Mike is a NINJA CPA Blogger.

I was already a semester into grad school, but I decided to take that sense of meaning combined with the structure required as you go back to school and run with it.

I bought the materials and studied hard every night/morning either for school or the CPA and turned that structure into a habit.

My first CPA target was REG. I studied the material and buried myself in the MCQs. I felt gratification in how I now knew the intricacies of individual and corporate taxes. I even ran upstairs between chapters and told my wife little tidbits I felt were interesting.

On exam day I didn’t care if I passed or not. I just wanted to take the exam so I didn’t have to study anymore. I passed. Barely, but I passed and that’s all that matters. Excited, I wanted to tackle the other monster of the group: FAR.

I began studying immediately after I found out I passed and I tried my hardest to comprehend everything. Well apparently I wasn’t getting enough sleep/putting too much pressure on myself or some combination of other factors because I ended up with my first ever case of vertigo and couldn’t look at words without them constantly veering off to the right for 6 weeks.

I was only on Chapter 6 of 10 and my NTS was threatening to expire. I had to take the exam with only 6 chapters in my head. 58. Ouch. I began studying the remaining chapters and took it again. 63. At this stage I decided to stop with the grad school classes and focus exclusively on the exam, adding BEC to the mix.

I went through all the material and got the NINJA Audio for the car. I studied hard and then came the birth of our third little one Natalie. Naturally the studies did have to take a back seat at the moment.

After things started to settle back into a groove, I got back into the books and took the exam again…70. *Smacks head* The fourth time, something again “clicked” in a sense and my studies got to the point where I started to get the details of FAR.

All of a sudden I had a “big picture” idea of the general theory behind FAR. I came to the testing center, but this time with the same attitude I had with REG. I just wanted to get the exam over with. I didn’t care what my score was, I just needed to get it off my plate. Low & behold I come back with a pass.

Unfortunately my REG credit expires in the end of Oct, so I’m currently studying for AUD with the help of NINJA Audio for the rides to and from work. I will be taking it in the first couple weeks of Oct, then take BEC on the last possible date.

Unfortunately I found out earlier this week that I’ve been the victim of identity theft. Nearly 30 credit applications under my name since the beginning of September, so this week has had my time aimed at the due diligence involved with clearing my credit and protecting my information.

Chalk it up to another life experience. Honestly I’m more impressed than I am angry, though the phone calls required to clear the credit apps do eat up a lot of time.

I’ve noticed that both times I passed, I wasn’t concerned with passing but just getting the exam over with. Right now I’m keeping my mentality the same. Studying every opportunity I get and ensuring that I give myself the very best chance to pass.

You can’t control what questions you get, or the curveballs that life throws at you along the way. But you CAN control how much work you put in. I’m focused on getting the most time studying in now and just taking the exam that is given to me regardless of the outcome. “If it takes me six months or six years, I’m going to finish this.”