Heather is a new NINJA CPA Blogger.

Good Day NINJAs!

I graduated with my bachelors in accounting 2 years ago, and was blessed to receive a wonderful government accounting job one month before graduating- of which I am still employed.

I am working towards the CPA, because I want to be more competitive without a master’s degree. It is really hard to study sometimes, because I have a wonderful husband of 10 years and two young girls that want to spend time with me!

Here’s my story:

After a yearlong break from studying hours just to bomb my first attempt at the Auditing exam, I am back in the game. I am sending my paperwork off to the State Board tomorrow, so I can hopefully retake auditing at the end of August.

Last year, I spent months studying for auditing. I would study during my hour lunch break, and study at night after my two kids were in bed. I have decided to take a different approach this go around. I am not going to study quite so long- only about a month. Don’t get me wrong- I am putting in the hours!

I believe since I took 6 months to prepare for one exam, I was just too anxious and uneasy during the exam. Maybe it was test taker’s anxiety. I now know what to expect.

My best advice for everyone out there that has not taken the exam yet- don’t wait like I did. Even if you don’t think you are ready, go ahead and take one so you can get a feel of what it is like.

I sulked and I cried when I saw my score. However, now I can look back and realize that it is ok! It is just a test, and I can only try for my best. If I fail again, that just means I need to go back and review again. After all, this is the real deal. The world does not need CPAs that do not know a lick about accounting.