Transcript: What is happening, everyone? Welcome back to another action-packed edition of CPA Reviewed, the official podcast of another71.com. As always, I am your humble host Jeff Elliott, a licensed CPA in the state of Kansas by the grace of God and to the chagrin of many. Happy whatever today is. Happy Wednesday to you. This is episode 84. So, yeah, I've done 84 of these. If you wanna be on the podcast, go to another71.com. Click on the upper nav. Ask Jeff, and it will appear in a future edition of the podcast. If you want to jump to the front of the line, you can become a NINJA Monthly member, and NINJA Monthly member get their questions answered first. All right.

First up is Ninja Ashley. When you study for an exam, was there a specific or target number of multiple choice questions that you completed per day? I'm looking for a specific number if you have one. I currently set up blocks of questions by section. There are four blocks. Each block contains six sections in various orders. I selected my block order based on which sections I am strongest in and which sections I need to strengthen my proficiency. Based on the book, based on the block I shared, you can see that regulation sections two and six are my weaker sections. I would love your thoughts on my current process to get through multiple-choice questions and any general feedback to base my questions on and how many questions I should complete each night. Okay. So, I don't have a set number of multiple choice questions that you should do per day; however, the AICPA has said that the average CPA candidate spends two minutes per question on the exam. So that's under exam conditions, and that's when you are ready to roll on exam day, so. If it takes you two minutes to do a question per, or on exam day, then let's say it's going to take you maybe three, three and a half, four minutes per section, per question while you study, because you're taking notes, you're looking up for each answer explanation, and so, so, if you can do three minutes per question, that is 20 questions per hour, if you study three to four hours per day, so that's, like, 60 to 80 questions per day. So, while you're in the MCQ phase, you're spending two to two and a half weeks on your nonstop MCQ, you can pretty much budget what you're going to do there. So let's say any given section has 1,500 multiple choice questions. Well, you can do the math there. You should be doing, so I guess you should be doing 60 questions per day minimum, but I know some people do a lot. So we used to have the NINJA Weekend Challenge where people would do like 500 questions in a weekend. So that's over like two days. So you can do a lot more than 60. But, so, 60 questions, 60 CPA exam questions per day should be your minimum.

Ninja Claude writes in, I have exactly 30 days left before I take FAR, my first section, and my studying is somewhat improving, and I'm feeling a little better. But I have a question about the exam itself. Is it true that they want a certain number of people to pass each time it is administered so they might actually curve the scores down if too many people do well? I really wanna get through this thing my first try, and any further nuggets or tidbits would be appreciated, especially the ones that would stop me from getting something like a 74. Okay, is the CPA exam curved? I don't know. That's been one of those conspiracy theories that have been around for as long as I have been in exam land, which is over 10 years, so. You know, when you look at the pass rates, they are like, for FAR, they're about 45, 47, 49%, pretty much every time. Does the AICPA curve them through the psychometric formulas? I don't know. Does that impact how you study? Not at all, and if you fail, does that give you license to blame the fact that you've been curved down? No, because in any given exam section, 50% pass, 50% fail, give or take, and you just need to study really hard, and you cannot control what outside variables are going against you, if at all, and I personally do not believe that they maintain a certain number, so. You can only control what you can do. So you can only control whether or not you get up early in the morning, study at lunch, study late at night, you follow the NINJA Study Planner, so you're a Ninja, so you have the NINJA Study Planner. You can only control if you decide to study bonds for an hour versus watching Netflix for an hour, which turns into three or four hours, and pretty soon, it's two in the morning, and you have to get up at 5:30, and oh, wait, you're not gonna get up at 5:30 'cause you're too tired, and you're going to sleep until seven, and brush your teeth and jump in the car to go to work. So, you can only control your own life and your own study processes. So, that's that. Now, as far as how to study FAR, follow the NINJA framework, use your NINJA Study Planner, and you'll be good to go.

Faruk writes in, dear sir or madam, I'd like to have some information on the CPA eligibility for the active ACCA members, which is chartered accountants, who are the equivalent to a UK Master's, according the ACCA letter of equivalence and having four years of international experience as an accountant. Okay, so here's the deal. The AICPA and the ACCA and NASBA and everyone got together, and they wanna make it easier for people who have international accounting licenses and US accounting licenses to be able to go into each other's respective countries and jurisdictions and be able to work, so. So here's the deal. This is kind of new. If you are a chartered accountant, then you need to pass the IQEX exam, the International Qualification Exam, and you need to then have two years of post-qualification experience. If you are a licensed CPA, then you just need to get qualified through whatever process it is. You don't have another exam to take. And you need to have two years of post-qualification work experience. The easiest way to get all of the information you need, go to nasba.org, and in the search bar, type ICAS, and that will give you all the info that you need.

Matt writes in, I'm using NINJA as a supplement with Becker. I'm feeling overwhelmed with the amount of material. I'm feeling like I don't have enough time to do all of the MCQ for each, for each, and it's stressing me out. I have read Another71 for tips, but I don't know if you would give me any useful advice or what may work the best. Okay, you're using NINJA as a supplement with Becker CPA Review, so I would watch all of your Becker lecture videos and take notes. Work all of the questions in their software. And then I would switch over to NINJA for the J, just rewrite it. I would rewrite the NINJA notes, and for your review, I would watch the NINJA Plus videos over your weak topics, and I would, in your NINJA MCQ, I would start working the software by topic, starting with your weakest area first and working backwards. And that's how I would use NINJA and Becker. Now, if this is a retake, and if you feel like you've seen all of the Becker questions, the multiple choice questions, then instead of working all of the Becker questions again, I would work the NINJA questions as your study software, and so that's how I would do it. So, yeah, don't feel, don't feel overwhelmed with the material. I mean, you know, FAR is hard, and it's the hardest exam, and that's okay, and everyone struggles with it. And it's the beast for a reason. But 50% of the people who walk in and pass it or take it, they pass it, so you'll be fine. So just follow, you're using NINJA, so follow the NINJA framework. Use your NINJA Study Planner. Get through all of the Becker lecture videos before you work any of the questions in the software, and just follow the NINJA framework, and you'll be just fine.

Antiqua writes in, do you think it's possible to pass the FAR exam with the Roger CPA Review Cram course only? All right, so, I saw this question in my email, and they also asked it in the forum. Okay, so your question is, do I think it's possible? Yes, I think it's possible. I think it's possible to pass the CPA exam doing only multiple choice. I think it's possible because people have done it. I think it's possible to pass the CPA exam or a section of the CPA exam using only the NINJA notes, because people have done it, and they wrote me and tell me that they did. And I do think it's possible to pass the FAR exam using only the Roger CPA Review Cram course only. Now, I'm probably the only CPA review course out there who would dare mention a competitor in a podcast. Like, everyone just pretends that everyone else exists except for their comparison tables on their website where they say how everyone else is horrible. But yeah, Roger, great instructor, great course. And can you pass with his FAR Cram only? Yeah. Is it a best practice? No, it's not, because you run the risk that you don't get all the multiple choice in. So if you have the Roger Cram, you know, marketing alert, maybe you get the NINJA Monthly as well, 'cause it's cheap, and you get everything else that you wouldn't get in the cram, notes, audio, MCQ, book, a full course video, video set. But yeah, you can, you can pass with any course under the sun. You can pass with any combination of materials that are out there, and you can pass with a Cram only. It's not a best practice, but just like people pass using outdated materials, it's not a best practice, but you can do it. But you should still get NINJA Monthly.

Omnia writes in, hello, Jeff. I have a BA in sociology, but all of my experience in accounting. I decided to take my career to the next level, so I finished all 48 semesters in the accounting and business-related prerequisites. I recently purchased Becker, and I am planning to start to study for FAR, considering the exam credit expiration, then audit Regulation and BEC. Do you think this is a good plan? Also, do you think my chances to pass or to understand the FAR material is good since I'm a recent graduate? Last question, if I succeed in passing all four sections of the exam and complete the advanced studies and ethics requirements for the license, is the working hours mandatory? I'm not planning to work as an auditor. I'm currently working at a law firm. If so, how can I get the hours? Thank you so much. All right. So, in order, what is the best order to take the exam?

Omnia says FAR, audit, reg, and BEC. I agree with that. I'm a big fan of taking FAR first, then audit, because FAR and audit are related, then regulation, and then BEC. BEC is not the easiest exam. I personally think it's the worst. I think BEC's horrible, and many people agree, but it seems to have the highest pass rate, so what do I know? So yes, that is a good plan, and if you're a recent graduate, yeah, if, I mean, the average age of a CPA candidate is 29. And so, you know, most people graduate when they're 23 or 24, so they're five years out of school. So, you might be at a slight advantage, but just because, not that it will impact how much study time you have to put in, but it will, it could impact how easily, I mean, if you read, if you just took a governmental accounting class and you're studying governmental accounting, you're like, oh, yeah, I remember encumbrances, whereas someone's who been out of school for five years, encumbrance, what's that? But, so, yeah. It will make studying the material a little bit easier, a little bit more efficient, maybe, not necessarily effective, but more efficient in your study time, and now as far as getting the hours for your license, okay, here's the thing. If you're in a position where you're, like, it's impossible for you to get the requisite work hours, experience hours to get your license, like, don't quit your job to go do that, because you would quit your job to go get the hours to get licensed so that you can get a job that you already have, okay? A lot of people pass the CPA exam, and different states have different weird rules about certificates versus licenses. Sometimes they're one and the same, and so, you might get a certificate and that's fine. I mean, if you never get the requisite hours and get licensed, you can't ever hold yourself out as a CPA. You can't ever put it in an email signature. You can only put on a resume that you have successfully passed all four sections of the Uniform CPA Examination, and that's it. But really, unless, unless you are going to be billed out as an auditor as a tax professional, like, your employer won't care if you are licensed. They will only see, okay, this person has passed the CPA exam, so they're smart. That's what they'll think, anyway. And, so. But basically, this person has passed the CPA exam, and so, they are, which means they are capable of taking a vast amount of information and scoring high on a test under exam, under an exam environment, and that's what that means, when you pass the CPA exam. So, if they can do that, then they can do this. And they have a broad accounting base. So, that's what they'll think, and that's all they care about, and it doesn't matter if you ever hold yourself out as a CPA, and it will be a feather in your cap within any interview that you go in that you passed the CPA exam. Being licensed is irrelevant, again, unless, like, you're going to work for a place where that's how they make their money, billing you out. So I think you'll be just fine.

Zoe writes in, hello. I found your website by chance. I am a Master's of Accountancy student. I'm a graduate in May. I have a three-month-old baby at home, and I want to pass the exam ASAP. Would you give me some recommendations? By the way, I bought the Becker system several months ago. Okay. Well, Zoe, you have a lot of things going on in your life, about to graduate with a master's in accounting. Congratulations to you. And more importantly, you have a three-month-old baby. Congratulations to you. That's awesome. And so you are juggling having a baby, getting your master's, studying for the CPA exam, potentially working, so you have a lot on your plate. So you have your, you bought Becker, so you are good to go there. All right. Here is what I would do. I would go to another71.com and click Free Downloads and download the free NINJA Study Planner, and I would use the NINJA Study Planner with your Becker system and follow the, and use the NINJA framework using Becker. So, they recommend, well, I don't know exactly what they recommend, but if they're like most review courses, they say watch video one, do homework over video one. Watch video two, work homework over video two. And that's not the NINJA method. That might be effective, probably is, but it's not efficient. And so you're gonna waste a lot of study time, because you have to, those homework questions in week one, you're going to have to repeat them in week seven. And it's a lot more streamlined to use the NINJA. So, let me bottom line it for you. You'll have a lot more time if you baby if you follow the NINJA method, so how about that. And, so, follow the NINJA framework. It's free on Another71. And, so I hope that is helpful to you. So, the biggest thing for you is time management, and the best thing that I can offer you is the free NINJA Study Planner to map out your time and, 'cause you have a lot going on, and you don't wanna waste any time. So, I hope that's helpful. And actually, if you click the link below this video, you'll get a link to the free NINJA Study Planner, and you can be rocking and rolling in a matter of seconds. Take care.

Ninja Victoria writes in, hi. Where can I find the AICPA released questions for BEC? Good news. The AICPA just released the 2018 AICPA release questions for all four sections of the CPA exam, and if you log into NINJA Monthly, you can download them there.

Ninja Megan says, hello, Jeff. I love what you're doing for the CPA exam community, and I love being a member of the Dojo. I'm working my way through some of the CPA review material, and I really want to understand some of the overall pictures of these topics. I would love to see something with all the definitions for all of these acronyms in one place with an explanation of what these bodies do or issue and what takes precedence; for instance, COSO, SAS, GASB, FASB, PCAOB, GAS, et cetera. I figure if I find myself Googling, then other people might be searching for them as well. Just a suggestion. Again, thank you for what you are doing. Okay. Good news, you can go, you can log into NINJA MCQ, and you can click Tools, and you can see the glossary, and you can search for all of these things. But here's the bigger question: should you, and the answer's probably no. Like, so, GASB, you know that GASB, or, you can probably ascertain that GASB is governmental accounting. What else do you need to know about it for CPA exam purposes? COSO, like, you need to know what the material is about COSO, but do you need to know exactly what they are and started by the Treadway Commission and all that stuff? Eh, probably not. And so, don't get distracted like, searching out terms. Like, just get to the concept as quickly as possible. Get to the multiple choice. Take notes. Rewrite your notes. Study, study, study. Follow your plan. Get in there and take your exam. Like, don't get distracted by, hey, what exactly is the PCAOB, okay? Like, just generally know what it is and move on, and that's, I mean, after you pass the exam, you can study all this stuff. You can read every FASB pronouncement, but for now, your goal is to pass the CPA exam and move on with your life, and then later on when you have a life, if you wanna go back and study the PCAOB, you can.

Hayu writes in, and I apologize if I butchered your name, hey, Jeff, I have about three weeks out until my first exam ever for BEC, and I'm freaking out on how I should be studying. I purchased the NINJA course for BEC about a week ago, and I also have Becker; however, the Becker videos are too lengthy, and note-taking is too time-consuming. I have written notes the Cornell method way in all of the chapters for Becker already, but I've not had the time to review them, because they are too lengthy, and I'm horrible at note-taking. I have yet to finish even four out of six of the MCQs that they provided. I wanna know, what is the best study strategy I can take along with the NINJA MCQs on my upcoming test. I'm using NINJA MCQs to review, and so far, everything on the corporate governance I knew pretty well, but all of the other chapters, I'm guessing on problems that require a lot of critical thinking and calculations. With so much material and materials to use, I don't know how to approach a study strategy that should be efficient and effective. What would be the best approach for me to passing BEC within three weeks? Okay, if you find yourself getting bogged down taking just crazy notes, because if you're like a typical accountant, you get OCD, and everything's gotta be perfect, and, I mean, 'cause when you're doing books and auditing, you know, you have to be, you have to be professional. So, but on the exam, I mean, there's something about good enough. And so you have to be good enough with your note-taking. And if you are getting too much, too far into the weeds on your notes, like, just take notes at a higher level. And if you're horrible at note-taking, just punt taking notes and just rewrite the NINJA notes, okay? And, if you're working NINJA MCQ and you're like, I have no idea what I'm doing here, I'm scoring in the 40s, that's okay. So, it just means that you have, I mean, in theory, you would learn the concepts by reading the NINJA book or you have Becker, going through the Becker lectures, but, you know, you can only absorb so much material, and you can only spend so much time on the concepts. The real work is done in the trenches in the MCQ, and so you need to, if you miss a question in the MCQ, like, whatever the little fact nugget is, the NINJA nugget, write it down. And, so, you have, you're three weeks out from your exam, and so it's about time, so three weeks out, that's time to start rewriting your NINJA notes, and, because if you spend the next two weeks getting through the MCQ, then you're going to have one week for review. I mean, I guess you could do that, but typically, three weeks out, you wanna spend a week rewriting your notes, and then two weeks reviewing. And, so. I guess if it comes down to it, so this is April, so, you still have May and through, you know, early June to take your exam. It's okay to like, bump it, bump it back two weeks if you have to. And so, get through your MCQ. So maybe you have to reschedule. Get through your MCQ, rewrite your notes, and then do your final review. Don't overdo it on the note-taking. Remember, you can rewrite the NINJA notes, and that's good enough.

Junior says, I just completed auditing. I finished the exam so fast, I'm wondering if I made errors. I just started regulation, and it seems like so much information to go through in eight weeks. Okay. If there's, so, if, if you told me that you finished one exam early and you went through it faster than you anticipated, I would have said, hands down, you took auditing. So I'm a very slow test taker on exam day. I tend to just like sit there and stare at questions, just praying that they're right. And so, I'm a slow test taker, and I finished auditing like 30 minutes to an hour early. I was shocked. Now, I mean, I was someone who, like, the exam like logged me out every time. I'd be finished the final SAM, and it was like, nope. Thanks for coming! And, so, I wouldn't, if you finished auditing early, don't read too much into that. It means you're pretty normal, actually. And regulation is a lot of information in eight weeks, it is, and because it's basically two exams in one. It's tax and business law and ethics. And, I mean, it's kind of hard tax. It's like, you know, corporate tax and stuff, and it's not hard like enrolled agent hard, but it's still hard. A lot of people focus on the tax, and then like, one week out from their exam, they're like, oh, yeah, I have agency law to study and all that. Don't do that. That's a recipe for a 65, and so make sure that you just follow the plan, get the NINJA Study Planner, and you'll be fine. And the NINJA Study Planner actually has a map for regulation in five weeks, which is pretty aggressive, but eight weeks, you'll be good to go.

Mark writes in, I'm very nervous. I feel like I have to be a subject matter expert, and I'm overwhelming myself. In other words, I need to memorize the entire book Becker send me. All I'm doing is taking a test. I would appreciate some feedback. Okay. So, I don't know which exam you're taking. Here's the deal. The CPA review courses, like, they have to put all of the information in the course because you could be tested over pretty much anything. And, so, while that information is in the course, it is in the book, whatever, you can't get bogged down, and you can't get too in the weeds on the material. FAR is a mile wide and an inch deep, and I think someone else came up with that, but I can't remember who, and at the time, it kind of seemed like I did, and this is like 10 years ago, so I'm just gonna say that I said that. I probably didn't. FAR, like, you have to know a little about a lot of stuff, okay? And I would approach the exam material at a higher level. So, especially when you're watching your videos and reading your book. Like, that's all conceptual, and it's high-level stuff, or it's, some of it's pretty in-depth stuff. Some courses get too in-depth, 'cause they're like, well, we don't want any liability if they don't pass and they say we didn't cover this, so we're gonna cover everything. You know, what, you want every FASB? We're including the convocation. Like, here you go. Our book's 2,000 pages long. So, yeah, that doesn't really help you. But, you have to get through the content as quickly as possible, get through the book, your videos, and then on the MCQ, like, these are prior exam questions. So, it's no longer like, hey, this might be on the exam. Like, this was on the exam, and this particular question probably won't be on the exam again, but a question just like it, you'll likely see it. So you have to know this. And so, the MCQ is the most important part of your entire exam process, and so, don't feel like you have to be a subject matter expert, but you do have to be an MCQ expert. So, camp out on those MCQs, and, you know, the book, the videos, get through 'em as quickly as possible, but the MCQ is the way to go.

George writes in, your customer service is top-notch, brother. Just wanna let you know. Definitely will recommend you to fellow CPA takers as at least a supplement. Also, I'd like to mention that the book is written in a way that is pretty easy to understand, for the audit section at least. Thank you, George. I obviously did not need to include that, but I get hate mail sometimes, and so, it probably, there's probably no better way to piss off the haters than, than to include an email like this. So, here's the deal. Like, one of the ways that we can differentiate ourselves as a small company is having the best customer service we possibly can. We're not perfect. Sometimes we fail. But we answer emails on Saturdays and Sundays, and we do our best, and sometimes, we fail miserably, and we apologize and move on. That's what you have to do in any small business. No other course provider answers questions like this, except for maybe, maybe a few, like Phil Yaeger, who I have a lot of respect for. But you will not see a lot of CPA review people answering questions on a regular basis, be giving out their time in podcasts, 'cause this is just another way that I can differentiate myself, and frankly, this is my favorite thing to do. Interacting with people is my favorite thing to do. The technical information, I kind of hate it. But I like doing podcasts, so, anyway, thanks, George.

Nick writes in, I have purchased NINJA products in the past, NINJA Notes in 2016 and late 2015, NINJA MCQ access that expired in April 2016. I have since left public accounting without my CPA, and I work in industry, but I have reconsidered studying for my CPA once again to further my career advancement. I was one point away from being a CPA, but I lost my credits. I recall when I purchased the NINJA Notes that there were free updates to the notes available to past customers. If I wanted to get back into the CPA, is it permissible to get the 2018 notes for free, or do I have to pay for them now? Not sure how much policies have changed since I was actively studying, but I really wanna get back into studying, and not sure what the best approach would be. Any information would be greatly appreciated. Hiya. Yes, so, we have switched to the NINJA Monthly model, and one of the benefits of that is, it's a lot cheaper price point, and if you want updates, you just log in and download 'em. I mean, if there's an update to download. You don't have to email customer service and wait for it, whatever. And so as long as you're a NINJA Monthly member, you get updates. Previously, when we had the Ten Point Combo and sold the materials standalone, yeah, we offered free updates until you pass, except for the MCQ, which has a clock. So, if you are a, what I call a legacy NINJA customer, if you need your free updates, email support@another71.com and please include your notice to schedule. The reason why I ask for that is that unfortunately, we get people who try to get free updates for their friends after they've passed the CPA exam, but, anyway. So, send us your notice to schedule, and we'll send you free updates for as long as you need 'em. So, support@another71.com or you can just join NINJA Monthly and get everything. So, you can do that too.

Saba says, how far in advance did you study and in what order did you take the exam? I'm planning on finishing them all in 2019, but I have audit and special topics like consolidations and corporate tax. But I feel like I need to be constantly reviewing because I'm forgetting the minutiae of the topics. I'm taking the enrolled agent exam, okay, first this summer, so I'm gonna start working before I pass the CPA exam, but that's the only part of the exam, so I feel like I should be reviewing way in advance. Any tips would be helpful for someone who has one to two semesters left. Do not start studying for the CPA exam until you are eight weeks out from exam day. So you don't have to have your notice to schedule, but, if you know that you're taking your exam in eight weeks and you've filed for your notice to schedule, you can start studying, but do not pre-study. Don't start studying to get the concepts down beforehand, 'cause here's the deal. It's an inefficient use of your time, because you are going to have to restudy that material anyway, okay? Because, like, there is a significant short-term memory component to the CPA exam. You gotta cram it all in and barf it all out. And, you know, some of that stuff will stick, some of it won't, and, you know, the CPA exam, it tests you on whether or not you meet the minimum requirements to serve the public interest. It doesn't mean that you're an accounting expert. And so I would graduate, take your enrolled agent exam. That's a tough exam, by the way. That's a really tough exam. And, I mean, that's like regulation on crack, you know? If a CMA is BEC on crack, regulation is, or the enrolled agent in regulation on crack. Okay, that's enough crack references. This'll probably get flagged. But, so, yeah. Don't, so, finish school, take the enrolled agent exam, take a break, start studying for the CPA exam in 2019 when you're eight weeks out. You know, purchase your CPA review course 10 weeks out, okay, and just don't pre-study, because you will get burned out. People get burned out, I mean, people are like, three years into the exam, and like, they hate it. Trust me. Like, if they could go back and time and like, well, they would say this to you: enjoy like right now while you're not taking the CPA exam, because while you're in the exam, like, it's not fun. And so enjoy your life right now, and because the CPA exam is a grind and there's no need to pre-study.

Alex writes in, I recall, when reading through the NINJA materials, that there is a way to alter your proposed plan for each section of the CPA exam, but I can't seem to find it now. I'm about to study for BEC again. Your BEC plan calls for seven weeks of study time, but I'm trying to study for the month of April and take it at the end of April basically so I can use May to study for auditing and take it at the end of May. So basically, I'm trying to trim seven weeks into four for both exams. Do you have any advice on how to go about doing this? I'm trying to use only NINJA to study for both of these, since my Becker subscription runs out in July, and I don't wanna pay the $3,000 again. I've taken BEC three times already, once before the Q2 change last year and twice since. I've scored 70-74 all three times. Okay, so, the NINJA Study Planner has BEC in five weeks. So, I don't have it to where you can alter it. So, you'll have to, so, the BEC and the audit, NINJA Study Planner is for five weeks. So you can download that inside of NINJA Monthly, but you can also click the link below this video and you can download the NINJA Study Planner. It has a seven-week plan for FAR and a five-week plan for BEC, auditing, and regulation. Those are aggressive, and that's okay. You can, you know, you can dial it back a notch. But, that's really for people who, who are like, hey, I really gotta get this done fast, and, you know, seven weeks for FAR isn't necessarily fast, but like, that's a, that's a quick pace, and especially for, you know, BEC, five weeks, auditing, five weeks, that's solid right there. That's aggressive for reg, I should say. So, I hope that's helpful.

Barbara writes in, hey, Jeff! Currently studying, currently eight months into the studying process, and I passed nothing! I say it like that 'cause it was all caps, not because I was being dramatic. All right. I'm going to school full-time for my master's, so studying for the CPA gets mixed with studying for classes. I bet. I took FAR twice, 60 and 73, and I just took auditing, 69. I've been using Becker and really question if it's the best material for me. I was wondering if you would suggest an attack plan. Keep in mind I finish school in May and start working September or October. Okay. Studying for the CPA exam and getting your master's, you know, I don't recommend that. I'm a big fan of like, doing this, and then doing this. Like, focus, you know. It's kind of like, I'm dating myself here, it's kind of like a TV/VCR combo. It's not a very good TV, it's not a very good VCR. But, so, study for the master's or taking your master's and the CPA exam, you're not really doing well at your master's, and you're not really doing well at the CPA exam. So you're kind of a B or C student, and you're kind of a 65 on FAR. So, I would focus on your master's, and then spend the summer studying for the CPA exam. You said you have Becker and you don't know if it's right for you. You don't really know that, because, you know, I'd love for you to become a NINJA member, whatever, but, like, you have the course, but you don't know if it's not for you, because you haven't focused solely on Becker. So that's what I would do, and, and just focus all of your energy. It's kind of like getting out of debt but still trying to fund your Roth IRA and fund your kid's college fund and pay down extra on your house. Now, I'm talking about credit card debt. Like, no. You need to stop doing all that, 'cause I follow the Dave Ramsay method. Stop doing all that and focus with laser intensity on knocking out all of your credit card debt or whatever and then move onto the other steps. Same thing with studying. Knock out your master's, and then jump into the CPA exam, and I bet you'll be free and clear by September or October, because then you can focus only on your new job and not have to be one of those people who are kind of not good at their job and kind of not good at the CPA exam, and so, just finish master's, CPA exam, then work, and I think you'll enjoy life a lot more.

Alyse says, hi, Jeff. Do you know if the Q2, Q3, and Q4 2018 CPA exam scores will be released more often than once a quarter, which the NASBA site currently says? Okay. The AICPA and NASBA came out with some new score release dates. So here they are. June 27, 2018: auditing, FAR, and reg. June 29, 2018: BEC. So, for the June score release, auditing, FAR, and reg comes out June 27. BEC comes out two days later, June 29. For July 1st through September 10, 2018 CPA exam sections, the score release date is September 19. So, just one date there. For October first through December 10th, 2018 exams, the score release date is December 19. So, I hope that's helpful. So let's recap. June score release, June 27 for auditing, FAR, and reg; June 29 for BEC. September score release, September 19. December score release, December 19. So, that's the latest and greatest, and of course, check out the another71.com forum for the latest info, because it gets posted there.

All right. Hope that's helpful. All right, well that does it for this episode of the CPA Reviewed Podcast.

If you have a question or wanna be on the podcast, go to another71.com, click in the upper nav, Ask Jeff, and of course, if you are a NINJA Monthly member, you get put to the front of the line. So I guarantee that I will answer your question on the next podcast. ‘Til next time, everyone, be good, take care, and I will talk to you soon.