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You Might Be a CPA Exam Candidate If…

Posted on by Adrienne Gonzalez

Swiped from This Way to CPA:

You may be a CPA candidate if…

    • You finally decide to take a day off from studying and everyone comments saying, “shouldn't you be studying?”
    • A successful night out on the town is heading to the library and acing multiple choice tests.
    • You have cleared a store’s shelves of highlighters.
    • Lunch breaks are becoming study breaks.
    • You begin to have an elitist attitude thinking our exam is harder than others.
    • It seems like you’re grumpy most days.
    • You check the library hours in your hometown before going to visit family.
    • Studying becomes the ultimate excuse for getting out of obligations.
    • You feel like you will never finish the exam.
    • ”Seventy Five to Stay alive” becomes your new favorite saying.
    • It took you 10-15 minutes to figure out how to apply for the CPA exam in your jurisdiction.
    • You have failed an exam.
    • Sometimes you daydream about what to with the study material once the exams are complete.
    • The celebration for passing your exams is bigger than graduating!

Yeeeeeah OK, that's cute and all but how about the real list?

You might be a CPA candidate if…

  • Your friends with ADHD are sick of you asking to bum an Adderall.
  • You've mastered multitasking by doing MCQ on your phone while taking a dump.
  • Additionally, you purposely order lunch from Chipotle so you can get extra time on the can for more MCQ on your phone.
  • You've had an awkward sex dream about Peter Olinto.
  • You've had an awkward sex dream about Elijah Watt Sells.
  • Your Pinterest "CPA exam goals" board contains exactly zero pins BECAUSE WHO THE HELL HAS TIME FOR THAT SHIT?!
  • Baristas at your local Starbucks avoid eye contact so they don't have to hear your long drawn out answer about studying for the CPA exam when they ask you "how are you today?"
  • Your dog is so sick of hearing you complain about the exam he refuses to hang out with you.
  • You've considered the possibility of attempting to slit your own throat with a highlighter if you have to read just one. more. chapter.
  • Your girlfriend broke up with you 3 months ago and you still don't realize it.
  • You've seen every video on YouTube of candidates blowing up their CPA review books.
  • You're so out of touch, you can't understand why everyone wants to get snowed in during the summer.

Have any to add? Please do so in the comments. If you aren't curled up in the fetal position on the floor huffing a highlighter waiting for sweet sweet death to cradle you in its arms, of course.

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Have a question on the CPA Exam? What section is easiest? How should I study for Regulation? Are pants mandatory at the testing site? Shoot us an email with your query.

Not only do you have a job (congrats!) but you have a job that is willing to pay for you to take the CPA exam. Awesome! But before you load up on review materials, be sure you know what your employer expects and understand that there are situations where you can be held liable for materials if you don’t live up to your employer’s expectations.


This is Business – First of all, though you can’t claim a deduction, reimbursement of your CPA exam expenses (education, exam fees, etc) is treated as a business expense, just like any other training. If you’re desperate to get someone to help out with review course or exam fees, try selling this point to your employer.

Make the Most of Time You Have Now – If you’re in the Big 4 or anywhere down to the middle, chances are your review course fees are covered and your performance on the exam might be rewarded with a bonus. Don’t blow this! It’s easier for you to study and pass exams before you are loaded down with responsibilities and managers are much more lenient with first years looking for time off than they are if you’re in your 4th consecutive year of failing FAR. Take this seriously and realize that your firm will probably only pay once; blow it and you’re going to have to come up with retake fees on your own.

This Isn’t 2006 – Several years ago, firms would happily pay $3,000 and up for overpriced review courses with all the bells and whistles but since belts have been tightened, some are reluctant to cough up a chunk of cash without a guaranteed return on their investment. Look at this subsidy not as a gift but as additional income. Would you blow $3,000 of your own income on something and then never use it?

Ask Your Firms Lots of Questions – If your firm does not already have an agreement with a review course but is willing to pay your fees, ask lots of questions upfront and find out if you can invoice for repeats or supplemental products if you need them. One of the larger firms has a “we’ll pay for anything once” rule meaning they will only cut one check, regardless of whether it’s for $2 or $2,000. Other firms have strict rules about what you can order and when you can start (think government agencies). Regardless of how your firm works, ask about what is covered and what is expected in return.

In this economy, you can’t afford to blow a free review course and discounted or all-expense-paid trips to Prometric.

Adrienne Gonzalez is the founder of Jr. Deputy Accountant, a former CPA wrangler and a Going Concern contributor . You can see more of her posts here and all posts on the CPA Exam here.