150: Strategies for Passing the CPA Exam – A Discussion With The Experts At Intend2Lead

Brian Kush and Amber Setter of Intend2Lead joined us to discuss strategies for passing the CPA exam on this episode of Life In Accounting, the Where Accountants Go podcast.

It’s more than just the basic goal…

While goal setting is an important part of any passing strategy, our experts Brian and Amber discuss with us the right way to set a goal specific to passing the exam.  Many exam takers will set deadlines and timelines for studying, but it’s important to recognize that every individual’s situation is unique.  What works for one examinee won’t necessarily work for another.  When setting your own personal goals, you need to do more than simply follow a prescribed amount of study time.  You need to take into account what is effective for you personally, and your specific strengths and weaknesses with regards to topics.

Visualization

Another topic that we get into deeply is the strategy of visualizing what success will look like once you pass.  For many of us, we may have visualized seeing the passing results, but it’s important to go deeper with your visualization.  How will you celebrate passing?   Whom will you tell first?  What will the next day be like for you at work?   Who do you think will be the most happy that you passed?  The more specific you can be in your visualizations of success, the more driven and refreshed you will be as you move towards the goal.

Self-care

Everyone knows what they need to “give up” or “sacrifice” in order to pass.  We know that there will be trade-offs with respect to how we spend our time.  However, while it’s important to say “no” to many things in order to have the time to prepare, it’s also vital to say “yes” to critical activities as well.  Those activities that are not study related but are still just as critical are those activities that help you feel good about the process and keep you invigorated for the journey.  For some people that may be some family time, or for others it could be physical activity such as going to the gym.  Whatever that item is for you that keeps your thoughts clear and allows you to regain focus, that is just as necessary as following a study regiment.  Yes, you will need to sacrifice some social activities, but don’t cut out so much that your actual study time isn’t effective.

I think you will get a tremendous amount of value out of this discussion with Amber and Brian.  They were very generous to spend this much time with us, and I know that it will help many that are pursuing passing the CPA exam.

Other episodes you may enjoy include:  Amber Setter and Brian Kush.

For the publication mentioned in this episode, click here

To find the article by Brian Kush that is mentioned in this episode on the Intend2Lead website, click here