How George Passed His CPA Exams

In this SuperfastCPA podcast episode, you’ll hear how George nailed down his study process and stayed focused and distraction-free by trading in his smartphone for a “dumbphone”.

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 Interview Edit
• 03:34 Getting Into Accounting
• 04:24 Deciding to Pursue the CPA
• 05:44 How He First Started Studying for the CPA Exams
• 07:30 Things That Happened Working for His Accounting Credits
• 09:37 Finding SuperfastCPA
• 11:49 The Difference It Made Implementing the SuperfastCPA Strategies
• 13:39 The Time It Took for Everything to Click
• 15:23 Presented a Timeline to Pursue the CPA and Passed Earlier Than Expected
• 17:12 Exams Timeline and Waiting for Score Results
• 19:35 Ditched His Smartphone to a Dumb Phone During the Whole Process
• 21:45 A Tip to Dumb Your iPhone During Your Study Process
• 24:44 Used the Audio Notes on Idle Times
• 26:18 Daily Study Routine
• 29:23 His After Work Experience Before SuperfastCPA
• 30:05 How He Got His Wife to Agree to Study with SuperfastCPA
• 31:28 Study Process for the Sims
• 33:17 Stuck to the Same Routine on Weekends and Never Took a Day Off
• 36:13 A Realization He Got With the Short Gap in His Test Dates
• 38:21 Gained Momentum, Built a Routine
• 39:33 Wife Probably Noticed a Difference With His Study and Expecting Another Baby
• 41:32 How George Tackled Difficult Topics
• 44:02 Scoring Around the 80s on His Re-Reviews
• 45:50 Felt Like It’s More Productive to Do Re-Reviews Than the Practice Exams
• 47:12 George’s Final Review Process
• 48:42 Scheduled His Exams on a Monday
• 50:18 Talks About Testday Anxiety
• 53:26 The Overall Benefits He Got from SuperfastCPA

Interview Transcript

George: [00:00:00] I watched your ad and found your all’s podcast. Um, and it took me a while to really get on board with it because again, I just thought it was just sort of a scam and didn’t think much of it. But then, and even when I like paid for the course, I like was waiting for the process and I’m just like, Oh gosh, did I really just get scammed?

Like I, I was just really hoping I was not, you know, this whole thing wasn’t a show, but quickly when I started doing it, I realized it was, um, you know, very much real. And I couldn’t understand why anyone else could be doing a different thing. Like, I don’t know how people do anything with studying like without Superfast, uh, just because it saves you so much time.

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 Nate and I talking to George.

Now George has an awesome story. He emailed us after he passed and he let [00:01:00] us know kind of his story. And that’s why we got him on the podcast. Cause again, it was awesome. He started out by first studying for the CMA and he did it the normal way, you know, watching all the lectures, doing all the questions, and it was really difficult.

Logan: And then he wanted to do the CPA exam, so he started doing that the normal way as well, and it was just really difficult for him. He was halfway through FAR, he’d been studying hours, he was watching all the lectures, and he told us he was about to resort to reading the textbook, and that’s when he found SuperfastCPA. He found the SuperfastCPA podcast and that kind of introduced him to the SuperfastCPA strategies. And from there, he slowly started implementing the strategies after purchasing SuperfastCPA.

And in this interview, you’ll see how amazing he did. He scored in the eighties for three of his exams, and a 93 on another one of his exams. So he did extremely well. He passed all of them in a very short amount of time and, he was working, he had a young child and they found out that his wife was expecting, which as I’ve mentioned before, is very frequently something that motivates people to work harder and to pass a little bit faster.

So again, he did incredible with passing the CPA [00:02:00] exams. And the thing I want to point out is he did all of this without a smartphone. He had a dumb phone at the time, so you know, he didn’t have access to the internet. He didn’t have access to all those things that you typically have access to on your phone.

He could only listen to audio notes that he put directly on his phone and he couldn’t access the mini quizzes, he couldn’t access the review notes. But he was dedicated and he still did many quizzes on superfastcpa.com and read the review notes as a PDF on his computer. So even though he didn’t have a smartphone, he was still able to make all these strategies happen. And as you can see with the scores I mentioned, and you’ll see throughout the rest of the interview, he did incredible and had incredible scores.

Logan: So this interview is a great one to show that no matter what your circumstances are, whether you like to use a smartphone or not, or if you’re busy with a new baby or not, again, no matter what your circumstances, you can pass the CPA exam with the right strategies and the right dedication.

Now, before we dive into the interview, I just want to make sure that everybody remembers to go to superfastcpa.com and sign up for our free one hour webinar training. Again, it’s one hour, it’s free, and we will teach you the key ingredients [00:03:00] to passing the CPA exam, so make sure you check that out.

Now, with all that, let’s dive straight into the interview with George.

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George: Sounds great. I’m in, uh, Kentucky, um, go Cards, by the way, Louisville, Kentucky, been here my entire life and, uh, plan to stay here hopefully, the rest of my life too.

Nate: Um, well, yeah, so have you listened to any of these other interviews? Do you have a good idea of how these go?

George: I have, I listened to maybe too many of them. My wife says, uh, I need to, stop listening to, them so much, even after I’ve passed, I’ve been listening. So yes, I’m pretty familiar with the layout and format.

Getting Into Accounting

Nate: Well, yeah, so, uh, let’s just go back to the beginning. What got you into accounting and what made you decide to do the CPA originally?

George: Yeah, sort of a long story but I’ll try to keep it short. Um, but I was initially in school for finance uh, got my finance bachelor’s degree and really found that it was really hard to get a job in finance, um, unless you wanted to do sales, which I did not want to do. Um, I [00:04:00] didn’t go to a target school. So, you know, my, my GPA was not great. It was a 2.8 so I really was not, not a great candidate for a lot of finance jobs.

So I kind of looked into accounting cause I heard that it was a good stable career path. And, um, you know, right before I graduated, I kind of, uh, decided to pivot into accounting and seek, uh, like a staff accountant role.

Deciding to Pursue the CPA

Nate: Awesome. And so after, so at that point, you just kind of realized starting that job that you should get the CPA, is that what happened?

George: Yeah. So early on, so that, that was like probably 2020. So that was during the pandemic, uh, kind of realized, you know, I should probably, yeah, get the CPA or I was looking at other certifications like the CFA and CFP, um, but the CPA just seemed a little more attainable. Um, So, but that was four years ago. So clearly a lot’s happened since then.

I didn’t go for it right away, uh, for a number of reasons, but, um, I switched jobs, [00:05:00] I had to take accounting courses to actually sit for the exam. Uh, because I had a finance degree, so I, I kind of put a wrench in my plan because I was like, Oh, I’ll just, you know, I’m single, don’t have much going on. I’ll just study for these exams now, but, um, come to figure out I have to take 30 credit hours to sit for it.

So I had to take all accounting classes, um, pretty much from the, from ground zero. Um, and then years later, I just finished my accounting classes at the beginning of this year. So it took me a long time to finish those because, you know, life got in the way. Uh, so a lot of things happened in between then.

So, um, you know, that, that really delayed it a lot. But, uh, finally was able to do it, obviously.

Logan: Yeah.

How He First Started Studying for the CPA Exams

Nate: So, uh, when you first started studying, just what did you do? Get a review course? I mean, what was your first few months of studying like?

George: Not fun. Uh, I really tried to do it the old way, because I had done the CMA, the certified management account, and so I [00:06:00] did that last year. Um, and did that, you know, watched all the videos, did all the questions, all the essays and everything that they told me to do, all the practice exams. Um, and so I figured I’d do the same thing with Becker and that’s the provider I use for audit, which is my first section. And so I went in, uh, you know, study in the morning, but also studied at night. Uh, did all the sims, all the MCQs, lecture videos, did every single thing. Uh, cause I, you know, I like to, you know, see the green check marks and get everything done. So in Becker, you know, they’re, they have an exam day ready thing, and I just was like, really focused on getting that.

Um, cause I was like, oh, if I fail then they’ll pay it, you know, pay it back. And, um, you know, so I really just wanted to get that done. So I just, I tried to do every single thing in Becker, uh, possible. So that was my first stab at studying and, you know, it went fine, obviously, because I did pass the first one, but it just took [00:07:00] so long.

Um, and it was very stressful. I was so mentally drained, um, you know, when I got home and um, it just felt way, you know, far too much for me, especially with a newborn at the time. I was like, well, I got to figure out a better way because I cannot do this three more times. I mean, four exams, that’s just crazy.

Logan: Yeah.

George: I just, just was weighing on me and, you know, my wife and obviously our son. So it just, I had to figure out a better way.

Things That Happened Working for His Accounting Credits

Logan: So I just want to kind of talk about that just for a second before we jump into when you found SuperfastCPA. So you, you mentioned you had a newborn, you know, in that time from 2020 till you passed audit. You know, you said a lot happened. You don’t have to, you know, say everything, but I’m assuming you got married cause, and then you had a newborn. Were you studying while you had the newborn, had your newborn son or it like what was that? Like that must I mean I’ve been through that So what yeah, what was that like? Yeah.

George: Yeah. So [00:08:00] again, not to go too long on this, but you know, I got my first job 2021 and accounting and then, um, took the classes where it gradually was getting experience in the industry. And then, uh, in the 2021, I met my, you know, now wife, um, and so that, not to say that that got in the way, but, you know, obviously my priority shifted greatly with that.

Um, and so then we got married in 2022 and then soon after, you know, she was pregnant, um, and we had our first, and then, uh, so just kind of, a lot of things happened in 2022 and 23 that really, um, you know, kind of slowed my class schedule down a little bit because I don’t like school at all. So it really was, I actually preferred studying than school. I can’t, I can’t stand doing the homework assignments and discussion board. So I’m glad that that’s over but, um, you know, that just took a long time for me.

Um, and regarding your newborn question, um, yeah, I mean that, that was [00:09:00] tricky, uh, for sure. Uh, you know, I, I’ve got to credit my wife for her patience and endurance during that time because he was getting up every three hours.

Pretty much from from birth until 10 months. So, um, and, and she would get up with him. Like I, I rarely ever got up. And so she was doing that. Um, she was keeping track of all of his meals and all his other, all these other things that just would have really, you know, been a burden to me as far as my studying goes.

So she really took up a lot for me. And so I, I don’t know how I could have done it without her.

Logan: Yeah.

George: Uh, for sure. Yeah.

Finding SuperfastCPA

Logan: And that kind of brings that back to your point of before you found SuperfastCPA you’re like, how could I possibly do this? Because you know, you’re both going through a lot and you’ve, you’d only taken one exam. So like, how are you going to do that with three exams, three more exams?

So I can understand why you started looking. So when did you find SuperfastCPA? Like how did that happen? And what was that story?

George: Yeah, so I actually [00:10:00] found you all back in 2020. Uh, or maybe even after that, but I was thinking about doing the CPA then, and I was like, Oh, this, this seems a little gimmicky. It doesn’t, you know, I’m not sure if this really works. Like, how do you, how can you study only two hours a day and get it done? Um, it really didn’t make sense to me.

But three years later, I watched your ad and found your all’s podcast. Um, and it took me a while to really on board with it because again, I just thought it was just sort of a scam and didn’t think much of it. But then, and even when I like paid for the course, I like was waiting for the process and I’m just like, Oh gosh, did I really just get scammed?

Like I, I was just really hoping I was not, you know, this whole thing wasn’t a show, but quickly when I started doing it, I realized it was, um, you know, very much real. And I couldn’t understand why anyone else could be doing a different thing. Like, I don’t know how people do anything with studying like without Superfast, uh, just because it saves you so much time. [00:11:00]

Uh, so now I’m like, I’m the biggest believer and the biggest promoter of it to all my peers. So, uh, you know, I, I’m glad I found it for sure.

Nate: That’s awesome. Yeah, the, the story arc is interesting because you did pass, you know, your first section and we’ve heard that a decent amount, you know, usually someone either, I guess there’s basically three things. Like someone either finds us first thing in their process and they watch our webinar and it makes sense and they just follow it and do it and pass.

Or it’s someone that struggled for years, finds our ads eventually and, you know, comes in that way. Or your, your story arc, which I almost like the best because you passed, but you’re like, okay, everything that took, I can’t do that three more times. Um, yeah, it’s just interesting.

The Difference It Made Implementing the SuperfastCPA Strategies

Nate: So, so once you got our PRO course, I’m assuming, or watch the videos or whatever, and changed your strategies, what were the biggest differences in [00:12:00] how you studied versus the, uh, your first time on audit?

George: Yeah, so I found it a little bit into FAR, and so I was done with the first unit. And so, um, again, my old methods, I would just watch the videos and do all the questions and try to do it all very systematically, um, like how they preach it in Becker. Um, but then there was one unit or one section, I forgot, it might have been EPS or, uh, something with equity. And I was like, this is awful. I’m like getting terrible scores on multiple choice. These lectures are two hours long, like per module. And I was just like, this is, like just crazy. Um, and I was like reading the book, which I don’t ever read the book. So like, I was like really desperate to like find an answer.

So that’s when I found you all, uh, because I was like, there’s just, you know, gotta be a better way. And, um, you know, during that, during the beginning parts of FAR, uh, that’s when I started implementing the, uh, you know, the tools and I listened to the podcasts, um, I watched your [00:13:00] free training webinar, um, and I also purchased your, um, you review materials like the, uh, notes and the lectures and the quick or the quick mini quizzes. Um, I purchased all that and then started implementing that right away, uh, pretty much. Uh, cause I just knew that was the better way for sure. Just from hearing other people’s testimonies, which really helped a lot help validate what your all’s methods were hearing so many other people and their different, you know, um, struggles, but how it was all pretty much answered through your all’s, um, you know, material and methods.

Nate: Okay.

The Time It Took for Everything to Click

Nate: And so when you started using everything, studying differently, And like you said a minute ago, at first even you were like, I’m still not sure I, you know, buy this. So how long did it take for that to click where you’re like, okay, this is working better in less time type thing.

George: Yeah, I feel like it took a couple of weeks, uh, [00:14:00] cause again, I was in the middle of FAR so, some of the concepts there are just really tricky. So I was like, you know, I’m not watching the lecture videos. I’m not, you know, uh, reading the book. So it’s like, I don’t really understand what I’m doing when I do these questions, but you know, eventually I started to, first of all, figure out how to answer them better. Cause I was really trying to figure it out in my head and really read the explanation. And I went in with no, no ego, no expectation. So it was just like going in like, you know, with a clean slate in my head, like, all right, I just want to tackle these and I have no expectation to get all them rights, which is what I used to have, that’s why I was so frustrating.

So, um, you know, it took me a while to sort of see those results and really believe in the process, but what really sealed it for me was the re-review because that really, you know, the daily 30 questions, you know, refresher is, was just so big, um, because I think with all your, you know, uh, methods, I don’t think it could be [00:15:00] possible without the refresher because you just got to keep reviewing, whether that’s the 30 MCQs or the, you know, uh, review notes and other things.

Um, I just, I think that was a really made it real to me seeing those results and the hard numbers of my percentages going up and up and my understanding as well.

Logan: Yeah, you could see the tangible improvement.

Presented a Timeline to Pursue the CPA and Passed Earlier Than Expected

Logan: Um, so, so with that, you see that you start seeing the improvement. How long did you study for audit to be able to pass it? You know, cause you did everything and then compare that to the other exams. Were you able to accelerate your timeline? Like what was the difference as far as timing from there?

George: Yeah. So funny story, uh, to convince my wife to let me take the CPA, I had to present to her my, uh, what I was going to do. And so I presented her a timeline of when I was expecting to finish it, you know, after taking the classes and doing the tests. And so I was expecting to finish it by next July. [00:16:00] So it was over a year from now. Uh, so, you know, kind of answer your question. I was planning on doing, you know, two to three months per exam. I think I was even doing three to four months for FAR. Um, so I was really, really stretching it out and taking breaks and, you know, just really, really stretching all those tests out. Um, but in the end, you know, audit took me two months and then FAR again, what would it take me three to four, but I did it in a month and a half. And then REG and ISC took me a month or less each. So I really tried to shrink that timeline almost in half, probably more. Um, just because I was, as I took them, I’m like, man, I don’t need all that time. Like I don’t need to, you know, really elongate it. Cause I knew people who were, you know, studying with me or my coworkers who were doing it that were really taking their time.

And I was as I was studying with your awesome method, I was just like, I feel like there’s just gotta be a better way. Like it doesn’t take that long, um, for me [00:17:00] anyway. And I’m, I’m no genius. So, you know, I just, as I was going along, it just felt easier and easier.

Nate: That’s awesome. That’s, that’s exactly how like, yeah, that’s great to hear.

Exams Timeline and Waiting for Score Results

Nate: And that’s really cool that you, uh, well, when did you finish? Like, when did you get your last passing score?

George: I got my last passing score two weeks ago. Um, so I took my last exam, uh, late July, uh, July 29th, so.

Nate: So, a year ahead of a

Logan: Almost two months later. Yeah. Yep. A year ahead.

George: March 25th is audit, my first exam and then July 29th was ISC, which is my last. Um, So, yeah, I mean, it would have been June of next year that I was planning on being done. So I can only imagine how awful my life would have been, uh, over the next year if I had, you know, waited that long.

Logan: so instead of, I think, sorry, I just like kind of think about what you, how you said that you were planning on like roughly like 12 to 18 months, something like that, but you did it in, I think if I’m doing the math right, [00:18:00] like six or seven months, is that right?

Nate: Which is amazing with these 2024 score releases. That’s been so annoying for people because it’s just so, different than how it used to be.

George: Yes, the, I think, I mean it was really hard to study for these and obviously to take them was hard, but I think the worst part was waiting because I, I’m not a very patient person. So I just wanted to know my results right away. Cause I knew that they were, you know, generated the second you had turned it in.

Like, you know, none of these are, fill in the blank, you know, uh, essay questions like the CMA, I mean, it’s all, you know, pretty much the system knows when you’re right or wrong. So I was like, why do I have to wait so long? and so I really tried to space it out in a way that I got my scores the quickest I could, which still was a month, at least a month for each one, but I really tried to space it out and just try to optimize that and not be waiting too long.

Logan: Did that mean that you were getting multiple scores at the same time? Like at least once you probably got two scores at the same [00:19:00] time. Is that right?

George: I got, uh, FAR and REG at the same time, which was quite a day, I will say. Um, cause you know, those are the first ones I did with your all’s method so I was like, you know, doubting myself. I was like, Oh, well, you know, did I really pass? Like maybe I’ve failed really badly. Like I just didn’t know, but seeing those two passing scores, I was like, Oh, well, this is the truth.

Like I, you know, that this works for sure.

Nate: That is cool.

Logan: This is the way.

Nate: Yeah.

George: Yes.

Logan: Maybe that’s too lame.

George: Yeah.

Logan: But um, well, I I, if it’s all right, I do have a question that I am very interested in asking you.

Ditched His Smartphone to a Dumb Phone During the Whole Process

Logan: So, you mentioned in your email slash in your post in the forum that you didn’t have a smartphone, right? This whole time as well, like, so not only did you pass in like six ish months, you didn’t have a smartphone.

So like, you don’t have to tell us all the reasons you don’t have it if you don’t want to, but yeah, I’m really curious to know like, what, like, you know, you had a dumb phone and how did you do it with all that? Yeah.

George: Honestly, I don’t even know. I think, uh, [00:20:00] you know, before I even started studying, I, you know, switched from an iPhone to a dumb phone and, um, you know, it was for a lot of reasons and really distractions is one of those reasons, uh, just because I, I was on my phone so much and I was on YouTube. I was on Twitch.

I was on all these, you know, nothing wrong with them, but it’s just, I was just so, so much time was taken in my day for those.

Logan: Mm hmm.

George: So my screen times were like eight to nine hours. So I was just, I was like, I was over it, so. That’s kind of one of the main reasons why I switched, but regarding, you know, this method, obviously one of the ways to do Superfast is to do it on your phone. Uh, so I really had to adapt. Uh, I did use my wife’s phone a couple times, you know, test day, I would have it, I would take her phone and I would like, you know, do all my stuff on there.

But yeah, I mean, most days I did not ever have access to it. So I had to go online to y’all’s website and do the mini quizzes on your website.

And then, you know, obviously do the PDFs that the review notes [00:21:00] on, um, on my computer and then the lecture audios I had to download and put on this dumb phone. And there was no fast for, you know, there was no, um, you know, speed thing or whatever you call it. I couldn’t increase the speed, the playback speed.

So I just, you know, not, not to say it was boring, but it just took a while to listen to all of it.

Logan: It’s okay. You can say it’s kind of boring.

George: Some of those REG where, yeah, I mean, you know, it, it’s tax. So you can’t really make it too exciting.

Nate: Mm hmm.

Logan: I actually have done, I’m, I’m actually quite interested in dumb phones just cause I feel the same way. Like I, I, I’ve never quite been to that, like, you know, eight hours or whatever on my phone, but I definitely have felt as the years have gone on, this just, tax of the phone like, I just feel like it’s always pulling me.

A Tip to Dumb Your iPhone During Your Study Process

Logan: So personally I’ve like, and I’m not preaching to the world saying you should do this, but I’ve like kind of made my iPhone into a dumb phone, but I’ve been very interested in like an actual dumb phone. What kind do you have? Do you like a light phone or something else? Or what do you [00:22:00] use?

George: So what’s funny is I actually have an iPhone now. So,

Logan: Okay.

George: I did have a, yeah, it was called the Light Phone.

Um,

Logan: Two, Light Phone two.

George: Yes, it was truly, I mean, there was nothing on there. Like, it was just bare bones. Texting on that thing was horrible. Like, um,

Logan: Cause it does have an E ink screen.

George: Yeah, it’s it’s really and it’s really small. So again, it’s really in this could be a, you know, a tip for other people, you know, just, know, get off your phone unless you’re using it for study methods.

But like, man, it’s just so distracting and it’s just waste so much time, especially when you’re studying for an exam like this. Like, um, I just can only imagine because for the CMA, I had my phone, you know, fully, I just remember like, you know, watching so much YouTube just cause I was so bored and like, you know, going down rabbit holes and watching stuff where it’s like, well, I’m even watching this.

I just don’t want to study. I’m using this as an excuse.

So I just think that, um, if anyone can, I would recommend them either getting a dumb phone or dumbing their iPhone down or something.[00:23:00]

Logan: I’m a, I’m an advocate for that.

Nate: Yeah, deleting all the apps. I mean, that’s how, that’s how I had the idea of just studying from your phone could be so valuable, cause I was, even when I started working in public, uh, I just realized that I was reading, like, the entirety of ESPN, like, once a day. Just in these five and ten minute chunks constantly.

And that’s where I was like, okay, I could be like studying. Cause I hate this, I want to get these over with as quickly as possible. And so I just switched all my phone time to study time and yeah, anyways, so.

So, uh, what made you switch back to the iPhone now?

George: I don’t really know. I think, you know, this is going to sound crazy, but it’s actually cheaper to switch back. Cause you know, my, my iPhone, I had it obviously paid off. So with the light phone, you got to pay 30 a month. And so I was like, well, I want to, you know, lower that rate. So we switched, switched to a different provider and I pay like half of that.

So really it was like a financial decision [00:24:00] over anything, but also I was like, well, now that I have gone without it for a year, you know, I’ve dumbed it down, as you said, Logan. So I’ve tried to find a way to like, make it, you know, less, um, smart, I guess. Um, but you know, I just figured I can still, I can get by with it now. And I feel like. I’ve done my time.

Nate: Yeah.

Logan: Yeah, This isn’t, this not like an, this is not an ad for Light Phone or whatever. I just think, but just in general, like, I think that simplifying your phone, whether in general or at least for studying for the exam, it will, because turning it into a tool instead of turning it, instead of letting it be a distraction, you know, uh, anyway, I was very curious to talk to you about that. Cause that’s something that I think about a lot. So I liked that. I like what you said there.

Used the Audio Notes on Idle Times

Logan: Uh, so did, were you able to do, you did, you, you were only able to do mini quizzes typically on the computer then. So when you were away from work, you pretty much audio notes was kind of the go to I’m guessing. Is that right?

George: [00:25:00] Right. Yeah. So just listen to them in the car on my commute, or, you know, when I went on a run or, you know, mow the lawn or something, uh.

Logan: Yeah.

George: Really tried to find, yeah, because I just, I wasn’t able to do it as often. So I really tried to use my time, you know, when I idle time to just listen to stuff, I really tried to keep it just to the lecture notes. Um, just because I wasn’t able to, like when I’m at home with my wife and son, I just, I couldn’t do it then. I mean, it’s just, I had really find time I had to really, yeah.

Logan: Did you set up like every 30 minutes I’m going to do a quiz on the website or what was the, since it wasn’t like the habit of picking up your phone, what was the trigger to do those then throughout the day?

George: Yeah, so like, you know, at work I would just, you know, say, yeah, like every hour or so, or try to get, you know, five done, you know, before lunchtime or, you know, something like that, where I kind of give myself a goal. Especially when it came to like right before the [00:26:00] test so like the week or so leading up, I would really try to, um, make a regimen with that and be more, uh, disciplined. Um, but normally when I was just studying, I wasn’t as like focused on that. Um, but yeah.

Nate: Yeah, just do five questions an hour or something. That’s just a good idea in general.

Daily Study Routine

Nate: Um, one thing I was going to ask is what was your daily, just what was your average day? Like, did you do the two hours in the morning or how’d your whole day go in general?

George: Yeah. So another thing that was huge is the mornings. Uh, cause again, having children, I know some people will say it late night too. I can see either way. It’s really whenever they’re not awake, um, you know, when you want to do it. But for me, it was the morning cause, um, you know, my wife was also asleep. So it was just good time that the house was quiet.

Um, I tried to do, yeah, wake up at 5:00, 5:30 every morning. Um, just kind of depended on how I was feeling, but usually by 5:30, I was up and going and trying to do two hours [00:27:00] before I went into work or started work. Um, because sometimes I would do one hour at home and then do one hour, you know, in the office right before work, uh, cause my work, you know, very spoiled.

My work was, uh, had a nice facility. So, um, they had conference rooms and a bunch of rooms you can go into where it was like very quiet. So I utilized those a lot, uh, before work as well. But yeah, the mornings were huge. I think again, that was probably top three biggest thing for me. It was the mornings and trying to do it before you start your day so that when you come home. You don’t have to worry about, you know, uh, studying or, you know, going away from the dinner table and getting your laptop and, you know, out some review stuff, you know, it happens sometimes I can’t lie, but it’s, it wasn’t a habit. So I think just doing in the morning, getting done with it, making it a routine was like so important.

Nate: Yeah.

Logan: And with the evenings, what did that mean for your evenings? Were you able to spend time with your family, friends, hobby? Like [00:28:00] what were you able to do?

George: Yeah, not a whole lot of hobbies during this time. I will say people always ask what are your hobbies? I’m like right now, uh, survive. I think that was a hobby.

Logan: Yeah.

George: Um, but, uh, yeah. So I’d say, you know, I was one thing I will say. Yeah, exactly. One thing I will say is, you know, I was still mentally pretty tired after work, you know, after studying in the morning and going through work.

So, you know, I think I’m just kind of, going through my duties and obligations and, uh, you know, spending time with my wife, eating dinner, helping her, you know, with our son while she was making dinner and, you know, just trying to be present in that way. Um, again, it wasn’t perfect all the time, but just, yeah, trying to be, help her out. Cause I knew, again, she would get up with him. She was usually with him most of the day. So, um, I just knew that she was always very tired as well. I wasn’t the only one. Um, so just trying to help her out the best I could. Um, and, you know, sometimes were, was able to do fun things, but, uh, and those are all, I’m not saying helping her out wasn’t fun. [00:29:00] Uh, just was, you know, not, not like a hobby or something that I, you know, do on my own, but.

Logan: Yeah.

Nate: But I mean, in contrast, like, yeah, if each night you’re coming home from work, and then as soon as dinner’s over, you’re like, well, take care of everything, I gotta go study.

George: Oh, yeah.

Nate: It’s just so much easier. I always say this, but it just solves so many problems to lock it away in the morning, and then it’s just done.

His After Work Experience Before SuperfastCPA

George: Yeah, because my last exam CMA and also audit, like I would, um, and this is before we had children, but I come home and, you know, I’d be up until like 10 or 11, you know, time where we would like be, you know, able to watch a show or like, you know, do something together. I would just be watching my lecture videos and probably not learning a whole lot either, just thinking I was learning something.

So I just really am glad that wasn’t the case. Cause again, like both of our patience was getting low, but I know hers was especially, just with like me doing nightly studying and just, that’s just a lot [00:30:00] of time taken away from spending time with her. And also helping her out really was the main thing too.

Nate: Yeah.

How He Got Her Wife to Agree to Study with SuperfastCPA

Nate: So what was the, what was kind of the discussion between you and your wife after your first exam where it did take so much time and even at night you were studying, did she have comments like, I mean, good job you passed, but holy cow, I don’t think I can, you know, three more times of this?

George: Right. Well, I mean, I didn’t know I passed until, uh, after FAR. So I, it was, again, the whole release window just really was not ideal because I took FAR without knowing about audit. Um, so I really didn’t know if I’d pass.

So I was kind of gambling in a way, finding a new method completely because I was like, well, technically, you know, my last exams, my method, you know, my method did work. Um, so I’m like, you know, maybe I shouldn’t switch it cause that could be like stupid. But I was like, you know, just, I got, I got a spare time. I got to save it. Um, so they kind of have that discussion because she could tell I was getting, kind of frustrated [00:31:00] and just, um, like when I was taking the quizzes, as I told you, like, I thought I would do well in them, but then with FAR, I was like bombing them.

So I just was getting so frustrated and studying was just so much more mature. Um, so I think she kind of noticed that. And, um, I think she was all on board with, you know, trying to save her time and, you know, allow me to, you know, be more present. So, um, she definitely was on board with it once she realized the, you know, payoff.

Nate: Yeah.

Study Process for the Sims

Logan: And, and what was your, um, so kind of switching to another part of the process, what was your strategy for like for the sims, for the weekends? Did you study more on the weekends? Did you study the sims? What was your, what was behind that

George: Yeah, so after I found you all I really didn’t do many sims whatsoever. Um, only maybe the week before the exam, I would maybe do one or two. Um, if that, but I really tried to avoid them because with audit, you know, the good thing about audit doing it first is the questions and the sims are [00:32:00] so tricky. Um, that I really got exposed to how they asked them.

And so with FAR, I don’t think they asked them as trickily, but they asked, you know, the content’s harder. So I think audit was a good sort of, um, exposure to a lot of the sims. So I really was like, I don’t really need to see them because I feel like audit really just was a lot in terms of how they asked them and they’re just so tricky.

Um, so I just try not to waste too much time on them in my mind, just because I knew it took me forever to do them. I mean, gosh, I mean, some of those modules had like six or seven sims, uh, for FAR, and I just knew those would probably take me 30 minutes each. And that’s like, you know, uh, what? Over two and a half?

Logan: Three or four hours?

George: Yeah, three hour, over three hours so, um, I just like I could take I could do 100 questions at that time, um, and learn a whole lot more. So eventually I just stopped doing them almost entirely unless it was right before the exam. And I, um, you know, wanted to at least look at the hard [00:33:00] ones and kind of see how they worked, especially with REG and FAR with some of their sims are just kind of crazy. So, um, and I, looking back, I wish I’d done that more for FAR. Um, but I kind of, you know, I guess I turned out okay, but, um, yeah, so I really tried to do those sparingly.

Sticked to the Same Routine on Weekends and Never Took a Day Off

George: And I also, regarding the weekends, I really didn’t study more on the weekends. Uh, I really tried to keep it pretty consistent every single day. Uh, so I would, again, never, ever take a day off. I mean, it. It would have taken a lot for me to take a day off and I never did. Um, you know, our, our, our son went to the hospital a couple of times with just being sick and that, and the ER, I was still, um, going through the questions I was still, you know, doing my, my dailies, uh, even though it was off work, I was still trying to keep it up because I just, you know, I knew that I had to get it done. Um, and any day off would have been a reason to take another day off or to, you know, uh, you know, take my [00:34:00] foot off the pedal. Um, even on vacations, we went on two vacations during REG and FAR, I guess. And, um, didn’t take a day off. Um, so I just really tried to do it every single day.

Nate: Yeah.

Logan: I love that. Yeah, this is definitely something I’m very, I’m very passionate about, like, I think that too often, and I understand like needing to take a break, I can, I can understand that, but I’m just so hesitant to tell people, yeah, you can do that just because, like you said, it is so easy to, if you take one day off, you’re like, well, that was okay, I’ll, I’ll just take another one.

Like, it’s so easy to fall out of the habit. So that’s why I’m always so hesitant to tell people. Yeah, it’s okay to do it. I’m like, no, you got to be doing it every day. So, uh, and, and you can, you can do it every day. Like you, you, you went on vacation and you still did it. That’s, you can do it every day, no matter, almost no matter what, so

Nate: Yeah. We, again, yeah, this, we get emails, [00:35:00] like people kind of asking, almost like asking permission to not, they’re like, I’m going on a trip and then this is happening. So like out of the next six weeks, I’ll only have like two weeks I can really even study. So what can I do to pass? Like kind of asking for a miracle.

You know, and it’s like, well, you, you can study on a trip. I mean, I dunno, it’s, you just, you gotta do what you gotta do. Like it’s you, that’s going to walk in and take the exam. Um, anyways, yeah, that’s, uh, I, I kind of, I had the same attitude for sure.

George: Yeah.

Nate: Yeah. So it’s just easier.

Well to me it was easier to just accept I’m not taking any days off.

George: Yeah, I remember in a podcast you had a while back, you said something like, you know, how badly do you want it? I mean, how much are you willing to do? Um, and so I just kept thinking that over and over, like, again, when I was studying in very inconvenient times, I was, you know, just like, I mean, how bad do I want it?

Do I want to get this over with now or do I want to be like everyone else and wait till next year and fail more and, [00:36:00] you know, just keep extending it. Uh, just wanted to get it over now because, you know, with the family and everything, just, uh, time is so precious. So, uh, you know, willing to do pretty much anything to get it done.

Nate: Yeah.

A Realization He Got With the Short Gap in His Test Dates

Nate: Um, so one question I had, how did you, so you start studying for FAR, you said initially you had three or even four months kind of budgeted for that.

Uh, what was happening where you realized, okay, I’m way ahead of schedule. Did you like pay to move your exam date sooner or how, how’d you, uh, shorten that timeline? Like what actually happened for you to shorten the timeline?

George: Yeah. So when I did the NTS, I actually put on three exams in one window before I even knew about Superfast so I don’t even know why I did that. I think it was actually a, either a good mistake I made, but you know, I, I figured I have, you know, two more exams to do in this, uh, what, six month window or whatever it is. Um, so I just, you know, figured I had to get it done. [00:37:00] Um, so yeah, that’s kind of my, what was my main motivator.

But then once I found you all, I realized, you know, I don’t need to take a three week final review. I don’t need to you know, watch every lecture video, which I tallied the time for that for audits. And I think I took 25 hours just on lecture videos. Um, and that’s with it, you know, one and a half speed, you know, playback. So like, I can’t imagine,

Logan: And, and not rewatching them. People rewatch them all the time too.

Nate: Yeah.

George: And I, And I take notes during them and you know, go back and I didn’t read the book, so I can only imagine doing that because in those lecture videos they always say to, you know, watch the lecture video and then go back and read the chapter and then try the questions and they, it’s just a lot to do. Um, and I mean, there’s so many pages in those books, they’ve shortened it since this new evolution, but I mean, there, there’s still a lot of pages and just a lot of time.

So I think, uh, realizing that I don’t need to do all that, you know, I don’t need to get a three week window. I don’t need to take [00:38:00] all the practice tests. Um, you know, I just think not doing that. I was like, I don’t need, I could just use a one week review, final review, or maybe two weeks, but I don’t need to extend it out so much because it’s, in reality, it’s really not that complicated.

You just got to get through the material, um, get confident and, you know, obviously take the exam.

Nate: Yeah.

Gained Momentum, Built a Routine

Nate: Um, you said this earlier, I’m pretty sure, but just on a daily basis, once you got these methods kind of nailed down, I’m assuming, but again, I think you even said this, did just the whole study process feel maybe not easy, but much easier compared to, you know, your audit attempt?

George: Yes, definitely. Uh, I would say it kind of felt like a routine. I just didn’t really think about it. I just knew I had, had to do it. And, um, you know, I think a big thing with this method is having momentum. And so again, once I saw that first passing score or first two, really, I mean, especially for ISC, I just, it was like automatic.

Like [00:39:00] I was super confident. I knew what I had to do every day. I had, you know, my schedule laid out. So. You know, I knew what modules I had to hit each day and what questions to hit. So I think, um, eventually, yeah, it got pretty easy. I mean, the material obviously wasn’t necessarily easy, but, um, the whole process, I just didn’t really have to think about it.

Uh, I knew I had my 30 question re-review and, you know, I just, it just became automatic. I didn’t have to, worry too much about my study process at that point.

Nate: Yeah, it just becomes repeatable, formulaic. And then, yeah.

George: Oh yes.

Wife Probably Noticed a Difference With His Study and Expecting Another Baby

Logan: Did, did your, did your wife notice a difference in how you were, uh, like how thing, how you felt and things like, did she notice a difference too?

George: I would say so. I would have to ask her maybe for a real perspective, but you know, I was still, um, you know, pretty, uh, what’s the word? Tired, I guess. But, um, you know, I think as compared to what it could have been, I think it was much better. Uh, so I think, you know, to her, obviously I was still [00:40:00] very mentally, physically tired. Um, but I think that she could, she noticed, especially my, you know, studying was, you know, like less than it used to be. Like I spent less time doing it. I was less, um, like frustrated, I guess is a good way to say it. And I complain about it less. Um, so there were a lot of things and she’d also hear way less lecture videos because I used to play them out loud.

And so she got real tired of hearing some of those. So, um, I think, yeah, she definitely, there’s a huge difference, um, you know, in a lot of ways, but yeah.

Logan: And you were done way faster than planned. So I’m sure

George: Oh, yes.

Logan: A big help too.

George: That was the biggest thing, uh, because I think it was early July right before or mid July right before my last exam, we found out we were having another child. Um, so then it was like, all right, and this is.

Thank you, I appreciate it.

Uh, this is before I found out about FAR and REG. So like, and this is before I took ISC. So I was like, I have to pass, like, there’s no like pushing it [00:41:00] back. There’s no waiting three months for another, you know, score release. Like I have to do it right now. Um, so that, that was the ultimate motivator once we found that out. Um, so yeah,

Logan: That’s awesome. I mean, that means you’d probably have only, she’s only been, have you, have you been able to do like the blood test or the anatomy scan yet? Do you know if it’s a boy or girl yet?

George: No, we’re trying to figure that out. Uh, we, we’ve had some appointments and, uh, we haven’t gotten the, uh, gender.

Logan: Yeah, it, it takes a while. So then, yeah, but I was just curious. Uh, well, that’s awesome.

How George Tackled Difficult Topics

Logan: Uh, I had, uh, another thing that I always like to ask or that we always like to ask is, this is kind of related to the flashcards, but more generally, like, what was your method for, okay. I’m really struggling with this specific topic. Like, how did you break that down and understand it? Was it, was it flashcards or was it something else?

George: Yeah, so I’ve kind of tried everything. Uh, initially I tried flashcards, and I feel like, yeah, I didn’t really learn how to do them correctly [00:42:00] until the very end, but I used to just write everything down on the flashcard and I would have like hundreds of them. And so I just wouldn’t know what is important.

Um, but I think for me, what really helped understand a difficult topic was just writing it out. So in doing a problem, I mean, that was really what it came down to is like, do I understand how they’re going to ask it? You know, do I understand the answer as well? So just really trying to find difficult problems with whatever topic I want to, you know, look more into and really try to write everything out, sort of explain it in my head, uh, very thoughtfully. Um, and just try to, you know, do that over and over again, uh, a different, you know, space of that, like today, do it and then, you know, do it again tomorrow and the next day. So, uh, just really try to explain things in my head, or write it out as well. Um, just by doing the problem itself.

Really FAR was the one that really got me with a lot of concepts I really wasn’t confident in REG a little bit too. But FAR, I just really wrote it out and just, again, really just did [00:43:00] the problem over and over again.

Nate: Yeah.

George: And I am sorry, ISC also because I have no I. T. audit or any I. T. experience, so that one was a little bit of a curveball. So a lot of the I. T. systems and the networks and things like that were definitely not something I’ve been used to.

So I actually had a coworker, work, uh, explained to me, like he drew out the whole, uh, network infrastructure of our company and, you know, kind of explained it more in a real world sense, but, you know, for me, I I’m a visual learner, so just seeing someone explain it, but also draw it out, uh, allowing me to ask questions.

I mean, that, that helped a lot for sure. Um, but again, yeah, for me, I’m a visual person. So just trying to draw it all out and, see.

Logan: I like that idea. Yeah, like asking somebody who is an expert in maybe the topic you’re struggling with. If you have that ability, that’s probably a great way to have somebody like sit down and talk to you about it. I mean, obviously in the end you need to be able to answer a question about it, but that’s probably, that was probably really helpful.

Um, so [00:44:00] that could be something that people can do sometimes too.

Scoring Around 80s on His Re-Reviews

Nate: Uh, what were you, if you remember, as you I don’t know, the last week before each exam, what were you scoring on your sets of 30 each time?

George: So for far, not, the best. I think I was doing like 80’s maybe? Um, and again my, my personality, I’m very much, I’m very hard on myself so you know, if I’m not scoring a hundred like I’m kinda, feel like, oh, I should do better, you know, um, so I think that even though I feel like eighties are actually good looking back, um, you know, I, just always thought I can do better.

I know I can do better. Um, and so you know, as I was doing rag and I see, I mean, he was nearing 100 for ISC especially. Um, and so that again gave me a lot of confidence because I knew that, you know, if I’m scoring all these pretty good scores on these 30s sets of 30, then, you know, I’m, I don’t know what else they can ask me on the exam. You know, I know, um, even the review material questions are harder than what’s on the exam [00:45:00] for sure. Uh, so I just had a lot of confidence going in because of the seeing those scores. Um, yeah.

Logan: Yeah. When, when you said I’m not that great on FAR and then you say in the 80’s. I’m like, that’s really, that’s really good. I think I, for FAR I was like in the seventies, like all the way up to the exam. So anyway, you, you, you obviously did really well.

Nate: Yeah. I mean the, yeah, the scores can be, the scores on sets of 30 can be somewhat arbitrary, but the nice is it’s just you’re doing it, I mean, if you’re doing it right, you’re doing it daily. So you have weeks of kind of arbitrary, you know, the mix of questions you saw. Um, you spend four hours doing that and then you get a 65 and then you’re, you know, terrified you’re going to go in and fail or whatever. But yeah. I just, the sets of 30 again, it’s just.

George: Oh yeah.

Nate: Solves so many problems in advance.

Felt Like It’s More Productive to Do Re-Reviews Than the Practice Exams

George: And in doing those over the practice exams, because I feel like those take up so much time. And I, again, for audit, I did all three [00:46:00] of them and, you know, there are four hours each, uh, you know, it’s, that’s like, it’s over 12 hours you’re doing on just practice exams. And so I was like, instead of spending 12 hours on, you know, spaced out questions and sims and stuff that like is really hard, but like, you know, I’d rather just see, repetitive 30 sets, sets of 30 and just keep,you know, cycling through those. And again, that’s what I did the last three exams. I just try to avoid the, practice exams, um, almost entirely, except I did do, I did do the multiple choice questions and sort of did them out of time and just kind of, you know, exit out of the browser and then came back And do them again. So um, cause with, Becker, it like kind of locks down your browser just cause it kind of simulates the actual test day. Um, so I just try to figure out a way to like, you know, not, uh, you know, have the timer be a factor, but just exit out and come back and resume it later. Uh, cause the questions were good.

It just was like, I’m not going to sit down for four hours and go to a library, which is what I used to do. [00:47:00] And just like hammer, hammer it out and be exhausted, uh, the rest of the day. And, you know, just not want to study the next couple of days either. Um, so I just really try to avoid that at all costs.

Nate: Yeah.

George’s Final Review Process

Nate: Uh, so I think you kind of mentioned what was your, what did you aim for for a final review? Meaning like, did you leave a week? And then, what did your study sessions consist of during your final review?

George: Yeah. So try to leave at least a week, um, you know, with, with FAR, I think I had maybe two weeks, a little less. And then REG, I see we’re about a week. Um, so I really tried to just get as many questions as I could, like just try to get through all the material, um, you know, do the sets of 30. Um, I also use Ninja just for the questions.

So I would highly, highly recommend Ninja as a supplement, I mean, I know Superfast is a supplement as well. Um, but just as far as the price goes, it’s such a good value. And the questions are, you know, just, [00:48:00] just the questions are good. Yeah, obviously they have their own method, which confused me. So I just didn’t really even worry about it.

But, um, the questions there are really good. So like, if you hammer those out, combine those with Becker and obviously you’re all mini quizzes, like just as much exposure as you can. So that’s again, what I was trying to do was just get as many questions as I could, whether it’s mini quizzes, Becker, Ninja, whatever, um, just try to get, get those cycled through.

And I think for REG, I think two days before the exam, I did like 300. So I really tried to like take as many as I could per day. Um, uh, so I wouldn’t recommend that. That was a lot for one day, but, um, yeah, that’s, I guess that’s what it took, but.

Scheduled His Exams on a Monday

Nate: Now, did you, to do that, did you, uh, try to set your exams on a Monday so that you had Friday? I mean, Saturday and Sunday,

George: Yes, I try to do Mondays. Um, because for audit, I did Saturday, which is a big mistake. Um, but for FAR and REG, I think I did Mondays and I think I might have done a [00:49:00] Tuesday, but I think it wasn’t my choice. I think it had to be scheduled on Tuesday. So, um, I forgot how that worked, but yeah, so I tried to do it after the weekend because I didn’t really take much time off for work except obviously the test day. So, um, yeah, that, that was also a really good piece of advice was the doing it on Monday for sure. Cause, um, that just doing on the weekend studying final review was like, super big for me.

Nate: I, there is, there’s a bunch of just little things you can do kind of strategically that are each worth arbitrary, about three to five points maybe that, you know, where most failing scores are like a 67 to a 74 that can just, there’s these little things that can just make the difference. Yeah.

George: Yeah, and being confident on test day to like, I remember for audit, I was super nervous. I was a wreck almost left because I was just like not enjoying it at all. Um, and so I think going in with FAR, REG, and ISC just like trying to be more confident. Again, if you’re studying well and reviewing well, [00:50:00] you get that confidence pretty quickly.

Um, so I think that was again a differentiator, like a difference from a 75 or 74 to 75. Potentially, it’s just your, your mindset going in and not, yeah, just being so stressed out.

Nate: Yeah. Okay.

Logan: I mean, yeah. Sounds like you killed it, honestly.

Talks About Testday Anxiety

Logan: Um, is there, is there anything else before we kind of wrap up, you know, that uh, we haven’t gotten to that you kind of wanted to talk about for your own story?

George: Yeah, so, um, trying to think, I would say that again, scheduling your exam on Mondays and just trying to, you know, you know, calm down before and just sort of not think of it as like the end of the world. Uh, cause some people just put so much weight on themselves. Um, which I did beforehand, but during the test day, I was just like, all right, I’m here, like, I just, I can’t really do a whole lot more. Can’t cram anymore. Like I just got to take it, [00:51:00] um, and just, you know, go, go through it. Um, I think that’s a really helped also getting through the MCQs quickly. Uh, I didn’t mention that, sorry, but, uh, like that was true. That was huge. Uh, because I would have so much time for sims, you know, had at least two hours each time for sims. Um, I see, I think I might’ve had 30 or three hours for, for the sims. And those are even like, they’re not even that many sims. So it’s six sims for ISC, so.

Logan: Yeah. There’s like 80 ISC multiple choice questions and you still got through it in an hour.

George: Oh, yeah, no, I tried to get through that. I left an hour early for that one, too, just because, I mean, I was just so confident and I was like, all right, that’s all I can do. And I was done. Um, because yeah, I just think that the test day anxiety can really get people bad. Um, and so I think that that’s something I really tried to get better at.

And I see, I went in and I just, it was like a normal day. It was like, all right, going for a test and just, you know, Like every other day. [00:52:00] So, uh, it just really, this whole, uh, method, methodology really helped with that. Just the confidence and the, you know, everything else.

Nate: Yeah. Yeah. Doing so many sets of 30. It’s just something that isn’t going to make you that nervous cause you’ve done it so much.

George: Right, right.

Nate: Well, awesome. That was awesome to hear your story, George. Finishing a year before you were planning on originally. That’s really cool. So I’m, I’m glad you found us or decided to give it a try and congrats on being done.

Logan: Yeah.

George: Thank you. It’s been, uh, such a relief being done, trust me. So, uh, excited that now I’m applying for the license. So that’s a whole nother thing, but, uh, yeah, I’m just.

Logan: Way easier than taking the exam.

Nate: You got the best part’s over.

George: Yeah. And everyone’s asked me, Oh, what’s next? And I was like, nothing, I’m never doing anything again. This is the last thing.

Logan: No school, no, licenses. That’s it.

George: No. nothing, nothing else. Cause this was, yeah, it was a lot, but I think [00:53:00] again with this whole, uh, method, it, I wouldn’t do it again, but I would, uh, for a lot of reasons, but I think it just, it went so much better than it could have. And I, I’m thankful that you all, you know, help implement these practices and help teach people these things.

And, uh, it, it helped tremendously. So I’m telling all my friends, I will still tell all my friends, uh, and just really try to push your all’s, um, methodologies.

Nate: Yeah, that’s cool. Yeah.

The Overall Benefits He Got from SuperfastCPA

Nate: If you could sum up the benefits you got from SuperfastCPA, what would, whether it’s the strategies or the study tools or a combination. How would you sum that up as to how it helped you specifically?

George: I would just say efficiency. Um, you know, really utilizing your time well and, uh, yeah, I think that’s really the main thing for me and not going through the minutia of the lecture videos, uh, just doing whatever everyone else says to do, take a bunch of notes. Um, I just think there’s so much that you all preach [00:54:00] that, yeah, it’s just really good with efficiency, staying on task, staying disciplined. Um, using the, all your tools you can, um, but not, not in the way that they say to do it, but in the way that uses it effectively, because, you know, they, they say to use the book and the lectures and everything else. But, um, yeah, I think you all really provide a good model for yeah, just efficient studying, not wasting time.

People take way too long for these things when they don’t need to. Um, you know, I, I hear people who don’t have families and they, you know, are choosing to take it. For, I mean, over a year and, I’m just like, well, just do it. You have so much time on your hands. Like, just want to get it done and, get it now.

Logan: You don’t know.

George: Exactly.

Logan: Do it now.

George: The more time, right? I mean, as time goes by, you know, risk goes up of things that are outside of your control. So just do it now. Um, again, for me, I got lucky because I was going to start it in 2020. I didn’t, um, back when I was single and didn’t have much [00:55:00] responsibility. And luckily with this alone, I was able to, you know, do it pretty well. And so, uh, you know, I just think don’t. Play with time too much. Just get it done now. Uh, there’s no better time to get this license, um, it’ll only get harder as you get older, so.

Nate: Yeah, definitely. Awesome.

Logan: All right. That was the interview with George. And again, it was an awesome interview. I love that he was able to pass the CPA exam without a smartphone. To be honest, that’s something that I’ve been interested in at different points, is not having a phone that’s so distracting and just being able to be more present and be more focused.

And he was able to pass the CPA exam without a smartphone. And again, that means that he didn’t have access to the app. He couldn’t do our mini quizzes, he couldn’t do a review notes on the go. He had to make time to purposefully do that on his computer. And then of course he could listen to the audio notes on his phone because he put them on his phone.

But again, it was just an awesome example of the dedication that he had to, no matter what his circumstances were, do the process and [00:56:00] pass the exams. And again, he scored extremely well in the eighties and even a 93 on one of his exams. So obviously the strategies worked really well.

And again, this interview with George was a fantastic reminder that no matter who you are, no matter what you’re doing, as long as you are implementing the right strategies and focusing and working hard, you can pass the CPA exam.

Logan: Now to end the episode, I just want to give everyone one more reminder about the SuperfastCPA training webinar on superfastcpa.com. Make sure you go check that out. And something you also should check out, and we’re starting to kind of tell people about this, is if you become a SuperfastCPA PRO member, we’ve been creating multiple choice question walkthrough videos of almost every single topic in the CPA exam.

I have finished FAR. I’m currently working on Audit, and we’ve done quite a bit for REG and TCP as well. And again, these are walkthrough videos to walk you through multiple choice questions, teaching you about all the topics in the blueprint for the CPA exam. And SuperfastCPA PRO members get access to the full videos because we post kind of smaller videos on YouTube.

So again, check out the webinar, check out [00:57:00] becoming a PRO member. And one last thing, remember this podcast is one of the best free resources out there for CPA exam candidates. So make sure you share this podcast with everybody, you know who is going through the CPA exams or who is wanting to start the CPA exams.

Because again, this will be extremely helpful for them to listen to. Finding the podcast was how George got introduced to SuperfastCPA, and again, look at what he was able to accomplish.

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. Thank you for watching or listening, and we will see you in the next episode.