Written By Guest Blogger Christine L. on 5/30/12
Tomorrow afternoon I take AUD, my first section of the CPA exam. I finished the last study unit and the last simulation in the book, and then I sat down and took a Gleim practice exam.
I passed the mock exam, with a decent margin of safety. It was a very strange feeling. I’d been working especially hard for the past week or so to make up for a few “lost” days in the middle of May, with my goal being to finish with a few extra days to review. I was pretty frazzled after all those long days. I was actually grateful for the long holiday weekend because everyone was out of town. I was able to lock myself in my apartment and think about nothing but audits of issuers, audits of non-issuers, audits of governmental bodies, compliance audits, and the occasional report that provides less assurance than a full audit. That was more fun than it sounds—I kept dreaming of my future career in accounting.
Then, of course, it hit me. I passed the practice exam. I actually might pass the exam even if I don’t spend these last few hours studying like crazy.
Nobody really warned me about this. I know there are many people who start off with good intentions and end up not spending the recommended 130-140 hours on their preparation. Some do just fine, some learn the hard way that 130 hours sometimes means 130 hours. I lost track of exactly how many hours I was spending a long time ago, but I know it’s north of 140. Yes, folks, I am now one of those rare candidates who could not resist the temptation to over-prepare. And of course I can’t quit now—I have time left to listen to the whole audio series, re-read the knowledge transfer outlines, and take a few more quizzes.
Well, in twenty-four hours it will all be over—until I start another section of course. Wish me luck, and I’ll wish some back to you.
