Hey all! My name is J.P. and I have been at this exam since late 2008 and am now only one REG pass away from being a full fledged CPA.

I hope my struggles and successes will be able to help you as you move towards those 3 little letters.

A little about me and my history through the exam. I took the long route through college and finally graduated with a degree in Accountancy in 2008.

I got married in November 2010 and work for a drug wholesaler as a financial analyst. I don't have a ton of desire to work in public accounting, but know that the certification will open plenty of doors for me the rest of my career.

I started the exam with BEC in November 2008. I tried to cram everything into the last week and ended up with a 61. Not the best start.

I took AUD in February 2009 using the same approach. I didn't finish either written communication and got a 53. I took BEC again in August 2009. I buckled down a little bit and did 2 whole weeks of cramming. 76.

I was assured I was smart enough to do this the rest of the way out and be a CPA in no time. That plan worked for 2 failed scores on REG and AUD.

Maybe I wasn't as smart as I thought.

I took a break starting in August 2010 to get married and everything that goes along with that. I had tried to cut corners buying cheaper material before, but I took some of our wedding money and bought new material for FAR in December 2010.

It sat on the shelf for awhile (being a newlywed really is a lot of fun) but I started studying in mid June 2011.

With a renewed mindset and motivation, I have passed FAR, AUD, and BEC consecutively.

I look forward to sharing more of my experiences with all of you as you work through this exam.