I recently sat for the Audit (AUD) portion of the CPA Exam. Overall, I enjoyed the experience of preparing for the exam and managing my time around it. It was sometimes difficult to balance my work, school, and personal commitments, but I am happy for the lessons that I learned along the way.
If I had to offer some advice to anyone preparing for the CPA Exam, I would like to offer 5 general tips:
1. We all have a limited amount of time to study each week.
My most productive times studying for the exam took place when I blocked off several hours of uninterrupted time. That was my way of clearing my mind when preparing for Audit.
2. There is a set amount of content to cover with a review service.
No matter which review service you use, there will be a finite amount of content to cover leading up to any section of the CPA Exam. Make sure that you give yourself ample time to get through all of the required content. This is critical to feeling adequately prepared on exam day.
3. Give yourself extra time to prepare for the exam.
When scheduling your testing date, give yourself extra lead time to prepare for the exam. It is better to be safe than sorry and early rather than late.
4. Focus on your weaknesses.
When preparing for the exam, don’t be shy about the practice questions that you are missing. This is not the time to glaze over material that appears to be too challenging. Turning your weaknesses into strengths could give you an edge in the end.
5. Know your own learning style.
Be true to yourself and your learning style. Some people work better with cramming, and others work better with a lot of lead time. Still, others fall somewhere in between. It really is up to you to manage your exam preparations, but there is a lot of freedom to do things in your own way and on your own time.
