My name is Luis and I WANT TO PASS THE CPA EXAM!

Where do I begin………..hmmm! I graduated with an accounting degree back in 2004. Between 2004 and 2010 I procrastinated on studying for the CPA exam.

I had co-workers, managers, even my wife and family tell me I should take the exam because they believed I would have no problem passing it.

The major reason I did not attempt on studying for the exam was my lack of confidence. I just did not think I was capable of passing and letting down the people that had faith in me.

What changed my mind towards the exam was in 2010 after the birth of my daughter. She became my confidence booster and motivated me to prepare for the exam. But first I must admit, studying for the CPA exam became more challenging while trying to juggle my responsibilities at work and at home.

I have taken the BEC exam twice in the past year (May 2011: 74 and Oct 2011: 74) and failed it both times by one point. During my first attempt of the exam I did not sleep the night before because I was nervous. I honestly did not know what to expect besides the Wiley MCQs.

It was a horrible experience sitting through the exam on 24 hours of no sleep. On my second attempt I was better prepared, I slept well and wasn't so nervous. But again, unfortunately, I failed again by one point.

I assessed my weaknesses from both exams and I decided to change my studying habits and the exam section to REG. You ask why did I change my exam section; I did it because of my tax background in personal taxation.

I only chose to study BEC because it was the thinnest textbook from the Wiley CPA review books. I also realized that most of my issues with BEC were with the internal control questions. I figured that since AUD covers mostly this topic in a broader manner then BEC should be the last exam to take.

Lastly, I made a commitment to follow the CPA NINJA study schedule this past February for the REG section. After watching all the videos on REG from my review course, I began to study the REG NINJA Notes during my commute to work by train for forty-five minutes.

Then during my lunch break I rewrote my notes along with the NINJA Notes for about an hour. And finally, at night I stayed after work for about three hours and did the multiple choice questions from the Wiley REG CPA review book.

If everything goes well, I am schedule to take the REG exam on April 30th.

I want to be a NINJA Blogger because by writing down my current experiences and feelings will hopefully keep me motivated and focused. I also hope that this will have the same effect with others.