Rodger’s CPA Study Retention Routine

In this episode, you’ll hear the one CPA study breakthrough that made a huge difference in Rodger’s CPA study retention, and how his daily CPA study routine changed his life.

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Episode Timestamps

• 00:00 SuperfastCPA Reviews with Rodger
• 04:12 Rodger’s CPA Journey
• 05:52 “The process was taking forever to get through lessons”
• 07:10 Ups & downs of passing the first exam then failing the next
• 08:04 “It’s kind of a defeating feeling…”
• 09:47 Some of Rodger’s First Study Breakthroughs
• 12:57 From having all day to working + CPA study
• 16:45 “I thought that was a total game-changer…:
• 21:02 “This has to be your life”
• 23:58 “Just more exposure, the more you’ll know it”
• 25:01 “I wish I could talk to myself from last April…”
• 26:34 Preparing for FAR Retake
• 28:24 Changing His Mindset and Setting Priorities
• 33:26 “That’s what matters. You live and learn…”
• 35:32 Constant Use of SuperfastCPA Filled the Gaps in Rodger’s Day
• 36:33 Using the App for Mini Quizzes
• 42:13 “I changed my whole life basically…”
• 42:55 Making Motivation a Habit
• 46:18 You have to “keep your head in the game”
• 53:11 Study Tips for People Currently Studying

Rodger’s CPA Study Retention Routine

Rodger: I changed my whole, honestly I changed my whole life basically to optimize my body and my mind just to be the best every day so I could study and not waste the day. Like, just from like the food I eat to like making sure I’m in bed by a certain time, whenever I’m gonna wake up and I try to get eight hours. It doesn’t always work.

You know, it’s hard. I’m not perfect and nobody’s perfect but I’m definitely trying and I’m done, you know, and like, just like the food I eat, you know, I like meal, like a meal prepping now and just doing all this stuff making sure, okay. Maybe exercise is good but don’t go too hard cause then you’re, you’re like it’s body stress, you know, stuff like that.

Like just maybe like a quick little pump, you know, 30 minutes, 40 minutes on then, you know, back back to studying. But you know what I mean? It’s just, there’s just everything in life. I mean, I’ve really changed just because of this exam and it’s just, I mean, I’m, I’m blessed to be able to say that, uh, I’m doing it and it’s just great.

Nate: Welcome to episode 89 of the CPA exam experience podcast from SuperfastCPA. I’m Nate and in today’s interview, you’re going to hear me talk with Rodger.

I had a lot of fun talking with Rodger and what I like about his interview or I guess the one thing that I found really amusing was he was just honest about the fact that when he first saw our ads on YouTube for several weeks, he would ignore them, instantly click skip. He thought they were annoying.

And, uh, it was, it wasn’t until he watched one of our free training webinars and things started to really make sense. And he’d been struggling with the process and so I always say, you know, it’s, it’s the people that are kind of struggling with the process where these ideas will make the most sense to them because they are, they’re in it.

They are very aware of what they’re doing and they’re feeling like it’s not working. And when we can just help point them in the right direction a little bit and we mentioned some of those strategies or walk through some of those strategies on the free trainings, they make a lot of sense.

So in this interview, you will just hear Rodger’s progression from struggling in the beginning to what those specific breakthroughs were compared to what he was trying to do in his study process and where it’s gotten him at this point.

So before we get into the interview, I just want to mention two things. First, make sure to sign up for one of our free study training webinars if you have not watched one of those.

This interview with Rodger is just another example of pretty much everyone you’ve heard on these podcasts started by watching one of those free trainings. It’s the best place for you to get an in-depth overview of how our study strategies can be applied to your current review course and save you a ton of time and make every day of your study life much easier and much more effective.

You can do that on our main website at superfastcpa.com or in the description for this podcast episode or on the YouTube video.

The second thing would be to sign up for a free podcast giveaway. So each month we give away three pairs of Powerbeat Pro headphones to three random entries in the giveaway. The giveaway is completely free to enter whether you’re a SuperfastCPA customer or not.

You can do that at superfastcpa.com/enter or again down in the description whether it’s the YouTube video or the podcast episode.

So with that being said, let’s get into the interview with Rodger.

Nate: So, so where are you located? Was it central time?

Rodger: Uh, yeah, I’m in Chicago.

Nate: Nice. Yup. There is a lot of people.

I mean, it’s one of the biggest cities but what four out of the five interviews I’ve done in the last two days was from Chicago.

Rodger: Really? That’s awesome.

Nate: You know, I mean, you know anybody that uses SuperfastCPA or you found us on your own?

Rodger: Actually, I do not. I kind of, uh, kind of found out on my own to be honest with you.

Nate: Okay. Yeah. Cause two of them knew each other or one recommended it to the other one, so…

Rodger: Gotcha.

Nate: So you said you, “I use the study materials and the tips from the free videos. I only use the quizzes at first, then missed audit twice”.

Then you started using the audio and the notes and you feel like that kind of bridged the gap?

Rodger: Definitely. Absolutely.

Nate: Okay.

Rodger: I’m just kind of take you through that.

Rodger’s CPA Journey

Let’s, uh, let’s just start at the beginning. Like when you started studying for, when you started studying for the CPA, I’m assuming you got a review course and just kind of jumped in and how did that go from there?

Rodger: So, okay. So I did a, this was last January. So January 2021, I did an internship, an audit internship, in tax now but I’ll get to that. So did the internship, I was going to internship like the firm a lot. Decided to go with it and right away I knew. Just because I had friends at the firm, I knew to jump in the CPA right away.

My plan was, uh, you know, take the summer off, take the hit financially basically to try to get the head start because, you know, once it gets going, you know, it’s just really tough. It’s a lot tougher, basically. It’s doable obviously with, you know, your methods and everything, but, uh, it was just a lot tougher.

Rodger: So I jumped into it right away. It was like the end of April. I’d say, uh, I got, I started with BEC. I started BEC, my mindset behind that was okay. Like, these exams are really hard. I understand that and BEC pass rate was, you know, not for everybody is the easiest one. So it was okay. I’ll start with, you know, the easy one in quotes and then try to snowball from there and then try to take FAR, Audit, REG.

Those kind of my mindset. So BEC went pretty well. Right in be- from the get go though, I was, I had no idea what to do with the study process. I wish I could talk to myself than where I am now. But I was going very slow with it. I think for the whole month of, whole month of May, I only got through the first two chapters. And I had scheduled my exam for June 23rd and I kind of looked at the calendar that June 1st and I was like, oh man, like I am very, very behind.

So I kicked it into high gear.

Nate: So, sorry, just a-

Rodger: Sorry.

“The process was taking forever to get through lessons”

Nate: Could you just describe, uh, like when you say it was just taking forever, what was your actual, like, what would you do when you sat down to study?

Rodger: So I was just going through the basic, uh, basic thing, like watch the lecture, do the multiple choice, uh, do the SIMS and, you know, like read the chapter and everything like that.

And you know, from one and then that was kinda like what I was doing. And then I was just basically, when, you know, when I said kick it into high gear, I was just doing more, you know, just shoving a lot of the stuff in there. And then I basically, then I did the final, I used Becker. The firm provided Becker for us.

Then I gotten to the final review and then I took my first practice exam. I actually took my first practice exam after I finished the main book and I, I did not do well on like I don’t remember the percentage. I think it was around like a 50 but I was like, oh man, like, wait a minute. How don’t I know this, you know what I mean?

Rodger: I was like, I just, I read the whole book. I did all the lectures. I did this and I still don’t know what’s going on. And then I did a, I did the final review in a week. Took the next practice exam, uh, kinda like a 60. And I was like, oh my goodness, like what’s going on? And then, uh, I kind of, uh, I had to do, I was like, okay, I don’t know this.

I don’t know this stuff. I have to do my own little review. And the test was in about like maybe like five days. So I just was cramming in. I just started doing these multiple choice sessions. I haven’t even, I didn’t even really see your videos yet but it is basically kind of what you recommend it to.

Ups & downs of passing the first exam then failing the next

Rodger: Oh, I just started to do my own little, uh, like multiple choice sessions like over and over and over and over again. Finally the third and final practice exam and I was extremely happy. So BEC went, uh, smooth I ended up passing the first try, oh, with an 80. So then that boosted my confidence like too much. I was like, oh, you know, I got it.

You know what I mean? And then so that next month, July was just kind of a disaster for studying. It kind of started with my FAR book being delayed in shipping. So that kind of delayed my study, you know, like right when you take a test, like you’re ready to go. Like, I mean, I was at the peak efficiency for studying and everything.

I was feeling good. And then, you know, two weeks later, you know, it was the 4th of July and everything, oh, I could, I could push it back. I could push it back. You know, then that FAR book finally got there. And then I realized after, you know, you finished taking an exam, you feel really good, you know, when you’re going through that MC it’s, uh, you’re confident, like, oh, you’re getting them right.

“It’s kind of a defeating feeling…”

Rodger: You’re getting them right. But when you restart and then you start studying for a new exam like they’re kind of at square one again and it’s kind of a defeating feeling that I felt even till now, you know. Just re- like restarting an exam again, like you’re, you’re, you’re not that master anymore. It’s just a different mindset and you just got to realize that, you know, you just got to put in the work again, but, um.

So then FAR I took my time on it. I wanted to do it within two months. Like I wanted to do like July and then August, and take it at the end of August but I ended up taking it October 1st. I took some extra time just because I realized, you know, I was being a little lazy, uh, with the study process and I needed to extend my timeline.

So then, uh, this was now let’s jump to around like mid September. It’s about like two weeks away from my exam. It’s kind of the same deal but worse with, uh, the initial exams for, uh, the practice exams. I think I got like a 38 on my first FAR practice exam. Like two weeks out I’m like, oh no, like I am I’m, I’m terrified.

Right. And then, you know, another week goes by and I think I only increased the score by about like 5%. So like 43%. I was like, you know, I am, you know, kind of in desperation mode and that’s, that’s kind of when, um, I found that’s when I found the SuperfastCPA. And you know, honestly, I’m going to be completely honest.

I know you ask everyone, like, how’d you find it and everything. I found it through the advertisements on YouTube. And honestly, I was super like, you know, who is this guy? Like tested with three months, you know, skip, skip, skip them, these advertisements. Like, I don’t believe it. You know what I mean? But then, you know, I was kinda like defeated.

I was like, okay, fine. Like if this guy can do it, all right, let’s let’s, let’s do it. Then I spent, uh, you know, I looked into it. I was like, oh man, this guy is, this guy, is this guy’s spitting. I mean, like this guy’s talking about really well.

Some of Rodger’s First Study Breakthroughs

Nate: What was it, what was that, that you saw where you could hear some of like the actual strategies and they made sense to you?

Rodger: So it was when you were saying like, do the morning session or do the multiple choice sessions and kind of see where you’re at. Because that’s what I was doing with, uh, with BEC when I passed that one. Like that, that was kind of a similar thing. I just started, uh, really doing a lot of sets of multiple choice.

And I didn’t realize how effective that was to do like the overall thing for the re-review. It was your word re-review that kind of clicked. I was like, that’s what like “ding!”. Like light bulb, like that’s what I need to do. I need to re-review and that just I mean, you know what I mean? Like saying it now, it just sounds so silly but it was just such an important word and concept to realize that it’s like, okay, even if you do know this stuff like during the exam, I mean like, it’s just a crazy, I mean, you’re just so full of anxiety, so full of stress.

I mean, even the easy stuff just leaves you. So it’s really important not to miss those easy points. So that was the biggest, that was one of the biggest things right away. Boom. And then I watched the webinar, the one hour webinar and then I ended up purchasing the, uh, just the study materials. And it’s basically we could financially wise but I that’s what I could afford.

But I knew, just the quizzes. So I, I initially bought it just for the quizzes. Like I said, I think in that, yeah, kind of interesting. So that definitely helped because I was thinking, okay, like multiple choice. I need to do more multiple choice. I need more time in the day to do my multiple choice.

I think that definitely helps me with my FAR exam in the beginning. But I ended up, I ended up missing FAR by one point. I got a 74 after that first exam. Uh, man, that really defeated me. I actually thought I did worse on that one. So I wasn’t like too bummed out to say, even though I showed up and, uh, at this at the end of the day, like I shouldn’t have-

Nate: I mean, I get it cause like a 74, it’s literally on a different day. You might’ve got a 76, you know?

Rodger: Exactly. Yeah. That’s then yeah, I started getting into like, uh, I didn’t really realize, uh, how, like, I guess like the competition aspect works of it, you know, you’re really necessarily like literally competing against like the whole country. So uh, yeah, like you said, like a different day, it’s just a different score.

So I was, I was pretty bummed out about that one. So on that October 1st, that when I took FAR, it was the first day of like the testing window. I had no idea it was the first day of the testing window. So I didn’t find out until November 12th, I believe it was like-

Nate: That’s a long time.

Rodger: Yeah. So I didn’t, I realized that right when I took it, I was like, okay, when am I going to find out?

And I realized that I was like, oh no. So I start I tried to sneak audit in between, you know, October 1st and November 12th. And I think I took audit on November 14th the first time. And then, so I had three weeks before I started, uh, started up, uh, you know, that first year of public accounting.

So I did, uh, you know, I got the main book of audit done within those three weeks. It’s like six chapters and had like two chapters a week. And then I thought, okay, I’ll have three weeks to review. It’ll be good. That’s more than enough time. But then, you know, the training for work was just so much like right off the bat, it was, you know, constant everyday thing, you know, like just eight hour days.

From having all day to working + CPA study

Rodger: And that’s I went from like I said, taking summer off to now working and then I did implement the, uh, the 6:00 AM, uh, strategy. I was like, you know, how bad do you want it? You know, that, that was another key thing. So I’ve stuck with that since then, I wake up at 5:45 every day but so I started doing that and now that was just such a hard transition because I wasn’t used to it yet.

You know, I was just wasn’t, just wasn’t there yet. If I would have started doing that 6:00 AM from the beginning, I think I would’ve found success on this audit exam. So that audit exam came back I think I took it November 14th. That came back about a week and a half later. because I, I knew when to take it, you know, with the windows now but I, um,

Rodger: yeah, it wasn’t taken out the first day. So that came back about a week and a half later. I got a 71. So then, I just thought to myself. Okay. And then I took, so I decided which one I’m going to take next either FAR or audit. And then I decided to retake audit first because I took like two, like little mini practice exams, like what you recommended, if you fail an exam, it was like the two, uh, two, uh, MC, the two multiple choice sets.

And then, uh, uh, the SIM set was like the- within Becker. You can just make the practice one. So I did that, did better on, on audit. So I said, okay, I’m going to retake, audit again. And this one for all. And then I took about three weeks from, I think it was like a few days before Thanksgiving. So let’s say like the 22nd of November I found out and then I took it on like the 14th of December.

I took audit again. I didn’t find that one out until January. So January 10th, let’s say. And I unfortunately didn’t pass that one. I got in both times for audit, I thought I had passed. And I was using only the, uh, I was using like the SuperfastCPA, uh, like the multiple choice stuff. And I that’s where I was succeeding on the exams.

I could feel it. I was getting the, you know, you could tell you’re getting the harder and multiple choice. And I was like, okay. Yeah, I’m doing that. I’m doing it. And for I’d knew I was getting defeated, uh, for both FAR and audit that these exams were just the SIMS and that was basically on me for not going all through the, you know, just studying those more.

But yeah, so then this, uh, this last time I finally passed off, I finally passed FAR, I was so relieved to feel, uh, to get that one out of the way.

Nate: Oh, okay so you went from uh, you missed out at twice and then switched to FAR?

Rodger: Yup. Switched back to FAR. Yes. Which back to FAR because I did a, I bought both, you know, with the NTS said that audit than FAR. All I bought both of those at the same time. So, I had to kind of wait for that one to expire. I, I think I’m not really super certain how it still works but I just know that, I had FAR scheduled as well as audit at the same time. So I was starting from FAR all my, I believe I started right after that, uh, right after I took audit.

I started studying back for FAR but you know, that was around Christmas time and you know, like Christmas happened and then new year’s happened. So I did extend my task. I was supposed to take it the 12th of January but then I extended it to the 18th so we could get a Martin Luther king day off as well, the study a little bit more.

So I took it the day after Martin Luther king day. I think that was the 18th. And then I found success but then, so I only started using the audio notes. I don’t, I’m going to look at a calendar really quick. Like about two weeks before my FAR exam and I’m just honestly kicking myself for not starting that earlier.

I mean, so what I would do during those last two weeks, I mean, um, you know, I’m just, you know, grind and grind and grind and either like just the SuperfastCPA, uh, like, you know, five minute quizzes in the mean time or just, you know, the main study session mainly like with Becker and everything. But then I was just like

so I- I trouble going to sleep at night. I would like some really bad, like I would just stay up and I, you know, I was looking at, why am I not sleeping? And it’s like, well, you’re probably it’s because you’re staring at a screen for however many hours before bed. And I’m like that, that needs to change.

“I thought that was a total game changer…:

Rodger: So what I did was I just fired up the audio notes about an hour and a half, uh, two hours before bed. I kind of made it a little, a little routine. I’m kind of an athletic dude and I need to get more flexible. So I was like, okay, I’ll do like a stretch session with audio notes. So it was kind of like a yoga CPA type thing.

So that’s, I mean, it totally helps. I mean, just right before bed, just kind of chilling out, stretching CPA, like that was my routine for those last two weeks. And then when I paired it, I also I didn’t realize I didn’t even read the PDF notes that, uh, it’s what the service and I didn’t realize until about like, uh, like, you know, I started that two weeks then I didn’t realize the PDF notes go along with the audio notes.

I have no idea. This is just my own oversight. So I think that reading, I thought for me reading those PDF notes while listening to the audio notes changed it for me. I mean because yeah.

Nate: Well, uh, so I have heard that over and over and I’ve never, cause obviously I didn’t have my own notes and audios when I was studying. So I never thought of that but, uh, a lot of people have mentioned that.

And so I think we’re like a month or two away from kind of releasing like a new study tool that is going to be those that exact thing, just in one thing where it kind of highlights, you just kind of watch a video essentially and it goes through and it highlights the words as you’re hearing it. Yeah. It makes sense to engage.

Uh, cause another one of the things that I tell people is like a game changer. When you come up on something you keep missing or you struggle with to actually explain it back to yourself out loud, because kind of like engaging your voice while you think or something is, there’s something about that, and that’s kind of the same idea is yeah.

So anyways,

Rodger: 1000%. I totally agree with that. You know, like we’re not scientists, we’re CPAs, I’m trying to be a CPA. So I know there’s something there. I don’t know what it is, but it works for me. I recommend that to whoever’s listening. Uh, whoever’s going to be listening, uh, to try that out because I thought that was a total game changer.

Nate: So in the, in the current form, I don’t even know this. Uh, are you able to in the app start an audio and then go back out and open the notes?

Rodger: Yeah.

Nate: How did you actually do it?

Rodger: So, so when I would do it, I actually download it, uh, all the, uh, MP3s and then the PDF to my computer. And that’s how I would do it but it does work on the phone as well.

You can just kind of back out in the top left, I think, and then you can go into the PDF and just kind of read through it. But yeah, that’s kind of how I would do it. I would either do it on my computer or online or on my phone either or, you know, if I wanted to lay down, you know, after sitting in the chair all day or whatever, I just plopped on my bed and opened it up and either listened or listened and read at the same time.

Rodger: And I thought that was, I mean, not just locked it in for me because I have a, I guess I have a short attention span, you know, and just having the audio while reading it just, it just locks you in a little more because it’s like, okay, like they’re not stopping, like you’re not going to stop. You know what I mean?

That was kind of a, that was kind of how, there’s kind of how it works for me. And it was really beneficial because I mean, like, you know, I would read a page of like, you know, the Becker book and I’m like, okay, okay, I’ll check my phone really quick or something like that. I guess, you know, a little side note with the, uh,

with the, you know, the five minute quizzes, uh, through the SuperfastCPA. I would, uh, I would make sure, if I, if it wasn’t anything important on my phone, like a phone call or anything, if I was just going to go scroll social media, I would make sure to do a five minute quiz before because it was like, okay, if I have time to do this, I’ve, I’ve tried to do that.

So that was my, uh, that was kind of, a little rule. I, uh, I started to give myself like please don’t do it, but yeah. So that’s kind of, uh, how that helped, uh, definitely how it helped me. I’ve been recommending it to people like at my firm. I mean, a manager, I was just, I went to a client, I think this last Thursday with a manager and the CPA came up in the little small talk conversation.

And he was like, yeah, I have a senior man or a senior, uh, senior associate who needs some help like, what do you do? Or like, what, you know, you just passed FAR I told him, I just passed FAR. I was like, oh, well, this is what I did to just fill the gaps. I mean, like, you know, busy season is… busy, like we have to fill the gap.

“This has to be your life”

Rodger: I mean, that was just, it just made so much sense when I heard that initial webinar just about like, fill your gaps. Like this has to be what you want. Like this has to be your life. You know what I mean? I used to, I used to be the guy who would work out in the morning because I mean, I wanted to increase my physical performance, you know what I mean?

But you know what? I put that aside. That’s not Michael right now. I need to pass the CPA. So I’m going to study first in the morning. I didn’t, I didn’t necessarily realize how important it was to put it at the first, like first thing in the morning until I watched your videos until I watched the webinar or attended the webinar.

I really solidified that idea in my brain. I totally agree with it 100%. So I really want to thank you for that.

Nate: Yeah. Uh, yeah, it’s funny. All the way like your, your story or not your, not your story specifically but those, uh, the little points are pretty common like someone sees our- sees like the video ads and they’re just like annoyed and then eventually get to a point where, uh,

Rodger: I was like, “Fine”.

Nate: I need to, like, I need to have, I need to like start a new ad with like a clip of, like you saying that or something. Just somebody that’s honestly honest, like saying what the person’s thinking as they start to see the ad and just to point out yeah,

Rodger: That would, that would definitely, I think that would work.

Nate: I mean, I might, I might actually, I might actually do that because I have that I have that thought captured on several interviews where someone kind of said that same thing but I need to like experiment with that.

Definitely. Yeah. I mean, you’re free to use my voice, man.

Yeah and then yeah, the idea of, I mean, that’s literally why I created these study tools was studying from my phone was kind of like the big, uh, game changer just, just from a time perspective and then.

Nate: I dunno, I think I mentioned it on those free webinars but, uh, there’s this whole realm of what do you, like we were saying earlier, I have no idea of how to talk about this, uh, coherently but brain science or they, they researched learning, learning methods and, uh, there’s this whole thing called, like retrieval learning.

And they talk about how coming back in small chunks. And they mentioned that doing it in different forms, in different like your actual surroundings, there’s like a dramatic effect on your memory. So most people, you know, just study in the same spot and they do it once a day and then like, that’s it. But yeah from a time perspective, it makes sense to just use those little five minute chunks throughout your day or whenever you’re doing other stuff, like people run or jog, listen to the audio notes, you can just be racking up exposure, and then it turns out that

doing it in those different kinds of forms and little chunks seems to make this dramatic difference on your long-term memory.

“Just more exposure, the more you’ll know it”

Rodger: So, yeah, going back there, I going with that, I mean, I was just thinking about it as like, uh, you know, I, you know, we all memorized like songs, you know what I mean? And it’s just like, just, just from listening to them, we now we know the words, you know, and I was just like, okay, if I could just from listening to that, you know, it might not stick fully all the time.

But if I listen to these audio notes, know like how it’s separated by like the different chapters as well kinda like, you can kind of choose which one you want to do. And then like, it’s kind of like memorizing a song. Like you don’t want to just memorize the concepts. You want to be able to speak it back to yourself and make it make sense to you in your own words and everything.

But that definitely for me helps because I mean, just the exposure that’s, that was another thing I think in the webinar, just probably in the videos as well, really just, just, it just, just makes sense. You know, just more exposure, the more you’ll know it.

Nate: Right.

Rodger: You know what I mean? But it’s obviously not that apparent for people wasn’t that apparent for me on until I started doing more research and things like that.

“I wish I could talk to myself from last April…”

Rodger: Yeah. Like I said, right in the beginning of this, I mean, I just wish I could talk to myself from you know, last April. It was just like, Hey dude, like you need to do this, like do it this way. Like, don’t think like that anymore or think this way because this is way better basically for me. But, yeah, that’s, uh, that’s kind of where I’m at right now.

I’m just getting into my first busy season. So I am pretty swamped honestly. I’m taking my lunch break through a kind of do this talk with you. So I mean more than happy to do it but, but yeah, I mean, I just thinkand yeah, so, um, with where I’m going to do next. So you know, I’m in tax. So, you know, after, after April 15th, my schedule starts to dwindle down.

So I’m looking to retake audit revenge number three, uh, we’re looking to retake it around May maybe the end of May just to, uh, kinda give myself a good refresh period and make sure I get it down this time. And but in the meantime, I am doing the, you know, like I said, just with the Sup- like I’m really only using the SuperfastCPA, uh, materials, because that’s all I could-

Rodger: that’s all I could fit in right now. I can’t just, I can’t dedicate, or I guess I can super super on it but I care about sleep and everything else as well. So I mean just where I can, that’s what my study is right now. It’s not going to be concrete enough to obviously pass audit but, you know, it’s just because my hours right now are pretty, pretty crazy but I mean, yeah, that’s just kind of where I’m at with, with that.

And then I’ll probably, you know, fully start up REG for the first time. Just right after that, probably try to take it in the middle of July. I was kind of mapping it out but, that’s kind of where I’m kind of where I’m headed. So-

Preparing for FAR Retake

Nate: Yeah no, I mean, you’re in a, you’re in a good spot though cause you got a, uh, I mean you got low 70s twice on audit, right?

Rodger: Yep.

Nate: Did you ever see our, we have a video on how to do a retake or how to study. Have you seen that?

Rodger: Yeah. With the other two, uh-

Nate: Two set of 30, set of practice SIMS.

Rodger: Yup, that I do that. so, okay. I’ll go back to that. So when I was restarting for, uh, for FAR the past time, you know, I used up all mine, used to pull my practice exams. I’ve seen the questions already. I’m not gonna, I’m not that silly enough to think, “Oh, I’ll just take that again. If I get good. I’m good”.

Now I’m like I’ve seen the questions before, even if it was, you know, back in September, I, my brain will remember it vaguely and that’s, that’s just not what I want. I want it fresh. I want it random. So that’s what I would do to test myself every week before- before like the test day like every weekend I would do.

But I would just see my progress with that. I would do the, you know, the 30-30 and then the eight set of SIMS. And then I would average up my scores and everything. And I definitely saw improvement with that. So that’s what I would do because of, you know, my, my Becker exams that they gave, they were, they were used.

Rodger: So that’s what I would do in replace of that. And then just in general, I mean, that’s what I would do. I would, you mainly do just like a set of 30, if I was crunched for time, those during the weeks I would do like sets of 30 but then I would try to imitate the exams on these like practice test days.

Like I would even, uh, you know, in, in Illinois, like the mask mandates are still there so literally like yeah, mask up, put like, you know, headphones on, like they do at the Prometric centers, really try to imitate everything I could from these, uh, from the practice exams just so I could be in the mindset, you know. I would even try to like stress myself out as much as I would like, okay, this is it, this is test day you know, like I’m gonna try to do stuff like that.

Changing His Mindset and Setting Priorities

Rodger: I was kind of psychotic, but I mean like, like you say, how bad do you want it? You know what I mean? That’s kind of like, you know, every time it’s like every time I, uh, kind of have like a little bit of doubt or whatever, a little bit of mental weakness, it’s just, I hear your voice, honestly. It’s like, how bad do you want it? So I definitely thank you for kind of, uh, you know, giving me that little slogans, like how bad do you want it?

How bad do you want it? That’s that’s just kinda driving me through.

Nate: Yeah. Yeah. It’s funny. People, you know, everyone is trying to get the CPA originally to just all the career benefits, you know, financial and whatever. But once you get a few months into it, click, the only thing anyone cares about is just getting done.

And, uh, yeah, that was just by far my biggest driver was, I just want to get this done as soon as possible. So no more games on my phone. No ESPN. Yeah. If I’m going to like, look at my phone for five minutes, I’m going to do a quiz or like read review notes or whatever.

Rodger: Yeah, I, uh, I deleted literally every social media app on my phone over the course of my after, you know, getting the CPA or at getting your app.

I was like, I don’t need this. And then I started slowly, you know, Twitter’s gone, Instagram’s gone. You know, the rest of them, they’re all, they’re all gone from my phone. Every I had this one game I would play just gone. You know, I don’t need that anymore. Because at once, I would just pick it up and just start fiddling, you know what I mean?

It was kind of like a, I don’t even know what to call it, but yeah, that’s what I would do. But now, instead of that, I pick up, if I pick up my phone, you know, see a text message or something, I’m like, okay, quiz time. Quiz time it’s it was, it was hard to get into that. Like, this is not, it was not an easy habit to kind of get into just to do the quiz.

It took some time like of them, not like, I’m not saying I immediately did this because I don’t even remember, you know, it’s, it’s an unconscious thing, but now it’s, I’m pretty good about it still. So I’m pretty happy with that.

Nate: Well, and it, like, you clearly figured this out, but like for the, uh, the benefit of anyone listening to this, once we publish it, the, I try to tell people this, uh, I really should include a video with the, if someone only buys the study tools that just kind of points this out, but.

Using all three throughout your day at different times just is dramatically more effective than just using one. So you have little sessions of the audio at some point, little sessions of reading the notes. And if you can, like, like you said, so many people have told me that where they will listen while they read and just kind of follow along with my voice, I guess, while in the audios.

Rodger: Yep. Yeah. That’s exactly what I was doing. Another big thing that I forgot to mention was, excuse me. So I was unfortunate enough, you know, scheduling’s for batch exams for one ridiculous. I mean, I live in Chicago, you know, in the loop. And but the testing center in Chicago is always booked.

You have, unless you’re booking like two, maybe two, three months in advance. So, you know, scheduling all these past tasks, I had to go to Madison, Wisconsin. I was like, oh, I have to drive all the way.

Nate: Like I saw that you said you drove, drove, you drove two hours.

Rodger: Yeah. So, yeah. So, you know, I had to drive two hours to Madison, Wisconsin. And I’m like, ugh, like that’s, it’s kind of, you know, I wanna wanna like, man, I wish I could be studying in the morning instead of having to audio notes, like it fits so perfectly, you know.

I just put them right on, right from the beginning, you know, the first two hours or whatever. I think the FAR ones are like three hours but, you know, I kind of skipped around with the stronger sharper points. Just something I needed a quick review on quick.

I mean it just works. I mean, I really credit that right at the end. So, I mean, I want it scheduled on Madison now, you know, that’s kind of my thing. I’m like, oh, I get to sit, you know, two hours, you know, like I’m a big podcast guy usually. So like sitting, sitting and listening to one thing isn’t really foreign to me.

It might be for some people. So I mean, it’ll be an adjustment but for me, doing the notes like right that before, right before the exam locked in, only listening to that and the road it, something happened there. And I definitely, uh, I definitely think that was very beneficial for-

Nate: I need to send you a, I need to send you the video. One of our pro course videos is, uh, the 48 hour mega cram session. And I, I think I, I kind of like mentioned it maybe on some of these episodes or maybe even on the free training but it’s kind of the same format. The idea is like you you’ve set your test on a Monday if possible, so that you have Saturday and Sunday to just do this, you know, 12 hours, 12 hour days.

And then one of my main tips in that is to try to read our review notes all the way through three times in those last two days. And then if you can and it works out have like a late morning or afternoon test time to, uh, try to read them one more time. So three times total. But the two hour drive and essentially you probably could almost get through all of them, right? In two hours?

“That’s what matters. You live and learn…”

Rodger: Yeah. I think, I think the FAR one was like two and a half or three. I really can’t remember. I in an Excel thing, I kind of like looked at the time and kind of just ended it all up. But, but yeah, it’s, I mean, I, I think everything in that two hours but I mean, basically everything. And I think that really helped out because I mean, before I’m going to my audit, my last audit exam was in Madison as well.

I had this, I had the audio notes but I was, a “Ding dong” and decided to go on YouTube instead and listen to like a playlist of random videos. And it was just like, I literally had the audio notes, so, you know, you’ll live and learn. That’s what matters. You live and learn. And I am, uh, perpetually learning.

Nate: Yeah. Yeah. With low 70s in audit and then doing, not knowing what you know now. I would virtually guarantee you pass, you know, your, your audit retake this next time.

Rodger: I hope so.

Nate: And then REG you’re, you’re a tax guy. So that should be-

Rodger: That was the, uh, the mindset as well taking tax last, you know, we’re going to busy season under my belt and hopefully that’ll, I mean, I’m pretty sure it will have a little bit of correlation or a translation into a good test score at the end.

I was just hoping, and I know it is a, I guess they’ll pass wise one of the, you know, the higher ones but at the same time, I don’t really consider that when I’m studying for these. I studied for the same one. I’m like, “Ooh, this one’s easier”. I don’t, I can slide off a bit. I don’t think all. I think everyone’s a new challenge.

That’s kind of why I took BEC first honestly. I mean it was like, you know, the easiest in quotes but I, in college, I struggled with cost accounting. I, I was like, “Oh, man. Like I better get this one out of the way”.

Nate: I did not like it

Rodger: But I hated it. But again, once I, uh, I guess, you know, once I really sat down and like, you know, did like the process and everything, it wasn’t obviously it wasn’t that I passed the first time but, but yeah, everything with everything else I mean,

just, you know, FAR is just a different, was this a different animal. I realized studying for all these exams, it’s just different. Like each exam is a little different. Like you have to study for audit way differently. You have to study for FAR-

Nate: Right?

Rodger: Like you can zip through, uh, MC for audit because it’s just really, it’s just words.

Constant Use of SuperfastCPA Filled the Gaps in Rodger’s Day

Rodger: It’s kind of you can, I mean, I can answer some of the, most of the audit questions I was answering. I was trying to answer in less than 15 seconds, you know, but for FAR it’s like, okay, I can maybe get this one under three minutes. If I read it, know what I’m doing and start writing immediately, maybe I could get the answer in under three minutes.

So that was a pretty big, a pretty big gap for me. But again, it’s just, just realizing how to study for these, what to use and then, I mean, just the constant use of you know, the SuperfastCPA study tools. I think that definitely just filled the gaps. I mean, it’s really just, it allows me to fully dive into like all of just what I want to do.

I want to study as much as I can. And this allows me to do that. I mean, with an especially with like why I was so attracted in the beginning just to the, uh, the five minute quizzes was because like you say and what it really is, and I don’t know how like Becker, all these other programs haven’t caught onto this yet, it’s you made them so simple.

Using the App for Mini Quizzes

Rodger: You still get the concept but I don’t know how they’re not on that yet, but I don’t know. Maybe they need to watch some of your videos. You know what I mean? I think that is one of the, I mean it’s such a great part. And it’s so quick to get into the, like your app loads fast. You’re I mean, you could get 1, 2, 3, you’re taking- you’re taking the quiz 1, 2, 3, bang. And it’s not like the Becker app.

I mean, it’s not I’m going to bash on Becker. It’s a great service. I use it. You know what I mean? It’s my study tool. But there, I mean, take some notes from SuperfastCPA because you know, like it’s app is- it’s, it’s just, it’s more effective, you know. Maybe there’s this all more a little more bells and whistles and everything but I mean it’s, at the end of the day, I’m trying to take a quiz and I’m trying to fit it in with my two-minute break.

You know, if I-

Nate: Exactly.

Rodger: Shoot someone a message or an email, if I have a little bit of time that gets, you know, bang, you know. I’m on my phone, bang. I can take a quiz. So, I mean that’s just, it’s just great, honestly. So I really, I mean thank you for making the app and everything. I mean, it’s, it’s helped me a ton.

Nate: Yeah, man. It’s good to hear you. You’re giving me a lot of good soundbites. I’m going to be, uh, you’re probably going to see parts of your interview on some YouTube videos.

Rodger: Cool. I mean that’s that’s going to be pretty creepy,

Nate: but that was that’s exactly like you just summed up the, uh, the, the point behind our app. And sometimes there are people that when they first purchased and they’ll log in and like open the app and they’re like, why can’t I do this and this and this?

And I’m like, listen, if you want, like, if you want to goof around with all that stuff, like just go to your review course app. But I promise you as you start trying to use this every day, like you will appreciate the uh, cause the whole idea was that was Wiley’s app when I was studying, they just had a one button when you open the app to take five questions.

And I, and that was, it was awesome except they obviously had full strength questions in there. So it’s just not feasible. It’s like standing in line or like you said, if you’ve got three minutes and you want to just do five questions-

Rodger: Exactly. What am I going to do, bring out the notebook? Like come on now..

Nate: Switch to your calculator app and try to remember the number and go back.

Rodger: It’s like, no. Like no. Let’s make it simple like you did. I mean you’re, you’re using your noggin here. You’re using your brain. I mean, I don’t understand how these major calming major companies have not. I don’t know, whatever. I’m not, I don’t, I don’t mean to bash them.

They’re obviously great at what they do. They provide great service, you know, but, I th I think he figured out something that they happen and I think, yeah, I think you’re dominating in that, in that little field. I mean, and you’re excelling obviously. But yeah, I mean, uh, you said something, hold on. I was just trying to remember.

Oh yeah. So like just how people are kind of like, “Ooh, why can’t I choose which chapter? Which topic?”. Well, dude, that’s not the point. It’s like, that’s why like you get to pick and choose on the exam, you know? Like it’s like, it’s meant to be random. And that’s I heard, uh, I honestly had that thought as well, or it was like, oh, like I can’t pick and choose what I want to study.

And then I saw a video where you kind of explained it or I think it might’ve been on the webinar. One of your videos, something that’s all. It’s all one in my head but it’s just, uh, I mean, that’s just how it’s supposed to be. It’s supposed to be random. You’re supposed to be on your toes. You know, that’s, and I, I was like, oh, I like that. You know, it just, you know, more light bulbs, light bulbs everywhere, you know. Just, uh, so it’s all good stuff. I mean I really appreciate, um, all the tips and everything. I- I’m just so thankful to live in a time where I mean, information is just so available. I mean, my mom’s a CPA and she’s, you know, we always talked to her, she took it back and how I don’t even know, but when, you know, when it was only offered twice a year had to take it, you know, over two days.

And it was like, ridiculous as she passed her first try. She was, she’s a whiz, but you know, it’s just, it’s just such a different time. When she brought out her old so much she had her old exams, they don’t do that anymore, but she was like, “Oh, you know, this one like, oh, you think you’re smart now in this new age?”.

I’m like, okay, well I’m like chill out a lot has happened since. So I don’t know.

Nate: Yeah. I think about that comparison and it’s in a lot of areas like, uh, my, like my parents in their cooking growing up. This is like what you know, and then once you start being an adult and making stuff like in your first try, you can make like a roast better than your parents every did just by- because someone else that’s actually good at it has put a recipe online.

Rodger: Exactly.

Nate: Just that idea. If you’re just willing to kind of look or not assume. It’s everything you do has gotta be like from your own brain or whatever. There just people that have figured things out that can make things dramatically easy.

Rodger: Exactly.

That’s yeah. That’s what I’ve, uh, I mean, it’s just a concept that I’ve learned. Just I mean outside of the CPA. It’s like, okay, if this person’s succeeding at something that you want to do instead of a kind of, I don’t even know the word, instead of like shunning them and like kind of bashing them.

It’s like, you’d probably want to be their best friends and you kind of want to, you kind of want to know what they’re doing, kind of want to talk to them and like, you know what I mean? Like instead of resenting them, you want to like definitely talk to that kind of like that person’s like, “Hey, what are you doing?”.

Like, just something like that. I mean, that’s just kind of what I’ve been doing even with the people at my firm, you know what I mean? I’m just, you know, people who have passed theirs and we’re like, “Hey, how’s it going? You want to eat lunch?”.

Like something like that. Just pick their brain a little bit or just even people that cause a lot of people like associates, like a one year above me that started and they didn’t start, they didn’t have the luxury.

“I changed my whole life basically…”

Rodger: I mean, I’ve, I’m very privileged to be able to say that I started, I could take the summer off, you know, and not work and that’s a privilege and a half. and you know, there’s a lot of people in my firm that didn’t have that privilege though. They needed to work and they, you know, they’re behind on their study process or they have tests expiring and they’re, I mean, they’re just, they’re down, you know?

And just talking with them too and kind of just sharing, you know, I’m just like, hey like, look at this guy’s stuff, you get a good thing. You could do it in the times where you don’t even think he can study. You know, I’m just kind of, I’m trying to put, I am putting people onto the service as well because it’s just, I mean, I just think it works and it’s just great for, I mean, it’s one thing it’s like, how bad do you want it to like optimize your day?

Making Motivation a Habit

Rodger: I changed my whole, honestly I changed my whole life basically to Optimize my body and my mind just to be the best every day so I could study and not waste the day. Like, just from like the food I eat to like making sure I’m in bed by a certain time, whenever I’m gonna wake up and I try to get eight hours. It doesn’t always work.

You know, it’s hard. I don’t, I’m not perfect and nobody’s perfect but I’m definitely trying and I’m done, you know. And like, just like the food I eat, you know, I like meal, like a meal prepping now and just doing all this stuff making sure, okay. Maybe exercise is good but don’t go too hard cause then you’re, you’re like it’s body stress, you know, stuff like that.

Like just maybe like a quick little pump, you know, 30 minutes, 40 minutes on then, you know, back back to studying. But you know what I mean? It’s just, there’s just everything in life. I mean, I’ve really changed just because of this exam and it’s just, I mean, I’m, I’m blessed to be able to say that, uh, I’m doing it and it’s just great.

I, I. That’s another thing. I was like, well, it’s a ton of motivational videos. Like, I don’t know if you know like David Goggins says, but I love that guy. He’s so he’s a, he’s a little, he’s a hard out but I love him. But I watch David Goggins videos like every morning and just like, you know, Kobe Bryant, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah.

It’s just like, it’s just, it’s just incredible stuff. I mean, I just really changed my mindset to, uh, I mean cause it’s, I want this. I need to change because you know, three fields in a row. I mean, I was like, man, I gotta do something different. You know, I was just like and after that audit fail so I- I was going to tell myself, you know, I found out that I failed at the second time, that I, I found out that I failed out at the second time, uh, about a week before I took FAR the second time.

And then, I mean, instead of like. So then, then like those first two fails like that FAR, well I was like, “Oh, like, oh, I thought I did worse. Like not too bad. Like I got it, like smiles”. And then that autumn was like, oh man, like, you know, it’s still a 71, like not too bad. Now like this, this, the last audit fail was like, okay, I’m pissed..

Rodger: You know, and I kind of use, uh. I kind of used that, uh, just the energy. You know, I’m a big basketball fan and uh, you know, I’m from Chicago, DeMar DeRozen. He’s still really good right now., I don’t know if you’re a big basketball fan but, you know, he plays angry and you know, it was like anger, you know. He’s, he had a really rough upbringing and he was, you know, you get angry.

And he was like, yeah, it’s just free energy the more, that is free energy. I agree. So it’s a really hard on mindset and I’m not, you know, but it’s just, I mean, it’s what I had to do. It’s just how I have to do it. So that’s for me. I mean, I don’t know if anyone else. Uh, no, it needs to go that kind of crazy psychotic to pass the exams.

Rodger: Definitely actually, not people don’t not everyone does but if you’re probably listening to this podcast and you’re probably, I mean, you probably struggle with the exam. So I mean, that’s what I do. That’s what I had to do. I just had to change my mindset. I mean, like, no, it’s not okay to fail an exam. It’s not, I don’t, I’m pissed, I’m pissed.

Even if I failed by, you know, I got a 74 on FAR and I was like, happy, like, no, no, no, no, no, no. I bet you gotta be angry about that. It’s like, are you kidding? Like, so that was just the little things, you know, that just happened, you know, a month ago like I changed my mindset about that. So it’s just everything that’s like, like I said, every, every other week, I’m like, man, I wish I could tell myself that, you know, two weeks ago, even like three months ago, like time to get angry and you know, buckle down and get it done.

So yeah.

You have to “keep your head in the game”

Nate: You do, you, you have to keep your, uh, you have to like keep your head in the game at all times, even though if you nail the morning, you know. Part of the thing I try to point out to people is if you nail the morning study session then, and then you just do the little mini sessions, you can kind of let go of the pressure and you don’t have to dread sitting down after work and trying to study for hours after that.

But at the same time, you kind of always have to keep your head in the game like in the evenings, you know, you can, if you’ve nailed it for the day, you can take the evenings off and do normal things but you still can’t stay up till 2:00 AM messing around on your phone. Yeah. Everything, everything affects everything else while you’re trying to do something that’s this intense.

Rodger: Yep. I agree completely. It was a, and that is, that was probably the hardest thing to, uh, just the routine. I mean, I’m in a solid routine right now and I am, you know, I was as I said, I’m kinda more focused on the busy seasons. My first busy season, I want to kill it. You know, I want to, I want to show like the manager’s minds, everyone must peers that, you know, I’m, I’m a guy, you know what I mean?

Like you can come to me, I’m going to learn this stuff. And it’s, it’s kind of rough. I mean, it has been pretty rough on me so far. But at the same time, I mean, uh, it’s good that it’s rough, you know, I kind of liked the challenge and again, I’m blessed to be able to be challenged by something like this, you know?

Nate: And it’s easier to, it’s easier to like accept something challenging when you or sorry. It’s, it’s easier to do something that’s hard that takes like daily work when you just accept that it’s going to be hard. It’s going to, instead of like complaining about it or thinking, I’d rather be like, Hey, for the next, whatever, until this is done, like no more time-wasters on my phone or I’m not going to play video games or whatever it is.

And I quit playing video games. Uh, I always played Call of Duty and I quit playing video games for the CPA and I’ve just never gotten back to it because I just always feel like I got better stuff to do.

Rodger: Yeah, that’s exactly. I had literally had this feeling last night. I, uh, I’m a big computer gamer guy up on the League of Legends guy.

You know, so it’s a fun, it’s a fun game. I used to I mean I’m pretty good at it. I mean, I was really addicted when I’m playing. I’m like high school and everything but so I still like log into play to just a waste of time. But literally last night I was like, oh man, like I worked from home yesterday, had something to do during the day.

So I logged off a little early, didn’t have to commute home. I was like, oh man, I could, yeah, I could get a game, man. You know what I mean? Like, oh, this is kind of cool, you know? And then like, you know, the game’s over. It was like, it was like, man, like I’m not as satisfied as I used to be. This is just like, it was just like, man, why didn’t I study for audit. That’s exactly.

I was like, man, I was like, what the heck’s going on? So I totally, it’s not like playing videos is necessarily bad, but I mean like-

Nate: If you do it intentionally, like whatever your hobby is, it’s fine. You know, I don’t, I waste a ton of time and money playing golf, like, so it’s not like I’m productive 24/7. It’s just what you want to do.

Rodger: Yeah, exactly. Yeah, absolutely. Yeah. At the end of the day, I was like, man, I should’ve been studying for audit, cause you mean right after I passed FAR I was like, man, I want to keep going. You know what I mean? I was fired up. I was ready to broke down in tears in the office for like a quick five minutes. I was like, you know what I mean?

Cause I mean back in college. I mean, I struggled with like fi- I struggled in accounting. I mean, I didn’t graduate with the best like accounting GPA, decent normal GPA. But my accounting GPA was like, oh man, like, come on buddy. Like try a little harder. And you know, I didn’t, I didn’t really try that hard.

I just kind of coasted by and I mean, I’ve learned, I mean, not to bash on school or whatever thing, like go to college, it’s a great time. But, I learned way more from accounting and these past, however many months that’s studied for the CPA than the four years of college. So it’s crazy, man. It’s just, it’s just such a concept

just to wrap my head around still like, you know, It’s just some crazy stuff. I mean, yeah. It’s just like, I mean, I’ve just changed my life. I mean, because of the CPA and it’s a good thing. I mean, I’ve, I think it’s a great side. I mean, you know, and all my friends are like, man, like, you know, they’re like, Hey, let’s go out.

Rodger: You know, let’s go to the bars, you know, it’s it’s Friday, it’s Saturday. I’m like “Oh, man I’m studying”. Yeah. So especially like two weeks before the exam. I, I, I don’t, I mean, I just lock in that was, that’s kind of like a rule. I- I’m fortunate enough that two of my best friends, they also work at the same firm that I work at.

And like they were, you know, we all started basically at the same time for the CPAs would always bounce questions off each other. It’s like you going out? It’s like, no, I’m studying, okay, me too. So I definitely recommend, I mean like support groups. I mean, I know there’s a lot of them out there. I haven’t actually like, um,

Rodger: reached out to any of myself, just because I had my own, you know, I have, I had friends going through the CPA and it just multiple friends just from college that I kept up with, you know, I give them a call like, Hey, like, like what’s what tests are you studying for just a quick call. I mean, just to, I think just the, uh, just knowing that other people are struggling with this too.

I mean, it’s just, especially in the COVID environment. I mean, this is like an isolated task. I mean, this is really is just like a mind battle between yourself which is good but I mean, just knowing, I mean just like small little breaks you can give yourself to kind of talk to somebody else about it. You know, it makes it a little bit better.

And then even if you have a question, they can explain something to you. And that’s just, I just like the comradery of the exam as well, just in those little bits where you can kind of ask other people. I really recommend that stuff as well. So if they keep, they find a buddy, I just find someone like, maybe you don’t even like him that much, but if they’re they’re struggling what you’re struggling through and you can talk about that.

I mean, like, I think it’s highly beneficial. Yeah.

Nate: Yeah. And a lot of people, uh, I mean a lot of people mentioned this podcast because these interviews is that exact thing. And you just hear person after person, that’s kind of figured it out. There’s kind of like these main four or five things that they all do but they’ll do them differently

or, or somebody has their own way of doing one thing. And then that resonates with someone who hears it or just their life situations. I get emails from people are like, I love it when you have people on the podcast that have kids, because I have kids and this seems impossible or all things, you know?

Rodger: Yeah, definitely. That would definitely, yeah. Like resonate with someone about kids, like to hear someone who has kids doing the same thing that is huge for them, you know. Like that’s, that’s I could definitely see that being like super beneficial like just someone in the like, like a, like, a similar situation that you are hearing in their journey.

I mean, it’s just good. It’s just all good stuff. Yeah. Yeah.

Nate: Well, I appreciate you doing the call. It was a lot of fun to meet you and chat for a while

Rodger: of course Nate.

Study Tips for People Currently Studying

Nate: So the last question, uh, what, what would be your top two or three tips for somebody who is not just studying, but maybe like you were in your first, uh, your first few weeks of BEC, just kind of struggling with the process. What would the main tips?

Rodger: Okay, so number one, get a routine. I mean, that was the biggest thing for me. Just my routine now is great. I mean, I got into it. The faster you get into your routine, the easier it becomes.

Like it, it’s so hard in the beginning to just wake up and consistently do it, consistently do it. But I swear whenever you first start it, it gets so much easier. It’s not going to happen initially. And then two, I mean, never think that you’re done learning new tips, I guess. So like, like I said, like, it’s like, it was just I mean, what, what day is it?

It’s the 22nd so a little more, like, I would say a month and a half ago when I just found the audio notes. That’s insanity. So never think, never think that you’re too, like, never think your method’s like the best method. I mean, always be open to new things. Some things you try, maybe they won’t work for you, but at least you’re trying.

And I think that’s really good as well and then I guess number three, uh, let’s go, let’s just go back to the routine thing. I mean, just keep adding to your routine if you can. Like hone that routine down. Like maybe like, and I guess we can go back to point two is all like maybe try something new with your routine, you know, like, so it’s like first, set your plan up.

It’s always, my dad always says, he’s like, plan your work, work your plan. You know what I mean? So like try to try something out for like, for like two weeks or something, see how it’s working or maybe like a week. Like if you’re, you know, like it just reevaluate, just be conscious of your process, be conscious of how you are doing.

And I would say a good way to do that is your method of like the re-review or practice. Like make your own little practice exam, how’d you do? Are you doing good on it? Yes? Okay. Like what you’re doing is good. You want to do better? Okay. Maybe add some more stuff, try some more things out if you’re not doing too good.

All right. Now it’s literally clear as day. You need to change something. I guess I can end it that yeah.

Nate: And using the gaps in your day.

Rodger: Yeah, exactly. Yeah. Like that was absolutely a game changer just to use the gaps in the day. And just like you said, we’ll go back to it. I’ll say it a million times. Like how bad do you want it? How bad do you want it to be over around?

Nate: Right.

Rodger: That’s just where I’m at. And I, I mean, I definitely want it to be over. I love the process though. And that’s another thing, I guess like point four, I mean learn to love this process. Like we are very I mean, like it’s a privilege to be able to do this process.

I mean, there’s a lot of people in the world that I don’t even know what the CPA exam is you know what I mean? Like it’s like, they, I mean, we were so privileged just to be able to take this exam to better ourselves, to go through the grind of life that it’ll, it’ll make us better. It’ll make us harder. It’ll make it like, like I said, my whole life has changed for the better, I’m eating way better at my athletic performance way better.

I am so much smarter. I can, I recognize, you know, talking to peers, talking to managers like, oh, you know, I remember that from like, studying. Like, wow, that’s really cool. Actually. Like for me, it’s like, I don’t know. Just, I love- you gotta learn to love the process. Yeah. Just learn about the process because it’s just so, it’s so great at the end of the day.

I mean, we’re, we’re learning, we’re learning, we’re learning what a professional or becoming CPAs and I mean, it’s what we want it to do. So, I mean-

Nate: Have you ever read a “so good they can’t ignore you”? Have you heard of that?

Rodger: No, but I’ve definitely heard like, quotes like that.

Nate: He, he has a couple like bestselling books kind of in the business world but you’d, uh, you’d really like that. I mean, anyone listening I would, yeah. Or in the future listening, I would recommend that.

Rodger: Gotcha. I’ll save that one right now. Cool.

Nate: So that was the interview with Rodger. I’m sure you found that very helpful and informative. Like the other episodes, we got really into the details about specific strategies, what makes a study process work or not work. And once you have the effective strategies figured out, and they’re all a part of your daily process, how everything really comes together and it works incredibly well.

So again, if you haven’t yet, sign up for one of our free study training webinars. You can do that in the description of the video or the podcast episode or from our main site at superfastcpa.com.

And then you might as well sign up for our free podcast giveaway. You just enter that once and then your name and email is in there every month as we draw the three names to send the Powerbeat Pro headphones to.

And if you’re finding these episodes helpful, please take a second to share them with someone else that you know who’s working on their CPA exams because these interviews are the most helpful free resource available anywhere for people trying to figure out their own study process.

So thanks for listening or watching and we’ll see you on the next episode.