Posts tagged: Pass the EA Exam

Written By Guest Blogger Amy W.
I’m sitting here at my computer trying to let it sink in: I’m finally done with testing. This will be my last Gleim blog.

Part 3 was different from the other parts of the Enrolled Agent Exam. The concepts involved had very little (I’m tempted to say “nothing”) to do with taxes and everything to do with what terrible things will happen to you and your client if you mess up. The study material felt a bit slippery compared to the hard, cold, unquestioned facts of Parts 1 and 2. There’s something satisfying about doing a lot of frenzied calculations and coming up with an answer that is one of the four answer choices. There’s something far less satisfying about choosing between 30, 45, 60, and 90 days. So, from the beginning, Part 3 was an entirely different sort of challenge than Parts 1 and 2. I might even say that if Parts 1 and 2 were the left-brain tests, then Part 3 was the right-brain test.

The study material for Part 3 was a lot shorter than for Parts 1 and 2. I gave myself two months to study, but after four weeks I had pretty much mastered the available material and was scoring 90%+ on my daily 100-question tests. The final four weeks were essentially a re-do of the first four weeks: I listened to all the audiovisual materials again and answered all the test questions again. However, despite my high test scores, I felt more limited by my lack of experience in this part. There’s nothing like actually DOING the work to lock it into your mind.

Unlike the other parts, I did not prepare a summary study sheet for Part 3. The material was just too loose, too disordered, too unconnected to lend itself easily to the summary study sheet technique. Instead, I used 3×5 cards to lock these seemingly disconnected facts into my mind. The 3×5 cards to help me memorize form numbers, penalty amounts, number of days to file a protest and so on.

I scheduled the test for the afternoon, as usual, since the more sleep I get, the better off I am. I rubbed lavender lotion into my wrists for relaxation before leaving. I got to the test site 30 minutes early. The Prometric staff announced they could seat me early, which sounded great, but then it turned out that somehow I had already been checked into the computer and assigned a computer station number, even though that computer station was in use by someone else. This caused a bit of a flurry in the office, while I spent the time envisioning disasters. Maybe they’d tell me I’d have to come back on another day? Or maybe I’d take the test, but, because of this glitch, my test score wouldn’t count. Or maybe the score of the girl at my test station would get recorded as my score? Before I could get really wrapped up with thoughts of doom and gloom, the office personnel had straightened it out and were ready for me.

I finished the test the first time through in about 45 minutes. Then I went back and checked my answers. I figured out how many I was SURE I had right, how many I thought I had a 50/50 shot at, and how many I had just picked an answer at random. By my calculations, I was in the high 70 percentile, which I didn’t think was good enough to pass. Still, I had done everything I could and there was nothing left to do. So I finished it up, took the survey, complained about the incorrect grammar and verb tenses in the problems, and went out to face my fate. It was only there for one hour and 15 minutes from check-in to check-out. And I must have gotten lucky or my stars were lined up right, because the printout read “Congratulations!”

It’s been a truly excellent week. Not only did I pass Part 3, but I also got a job offer from my first-choice firm, a company entirely run and staffed by Enrolled Agents. I feel like I’m off to a great start in my new career!

It hasn’t been an easy journey, but I always knew that I wasn’t walking it alone. I had the entire staff at Gleim walking beside me. I’ve recommended the Gleim system to many colleagues who need to pass the RTRP or EA Exams. I just don’t think you can do better than Gleim. My deepest thanks go to all the fine folk at Gleim for their support throughout this process!

Written By Guest Blogger Amy W.

There are only four weeks left until my next – and hopefully last – Enrolled Agent Exam. This past week has been a challenging one in terms of studying. My son’s college classes start just after Labor Day, so my husband and I drove him to Los Angeles, spent a few days at my mother-in-law’s house, and then took him (and a lot of boxes) to his dorm. All very necessary and important tasks, but not terribly conducive to good study habits!

With just 4 weeks of preparation time left, my plan is to continue to take my daily 100-question test, go back through all the audiovisual materials and start the process of memorizing form numbers. When studying for Parts 1 and 2, I felt that memorizing form numbers wasn’t the best possible use of my time. For Part 3, however, I just have this funny feeling that form numbers are going to be important. So I’ve identified sixteen form numbers that I’m going to memorize in the next four weeks. Sadly for me, I hate memorizing information – possibly a leftover reaction from having to memorize the entire periodic table of the elements back in my science days.

I’ve also been asked to teach some beginning tax classes for a local franchise. This will be a great review for me, but this franchise isn’t where I want to work during the coming tax season. So in addition to the four-week countdown, I’m also starting the process of finding employment for this coming January. I interviewed with a CPA firm this past week, though it seems they aren’t certain there is an opening. I’m keeping an eye on the local want ads and I am making a list of tax firms in the area with the intention of sending out my resume in another month or so. It’s a busy time!