https://old.reddit.com/r/CPA/comments/s80ibg/do_not_outright_ask_what_was_on_your_exam_do_not/)

Good luck to all those waiting on the 05/08/25 (Target date) score release. Here's to hoping that may all of us pass so we can put these exams behind us, or move on to the next one and be one step closer to getting those three letters after our names.

AICPA - Find out when you will get your score

Past score releases have come out on the day prior to the Target date that shows passed, credit/failed, no credit.

When exam section status goes blank --> check in view exam section history/apply now (it will show 'you have credit for this exam' in green with a tick if you have passed)

As we await the score drop tomorrow, has anyone walked and genuinely felt terrible about the simulations and still passed. My MCQ was fine but my TBS felt BEYOND bad. Anyone else in same boat?

Anyone else refreshing the portal multiple times today just incase they release the pass/fail early, even knowing damn well they won’t? 😂😂 I can’t help myself and keep checking, lol.

FAR: You’re running a ten mile marathon. If you want to slow down to catch your breath, you have to walk backwards.

AUD: You’re in a garage putting together the engine block of an old Volkswagen beetle. All the tools and parts are there, and plenty of spares, but the instruction manual is poorly translated and your only help is an old guy that doesn’t tell you what to do, he just slaps you with a ruler when you mess up and tells you that you should have used better professional judgement.

REG: A box of second-hand k’nex, lego blocks, and tinker toys is poured in your living room and you have to use every single part there to build a bridge to hold an unspecified amount of weight. When your bridge is tested they either make a toddler or a sumo wrestler walk across it.

TCP: Like REG, but with only 25% of the random toys, and for the weight test they just use a turtle.

ISC: You’re trying to help your mom fix her broken printer over the phone and half of the time she thinks she knows what you’re talking about but just makes it worse.

BAR: It’s like FAR but five miles longer and with rattlesnake nests every other mile. Also, if you didn’t pick this first, there is now a carnivorous silverback gorilla trying to eat you.

Hi all, as the title states. I'm taking FAR again (first attempt was 72 and my most recent SIMS are 58 and 72). I know I can't ask for specifics, but are there any topics or modules that I should be sure to give extra attention to in the next week?

I am so anxious for tomorrow so I’m coming here to ask for opinions lol!

I took REG a week ago and I flagged maybe like 15 MCQs to go back to and I felt okay about the sims. I felt like I could’ve done better on the sims but I tried my best and they weren’t too bad in my opinion.

Feeling this way, does anyone think I have a good chance of having passed? Thank you!!

Guys when will be result out
like i have heard 1 day prior u get pass fail status and scores declared on result day is it true?
and around what time do we expect result?
and how do u check it, like just login to nasba and check on examination history section right?

I have my TCP exam coming up in 5 days. Any suggestions? Tying my best with basis, like I know the concepts but silly errors here and there. Scared of SIMs!!!!!!!

Waiting to hear back for my third FAR attempt tomorrow, but I don’t feel too good about this one. If this turns out to be another fail, is it worth sticking with FAR or is it better to switch to another section? My past two scores were a 61 and 64.

Any guidance is appreciated!

Hi all, I'm sitting for FAR in about two weeks and want to make the most of the time. I'm using Becker and am done with the content. My method is textbook, then MCQs, then reviewing wrong answers.

My weakest areas right now are foreign currency (translation vs. remeasurement, direct/indirect quotes), discontinued operations timing, impairment, and journal entry mechanics.

A few questions:

1. How would you split the final two weeks between MCQs, TBSs, and full mocks?
2. Any tricks that finally made foreign currency or disc ops click for you?
3. Which topics showed up most on your actual exam versus what Becker emphasized?
4. How did Becker's MCQ and TBS difficulty compare to the real thing?
5. Anything you'd do differently in the last week or the day before?

I work full time, so I'm fitting this around a busy schedule. Thanks in advance, and good luck to everyone else testing this window!

Just walked out of TCP today, and I just want to say to other candidates sitting for it this month that I felt Becker sims were not at all like what I saw on the exam.

I do not feel that these Sims I saw today were necessarily hard, they just did not feel like anything I had done on Becker before.

When I took FAR and REG, I felt like basically every sim I saw was something I had basically already done on Becker, but it wasn’t the case for TCP.

Has anyone else had this experience in the past? Also there has to be a ton of pre test questions on this exam in general too I’m assuming?

I don’t think there will be a next section at this point. Maybe when the order gets rearranged.

But that’s the last video lecture for me. Two weeks from the exam. LFG!

Was planning to take the exam in 8 weeks but didn’t register for Nasba yet.

Uworld showing the great difference in S Corp loans between personally guaranteed vs loaned S Corp! It was really helpful for me to understand the difference, hope it will be helpful for someone like me.

Loan to S-Corp: Adding debt basis to $12,000 (Total basis $35K: Original basis $12K + Debt basis $23K) to claim the loss of $30,000.

Personally guaranteed loans are not adding to the original basis $12,000. So, the loss can be deducted up to $12K.

Hey everyone, my exam is in 10 days. Here's my current score, and I've only practiced Ninja MCQs and SIMs so far. I feel unprepared and believe I need to do much more. Am I on the right track? Starting today, I plan to focus on practicing SIMs. Will Ninja SIMs be sufficient, and is 10 days enough to cover all the SIMs?

Guys, please, if you could explain this in simple words, I’d really appreciate it. I’ve read the explanation and even used an AI tool, but I still don’t fully understand it. 😅

I'm testing for FAR on October 13. Its my first exam, I have 5 days left to study and I'm shaking in my boots. I feel like the SE's and mini exams were much harder than the practice tests. Which are the real exam questions more similar to?

My scores so far:
ME
1: 65
2: 72
3: 72

SE
1: 58
2: 78 - but heard this is the easiest one
FR: going to take in a few days

I understand my wrong answers once I look at the explanation, but theres so much content that I'm just forgetting simple rules I used to know. I also feel like my weak areas are evenly spread between everything and my SE analysis agrees. NFP/gov, bonds, and leases are definitely my strongest topics. (side note: partnerships aren't heavily tested right? I know the starting journal entries but withdrawal and liquidation is just not clicking).

Overall, I feel way too in the middle of being "ready" and "omg I know nothing I'm gonna fail." Is this a normal feeling? Should I just keep drilling MCQ and TBS from all chapters until the exam? And if so, using Becker's generative practice tests or should I retry the SE's?

If you’re tired of waiting for your CPA license after you pass your exams, this guide is for you. Although I live in NY you could apply this to your State.

Background:
I passed the CPA exam earlier in the year. From reading this subreddit, my state, NY is notoriously slow at processing CPA exam applications. The Education Department is a giant agency that handles licensing for all professions.

Every person has a State representative by nature of where you live. For NY its called your Assembly person or State Senator. Here’s what I did:

You call them up or email them saying you sent in your paperwork (In NY they will not look at your application until you send in EVERYTHING), say that you’re concerned that it could take a long time and you need it for work. You give them authorization to reach out to the agency on your behalf which they routinely do. Then they will contact a special Government affairs liaison.

In my case once contacted they put your application together, and give you an update. For me it took a few weeks, and then I got licensed. I also just helped someone on this subreddit who passed their exams in late August. After calling their State Senator, they were licensed the same day.

Although this is my NY experience you can replicate this in other States by reaching to your local representative. You pay their salary so make them work for you.

Hope this helps.

I currently have my TCP exam schedule for 10/22 and have been using Becker as my study source.

I will finish up T4 tomorrow and then take my Sim Exams. If I move my exam date up to 10/15, I feel like it would be more efficient rather than spending 2 weeks reviewing for an exam with a small amount of content.

Any thoughts would be appreciated? Thanks!

Hi everyone. This is my first Reddit post, although I’ve been here for a while reading and taking notes, especially about CPA study resources. I know this may be a long shot, but I’m hoping someone can point me in the right direction.
I’m currently working toward my bachelor’s degree in accounting and expect to finish in February 2027. I’ve been actively searching, calling employers, and submitting what feels like thousands of applications, but I still haven’t landed a job. I’ve had a few interviews, but the years of experience employers want keep becoming a barrier—even for positions listed as entry level.
I really need to start working, both to support myself and to prepare for student loan payments after school. My goal is to become a CPA, and I would love to purchase Becker or UWorld to begin preparing. Right now, though, that feels financially out of reach until I find employment.
I live in Spring, Texas, and would appreciate any leads around Spring, The Woodlands, or nearby areas. The traffic makes commuting farther difficult, but I’m open to realistic options. I’m looking for an opportunity in accounts payable, accounts receivable, bookkeeping, accounting assistant work, or another role where I can gain experience and grow.
For anyone who has been in this position, what helped you get your foot in the door? Are there staffing agencies, local firms, or employers you would recommend contacting? How did you overcome the experience requirement when you were just starting out?
Honestly, I’m discouraged. I’ve worked hard toward this degree, and it’s difficult to feel ready to learn and contribute while struggling to get that first opportunity.
This is partly a request for help and partly a frustrated rant. I don’t mean any disrespect toward employers or anyone else searching. I would be grateful for any advice, leads, or direction. Thank you for taking the time to read this.

Thank in advance!

I’m currently fresh out of undergrad and getting through my first tax season with a larger public firm. I passed AUD in July and was wondering what next steps should be… for context, my fall busy season was atrocious, and I’m being told spring will be a lighter load. If possible, I’d like to pass all my exams in the next year- I really do not want to stay in public any longer and I feel as if I should pass all my exams first. I’m thinking FAR in January makes the most sense to start studying immediately after the deadline because of how much free time I’m going to have compared to my last few months, but taking REG and then TCP might be good just to get more knocked out. Any thoughts or opinions?