The Gleim Blog: Helping You Pass Your Exam on the First Try!

Here you will find helpful tips for the CPA, CIA, CMA, EA, and RTRP exams. We'll post exam updates, helpful hints, CPE information, and the study habits of fellow exam candidates. If you'd like to write about your studies for the Gleim blog, please email us at gleimblog@gleim.com.

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How I Best Answer EA Exam Questions – Don’t Rush!

December 20, 2012, by No comments yet

Written By Guest Blogger Shelley C.

I am welcoming the fall colors in my area and am looking forward to a cup of warm soup and a good book. The good book just happens to be my EA exam book! I can’t say it’s as stimulating as some books I have read, but I am hoping for a happy ending! I continue to go through the study questions, and I am keeping my flashcards nearby. This is helping to boost my confidence because the areas I need help on are written down for future reference. I have a tendency to rush through the questions as they become more familiar to me. I caution you to not do this.

I have found that one word in the question will sometimes make the difference in selecting the correct answer. I also think that this is great practice for the test. I was reviewing a math test with my 16-year-old daughter the other day. She is taking Pre-Calculus and didn’t do as well as she would have liked. There were only two questions on the test. As we evaluated the test, it was evident that she did not understand one concept. That one concept was used over and over again in the two questions. I think something similar to this will happen on the EA exam. Although there will be 100 questions, the same concept will likely be repeated in more than one question. The challenge for me is to recognize what concepts I don’t understand, straighten out my understanding of that concept, and then re-test my knowledge. I’m grateful that Gleim has a large data bank of test questions, which give me lots of chances to come at the concepts from many different angles.

 

Choosing To Become A CPA

December 20, 2012, by No comments yet

Written By Guest Blogger Erica T.

This week, I won’t be blogging about my studying, but instead about my career choice. I’m not blogging about my studying because of a family emergency that threw me off course. I would love to share with you the journey that got me to this point in my career. I have wanted to be an accountant as long as I can remember. Most kids want to be a veterinarian, a doctor, a lawyer, et cetera, but I wanted to be an accountant. This is not a career most people just pull out of thin air. I’d been introduced to this career by my dad, who is an accountant. He worked with a company as a staff accountant for many years before he sat for the CPA exam. Once he passed the CPA exam, our family moved, and he opened his own small business. That small business has now grown into an accounting firm that employs seven full-time employees. His firm has two office locations.

So, for as long as I can remember, I have wanted to be an accountant. I was so excited when I enrolled in Principles class shortly after I entered my college career. I thought I was going to be a natural, but I wasn’t. I had to study hard and devote a lot of time to these classes. I had no idea how I’d ever make it to Advanced Accounting if I was struggling through an entry-level class. I learned quickly that accounting classes build on to one another, so it’s very important to have that basic understanding of the fundamentals. Three years later, I graduated. Since then, I have taken a lot of time out to spend with my children, but I am now back in the groove of working full-time and studying around the clock. I thought college would be the hardest thing I could do, especially with a full-time job and a family, but studying for the CPA exam is proving to be quite difficult as well.

 

Just getting started on your CPA journey?  Check out these pages here to help you on your way!

Becoming A CPA

How To Pass The CPA Exam

 

 

 

Creating A Study Plan For Yourself

December 20, 2012, by No comments yet

Written By Guest Blogger Erica T.

This week, I decided that I would blog about my CPA study plan and how I’ve used the online resources to make the most of my studying time.

I printed out a study plan that I created for myself. For the lengthier study units, I allow myself a full day to study them. For the shorter study units, I group two of them together. Before I do anything, I psych myself up (which is usually pretty short lived). Then, I go online and print out the Knowledge Transfer Outline. This has proved to be quite helpful. I listen to the Audiovisual Presentation with the Knowledge Transfer Outline in front of me. I also have a notebook in front of me to make notes about particular things I consider to be useful. Once I have done this, I go through that section of the book. I go through each section with a highlighter (and with my brain in sponge mode). After I feel like I have a good understanding of the material, I go back onto my Gleim Online account and complete quizzes and simulations. Once I have finished all of the work, I view my Performance Report.

After I finish a subunit, it’s not gone forever. At the end of my study plan, I have allotted approximately two weeks to review all the material and re-write notes that I have previously made. I find that I am able to retain the most information when I write things down.

I don’t feel comfortable about how much information there is to cover in such a short period of time. However, I do feel good about the study plan I’ve made for myself and the amount of resources that are available via my Gleim account. I really think I chose a great program to use to study for the exam!

 

My Retake of the CPA Audit Exam

December 20, 2012, by No comments yet

Written By Guest Blogger Kathy R.

Finally, my retake of the CPA Audit exam is complete. I am hoping that I passed.

The day before the exam, I felt confident that I knew the material. I actually stopped studying/reviewing the material around 7:00 p.m. I did my best to go to bed before midnight, but of course my anxiety started to get the best of me and I did not go to bed until 2:00 a.m. My alarm clock went off at 6:00 a.m. After hitting the snooze button a couple of times, I got out of bed, showered, boiled 2 eggs, and made my wheat grass drink. I drove 40 minutes to the testing site to find a long line to check in. I started my exam around 8:00 a.m. For the most part, the exam was consistently paced. The multiple-choice questions were straightforward. Overall I felt the Audit exam was very similar to the Gleim CPA review material. I am definitely hoping, praying, and wishing for a passing score.

During my review process of the Audit material, I finally realized that I was missing questions because I was not reading the question carefully and identifying the key words. My new method for completing the multiple-choice questions is to read the question, then immediately take out the two answers that I feel are incorrect. Then I re-read the question and try to determine the one or two words in the sentence that will help me to answer the question correctly. When I started using the method described above, my scores started improving by approximately 15%. I started studying for the CPA Business exam yesterday, and this new method seems to be working for me.

Stay tuned for the results of my CPA Audit exam and my CPA Business exam. It would be wonderful to have at least one exam passed by the end of the year. Two exams passed would be the most wonderful end of the year present ever.

 

TeamAUD and Feeling Good About My Progress

December 20, 2012, by No comments yet

Written By Guest Blogger Jaime C.

This week I felt great tackling the Audit material. I studied a few nights during the week and focused on the current study unit, rather than the fact that I have the whole book to learn. Focusing on one study unit at a time helps take the anxiety out of the massive amount of material yet to cover. I also jumped to Study Unit 19 to change things up a bit. My professors in college never taught classes by going through chapters in consecutive order, so it couldn’t hurt. For the most part, I plan to study the study units in consecutive order. However, variety is the spice of life, and if mixing things up can keep me motivated and interested, than it is worth it.

During the week I took numerous 15- and 20-question practice exams, incorporating Study Units 1, 2, and 19. This amount of questions is manageable and keeps my attention. I read a recent blog posting from Danielle C. where she wrote, “When studying from the book and answering questions, I read the entire answer paragraph, even if I got the question right and feel that I understood it.” I realized that I do the same thing and would encourage others to study in a similar fashion. The repetition is great, as well as the opportunity to pick up information as the incorrect answers are explained.

In junior high, our English teacher would give us a spelling test each week. In order to prepare for the weekly exams, we would copy each word 20+ times. I find this method helps now as I study for the Audit exam. The repetition is great but it also gives me something to visually recall while taking the practice exams and ultimately the final exam. For instance, I recall how the auditing standards looked on the page as I wrote them over and over. This isn’t something I do for all topics, but I find it very helpful when there are lists or categories to remember.

I look forward to a victorious week of focusing on another Study Unit. Happy studying!

 

A Week Goes By Fast When Focusing On EA Study Progress

December 20, 2012, by No comments yet

Written By Guest Blogger Danielle C.

Wow, is all I can say. I can’t believe I’m sitting here writing this blog, which means it has already been a week. I was hoping to be a lot further than I am right now in studying. Well, life simply got in the way. Work was busier than I had anticipated. I had to take my son to the doctor to treat a dog bite. Then the free I time I had went into the house. One thing I can say is my house is very organized. I cleaned out my closets and everything. Then I cleaned up the outside and got my house ready for winter. Needless to say I had no time left over for studying!

I start my classes again on Wednesday and I know I will be busy Monday and Tuesday with work. Looks like I will be sticking to only one study unit per week. This is fine with me. As I have said before, I am in no rush, but at the same time, I would love to get the ball rolling a little faster. This week I studied Study Unit 8: Adjustments to Asset Basis and Capital Gains and Losses. This was related and a continuation of Study Unit 7: Basis. I went back and completed a few study sessions from Study Unit 7. I feel like I am getting a few things mixed up now that I have learned the new information. This week I want to do more studying so that I feel more comfortable with the material. I want to study until there is no possible way for me to forget it!

So this week I will continue studying for Study Units 7 and 8, and I will start studying (at least) Study Unit 9. I hope you are able to stay on track with your EA exam studying! Good luck and see you next week!

Danielle C.

 

Juggling Life and Focusing On EA Exam Studying

December 20, 2012, by No comments yet

 

Written By Guest Blogger KP.

This past week of studying has been a bit distracting. I have so many things on my mind (work, school, employment offers), but it feels good to be back in the swing of things with studying again. I got through my first full study unit this past week (the intro study unit to corporations), although it took me all week to get through it. I thought it would be beneficial for me to study a little bit each day in order to feel like I don’t have to dedicate so much time on the weekend to studying a full study unit, which is what I was originally doing. I feel like I just don’t have time for that currently. My semester will ease up a bit in 2-3 weeks when one of my classes ends, so I will have a lot more time to study again and hopefully still reach my goal of finishing the three EA exams in a one-year period. However, because I am studying a little bit each day rather than in one long sitting, I feel like I’m just not retaining as much.

It is a bit discouraging too because if I take the job offer that I am leaning toward, I will need a solid foundation of corporate tax right away; therefore, I really need to retain this business tax material, especially the study units on corporations. I know that it will be easier for me to retain things again when life calms down, but somehow I just need to find some way to keep plugging along with one study unit a week. However, this weekend I think I will attack study unit 12 (the section on corporate formation) by doing a long study session over the weekend. Once I get through nine more study units, I can start the software material. This always makes me feel better because it really reinforces concepts for me and it will give me the confidence I need to set an exam date!

 

The Prometric Center & What To Expect From CMA Exam Testing

December 19, 2012, by 1 comment

Written By Guest Blogger Jason S.

Greetings –
I have less than 24 hours to go until I take Part 1 of the CMA exam. At this point, I can honestly say that I feel totally prepared for what is to come tomorrow afternoon. I know that when the exam begins, I will be nervous, but hopefully that will go away by question number 10 or around that point. If I can get off to a good start, that will calm my nerves and relax me for the rest of the exam. In the past, there always comes a point where you lose the nerves and you focus on the task at hand.

The last couple of days, I have been doing some review of topics that I feel I need to work on more. I have also made sure to review all the rules and regulations when it comes to taking the CMA exam and to get the proper items ready for when I go into the Prometric testing facility. One thing I highly recommend is to find the testing facility before you take the exam. I would recommend going a couple days in advance to make sure you know where the facility is and how long it will take you to get there (adding some time for any unexpected traffic delays). I did not know where the testing facility was in Roanoke, so I printed off the sheet that Prometric emailed me when I initially signed up for the exam. I went to the correct address on the emailed sheet and ended up finding out that the testing facility had actually moved in the last couple of weeks. The door on the old building did show a new address for the new building and it was only a mile down the road. However, if I did not do this before test day this would have provided me some unneeded stress. I am thinking that 99 times out of 100, the address given to you will be correct, but you don’t want to take that chance and end up being late. Prometric did email me a reminder about the exam yesterday, and it did have the new address on this particular email, but it looks exactly like the initial sheet.

Another key item to think about when taking these exams is what you might wear on exam day. I recommend wearing the most comfortable clothes you have (and something that might be good luck). For me, this will be track pants and a Michigan State University t-shirt. The testing centers can vary when it comes to the room temperature, but I try to wear something that will keep me as cool as possible. I would rather be too cold when taking the exam than too warm.

Tomorrow it will be me vs. the test (100 multiple-choice questions and 2 essays). Hopefully, at the end of the 4 hours (or before), I will feel confident that my study process (combined with the Gleim process) helped me conquer Part 1 of the CMA exam.

Kind regards,

Jason S.

 

CIA Exam Studying On A Friday Night

December 14, 2012, by No comments yet

 

Written By Guest Blogger Mrs. U.

It is Friday night. Normally, I would hire a nanny and head out to the movies or dinner with my hubby. Instead, I am thinking about all the CIA exam studying I have to do. The week has flown by, and I did not get a chance to study as much as I had planned. With the beginning of another audit trimester at hand, I found myself falling behind with my study routine. As a result, I am using Friday night to play catch up. I will start by reviewing the Gleim study unit menu and the results of the Gleim Diagnostic Quiz to really help me hone in on the most important study areas.

For the two areas I plan to tackle, I start by reviewing the audiovisual presentation, taking notes as appropriate. Next, I take the multiple-choice and true/false test questions for each area. I love the fact that each study unit is broken down into manageable sections and there are performance reports that keep track of your scores. My goal is to make 85% or higher on each section, so I take the quizzes repeatedly until I feel comfortable that I have grasped the concepts. Currently, I am in the 70% range, so I know a lot of work lies ahead.

After completing each section, I analyze my answer choices to understand why my results were correct or incorrect. I cross-reference the information in the textbook to the information online to ensure that I have a thorough understanding of the study material. In the Gleim test session, the multiple-choice questions are timed. This feature is excellent, because it helps me pace myself and prepare for the actual exam. I really hope my CIA study strategy pays off because I really do miss my Friday date nights.

 

Officially Done With Tax Season (Extensions and all)!

December 13, 2012, by No comments yet

By Shelley C.

Well, truth be told, I am more than excited to be officially done with the 2011 tax season. However, that means that I now need to buckle down and study daily for my EA exam. I am sorry to say that it has definitely taken a back seat to client phone calls and family interruptions. I am looking ahead to next May, and I want to be done with all three sections. I can see that if I am to meet this goal, I will need to revamp my study guidelines.

With that being said, I will re-contact my study assistant and re-do my study plan. However, I have learned a few study tips that I have found helpful so far. I have made note cards and I plan to rewrite my notes and focus on the areas where I am still weak. Meanwhile, I am keeping the note cards close by as I go through the study questions. I have come to accept that I have been a bit down on myself as I feel like I take two steps forward and one step backward. I have been doing taxes for years, and so many of the filing requirements do not apply to my clients. This has made my need to study that much greater. I have been relying on my client experience, but it doesn’t necessarily cover all of the filing requirements out there. I thought I’d mention this in case it applies to anyone else in my situation. I will check back with you next week with a new study plan and a report on my progress.