In this episode of the CPA Exam Experience Podcast, you’ll hear how Genevieve was able to pass the CPA exams after years of putting it off to focus on family and her career. She didn’t want her years of experience and know-how to be held back by her not being a CPA, so she recommitted to getting it around 2023.
You’ll hear how Genevieve was able to change her mindset to pass the CPA exam. Studying with the questions first really clicked with her and made all the difference in her process. She went from failing exams then giving up for years, to passing all four exams in 11 months total. She was even able to maintain her favorite hobby! This is a great interview, so make sure you listen all the way through.
IMPORTANT LINKS:
Master your study process by attending one of our free study training workshops:
https://www.superfastcpa.com/study-secrets/
Episode Timestamps
- 00:00 Genevieve Interview
- 03:36 Genevieve’s Initial Attempt at the CPA and Giving Up
- 05:23 Why Genevieve Decided to Pursue Her CPA
- 07:12 Why It Didn’t Work Before
- 08:49 What Pushed Her to Try Get Her CPA Again
- 10:29 Be More Flexible Studying for the CPA
- 11:17 You Should Have the Right Mindset for the CPA Exams
- 11:48 Deciding to Study Again with the Support of Your Loved Ones
- 13:59 Passed REG Before SuperfastCPA
- 15:05 Why Genevieve Thinks She Failed Studiying Before
- 16:23 Things That Made Sense from What She Found from SuperfastCPA
- 17:15 Suprised That She Passed REG in Busy Season
- 18:24 Studied Her Own Way, Not Following the Review Course
- 20:02 Never Liked Doing Flashcards But Still Wrote Down Things for Memoryc
- 20:52 Failed FAR the First Time But Stayed Positive
- 22:33 The CPA Exams Will Test Your Discipline
- 24:59 Genevieve Had to Make Things Work With the Short Timeline to Study
- 26:11 Read the Whole Book for FAR
- 27:50 CPA Exams Timeline
- 30:43 Daily Study Routine
- 34:02 Studying with a Physical Book
- 35:14 Consistent Studying to Keep Things Fresh
- 36:12 Accept That There’s No Easy Way to Hack Through the CPA Exams
- 37:56 Adopt Study Habits Where You Learn Best
- 41:19 Utilizing SuperfastCPA Study Tools
- 42:45 Took a Week Off for Her Final Cram and Resting the Day Before
- 45:02 Test Day Experience and Exam Scores
- 49:16 Used the MCQs to Understand the Sims
- 52:05 Why She Chose Gleim as A Review Course
- 53:30 Biggest Benefit Genevieve Got from SuperfastCPA
- 56:42 Cut Out All Distrations
- 58:45 Top Tips for People Still Struggling with the CPA Exams
Interview Transcript
Genevieve: [00:00:00] The other products with the audio notes, the review notes and the app, they supplement the review course and help you to fit in like if you’re really busy, if you’re a mom, if you’re a wife, you’re in a leadership position like, I like to tell people that I had all the reasons why somebody would say, oh, you’ve got too much going on, and so I was like, I’m not gonna feel sorry for myself.
Like, I would tell myself, you’re not the first in your situation and you’re not gonna be the last, so let’s go.
Logan: Welcome to another episode of the CPA Exam Experience podcast from SuperfastCPA. I’m Logan, and in today’s episode, you’re going to hear me talking to Genevieve.
Genevieve has a great story. She was somebody who, you know, back in 2007, she graduated in about 2009. She was able to start sitting for the exams, but then life got in the way.
She started having kids. She was a wife, she was a mother, she got a [00:01:00] job, and all of these things kind of got in the way so that every time she did try to sit for the exams, she was never fully prepared. She didn’t have the right mindset, she didn’t fully commit, and things were just too busy or too hard. So she tried to go for the same exam a couple times, multiple years apart, and ended up getting in the seventies without passing, and instead of continuing to go on, she would get frustrated and drop it for another few years.
And that all happened over the course of, you know, 14, 15 years. Then finally in 2023, she decided to go for it. She had been promoted to controller recently, and she wanted to make sure that she had the best opportunities that she could have.
She didn’t want to be the resume at the bottom of the pile because she didn’t have her CPA, so she was able to change her mindset, and that’s something that she talks about quite a bit, is the big difference from failing before and passing the exams in about 11 months, by the way, was mindset. Changing her mindset and believing she could do it and not wanting to give up no matter what happened.
Now [00:02:00] Genevieve has an awesome story. I think you’re gonna love it. Again, she was a wife, a mother, she was working full-time and she’d been out of school for a while and she was still able to pass the CPA exams. So a lot of people worry about that.
You can pass the CPA exams no matter the stage of your life. I just spoke to someone recently, and you’ll see this in a future podcast episode, who was 64 or 65 when he passed the CPA exams. So again, you can pass the CPA exams no matter where you are in your life.
Just before we dive into the episode with Genevieve, I just wanna give one more reminder about our SuperfastCPA training webinar on superfastcpa.com. Again, that is one hour, that is free. It’s a free one hour webinar where we will teach you the key ingredients to passing the CPA exam so you don’t waste months or even years of your time failing exams. And then after that, you’re going to want to learn more, so make sure you go check out becoming a SuperfastCPA PRO member. They get access to a lot of great stuff, including the PRO Member Forum.
The PRO Course where we go very in depth on how to pass the CPA exam. and PRO members also get access to our multiple choice question walkthrough videos that explain blueprint [00:03:00] tasks, task by task with multiple choice questions so that you can get extra understanding and get extra help with the things that you need help with.
So make sure you check out becoming a PRO member. And with all that outta the way, let’s dive into the interview with Genevieve.
Logan: So, good morning, Genevieve. Thanks for getting on the call with me today. Uh, I’m excited to talk to you. It’s been a little bit since you passed, is that right?
Genevieve: Yes, I passed at the end of 2023, so.
Logan: Okay. Okay. So sorry for the, for getting to you late, but I’m excited to talk to you about your journey.
Genevieve’s Initial Attempt at the CPA and Giving Up
Logan: So let’s kind of just like, what I always like to do is just kind of start at the beginning. So where were you, what were you doing when you decided to start going for the CPA? Like how did you get to that point?
Genevieve: That’s a good question. So my story is a little unique and that my journey was a long one, um, but not in the way that you would think.
So I graduated in 2007 and [00:04:00] shortly after, um, I got married in 2009 and I had kids and I went back and got, finished the hours to be eligible to sit in 2010. Um, so, or 2011, and so I think I attempted one exam at that point, and then had a baby, and then shortly had another one.
And I, um, I think it was about 2015, I said, okay, I’m gonna try this again, and was not successful. I, I took regulation, um, and got close. I think I made like a 72. And, you know, if I could go back and tell myself like how close I was, i, you know, would probably shake myself.
But at that time it was like, oh, well I, you know, I can’t do this. And so, yeah. Um, and then I tried to get, in 2018, I think I took REG again, um, and got very close again. I was 71 and, um, [00:05:00] was like, I, I got too much going on. I, I can’t do this. And my mindset wasn’t in the right place. And so I had resolved that I’m not doing this. Um, this is too much. I’m a wife, I’m a mom. I’m working full-time. I’m really busy. I’m not doing this. And my husband had said, oh, you’ll do it one day. Um, and I would get kind of mad at him and be like, no, I’m not doing this. I’m not putting myself through this.
Why Genevieve Decided to Pursue Her CPA
Genevieve: But what changed for me was in 2021, um, I was promoted to controller, very organically. And then I moved on to another role in 2022. And it was a spl, a split moment, I think in January, 2023, where I just very rashly decided that, you know what? I think I’m gonna do this. And the rationale behind it was that I didn’t ever want my resume to be at the bottom of a pile or me not be considered for a role that I’m [00:06:00] capable of doing because I’m not a CPA because I already made it to that controller level, um, without the CPA. And so I was like, I don’t ever wanna be constantly having to prove that.
Logan: Mm-hmm.
Genevieve: I can do this, um, I’m, you know, I know accounting without having it. And so it’s been really worth it in opening, um, doors for me in the last two years. So the journey was worth it, but it was, it was quite a journey. So I was like in the system as a candidate for like 15 years, um, before I became licensed.
Um, um, but I think when I like really decided I’m gonna do this, it took me 11 months.
Logan: Okay, so just to kind of like, summarize, summarize what happened. So 2007, and you, you’re, you’re talking about graduating with your master’s degree, is that right?
Genevieve: My bachelor’s. Yeah, I did
Logan: Then you got the extra credit hours later, okay. Okay. And then, uh, and [00:07:00] then, you know, off and on, tried fail, uh, failed some at some different times and you know, family, totally makes sense, you know, being a busy mom and a wife and working, but eventually decided to go for it.
Why It Didn’t Work Before
Logan: And so when you decided to go for it again, well actually, what was the difference do you think those other times, like before you committed at the beginning of 2023? Why do you think that the other times before that you just, it just didn’t work, or you just couldn’t make it stick, like, yeah. What was the difference, do you think?
Genevieve: it was a hundred percent mindset, a hundred percent mindset. Um, nothing drastically changed in my ability to understand accounting, right, between then, you know, ’cause I was much further away from having been in school, right, um, in 2023 when I decided. It was mindset. So I think, um, at that time I had a mindset of [00:08:00] like, you know, oh, I only made a 70 like, and what was crazy about that those times was I would open the book, I would start out all excited, I’m gonna do this, um, study all for a month and, you know, I’d scheduled the exam three months out, study so hard for a month and then, um, about six weeks in life would happen. And then I wouldn’t open the book for like, entire month before the exam.
And I would be like, I’m not gonna take it. I’m gonna fail. But I would go and I would sit for it because I paid for it.
Logan: Yeah.
Genevieve: I like, if I would’ve just thought like, you made a 72 without opening the book for the last month. Like what, what could happen if you’d actually opened it for like, the next, last four weeks?
Um, but I didn’t understand that at the time. I was like, yeah, I knew I couldn’t do this and so, even though I was so close.
What Pushed Her to Try Get Her CPA Again
Genevieve: Um, so when I decided to do it in 2023 was January, and what gave me that extra push of urgency, I guess, is that the two things happened. [00:09:00] Um, the exam was gonna change drastically in 2024. And so I, people were, you know, scores only came out four times a year.
And so, um, so I was like, if I’m gonna do this, I’m gonna give it everything I have right now. Um, and so it was a, it was a big mindset shift and I told myself like, I promised myself one thing, like to keep opening the book until the exam day.
Like, don’t drop the potato, just keep opening the book. And I wanna be able to give it everything I have and just see what happens.
There’s a quote that I like, um, that says like, focus on the process without becoming emotionally attached to the results. And it can apply to like a lot of different things in life. Um, but especially with the CPA exam, because we get really anxious like waiting for the exam scores or if am I studying enough? Um, or the fear [00:10:00] that, that I had this, if I put everything into studying and I still fail, then what?
Logan: Right.
Genevieve: But you know, the, what, what’s the opposite of that is if you don’t then you know, it’s, it’s that quote by Theodore Roosevelt that’s like, talks about being in the arena.
Like at least if I fail, I would have failed with giving everything I had and being able to walk away with satisfaction that, okay, I gave it everything that I had to give.
Be More Flexible Studying for the CPA
Genevieve: Um, so that is kind of what my mindset was or, you know, studying, even if it’s not perfect, you know you’re gonna be, it’s going to be messy.
It is like, as accountants, we try to be perfect like we make this schedule, like, I’m gonna wake up at four o’clock every day and I’m gonna study for this and I’m gonna get this done and I’m gonna get that done and I’m gonna get X, Y, Z and this, and if I, we don’t do it. If one day doesn’t go perfect, then oh, all goes hell.
I can’t do this anymore. So like, you gotta kind of change that [00:11:00] mindset and be more fluid, like water, okay, I didn’t get it in the morning, but I’ve gotta get it at night or during lunchtime or somewhere. I’ve gotta figure this out because, um, we can plan, but things are not always as predictable as what we like them to be.
You Should Have the Right Mindset for the CPA Exams
Genevieve: So I think, um, the difference between pre-2023 and 2023 was mindset, because I still had kids. I still, my, my job, still working in even more demanding because I was in a leadership role and I still am. Um, so it was a lot to balance and, um, I’d say like, I did it. I had a lot of support. Like my husband supported me, he pushed me to do it and told me like, you’re gonna do this one day? And I was like, no, I’m not. And I would get mad at him.
Deciding to Study Again with the Support of Your Loved Ones
Genevieve: But, um, when it, when I decided to do it, it was my idea. Um, and he was really supportive in, in helping with the kids and giving me the space to be able to study. And another thing [00:12:00] that helped me was, um, other people were making sacrifices to help me create this space. And I myself had to make sacrifices. Um, and I didn’t want those to be in vain, like, I, I wanted, if other people are making sacrifices and I’m making sacrifices, I have better make it worth it, um, to where I’ve left nothing on the table, right, and, and really knowing like my why.
Um, by the time I started studying, my kids were nine and 11. So they are very much, um, aware of what’s going on, what is mom doing, why is she’s studying, what is she doing? They’re not little tiny toddlers or babies anymore to like, have no idea what’s going on. So if, if I like say like, oh, I can’t do this, I’m gonna give up, like what message is that sending to them?
Logan: Mm-hmm.
Genevieve: At the same time, like my daughter was in, uh, I think she was in fifth and sixth [00:13:00] grade cause I did it all 2023 in January. And she was at the end of sixth grade in the beginning of, end of fifth grade, beginning of sixth grade which was a very interesting time.
Um, and she was taking like, um, advanced math. And so there would be times where I’d be studying and she’d come and Mom, I don’t understand this math, so I had to put down FAR whatever it is, and pick up whatever math and we’d be going through it. And so like, I’d, she’d get upset and be like, oh mom, I can’t, can’t do this. I’m not gonna do well on this test.
And she, she was just like me and getting upset like that. And so I would tell her like, well you’ve gotta, if you fall off that horse, you gotta get back on.
And so in my like telling her that, it’s like, okay, I have to
Logan: You’re reminding
Genevieve: Follow that too.
I can’t tell her and not do it. So I had to really be that, um, they, that held me accountable right? Like that held me accountable like where I, in a, at a higher level where I didn’t quite have that before.
Logan: Yeah.
Passed REG Before SuperfastCPA
Logan: So [00:14:00] your mindset changed and then, so at the beginning of 2023 what were you u like, at what point did you find SuperfastCPA? Like how did that all start?
Genevieve: So I think I, um, passed REG without it. So I started in, I think I sent my, um, but it’s not notice to schedule or they you a notice, but you apply to take the exam, whatever it’s called. Um, and I think I passed REG without it. And then I was like, okay, I’m gonna do FAR now. And so I, um, I think I, I don’t wanna say I got lucky with REG, um, because I did put in a lot of work, but I had taken it like three or four times before, even it was several years prior so I was a little bit more familiar with how it went. And so then I was going to tackle the big Goliath, um, which was FAR, ’cause I did, I wanted FAR to be, I wanted to do REG and get like a win under my belt to get that momentum going. And then I was like, I’m not leaving FAR for last because like, I’m not gonna be like passed all of them and then I’m [00:15:00] got FAR in front of me and then I’ve got a situation. So I was like, I wanna get that done and then I’ll be downhill.
Why Genevieve Thinks She Failed Studiying Before
Genevieve: So I found SuperfastCPA and um, watching the testimonial videos and I was like, okay, I think this will help. Um, and what helped me the most was, I think Nate has you take like a course, um, at the beginning where he’s like telling you, okay, here’s like some mindset work. Here’s how to study. And it was very validating for me because that’s how I studied in college. Um, doing the questions, practicing the questions over and over again. And I think I’d already like knew, um, instinctively to do that. Um, but I got distracted because there’s so much out there. There’s Facebook groups, there’s people on LinkedIn who will coach you for the CPA exam. There’s, you know, people on Facebook and Reddit and every CPA,
Logan: Say how to study too.
Genevieve: And the review in the review [00:16:00] courses say how to study too, and it’s very overwhelming. And I think that was what part of my issue was, like prior to me, like really locking in and getting focused in 2023, is that I get really overwhelmed with what to do and I felt like I, this is what I’m supposed to be doing because this is what the review courses say to do, even though it wasn’t like best fit for me.
Things That Made Sense from What She Found from SuperfastCPA
Genevieve: So when I watched Nate’s course and it was like, you just need to focus on the questions. You need to focus on, um, what you’re actually gonna be doing and learning the concepts, it was very like validating for me. Um, and I took it. I, I did a lot of what he did because it’s how I naturally like, liked to study. Um, but I took it a step further. Um, I was like, okay, I’m gonna, and, and I think it also taught me the mindset of like, where he said, you don’t need three months to study for an exam. I believed I did.
And I was like, oh no, there’s no way. That’s only for like those smart [00:17:00] people. Um, I can’t, I just sit there and study for six weeks for an exam and pass it.
Like, like what, what is this? I can’t do this. Um, so listening to that and hearing his story, I was like, okay, like maybe I should rethink this.
Suprised That She Passed REG in Busy Season
Genevieve: And so how that really helped me was like, okay, I think I got through REG. I think I started, scheduled it in January. I didn’t take it till April. So that’s like for, and I was like, oh, I’m gonna be in my busy season, you know, audit. I gotta get through the audit and year end and all of that stuff. I’m gonna be super busy, so I need all this time.
What happened was, I didn’t study like most of March because I was so busy with work, I didn’t study. So like the magic really happened in probably like the two weeks leading up to my exam where I like really locked in and like did what I had to do and, and like passed it.
So for FAR I still didn’t quite get it and I, um, I’ll tell you what I did. [00:18:00] I used Gleim and I was like, okay, I’m not buying this whole wi bells and whistles review course because I didn’t even trust myself if I was gonna like, follow through. I was like, I’m buying one section at a time and I’m just buying the book and the test bank and we’re like, if I can make it happen with this, then for the next one I’ll buy the bells and whistles review course.
Studied Her Own Way, Not Following the Review Course
Genevieve: So I did it with just the book and the test bank with REG. And for FAR, I bought the whole thing just for that one section and I quickly realized this is bs I can’t get through like all this is asking me to do. Like, it was stressing me out saying like, okay, um, you’ve gotta do this whole chapter and we’re gonna test like the, it timed you on how fast you went through.
I was like, no, like I’ve gotta learn this. I, to hell with the timer, I can’t, I can’t do this or the quiz. I mean, they were helpful. So I would like submit the whole thing unanswered and then go through each question and take one time and get a zero because the scores would really like, mess with me. [00:19:00] So I was like, okay, we’re not following the course.
And so I followed like, okay, like I’m gonna do this on my time and what I understand and I would actually open the book. And I, I said like, we’re gonna go back to college. We’re gonna go back old school and we’re gonna, like, I would open the book and go to like the hardest, most longest drawn out example. And I would copy it, then I would like cover up the answer and I would do it three times, or four times until I didn’t need the assistance of like, the answer anymore.
And like it’s quality over quantity cause you know, some people are like, oh, I’m doing 150 questions a day. I could never like, because I would take too long on each question cause I really wanna like, understand it. Understand why each one of them are wrong and you know, they can only ask you about the same concept so many different ways.
Logan: Mm-hmm.
Genevieve: But it’s critical to like, understand the concept. Um, so if you go through a million questions and you lightly understand it and you’re just like memorizing the questions, you [00:20:00] not memorizing the concept.
Never Liked Doing Flashcards But Still Wrote Down Things for Memoryc
Genevieve: So I would sit there and like go into like a retreat of like going through the, um, examples and writing them out and handwriting it out and. I don’t believe in flashcards. I know like, right, they used to flashcards, but like I, the concept, um, I would still do it. I would write out like, I’m not doing flashcards.
No, I’m not doing that. But I would take I think, the spirit of it and still write out and like Word document or Excel document in my own words, this is why this is, and this is why these answers are wrong. And so I would go back and read it, but I couldn’t sit there and do flashcards, but that’s me.
Um, but it’s, I think the spirit of it is like maybe taking the spirit of what he is saying and like making it work for you.
Failed FAR the First Time But Stayed Positive
Genevieve: And, um, so I failed FAR the first time. I gave myself like three months and FAR is a [00:21:00] lot to get through.
Um, it was a lot. It was
Logan: In 2023, it was, in Becker it was 10 sections. It was even bigger in 2023 than it is now. So yeah. You
Genevieve: So I took the big one, I the older one, the harder one.
Logan: Me too.
Genevieve: And so I, um, it was, it was a lot. And so I made a 68 the first time I took FAR, and so,
Logan: And was this with SuperfastCPA at that point?
Genevieve: I think I had already purchased it and I was like reading through the notes and I would listen to the audio and I would practice the, the questions on the, on my phone.
Um, but my mindset was different this And I was like, okay, if I hadn’t studied, I would not have gotten 68 points. I would’ve gotten 30 or who knows what. But like the 68 show, it shows progress that I did study something and I did get somewhere.
And so, um, I somehow took my exam on like a cutoff to where I had to wait a month to get it. [00:22:00] And I know that sounds like people from 2024 are gonna like try to crucify me for saying that. But in 2023, like scores were coming out every two to three weeks. So I had to wait a month to find out that I failed. And I was like, oh my gosh. And so this is now end of August and I’ve only passed one exam and I’ve got three ahead of me if I’m gonna finish this thing in 2023 to get ahead, you know, outside
Logan: To not have to worry about 2024.
Genevieve: To not have to worry about 2024. And I’ve already scheduled BEC in October.
The CPA Exams Will Test Your Discipline
Genevieve: So I was up against it and I was like, okay Nate, I can do this in four weeks or three weeks like you say, like, here’s the test, right? This where the, the rubber’s gonna meet the road. So I had a dilemma cause we’re at the end of August and I have BEC in two months and I failed FAR and I still haven’t taken audit. So like, what am I gonna do?
And all of the testing slots in the time I wanted to [00:23:00] take it, there were none available in Houston anymore. So I was like, what am I gonna do? So I was like, I could try to take both of them back to back at the end of October, or I could give myself four weeks to regroup for FAR, take it, and then give myself three weeks take for BEC. And I was like, this is crazy. I, like no, old me would’ve never like agreed to this and be like, no, there’s no way I’m gonna, I’m gonna succeed doing this. But I told myself, I was like, okay, if I was in college or at university, like they like to say, a professor would give you, these are, these are your final exams and you don’t have a choice.
You gotta get your act together and show up for those final exams, or you fail the, the course or whatever it is. And it is what I love about the CPA exam journey and how it kind of like carves you out of like a, you’re cut from a different cloth is like, it really tests like how accountable and how disciplined are you gonna be to [00:24:00] yourself.
Logan: Yep.
Genevieve: Because there’s no one,
Logan: Only to you.
Genevieve: It’s only to you. there’s no professor saying, here’s when your exam is. And you, because you can push it, you can cancel it, you cannot show up. And the only accountability is that it’s to yourself that you haven’t done it, right, or, or to whatever, it is up to you. There’s no outside force saying you gotta get this done or you fail, or the you are not gonna get your degree or you’re not gonna get whatever. It’s all up to you to, to like designate that timing. So I made myself my own professor and said, here’s when your exams are, figure it out.
And I like going back to the mindset of like, um, at least when I, if 2024 comes around, I’ll at least be able to say, I gave it everything I had. I left it all on the table and I gave it my best shot. I didn’t have no regrets whether I fail or not.
Genevieve Had to Make Things Work With the Short Timeline to Study
Genevieve: [00:25:00] So I scheduled FAR, um, outside of town. I, I drove an hour and a half, stayed overnight. I went to Texas A&M and took it and I went to University of Texas and we’re rivals, so I was like, that was thing, but we love each other, right. Um, my mom went with me, so there’s another, like, people making sacrifices for I like, if I’m gonna go out of town and bring my mom with me and stay overnight, I better make this work.
So, like, I, I locked in over the next four weeks, like my husband had to, was with my kids and you know, to, so people were making sacrifices for me. So I was like, you better lock in. And I gave it everything I had and I think two weeks later, like I didn’t even give myself time. Like I took FAR and immediately started on BEC.
I had 21 days for BEC, and I found out, like right in the middle of like studying for BEC, that I passed FAR.
Logan: Oh, that’s
Genevieve: And I was like, oh my gosh. And I was all like, at work and [00:26:00] crying and like my team, they were all, oh, yay. And then it’s like, okay, straighten up. We gotta go. Like we got, we got BEC like in 21 days. And I was like, it was crazy.
Read the Whole Book for FAR
Genevieve: And so I made a, um, little schedule for myself to help with the review course in their schedule. Like I made my own schedule. I’ve listed out the chapters in each book, in the book. I, I, know like a lot of advice out there will tell you, like, don’t read the book, just start with the questions. I cannot do that, for the most part.
Cause reading the, just the questions gave me anxiety when I didn’t have any context. And I was like, I, even if I just glossed over the book, it didn’t take a lot of time with it and just really went through a fast read of the chapter. I at least felt like I had some context, but like, doing the questions without any context, like it gave me anxiety so like, I, I couldn’t do that. So FAR, I read that entire book.
Logan: Wow.
Genevieve: Except for maybe some of the [00:27:00] chapters that I already like, had a strong hold on. I was like, I’m not about to read about certain things cause I already kind of knew them from real life. So, but, um, BEC I did not read the book cause I had three weeks and the material and content in it was more or less like, I felt like I could figure it out without reading it.
Logan: Hmm.
Genevieve: And I did because I, I passed it and I was like, oh my gosh. Like how I, wow, okay. I, did it.
Logan: BEC in three weeks. That’s awesome. What was your
Genevieve: I did it and I was like, um, and I surprised myself ’cause I was one of those people that’s like, I can’t do that. I need at least three months for each exam, okay. So I, but I just was like, let’s see what happens. Just don’t hold yourself to like a hard, okay, let’s just see what happens. Give it everything you have and let’s just see what happens.
CPA Exams Timeline
Genevieve: So that gave me, um, how long then I had an audit and so I, we go back to August. I had three exams and [00:28:00] only one pass, and then I had like three months to, um, pass the rest of them. So in August, I already had BEC scheduled. I scheduled FAR for end of September, and then as soon as I became eligible, I submitted the thing for audit to take in December.
So I had three exams scheduled and only one pass. And I was like, what, what the heck am I doing? Um, and so I passed FAR and um, took BEC and I had a little bit more time for audit and I read the entire book for audit be, I felt like I had to because, um, the wording is tricky and like, you’ve gotta know, like where I saw something that says like, this answer is right before another question for audit.
So, um, I really locked in. I had, I think I had four weeks, [00:29:00] I think I had, well, a little bit longer. Um, I took it December 15th I think, which was the very last day that you could take an exam before everything changed. The blackout. The very last day. And I was like, oh my gosh. So, and I found out, um, that I passed all of them the day after Christmas. That was
Logan: That’s awesome.
Genevieve: A nice call. It was a nice christmas and I was like, I still kind of can’t believe I did it after almost two years. I’m still like, I’m a CPA?
Logan: Yeah, when like really what you’re saying, like you really passed them. Like when you consider like, I mean you studied for like 11 months, but like the passing ones, you studied FAR for four weeks. You studied BEC for three weeks, you studied audit for four weeks. You studied REG for like three months. So like really it was only like, I don’t know, like seven months or something like that when [00:30:00] it’s like, well, I guess it was still the 11 months, but you know, like that’s really impressive that you pass them all, especially those last three in just a few weeks each.
That’s awesome.
Genevieve: Yeah. So I think like when I, for FAR I was studying from like May through July.
To get it at the end of July. I didn’t study any, I didn’t pick up a book between July and the end of August when I found out I failed. So I went from not picking up a book, nothing, cause I was like, I guess I’ll take a break and wait till I get my score. And when I found out I failed, I immediately got into action and was like, okay, four weeks we gotta do this. So I guess it’s, it is interesting cause I, like, I went from not studying anything for four weeks and then picking it right back up for four more weeks and was able to pass it.
Daily Study Routine
Logan: So throughout this whole process, we’ve kind of talked about your journey, about like the timelines and things like that, but I would like to know a bit more about what your studying looked like day to day. So like, did you study in the morning?
How long did you study? What did that, all that all look like?[00:31:00]
Genevieve: So I would say all of the above. Like I’ve, I’ve seen someone say like, you’ve gotta be fluid, like water and fill in wherever you can get it in. So I would have the best intentions to get up at 4:00 AM and study, and at a previous time in my life, I was probably really good at that, but at that time, and now I’m, I’m like less of a morning person as I used to be. So I would try and sometimes I would be successful getting up and studying early in the morning. Um, and sometimes I was successful and sometimes I wasn’t. Um, I didn’t like the backend constraint of like, oh, I’ve gotta go to work. Because if I was like, really locked into something and I’m like studying, it’s like I gotta get, I’ve gotta go.
I’ve gotta transition. I didn’t like the way that felt. Um, and then I would be up so early that like by noon and you’re like, okay, I need a nap, um.
Logan: Yeah.
Genevieve: But I did try and so I would say like, I was not able to study at work. My, my job was very demanding, but.[00:32:00]
Logan: And you’re about like mini sessions? When you say like you couldn’t study at work or, or just in general?
Genevieve: Um, I would go, like when I would drive to lunch, I was always had the audio on in my car, always listening to stuff, always, you know, I think it’s important that, um, one of the things that when we go back to mindset that really helped me and being able to get every little thing in is I used to think that those little mini sessions didn’t matter or it wasn’t enough to make an impact or move the needle. But it’s the, you know, the little things you do over and over, like it still takes a hundred pennies to make a dollar, right?
The little compounded things over and over that add up to something. Um, so adopting that mindset of like every little bit helps. It really does, because I remember, I don’t know what exam it was, but I, I, it could have been FAR, that there was a question and I, I was at the [00:33:00] exam taking it, and there was something that I remembered from the audio notes that helped me answer a question that was just like, embedded in my brain that I could remember like Nate’s voice oh, be, don’t ask me what it was.
I don’t remember. But, um, so just because I remember when I took FAR and when I made the 60, I, I didn’t feel like it was going well when I was taking it. I was like, but it, when I, I learned from taking it was that the questions were not so hard, that it was impossible.
I remember reading the questions and being like, the answers on the tip of my tongue, but I just don’t know it well enough to confidently answer this, but it was right there.
And I remember thinking like, if I’d have just pushed a little harder or taken an opportunity to fill up all, like being fluid, like wa water taking up all the little spaces, I probably would know the answer to these. So, um, [00:34:00] every little bit really does count.
Studying with a Physical Book
Genevieve: Um, and so I would, I had my book, the big textbook. I would bring it to work with me and I would carry it with me. It was like symbolic of, even though I, I was like, during lunch, if I have time, I’m gonna open it and I’m gonna do something. And what I would do when I say like, I read the books, well this is what my studying looked like, in Gleim’s books it was a chapter that you would read it and then it had like 20 questions at the end of each chapter, and this is like paper book.
Logan: This is in the book, okay.
Genevieve: In the book there would be like 20 review questions and that’s where I would start. I would read the chapter. And I would time myself to be like, okay, you only got an hour to read this chapter ’cause I could, you know, take forever.
And then like, you’re not being, because the questions are where you’re really gonna
like, knowledge, but I get anxious if I haven’t read the book. So, um, I would read as quickly as I could. And like I say, you have to be fluid like, I didn’t always read cause I didn’t read anything for BEC except for like, how do I answer this question [00:35:00] and I’d go find it. Um, and I would take the ques, I would answer the questions at the back of the book and I’d be like, okay, I’ve done this chapter. Then I would go to the test bank on the computer online and I would practice over and over.
Consistent Studying to Keep Things Fresh
Genevieve: And I think the idea that Nate talks about cumulative testing is so important. So important. And during those times when you’re like, I need to study, but I’m tired, I, I’m like, I, I’m done. If you even study the things that you know well. You’re not having to crack your brain open, it’s still helping, right? Or if you’re still reviewing things that you already have studied and you know the concepts pretty well, if you just go back and reread those notes that you already familiar with and save the brain breaking, like learning new concepts, work for when your brain is fresh and on the weekends.
And so that was kind of like what my strategy was like [00:36:00] I would practice, try to practice questions and do cumulative review during, throughout the week and, on the weekends be like, okay, we’re locking in. I really took advantage of the weekends.
Accept That There’s No Easy Way to Hack Through the CPA Exams
Genevieve: And I like, one thing I’ll say that, um, I had to learn and accept is that everybody wants to find that crack the code of how to make the CPA process studying for it easier or hack it. You, you’re not gonna hack. It’s gonna take work, it’s gonna take sacrifice. And, and once you like, accept that this is not gonna be easy by any means, but it’ll be worth it, and you just like, okay, I have to accept this, then it makes it easier knowing that this is not gonna be easy. There’s no secret. Like you have to work for it. Even if you’re just looking at the questions and it is gonna look like Greek to you until like, you’re like, okay, I understand. It’s gonna be messy. So, and you [00:37:00] have to give your, allow yourself to change your process depending on what you’re studying, because you may be stronger in one area than in another.
So you’ve gotta take a different, um, route to get there. You gotta take a different strategy. So like, somebody who works in tax is not gonna, you know, and that’s all they’ve ever done. It might be harder for them to do get through audit, where it’s a word plate, you know? Um, and I think also like, not comparing yourself to other people.
Like I knew someone who told me, like, it took me three tries to pass audit, and it was somebody that I really respect and look up to and I thought, oh, she’s so super smart. I give it to her three tries to do audit, it’s gonna take me like a million. And I passed it the first time. Um, so it’s, you know, don’t compare.
And it’s, yeah. So, um, I don’t know. I got off on a tangent.
Logan: No, it’s okay.
Adopt Study Habits Where You Learn Best
Logan: So, so kind of going [00:38:00] back to your, like studying kind of main, you tried studying in the mornings, but it kind of ended up just being the best time that you could each day. Was that always two hours or was that sometimes less, and then during that time, it sounds like you read the textbook and then would do the questions.
Is that, am I understanding that, that, that right?
Genevieve: To me, like I say, like I liked my old school method of what I did in college, right?
Like there was, we didn’t have, um, test banks like you have an exam and intermediate too. Like you had your book and you had a like maybe a practice book of questions to practice over and over. And I know I learn well like that. So, and that’s comfortable to me and I know that it works. So that’s what I did. And I was like, I’m gonna read this. And like for some of the hairy, nasty examples that like, or like ASC 842 lease accounting or like, oh my gosh, I would [00:39:00] just take the example of each of the different types and I would write out the example and why, I would write myself notes about why this is this and why this is that.
And then I would do it over and over again. Until I was like, I’m super comfortable. And then I would do that. Then when I would go to the questions, it would, it would, be easy
Logan: It would, it would click. Okay.
Genevieve: It would click. And I make my kids study like that too, when they’re, oh, I don’t understand this math. Okay, you’re gonna take this one question and you’re gonna do it five times without looking at, without getting help from your previous work, you’re gonna do it over and over again until like, it’s muscle memory where you, your brain knows what to do and understands the concepts.
And it’s, I learned that sort of like from this book that I read a long time ago called “A Mind for Numbers” and it talks about, um, how to learn those technical things, how to learn math basically. And, and accounting is like not the most complex, not calculus, but it’s math involved. But it’s a [00:40:00] technical, like in learning the concepts, like if you muscle memory, learning it over and over again, not memorizing the questions. But the concepts, you take the hairiest example in a book and do it over and over again. It’s really gonna like help you cause they can only ask a question so many ways, right?
Logan: Yeah, and, and you’re really getting at the heart of what we try to teach at SuperfastCPA, which is that, like you were saying before, that constant cumulative review, just constantly doing things over and over again. Seeing it over and over again. If you’re struggling with it, you take the time to dive into it.
But just that constant review makes it so that when, by the time you get to exam day, like you were talking about it, ha you have that muscle memory where you don’t have the questions memorized, or maybe you do, but more, more so you have the concepts memorized so that no matter what form you see it in, you will know, okay, I am, this is what it’s dealing with.
I know, I know what this is, you know, in my brain. [00:41:00] And so you know how to answer it. And so that a lot of what you’re seeing is really getting at the heart of that is just that constant way of making it make sense to yourself. So I really like what you’re saying.
And so when you, you, so you would do the textbook and the, and the questions and then you said that you listened to the audio notes a lot throughout the day as well.
Utilizing SuperfastCPA Study Tools
Logan: Um, what did, did you take mini quizzes? Did you ever use the review notes? What did those look like?
Genevieve: So the mini quizzes on the phone, um, on the app, I use those a lot, especially for FAR, BEC, like waiting in the doctor’s office. I would be on my phone taking the questions.
And, um, the, the test bank in there is not like, it’s, it’s really good because like you’ll see some of the similar questions. Um, and they’re light enough to where like you can do the math in your head or like it, um. It’s not like you’ve gotta sit out there with your phone and draw out like a bunch of stuff. But, um, I [00:42:00] really liked that was helpful is like, and when I’d be there, like, I’m exhausted. I don’t feel like I can go anymore today, but I need to try to do something. I would open the app and I would do the quizzes and if I’d be like, okay, I need to take a break at work.
Okay, I’m gonna open the app and I’m gonna do the quiz, like, quiz myself on, um, the concepts. And they, it really did help, I think. Especially with BEC, um, and audit. Um, it really helped those, the app and I would read through the notes. The notes really helped me, I think on, uh, FAR
Logan: Mm-hmm.
Genevieve: Um, reading through the notes, I would read through them, um, especially the second time I just was like, Hey, I’m gonna read through these one last time, like especially the week of the exam.
Took a Week Off for Her Final Cram and Resting the Day Before
Genevieve: So I would, the way that I did things, um, what I would take the week off before the exam, I would always schedule it like Friday or a Saturday, and I would like study the entire week, um, leading up to the [00:43:00] exam. And that I think like a lot of magic happens. And, and I think Nate talks about that, um,
Logan: Yeah, we talk about a 48 hour cram session. Yeah, saturday and the Sunday before you do that. Yeah.
Genevieve: Yeah. So I, I would pull it back to, I would always take my exams like on a Friday or Saturday, um, or Saturday. And so it was not 48 hours for me, it was more like
Logan: Whole week.
Genevieve: Yeah. The whole week or yeah.
Logan: So are you saying you took work off? Is that what you’re and then you, okay, okay. So you
Genevieve: I took work off and then I would take that whole week and I would study all day. And one thing I think I did learn like when I wasn’t successful at FAR was, my brain was really tired, because I pushed myself too hard. And so I think like stopping at the day before, like at, I don’t know, you know, everybody knows themselves, but you gotta give your brain time to rest.
Um, and I hadn’t done [00:44:00] that the day before so, um, for each next exam, I made sure to be like, okay, like, pencils down
Logan: Mm-hmm.
Genevieve: After a certain point so that you can let your brain go off and think about something else, and like, recover from that part of your brain, like going so hard. So I would, I would be like, pencils down after maybe noon the day before the exam.
Logan: Mm-hmm. Yeah. Yeah, that, and I do think that there’s something to be said about that, you know? We actually talk, I talk a lot about this a lot to some of my coaching clients. Like, you don’t wanna do an exam too quickly usually cause you don’t want, you wanna make sure you have time to prepare, but you also don’t wanna take too long cause that leads to burnout. And that’s kind of very similar to what you’re saying. Like you gotta, at some point you just gotta stop, let yourself kind of just, you, you’ve done what you can and then you, and then you go take the exam. And that’s kind of what you’re saying there’s, you know, you had had done all that studying and then you gave yourself a little bit of a break, like 12 hours or 18 [00:45:00] hours to just not have to worry about it.
Test Day Experience and Exam Scores
Logan: And what did it look like when you went into these exams? How, like, how did they go? Did you feel confident any of the times? Did you, like, how did you feel each time?
Genevieve: So that’s interesting cause like when I, um, took REG, I felt, you know, you feel confident in certain areas and maybe, oh, I didn’t get that question right. It can kind of like you’re thinking through and you know, who doesn’t go home and look up a answer to a question that you weren’t sure of.
Like, um, and that, you know, oh, I got it right, or, oh, I got it, you know, that can totally affect how you feel about it. After REG, I thought I did like, oh, I think, I think I did a great job and I made a 78 and I was a little disappointed ’cause I was like, I think I thought I did better than that. And then I had to like, kind of slap myself and be like, you passed.
Like that’s all that matters. Yeah.
Um, and for FAR I made a 68 And then after I came out of the time that I passed, I was like, okay, I, I [00:46:00] felt more confident. I felt like I definitely did better than the first time, but you still just never know, right.
So I made a 77 that second time and I was so excited. Um, I wasn’t mad. I was like with
Logan: Yeah, passed. Yeah.
Genevieve: I passed and, um, then with BEC I was like, okay, I feel like I, I think, I think I did it, you know, cause now like you’ve gotten a feel for how do I feel after exams compared to like, how do I, how I did? But you know, you’re never gonna come out and be like, oh, I know I passed.
Like, like, I think of you doing that. Maybe, I don’t know, taking a step, a few steps down or something. But, um, I mean, that may be the case for some people, but I, I was never like, oh, I absolutely know I passed. Like, I was hopeful. but I’ve seen, you know, you hear the stories of people are like, oh, I know I passed.
And then they made like a 42 and it’s like, what’s really going on? I’m like, um, so I was like, I don’t wanna be arrogant like that. And then like, oh, I’m coming for like a rude awakening. Um, but I would say I was hopeful. Like, [00:47:00] I felt like, okay, I think I did a good job, but still, like, we’ll see. And then after audit, um, because it’s so tricky. Like, I came out feeling like, oh, I think I, I remember telling like the proctor, um, because I like made her nervous cause I was like, this is my last one and like, it’s changing. And like, she was nervous for me when I came out and I was like, I think I did it. I think I did it. And she was like, oh, I’m so nervous for you.
And I was like, well, if you don’t see me back next year, then like, then I passed, yeah. Um, and I made a 78 on like, 78 was like my magic number. And, but I made a 77 on BAR, so it was all around the same. Um, I made a 78 on audit and I was like just so excited. I just wanted to pass on that one because it was very last exam, and the very last,
Logan: Chance
Genevieve: Uh, chance before everything changed. And so I was like, I’m still kind of like, when I think about it, like, like relive it. [00:48:00] I meant like my Christmas that year was like I was so nervous. I was like on the edge, like, oh my God. Like I couldn’t think about anything but waking up the next morning, I’m like, what if like this is the real Christmas present or you know?
But it ended up being a Christmas present. Like I woke my kids up. They thought like somebody was murdering me ’cause I was screaming so much. But it was, it’s a nice memory to think back on.
Logan: Yeah. That, yeah. That must have been tough to have to like be there on Christmas and be like I don’t actually know my score yet. I could, you know, uh, I, I remember, yeah, I was, I I was studying similar, I I was studying like the end of 2022 and the beginning of 2023, so, you know, kind of somewhere around the same, same time as you.
Um, but, and what did you score on BEC? Do you remember?
Genevieve: 78.
Logan: 70, oh yeah, so 78. 78. I, I actually, you know, and I have no shame in saying this either. Uh, I never [00:49:00] scored above an 80 on any of my exams. I got, uh, 78 on audit, 79 on far, 75 on bbc and a 79 on Reg. And, you know, I, but I passed them all. And that’s all that really matters and that’s all that really mattered for you and so that, I mean, that’s awesome.
Used the MCQs to Understand the Sims
Logan: Uh, I do actually have one more question. Before we maybe start wrapping up, cause I know you probably need to get to work. Uh, we haven’t really talked about sims at all. How did you have a strategy for studying sims? How did you, uh, study those?
Genevieve: I really focused a lot on them in multiple choice questions.
And for REG, I think I, I did like, you know, they give you that little report, it says like, where you were strong or weak or in certain areas and I was, the only exam that I was stronger on sims than MCQs was REG.
Logan: Oh wow.
Genevieve: Maybe cause I’ve taken it so many times. But, um, I, I think I went through some longer sim examples [00:50:00] on REG earlier through the study, my studying. For FAR, I feel like I probably should have done more, um, because there was some sims that I was like, I felt pretty confident on, and others were, I was like, oh, hail Mary, like, I have no idea or like, let me try this.
So, um, BEC they had the little thing about, but we had to write the little memos at, for that one. I didn’t try, didn’t practice that. I do that every day at work, so I’m not practicing that. And um, so I just did what I had to do for that. And I don’t remember what other BEC sims there were, but I don’t recall them being too bad. Audit, I feel like, oh, I probably should have practiced this more, but should I have? I mean, I passed, so.
Logan: Hey, you pass so it doesn’t,
Genevieve: So I would say like, I focused on MCQs in understanding the concepts, and I think that, you know, the sims can [00:51:00] be intimidating at first. Um, and I, I would suggest like practicing them just to get a feel for them in your review course.
Um, but I wouldn’t, you know, they, I think they can be really good for helping reinforce concepts. But, I would say, like I, what I did is I focused like probably 90% on MCQs.
Logan: Yeah.
Genevieve: It may be more. And I, like, I, the, in my very end, like the day before I’d be like, oh, I need to practice the sim. And I’d go out there and be like, okay, let me, let me try to get through one, at the last minute is what I would try to practice sims if I’m being honest.
But, um, I focused heavily on examples in the book and MCQs over and over again. I would only read the book like once. I didn’t go back to the book, reading it over and over. I would, I just had to get that context in my brain, um, because I would get anxious reading MCQs and not having any idea of what’s going on, for [00:52:00] certain concepts like if I have no familiarity with what’s going on, okay, I need to read the book.
Why She Chose Gleim as A Review Course
Genevieve: If I have some sort of familiarity where I can like navigate through the que the, because what I liked about Gleim was their answer choice, their explanations were very thorough. And I probably the same as said for any review course, but they’re, I really liked their explanations and I would take my time and go through each one of those explanations and understand why they’re all wrong and not just be like, okay, oh, I got that one wrong. I got that one wrong. Oh, it’s right because of this. Well, why are these other ones wrong?
And then you actually find yourself, when you’re on the CPA exam, when you’re going through the one, you’re, I’m not sure about this. That one’s wrong because of X, Y, Z. That one’s wrong because of whatever. You’re able, you’re able to get through it.
Logan: Yeah, and I actually think that that’s what you just mentioned is definitely a skill that, because it is a skill that [00:53:00] comes from practicing the multiple choice questions so much, you can, and I would say this confidently for every exam and especially for audit, if you can think your way through the different options, almost guaranteed, you’ll be able to find at least two of them that make no sense.
It’s there’s no way that that could be the right answer just because of your experience. So you can almost always narrow a question down to two answers, almost always. And that makes it a lot easier because of, because you’ve practiced so much. I really like what you were saying there.
Biggest Benefit Genevieve Got from SuperfastCPA
Logan: And to kind of start wrapping up, I have two last questions. First question, you know, we’ve probably talked somewhat about it throughout the interview, but to summarize, what would be the benefits that you got from SuperfastCPA? Like why do you think that helped your process?
Genevieve: Um, I think it helped my process for several ways. It helped me with the mindset. Um, I think that’s the biggest thing that a lot of folks struggle with is there’s so much out [00:54:00] there that is a distraction that, um, he really like, he really teaches you like how to get to the heart of how to study, especially if you’re struggling. Um, I, I know people who’ve watched all the lectures and done all the things and they’ve been successful and that good for them.
Um, but if you find yourself struggling, um, the way that he teaches you to study and the mindset is spot on. And the other products with the audio notes, the review notes and the app, they supplement the review course and help you to fit in like if you’re really busy, if you’re a mom, if you’re a wife, you’re in a leadership position like, I like to tell people that I had all the reasons why somebody would say, oh, you’ve got too much going on, and so I was like, I’m not gonna feel sorry for myself.
Like, I would tell myself, you’re not the first in your situation and you’re not gonna be the last, so let’s go. And, um, those products really [00:55:00] helped fill in being fluid like water where I have time, okay, I’m sitting in the doctor’s office, I can go through these questions on the app or I can pull up my note, the notes on PDF when I’m like, okay, I have had enough for work for right now, and I can read through them and reinforce that. In the car, we’re listening to the audio notes. I’m sorry, kids. We’re not listening now. Y’all
Logan: they, did they know as well as you did by the end?
Genevieve: Well my daughter, she, I’m like, I, I think she would be a good CPA and she’s like almost 14 and it’s on her list of like, possible profession. So here I am helping the pipeline right.
Um, and so I, I don’t wanna push it too much cause like sometimes they’ll like go against like what you’re suggesting
Logan: Well, if you want me to then no, I won’t.
Genevieve: Yeah, exactly. Exactly. So, um, yeah, we were listening to cash flow statement and, you know, all that kind of stuff in the car. Sorry. [00:56:00] Like I gotta get it in, fit it in wherever I can. So I think, um, those are the ways that SuperfastCPA really helped me, but definitely like the mindset was and how to study was like, really
Logan: yeah,
Genevieve: The biggest thing for me and was worth it for me.
Logan: I love it. And, and that is the hope that like, it’s not just the supplements, I would say. I would even say as I’ve been working for SuperfastCPA, the thing that I recommend to people more is the PRO course because that is where you really can change how you look at the exam, really, how you can understand how to study for the exam. And it seems like you really, uh, soaked that in.
Genevieve: Absolutely.
Cut Out All Distrations
Genevieve: And I will say like that, for what it’s worth, you know, I found, uh, Nate on YouTube or I don’t, I think maybe in the Reddit group somebody mentioned it and I did it, but I cut out all social media and I was not [00:57:00] on watching Netflix, what, during my time of studying, because we all have only so much on our plate that we can handle. And there’s Facebook groups for studying for the CPA exam. There’s countless stuff on LinkedIn or people are talking about different strategies and different coaches. And I think that it can be a huge distraction because there’s always gonna be a next best way that you something, oh, let me go try this. Oh, let me go try that. And you become a squirrel like that’s completely distracted and stuff.
So I cut like, and that was something that hindered me previously before 2023. So I was like, we’re locking in and I cut out all social media after I would like take an exam and I’d be like, okay, I’m gonna, I might like pop in, but I was not in any Facebook groups because you see people. I failed for the umpteenth time. I did this, or this happened, or I’m struggling with this, and it can be really discouraging.
Um, or if you [00:58:00] fail and you go on LinkedIn or you go on these Facebook or you see all these people, I passed. I passed, I passed, I passed. That can be really discouraging. I cut it out completely. Completely. And I was like, if I got a question, I know people in real life who’ve passed the CPA exam, I’ll ask them, right, like, but I cut out the distractions.
Logan: I love that. And I, like just talking about social media in general. I’m definitely a brick proponent of, I don’t even like social media at all, but specifically for the CPA exam, like it is just such a distraction, such a waste of time cause you, cause if you’re gonna be on your phone, we tell you turn your phone into a study tool, you know, uh, so I I love that you said that.
Top Tips for People Still Struggling with the CPA Exams
Logan: So it’s been awesome talking to Genevieve, and I’m going to ask you the last question that we always ask everyone, so it’s, even if it’s something we’ve already talked about in the podcast call, what would be your top two or three tips to somebody who’s still going through the [00:59:00] exams?
Genevieve: My top two or three tips, I’d say, um, mindset, um, focus on the process without becoming emotionally attached to the results. Every little bit counts. It takes, still takes a hundred pennies to get to a dollar, right? Um, so every little one, one of those pennies counts so there, there’s that. I’d say cut out distractions, get off of social media. Um, and the third one is take a realistic look at your life and what you can handle. And I’ll say like, we haven’t talked about this before, but, um, I am a hobby seamstress and a dress maker. And so, I did not, I should have worn one that made, but I did make this one. But you could see all of what I’ve made on social media, if you can find me. Um, so I, I’m a hobby dress maker and one of the things that I had to give up during my studying [01:00:00] was sewing as much as I like to. So it, it was a temporary sacrifice, but, you know, the journey is not easy, but it’s worth it. And so I would say like taking a really hard look at, you know, how bad do you want it?
Um, how is it gonna change, you know, the legacy for your family or your career or what doors it will open, which it has for me. Um, it doesn’t happen overnight, but within two years I can say that like a lot of doors have opened for me. So was the journey easy? No, not at all. But was it worth it? Absolutely. A hundred percent recommend.
Logan: 100% recommend. I love it. Uh, yeah, those are some fantastic tips, Genevieve, and you’ve given a lot of amazing advice and just a great story throughout today. So I’m so glad that we got to talk and congrats on being done, even though it was a little while ago. Congrats on being done.
Genevieve: I still knew every day, I’m a CPA.
Logan: it still feels great, right?
Yeah. You get [01:01:00] to have those letters at the end of your name. Uh, so yeah, I hope you have a great rest of your day and have a good day at work and, uh, talk to you later.
Genevieve: Thank you.
Logan: All right, that was the interview with Genevieve. I think it was an awesome one. Again, I love hearing stories of people who have been outta school for a while, you know, they’re busy, they have kids. They have a very demanding job, you know, these people who are obviously very busy. They can still pass the exams. And I thought Genevieve was an awesome example of that. And I loved that she was able to maintain her hobby throughout the process. And she did send me a picture, uh, afterwards of something that she had made, like one of the dresses that she had made.
So it’s just really cool to know that you can keep your hobbies, you can keep your family relationships. You don’t have to sacrifice everything to pass the CPA exams if you have the right strategies, and that’s what SuperfastCPA is about. So again, make sure you go check out our SuperfastCPA training webinar on superfastcpa.com.
We will teach you the key ingredients to passing the CPA exam. Make sure you [01:02:00] also check out becoming a SuperfastCPA PRO member to get access to all of our great materials that will help you know how to pass the CPA exam and help you pass the CPA exam.
Now before you go, if you liked the episode, make sure to like it and leave a comment in the YouTube video or leave a rating in your favorite podcast app.
I hope this was helpful, and I will see you in the next episode.
