Kricket is a new weekly Club 75 Blogger as she documents her journey through the CPA Exam. She has been a member of Another71.com's Club 75 since May 2009.

I have decided that the CPA exam is all about endurance and attitude! I have been on this slow train ride through hades for three years now. I’m almost ashamed to admit that fact but the truth hurts sometimes. I have BEC and FAR behind me. I have also had a really bad year. I started it off in the hospital suffering from exhaustion and severe anemia.

I kept saying this test was killing me and my doctor confirmed that for me with two pints of blood. Then my dad passed away in February and I’ve been having a hard time dealing with the knowledge that he won’t see me through this all. For some inexplicable reason, I have had a change of attitude in the past few days.

I believe it is time to stop thinking about what I “have” to do and concentrate on what I “get” to do. I’ve quit dwelling on failing exam scores. I’ve stopped counting the dollars that have been and will be spent on tests, review materials, and more books because the rules keep changing. I’ve quit looking at this exam as a whole and started to see it as the four pieces that it really is. I’m actually looking forward to watching lectures and taking notes.

I’m getting ready to take Auditing for the fourth time at the end of this month and I’m going into it with my new attitude and more endurance (thanks to two wonderful, yet anonymous blood donors). I’ve also decided to take matters into my own hands as far as what information to study. For the past three years, I have followed several different review courses, putting in the hours they recommend, working the problems they say work and paying attention to what they say is important.

I am tired of walking out of exams with that feeling of “I have never seen that stuff before in my life” or “I’ve studied all of the wrong things.” It sounds crazy to say I’m going to take the content specific outline and know something about everything that could possibly be on the exam but that is what I am going to attempt in the next three weeks.

Luckily, I have my friend Angie Evans to study with this time around. We will have each other to clarify ambiguous points of fact and explain answers. I don’t feel like either of us needs someone to keep us accountable to a review or study schedule but I do think that having someone to vent to and having someone on the same path will be a tremendous help. So for tonight I’m off to create one of my overly elaborate Excel spreadsheets and get started taking matters into my own hands!

Oh and if you have time, remember you can give blood and study at the same time!

~Kricket