In this SuperfastCPA podcast interview, you’ll hear how Kevin was able to pass his CPA exams quickly and efficiently, while being very busy in his Master’s program. The process came down to a few key strategies, which you’ll hear Kevin describe in this interview.
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Episode Timestamps
- 00:00 Intro
- 02:06 Why Studying the Traditional Way Didn’t Work for Kevin
- 03:41 Initially Requested for a Refund
- 05:03 What Made Kevin Give the SuperfastCPA Methods a Try
- 07:31 How Kevin Started His CPA Journey
- 09:20 Studying 4-6 Hours a Day and Feeling Exhausted
- 11:21 Adopting the SuperfastCPA Strategies
- 12:02 CPA Journey Timeline
- 13:19 Re-review Is Key
- 17:05 Using the Audio Notes when Cycling
- 17:54 Some Talk About Biking
- 19:54 Despite Working in Tax, Scored Lowest in REG
- 22:20 Kevin’s Process for Difficult Topics
- 24:24 Constant Writing Helped Kevin and Reviewing Them on Test Day
- 26:27 How Kevin Studied for the Sims
- 29:28 Re-Watching the PRO Videos
- 32:14 The Time it Took to Realize the SuperfastCPA Strategies Work
- 34:44 Celebrated with Family Every Time He Passed an Exam
- 36:26 Waited for 2 1/2 Months for His Final Score
- 38:28 Took a Day Off the Week Since He is Studying Full-Time
- 39:56 Had to Adjust His Studying When He Started Working Full-Time
- 41:05 Always Made Sure to Study Every Morning
- 42:04 Kevin’s Final Review Process
- 44:00 Found SuperfastCPA Through Logan
- 46:08 Just Waiting for His CPA License
- 48:11 Top Tips for People Still Struggling with Their Study Process
Interview Transcript
Kevin: [00:00:00] Like I was totally surprised. I think I even like texted Logan. I’m like, I’ve never gotten this high on an accounting exam like ever, like, Holy cow, like this works.
Logan: Welcome to another episode of the CPA Exam Experience Podcast from SuperfastCPA. I’m Logan, and in today’s interview, you’re going to hear Nate and I talking to Kevin.
Now, Kevin is somebody that I actually knew in my master’s program. He’s a pretty cool guy. And I remember talking to him all throughout the master’s kind of being like, Hey, you should be going for the exam and things like that. And at the time he just didn’t feel like it was quite the right time. I remember that towards the end of his master’s degree, he finished a little bit before me, he decided to start getting into the CPA exams and he watched the SuperfastCPA training webinar. And I remember going to class one day and he was super pumped about taking the CPA exams with the SuperfastCPA approach.
And as you watch this video, you’re going to see that he did an awesome job. He had a little bit of a rough start where he was kind of like, I don’t know if this is right for me.
He actually even asked Nate for a refund because he just felt like it wasn’t working for [00:01:00] him. But Nate messaged him back and said, Hey, I understand, but maybe you should just give try this a little bit longer and see what you think. So Kevin went back, he kind of rethought his process, and as you’ll see, he passed all of his exams in a pretty short time frame.
He even was able to take a break for a busy season for taxes. And then he came back and he still passed his exams and he, he honestly just crushed the whole process. And I think this is a great episode for people who are kind of starting with SuperfastCPA or a kind of questioning if they said you should use SuperfastCPA, because Kevin kind of had those thoughts too.
He was like, I don’t know if this is quite right for me. I don’t know if this is really working, but he came back and he passed his exams and this episode will show you that if you’re feeling like that, but then you go apply the process as best as you possibly can, you will see results. And that’s kind of what this is all about, right?
Now, before we dive into the episode, I just want to give everyone one more reminder about the SuperfastCPA training webinar on superfastcpa.com. Again, it’s only one hour. It is free and we will teach you the key ingredients to passing the CPA exam.
This is one hour that will save you months and months of struggling with the CPA exams. Make sure [00:02:00] you go check out that webinar. And now with that out of the way, let’s go ahead and dive into the episode with Kevin.
Why Studying the Traditonal Way Didn’t Work for Kevin
Nate: When you were studying and kind of struggling, what were your main struggles, I guess, specifically before you started using SuperfastCPA?
Kevin: Um, you know, I actually kind of started using it from the beginning. Um, I remember I was in the same like cohort in college with Logan and he was just, uh, you know, telling us that his story, how he passed so quickly with everything. And he was like the main salesperson there at our, at our university over it.
Um, so I actually started with it, um, from the beginning. Um, but as we’ll probably get into later, I, um, there was a time when like, I, I used it for a little bit. Um, but then as I was studying full time, so I had like a ton of time. I felt like I just had all day. So I’m like, okay, well, it doesn’t make sense to skip the lectures.
I might as well do that if I have the time. Um, so I do that. Um, and I was kind of shooting for that, like exam day ready, um, thing in Becker.
Logan: Yeah.
Kevin: Um, they’d have a little percentage thing there and I was like, okay, [00:03:00] I got to get a hundred percent, you know? Um, but that just turned into like a ton of work. Um, a lot of wasted time.
Um, and I remember just at the end of every day, I’d just be exhausted because I, you know, I’d spend an hour of my day just doing the lectures and then still struggling through the multiple choice questions and everything. Um, and so I remember, yeah, I didn’t pass my first exam section. So I realized I’m like, Hey, I gotta go back.
I gotta, I gotta figure something else out. Um, and I think it was when I started just doing the multiple choice question only stuff. Um, it just saved me a ton of time. Um, and I, I wasn’t really like questioning whether I was, you know, learning everything that I needed to anymore.
Nate: Yeah. Yeah. Okay.
Initially Requested for a Refund
Nate: So, um, I guess typically I go from that question to like, okay, then when you started using us and things were clicking, how did it help specifically? But to insert a question in there. Um, so like we were saying. You know, you initially requested a refund, and I think that was a combination [00:04:00] of, like, like you said, you had all day to study, so you were kind of like, I don’t think this is, approaches for me, or, what, what wasn’t working that made you, you know, make that initial request?
Kevin: Yeah, I think it was just, I mean, I, in my email to you, I think I remember I was like, you know, I don’t, I don’t think your product is bad or anything. I think it’s totally fine, but you know, I have all this time to study. I don’t think I need to do the multiple choice question only approach or, you know, do all this stuff. Cause I’m not like that busy CPA that, you know, is advertised.
And so I’m like, well, you know, it kind of just felt like wasted money. And so I’m like, I think I’m just gonna, you know, just ask for that refund and then just kind of, you know, just go from there. Um, but you know, I think I kind of quickly learned I’m like, okay, well, this is a ton of stuff.
Like Becker has almost way more stuff than you actually need. And to go through all of that is just a little bit pointless. Like you kind of need to find an effective way to study. And after my first attempt, I found out, I’m like, okay, this actually is an effective way to do it. Um, I shouldn’t just be wasting my time, even [00:05:00] though I have all day technically.
Logan: Yeah.
What Made Kevin Give the SuperfastCPA Methods a Try
Nate: Just after, you know, after I was like, listen, give this another try or whatever I said, I mean, I usually I pull up the emails before, but I didn’t, um, but, uh, did you go back in and like rewatch the PRO course videos or what, what kind of made the, I don’t know, did you come back and do anything different after that? And that’s how it clicked? Or what happened where it finally clicked?
Kevin: Yeah, I’ll be honest. Like after your email, I think you invited me to like just extend the refund period until after my first attempt. And I’ll be honest, I didn’t really change much after that actually, I think I kind of still was like, okay, well, I’ll, I’ll read the audio, or I’m sorry, the, the review notes every once in a while. I’ll, I’ll do a few things here and there, but it still kind of stuck with my main thing. Again, I was, I was just really trying to get that like a hundred percent Becker, get the, yeah, the, um, what do you call it, exam day ready badge and stuff.
Logan: The nice green check marks.
Kevin: Exactly. Yeah. I was like, you know, I, I, I couldn’t [00:06:00] move on until I had, you know, done everything technically. Um, and I, I didn’t really, I think, change until it was after my first attempt where I, I went in, I took audit and I got like a 70. So I was still within range, but you know, I had done literally everything in Becker.
Like I had annotated the book. I followed along in the lectures and everything, you know, I probably wasted like 10 pens of ink or inks of pen, whatever, just going through everything. Um, and you know, I still failed. So I’m like, okay, something definitely needs to change. And that was when I kind of got over that, like, okay, you don’t need to do everything.
You don’t need that little green check box. Um, you know, just focus on the things that are most important and that helped a ton.
Nate: Gotcha. Yeah.
Logan: So to clarify, just making sure I understand the timing there. So you asked for the refund before you went in and took your first exam. So you were already kind of like, I don’t think I need this.
And then you failed. And then was that the point where you, I mean, obviously you literally just said that that’s where you changed it. So that’s where you [00:07:00] went and started doing the multiple choice questions, but you’d asked for the refund beforehand. Is that right?
Kevin: Yeah, pretty much. Yeah. I think I was about like three weeks in.
And if I remember, I was kind of like, man, I paid all this money just to have them tell me to do multiple choice questions. Like what’s the deal here? I was like, I don’t think I, you know, I could definitely use that extra money, you know.
But you know, I learned later on I’m like, okay. No, there’s a lot more to this and if I dedicate myself to it, I think that’ll help a ton.
Nate: Yeah.
Logan: Yeah, like it boils down to like the multiple choice questions, but there’s a lot more to the whole strategy then than that.
How Kevin Started His CPA Journey
Logan: Um, if, so with all that info like I mean, you kind of mentioned this Kevin. I know you, like I actually know you personally, uh, we went to school together. So kind of going back to just for the benefit of everybody who doesn’t know you. What was, like where were you? What like what have you just done and what were you doing? When you were doing the CPA, like what was the kind of that journey to getting to the point of starting the CPA?
Kevin: Yeah. So, um, yeah, [00:08:00] as you know, like I went to Utah Valley University out in Utah, um, and I had just graduated with my, uh, my, um, master’s of accountancy degree.
Um, and I remember like there was a few people like you as well that were doing the exams during the, um, like during the semester, but I kind of just decided to take some time after I was graduated to knock them out. So I think I graduated worked for a little bit and then I actually moved out here to Colorado, and then I just was studying for the entire rest of the year from like August until the end of the year.
So I was super lucky to have that extra time and if there is anybody that’s watching this, that is wondering if they should do that. And if you have the opportunity, I would really recommend it. I know it’s definitely not like for everybody, not everybody can do it, but it helped me a ton. And I was really glad I took that time to do it.
Um, but yeah, so I, I came back and then just started studying, um, pretty much when I got almost right when I got home and then just studied from, yeah, again, August until December, until I started my new job in January.
Logan: And so at that point, I remember like it was like [00:09:00] your last day of your whole masters and I, we’re like very close to it.
And I remember you had just watched the webinar for SuperfastCPA like just a like that day or like a few days ago and you were like, Oh man, I’m so pumped. Like, I’m so excited. Like, cause you’re like, you were just the, the webinar got you like super excited. And I, so I remembered that.
Studying 4-6 Hours a Day and Feeling Exhausted
Logan: So you took that and then, um, you know, you were studying all day. What did your day typically look like when you were doing that full time studying like, uh, before and after you took audit? Cause it probably, I’m assuming it changed a little bit. So what did it look like before and after? Like the full day.
Kevin: Yeah. Well, and to do a backup to that too, yeah, I was definitely very hyped when I first watched that and everything. And I think that like Nate has a thing in one of his videos where it’s like, yeah, it’s easy to get really hyped on this. And then you kind of realize like, wow, this is a lot of info, like, you know, like Superfast helps you a ton, but it’s definitely not a cheat code. Like you still got to put in the work. So I definitely hit that eventually.
Um, but yeah, I’d say like starting out, I, um, if I can [00:10:00] remember, it was forever ago, but, um, starting out, I think I would just pick a lecture, like obviously I would do it in order, um, but just kind of like watch the lecture and then go into the multiple choice questions, um, take notes like in the book, um, for my first attempt I pretty much had everything in like annotated and highlighted in the book and everything, um, and then yeah, I think I would just kind of see how many modules I could get through in a day essentially.
Um, didn’t really have like any other plan aside from that. Like I felt like Becker just kind of had the structure and that we were good. So I’d kind of just watch that and then do the, the mini exams as I went. And then towards the end, I would do the, uh, um, the simulated exams. Um, and so that was all.
Logan: Oh, sorry. Was that like a full eight hour day?
Kevin: Um, I wasn’t able to do like a full eight hour day. I think I’d usually average about like of actual studying, probably like anywhere from like four to six hours or so. Um, I just remember, yeah, it felt like very just exhausting, honestly. Like it was, like it, [00:11:00] you know, I can work for eight hours a day, but actually studying and stuff, it felt like a lot.
So usually I was able to get about four to six or so. Um, but yeah, that was all before, like, you know, before I had really took on like the SuperfastCPA like strategy, like before my attempt. Um, and then after my attempt, I ended up just moving straight to BEC, um, cause I wasn’t going to get my score back for another few weeks.
Adopting the SuperfastCPA Strategies
Kevin: Um, and then after that, I, I, that’s when I actually started like the, you know, the two hour study session with the re-review. Um, and I think as Nate had suggested, and I think Logan as well in the forum, you suggested this too, is just try to get as many of those blocks in as you can.
Um, so I do the two hour study session, planting the seeds, um, with the re-review at the end, and then I try to just go back and then just do that all over again with a new module.
Um, and then if I had extra time, especially during like, right before an exam, I would just do as many re-review sessions as I could, like just the 30 multiple choice questions. Maybe focus that on like one or two areas that I was struggling with, but I’d really just kind of try and focus just on [00:12:00] that block.
Nate: Nice.
CPA Journey Timeline
Nate: And so what was your, uh, what was your timeline? So that first attempt where you failed audit and then, yeah, like what was, how long did you study for that? And then how long did the other four. Yeah, to pass the four. Um, when did that end?
Kevin: Um, let’s see. Well, I, it, the first three exams, it took me from August until the end of the year.
Like, I think I took my last exam right before that blackout period. Um, so it was about five months or so. Um, and then I started my job in January. And then I took it right after our spring busy season. So I did have my last one while I was working full time as well. So I took that one and then like in like May.
So I think it was a solid like six months or so of studying.
Nate: Nice. So your BEC was the, you passed that. So you go from audit to BEC and pass that. And then you knew you kind of had it.
Kevin: Yeah. Yeah. I ended up like landing like an 87 on, on BEC. Like I was totally surprised. I think I even like texted Logan. I’m like, I’ve never [00:13:00] gotten this high on an accounting exam like ever, like, Holy cow, like this works.
Nate: Yeah.
Kevin: And then I went back to, yeah, then I went back to audit and then retook that and yeah, I raised my points by like 15 points. Like it was, it was great. Then after that I’m like, okay, yeah, this definitely works. And then just pass the rest of them first try.
Nate: Awesome.
Re-review Is Key
Nate: So one question that pops up or I’ve, I’ve asked this before on the, you know, cause even if someone’s doing the traditional study approach, like you were saying, where you’re trying to get everything marked off in your Becker dashboard, like you are still doing multiple choice questions, you know, for each lesson.
Um, so what was the, I guess, again, even though you were doing multiple choice for your audit attempt, what was the difference in how you approached MCQs, I guess, that made such a big difference to BEC?
Kevin: Um, I would say probably like the biggest one was just like actually going back and doing those multiple choice questions again, like doing [00:14:00] the re-review. I felt like it was pretty easy just to nail down those multiple choice questions in the moment, but you know, like just, just like the classic SuperfastCPA, you know, advices, you just got to keep going back and keep cementing that. Um, there, I think on audit, there’d be times when I would like kind of get the idea down and I would understand it for that topic and then I’d move on and then I just kind of forget it later. Um, so I think actually like, you know, doing them and getting that repeat exposure is what definitely helped the most.
And then also I really, what really resonated with me, especially with audit was like understanding the why behind each question, like just really understanding why it’s right or why it’s wrong. Even if you do get it right, it’s like, do you really understand what the topic is behind that? I feel like that was kind of like the foundation of like the, the MCQ first approach.
Nate: Gotcha.
Logan: Yeah. That is special. Like that’s true for all MCQs, but especially like audit and ISC now where they’re so conceptual, the idea of like, [00:15:00] uh, knowing the why behind the question, like it makes a huge difference because, and this happens all the time and I had it happen to myself, especially with, again, with audit and ISC is, you’re seeing the same questions over and over again, and they’re very similar, and your brain just can recognize the question the instant it sees it.
Like, oh, I’ve seen that ten times. I know that this is the answer. Yeah. But, that’s the, that’s a trap because when you get to exam day, you’re probably not going to see that question again, but you memorized that specific question. So, instead of memorizing the question, just understanding the reason, like the why makes it so that no matter what question you see, you can answer it.
And I’m, I’m guessing that’s what you saw. Like, that’s the big difference that you saw.
Kevin: Oh yeah, no, yeah. I definitely saw that like in my audit attempt as well. Like I remember when I went in, I’m like, okay, I’ve seen this topic before, but like, I didn’t spend enough time, like actually getting to learn it.
Um, and during my second attempt though, I remember, yeah, I just, I had so much better of an understanding behind each topic. Um, I just knew [00:16:00] why, you know, certain things were that way. I’ll be honest. I feel like I’ve forgotten a lot of it already. Just a lot of the audit stuff.
Nate: It doesn’t matter though.
Logan: That’s how it is.
Kevin: Exactly. I feel like I was just so locked in honestly. And that was a big thing too. Like just doing that approach, it gave me so much more confidence, like just going into the exam. It’s like, I just, I feel like I actually know these things instead of just kind of like memorizing it and, you know, just, just getting that, those points in Becker.
Nate: Yeah. I mean, I think the, I think really what it comes down to is just the amount of exposure to each topic. Like I’m always saying this on our videos, the webinar, whatever, with the traditional approach, you work through each lesson once and then do a final review. So essentially you’ve covered everything twice.
But with this approach, you’re doing re-review as part of each study session. And ideally, like using our study tools, which is just more re-review. So by the end of eight weeks or whatever, you’ve hit every topic, I don’t know, 30, 50 [00:17:00] times. Like it just makes sense that’s gonna like work better.
Kevin: Yeah, exactly.
Using the Audio Notes when Cycling
Nate: So on that even though you were studying full time, did you use our study tool? Did you kind of do the mini sessions idea at all?
Kevin: Yeah I’m probably not as much as like some of the other candidates have but one thing that it enabled me to do is like, anybody that knows me knows I really like cycling, like I love going for bike rides and stuff.
And it kind of gave me the chance to like, you know, study even during those times, like during my study breaks, I’d go for a bike ride and I would just listen to the audio notes as I went. And I remember I would kind of just like start to memorize certain parts. And I knew that that was when it was starting to stick.
Nate: Yeah.
Kevin: Um, and so it wasn’t like, you know, crazy active studying, but it kind of helped me at least just to like, um, you know, it helped my brain just think about the material during, you know, during my off time. Um, and still kind of get that, that studying in, even if I wasn’t like at my desk.
Nate: Yeah, for sure.
Some Talk About Biking
Logan: And, and when you say cycling, I’m, I can’t remember, because I remember you, you know, talking about, [00:18:00] uh, bikes and stuff like that when I was in the, in our bachelor’s and in our master’s, is that like road biking or mountain biking or all of it? Like what’s your, what’s your favorite thing there?
Kevin: Yeah, pretty much all of it. Yeah. Road bike, mountain biking. I, I used to like, work in a bunch of bike shops. Um, so yeah, that’s kinda what I like to do, honestly, that those would always be my study breaks and stuff. Go for a bike ride, just kind of reset the brain a little bit and then come back fresh. Nice. Yeah.
Nate: Yeah. I got into mountain biking last year.
Logan: Oh, sorry. Yeah.
Kevin: Oh, did you?
Logan: Are you still doing it?
Nate: Yeah, last year and this year I’ve done a lot of it.
Kevin: Oh, nice. You’re out in Utah, right?
Nate: Mm-hmm. So, I mean, actually. Uh, my friend that I go with, you know, has a normal job, you know, so he’s got to be like to work by eight. So we would always do corner Canyon.
Logan: Oh, nice.
Nate: Have you ever done that?
Kevin: Yeah, I have.
Nate: We just do that over and over and over anyways.
Kevin: Oh, nice. Yeah. It’s a blast. I love it out there.
Nate: It is awesome. Really good workout for 40 minutes, climbing up and then, you know, just 10 minutes of fun just flying down.
Kevin: Oh yeah. Yeah. [00:19:00] That’s what I’ve been trying to do a lot more. We just got over our busy season here at work. Like we, I work at like a tax accounting firm and we do a lot of extensions. And so, you know, the September 15th deadline was pretty heavy. So now that that’s done, I’m getting out a lot more, which has been really nice. And to answer your question, Logan, yeah, I definitely just still do it a lot.
Logan: Oh yeah, I’m sure. Yeah. Do you guys still have like the October 15th deadline or is that not as much of a deal at your firm.
Kevin: Um, yeah, not as much we have a small team that does like corporate returns and individuals, but, um, our firm we, we mainly focus on like private equity and hedge funds. Um, so like we’re in like the alternative investments department and so it’s it’s a pretty like niche part of tax. Um, but it, uh, yeah, we just mainly deal with partnerships and, you know, some C corps and stuff here here and there but now that we’re past september 15th, we’re pretty much done though, which is nice.
Despite Working in Tax, Scored Lowest in REG
Nate: So did you just smash REG? What’d you get on REG?
Kevin: You know, it was kind of funny actually, like REG was actually my [00:20:00] lowest score. I, um, I took it, it was kind of like an interesting story with that. Like I took it like right after our spring busy season. Um, so I was already like a little bit burnt out from that, but I’m like, now’s the time to do it.
I don’t want to wait anymore. Like summer’s only going to get busier. Um, so I just did that and then it was like a week before I took it, I was starting to like, get sick. And like the week before I wanted to do all my, like, you know, cram study session and everything. I just couldn’t, like I could, I had the strength to work and then just go to bed and that was it.
So I kind of messed some things up actually. Um, I think I barely passed that one with like a 77. I’m like, Oh geez, probably should have done a little better on that one, but kind of just had to throw it together though. And it was a little bit of an effort on that one, but thankfully, yeah, Superfast helped a ton.
Nate: No, that’s a common, uh, you know, that’s just a, that comes up all the time. Like I’ve had a lot of emails over the years from someone who’s like a tax, not a, they’re like an audit manager. And they’re like, I’m really embarrassed. I’ve been [00:21:00] working on these exams for, you know, uh, whatever, five years or something.
And I, I’m a audit manager and I, or no, they’re going to, they’re going to be promoted to an audit manager if they can just pass the CPA and uh, they’re like, I can’t, I can’t pass audit, but I like, I do audits all day.
Kevin: Yeah.
Nate: It’s just an example of how these exams are just so specific to just how you study for them. They’re not.
Kevin: Yeah.
Nate: It’s not the same. You can be an expert at like auditing a real world business or, you know, doing like tax returns and it’s just, they just cover so many topics even though it’s within tax, you know?
Kevin: Yeah.
Nate: So anyways, let’s just, uh.
Kevin: No. Yeah.
Nate: You have to nail down your process regardless of like your real world expertise.
Kevin: Yeah. I felt like REG was also a little weird too. There was a bunch of like concepts that like, I was like, wow, okay. They’re really hidden at home. You know, like random ones, like, what is it like, um, like disaster [00:22:00] relief credits and things like that. Like that was a huge part. I’m like, why is this such a big part of this exam?
Just really, really random.
Nate: Yeah.
Kevin: But glad it’s over.
Nate: Right, especially yeah, it has to be like a government mandated disaster area or whatever And so it’s like yeah a lot of years that doesn’t even happen in the United States.
Kevin: Yeah, yeah.
Kevin’s Process for Difficult Topics
Logan: One thing that I was I’m actually really curious about this because I remember in school, you have a really elaborate way of taking notes, or at least you make your notes really, really nice looking like they’re the prettiest notes I’ve ever seen in my life. Um, what was your process for those topics that you really struggled with?
You know, cause we talk about flashcards. Did you make flashcards or did you just keep doing your typical note like, would you do to, hit those topics that you really struggled with?
Kevin: Yeah. I felt like that was something I, I changed up a ton throughout the, this, my, like throughout the journey. Um, I realized I probably wasn’t going to have time to like [00:23:00] do handwritten notes.
Um, like the way I did in college. Cause I just didn’t want to spend all that energy just writing it down and making it look good. Um, so I tried for a while just like doing, just like typing it out in Google docs, um, just key points and things. And that helped like a decent amount, but I felt like I just never went back and actually read those notes.
Um, it just wasn’t really effective for me. Um, I ended up landing on like actually handwriting, just like little flashcards, but I’d actually put like a lot more down on the flashcard than like just a normal, like, um, just quizzing flashcard. Like I’d maybe put the term on the front and then I’d add like several lines of notes on the back.
Cause it kind of helped me just like visualize what it looked like. And I would like get some colored pencils and stuff, and I’d bold certain lines. And it kind of helped me just to like visualize like, you know, the topic. Um, and so like, I remember one time I went to like a, I went on a trip with my family, I think before I was going to retake audit.
And I just brought the whole stack of those and it was kind of cool because each topic just kind of had its own little [00:24:00] flashcard. It wasn’t something that like somebody could quiz me on or anything, but it was something I could kind of just look at and just kind of remind myself of those topics. Um, and so, yeah, I mean, they, they still looked pretty good. I’ll be honest. I’ll, I’ll do my own.
Logan: I’m sure.
Kevin: They were great. I kept them all too. So I’m happy to send them to you if you’d like, but.
Logan: Yeah, maybe, maybe we can have like a link to one picture of it at the end of the interview.
Constant Writing Helped Kevin and Reviewing Them on Test Day
Logan: Did you like, you know, you were reviewing those, did you also. Like review those the day, like for your final review for the exam. Like, did that become a bigger part of your review or was it kind of just a constant thing throughout your process?
Kevin: Um, I’d say it was like kind of constant. Like if anything, just writing them out helped a lot, I think kind of towards the end, there’d be a lot where I would just write out and then I’d either learn it or just wasn’t that helpful anymore.
So I’d throw it out, but then there’d always be like the core ones that really helped a ton. Um, and then also the big thing is like, was, was taking them to the exam, um, and just studying in the car. I remember that one actually helped a [00:25:00] lot more than I thought it would. Um, I remember especially my last few would be dark in the morning, cause I was like the 8 AM exam. My brain was just a lot more awake at that time. So I’d be sitting out there in the parking lot, pitch black outside, got my little, like, you know, cabin light on. I’m just studying. It was, it was unique for sure. Um, but it helped a lot though, just going in with like the, with everything fresh in my mind.
Um, I remember those, those helped a lot.
Nate: Yeah. I mean, I did this well, obviously that’s where the whole strategy came from. That’s exactly what I did.
Kevin: Yeah.
Nate: And I would just, every time I would, I had got, I would get my flashcards down to where the morning of I had like 30 iffy ones left, you know, and reviewing those.
Then it’s like, that was like the final little piece that, you know, stuff that I might not know that well, and I would always see four or five things from those last 30 cards. Yep. Yeah.
Kevin: Yeah. I definitely saw that a few times. Like I think, especially with audit or BEC, just random terms, just having those, like just reviewing those right before I went in it, it was, it [00:26:00] was nice.
It helped a ton.
Nate: Yeah. There, I think there really are. There’s just like. So many little strategies that on their own, like if you’re just putting it all together, just gives you so many, you’re like layering together all these advantages that uh, kind of makes it hard to go wrong. But yeah, that’s just one, one piece that can be worth, I don’t know, five points the last hour before you walk in.
Kevin: Yeah, no, totally.
How Kevin Studied for the Sims
Logan: What was your, uh, strategy with the sims? Cause you know, you’ve talked a lot about the MCQs and I feel like you’ve kind of mentioned your strategy with the sims in like the forum, but, uh, yeah. What was your idea with the sims? Cause you were studying full time. So normally we tell people to study extra on the weekends, but you were already, uh, fortunate enough to study a lot just the whole week.
So did you ever incorporate the sims into that? Or like, what did that look like?
Kevin: Yeah, I think at the beginning I would study a lot more of the sims. Um, but as time went on, I think I kind of just more focused [00:27:00] on the multiple choice questions because I found like when I was in the, in the exam, like just getting through the multiple choice questions as quick as I could and saving a lot of time at the end for the sims was like the most important thing.
Um, cause there were several that like, you know, they seemed really tough, but if you just spent the time necessary to work through them, you’d be totally fine. Um, and so I kind of just focused on multiple choice questions for that reason. Um, but as far as like studying for them though I think in like usually the last week of studying is when I’d really hammer them I’d I would do, I’d sprinkle them here and there on like important topics and stuff and I’d probably also go look up and just see what the most important sims were to know. Like I heard that like for FAR that the bank reconciliation one was really important and some other like adjusting journal entry ones were important.
So, you know, I, I would go and study those a ton. Um, but that wasn’t really until like about like the last week leading up to the exam. Um, just cause I, I really wanted to focus on multiple choice questions and just nail those topics down.
Nate: Yeah.
Logan: Do you have like a [00:28:00] Goal for how quickly to get through the multiple choice questions. Like how quickly did you typically make it through those to give yourself enough time for the sims?
Kevin: Yeah, I think I’d like, I think I always wanted to be done. I think I, I didn’t want to spend, I think more than like, I think the latest I didn’t want to have less than two hours after the second testlet.
So be done with multiple choice questions after at the most two hours. And I think if I could get through them in about an hour and a half, that’d be great, you know, and I didn’t want to rush through them, obviously. Um, but the biggest thing I think was like, okay, do I know this question? Great. But if I don’t, I’m not going to spend too much time on this.
Just give it a good guess and then go to the next one. And that was something also that on, on audit, my first attempt, I really failed to, to realize, like I wrote down almost every question on my first attempt, making sure I knew it. And I spent like two and a half hours on the first two testlets and I had like no time at the end for the sims.
And it just totally wrecked me.
Nate: Yeah. Like you said, if you’re stressed out, it’s hard to sit there and try to [00:29:00] like, yeah, especially the sims with all those exhibits, if you just sit there. And you kind of like reopen them, look at things back and forth. It starts to like, make sense, but you have to have the time to do that.
And if you’re pressed for time, you’re already stressed out. Yeah. It’s like you can be really prepared, but time management alone can make you fail on exam day. It’s just, again, there’s like one, there’s just all these aspects that you have to. Just kind of have lined up.
Kevin: Totally.
Nate: I had a question in there.
Re-Watching the PRO Videos
Nate: Okay, so I asked you this earlier, but so clearly you’re we’re very familiar with like what was in the PRO videos? Did you really watch those after your audit attempt? Is that when you like dove into them and? It was like, Hey, I’m going to just follow this.
Kevin: Yeah. I remember like the first round, I think like I got through them all, but I mean, yeah, I, I was, I was pretty dedicated at the beginning.
Like I, I, I watched them all and everything and I was, I knew it, I was taking notes and everything, but as time kind of went on, I’m like, okay, I just, I [00:30:00] felt like certain things were going to work. Certain things weren’t just kind of weeded out a lot of things, but then yeah, after the, after my fail and I was retaking where I was taking BEC, but then retaking out it as well.
Um, yeah, I went back and rewatched all of those and just kind of was like, okay, I understand this a bit now. This is what I want to implement, do this and that. I feel like those PRO videos you do kind of have to watch maybe a couple of times over.
Nate: Yeah.
Kevin: And maybe throughout the process, just to kind of remind yourself of like what you’re doing.
Nate: Yes. And then the other thing that happens is, uh, you know, like someone that’s just starting to study. And this is basically what it sounds like happened with you. Um, it’s like you haven’t really run into the issues that you will likely run into. Like you haven’t gotten intimately familiar with the problems of like the traditional study approach.
And so someone can watch the videos even and just kind of think, well, and the other thing is most people doing this, like have a master’s degree. So it’s like, I don’t need to watch videos about how to study. Like I know how to study, I [00:31:00] have a master’s degree, you know? So.
Kevin: Yeah. I felt like also like, you know, you do watch it and you are pretty hyped.
You’re like, okay, yeah, let’s do this. This is the way to study and everything. And then you come up on all the material and everything just looks different. Like, you know, you get through like, you know, F1 or F2 and you’re like, oh my gosh. And so you start kind of just scrambling of thinking of like, how can I do this better?
Um, yeah, even just the multiple choice question first, uh, approaches, it is pretty hard to do at first. Like I’ve seen a lot of people like, you know, online that just cannot come like grasp that concept.
Nate: Yeah.
Kevin: Um, but once you do kind of just trust in it and you actually see how it works, it’s like, okay, yeah, no, this is the way to do it. Um, but it, it does take like a lot of trial and error though.
Nate: So that’s another question, pushing through the confusion. I think one thing that’s nice about, or that feels nice about, uh, the traditional approach is watching a video, you know, it’s like, okay, they’re just, this professor’s explaining this to me.
This is all making sense. It like, you’re never forced to like push through a bunch of [00:32:00] confusion just by reading the chapter. But then you run into that with, you know, the questions. And at some point you have to deal with that, whether you’re following the traditional approach or our approach or whatever, just really learning how the questions work.
The Time it Took to Realize the SuperfastCPA Strategies Work
Nate: Um, so when you came to BEC and you were like, I’m going to try the SuperfastCPA approach or really apply it. How long did that take before? It clicked that time. Was it like a week or two or.
Kevin: Yeah, I’d say it was probably like about a week, I think. I don’t think it was very long, honestly, because I quickly realized like what I was doing wrong in the first exam.
Like after I failed, it was kind of like a wake up call of like, okay, something needs to change. Um, I was like, honestly, really bummed. Like, you know, failing an exam sucks, you know, came out of it. And I, I remember walking out of the exam and I didn’t really feel like I passed, but actually seeing that score, it was like, oh man, this is, this, this is hard.
This, this, this sucks. Um, but when I, um, [00:33:00] it kind of gave me like motivation actually just to like go back, change some things up, see what I need to do different. And that’s kind of what motivated me to like actually really engage the SuperfastCPA approach. And so I, yeah, I’d say after like about a week or so of like, of doing that kind of finally letting go of like the exam day ready thing, um, you know, being okay with like moving on to a different topic without being a hundred percent on the other one is, you know, I’d say that probably took about like a week or two or so to get used to.
Nate: Yeah. Yeah, my Wiley dashboard was just a train wreck. I mean, it was like you’re 5 percent completed, you know, cause I would just use the questions. I wasn’t trying to get them right or anything. And anyways, yeah, the, the dashboard is kind of a, I get the intent of it, obviously, like having tracking in there, but it’s kind of a red herring for what really is important.
Kevin: Yeah, no, I felt the same way as well. Like with the simulated exams, like I know a lot of people have mixed reviews about those, but I know that you [00:34:00] guys kind of alluded to the fact that it’s like, you don’t really, you don’t really need to do those unless you have a lot of extra time.
And I kind of found out it’s like, they either make you feel really good. That it’s like, Oh, Hey, I did pretty well. But if you don’t do that great, then it really just kills your confidence going into the exam. Um, and that was kind of another thing too. It’s like, I wanted to get a hundred percent. I wanted to do, you know, to do that, get the exam day ready thing.
But then I was like, this just isn’t going to work. Like, it’s totally fine. If I don’t do this, my, my time is way better spent just doing multiple choice questions.
Nate: Yeah.
So when you finished, you were working full time again? Or you had started your job?
Kevin: Yeah. So I, well, I finished three of the exams before I started working and then I finished REG, yeah, when I was doing full time.
Nate: Gotcha.
Kevin: Okay.
Celebrated with Family Everytime He Passed an Exam
Nate: So did you do anything big to celebrate or like buy yourself a new mountain bike or anything? You probably already have.
Kevin: Yeah. Yeah. I did like, um, yeah, they, well, we kind of had like a tradition with me and my family. Like we’d always go out to like our favorite dinner place [00:35:00] after I passed an exam.
Um, so we went there right after that weekend, which was great. Um, and then, yeah, I did just buy myself a new road bike as well. It kind of built that up and had been riding that as well. So it felt pretty good to just to kind of celebrate like that, you know, it’s, it’s kind of like retail therapy, but you know, it’s deserved.
Nate: Yeah. Yeah. Especially right when you have something you’re like, okay, I actually did like deserve this. Yeah. It’s awesome. And then just the relief of being done. I mean, just being done is the best. The, the best reward without passing, yeah.
Kevin: No, it felt great. Honestly. I remember we were, I was here at work actually.
And one of the most nerve wracking parts of the whole process was just waiting for my exam score that morning. Like, especially for FAR, I remember I was just like a wreck that morning and, you know, I was here at work. And we’re all like having lunch and stuff, and I’m just waiting for it to drop. And it was super late, way later than everybody was expecting.
I was just like a basket case that morning. Um, and then, you know, I saw like the past and I’m like, Oh my gosh. [00:36:00] And you know, luckily everybody else knew what was going on. They were all kind of waiting for me to get my score. So it just felt great just having that done and everything. And then I ended up, I think that weekend just doing the ethics exam and all the other paperwork and stuff, because I just, I just wanted it out of the way.
Yeah. Um, so it feels great to just have it all behind me now.
Nate: Yeah. Just having work and not studying just feels like you’re, I don’t know, feels like life’s so easy after that.
Kevin: Yeah.
Logan: Yeah.
Waited for 2 1/2 Months for His Final Score
Logan: How, uh, you, and, but you had to wait quite a while for the last one, right? Because you took Your first three in 2023, but then you took your fourth one, but you didn’t take it like in January, you didn’t have to wait like six months.
You took it in May. So did you have to wait two months to get your score?
Kevin: Yeah, it was about like two and a half months, I think. Yeah, I took it, I think towards the end of, or like middle of May, I think. And then I got my score like July 30th. So it was kind of weird. Cause like I took it, I didn’t have another exam to study for, it was kind of too long of a time to like, you know, keep studying for REG and [00:37:00] I felt pretty good walking out of it.
So I’m like, I guess I don’t know. We’ll just wait and by the time, you know, a score release was coming out I’m like, oh, this is so long ago. Like it was it was so weird.
Logan: Yeah.
Kevin: Like luckily I wasn’t like nervous that entire time but you know the days leading up to it though I’m like, oh geez. Yeah, this has been a long time coming.
I’m hoping this, hoping this is over.
Logan: It’s just, it’s just so long. Like, I feel so bad for everybody who’s taken exams this year, especially, and I’m especially glad that they’re going to switch back to the continuous testing, at least for the core exams next year. Cause I can’t imagine, like, especially people who took it in January.
Waiting six months till June to get their score. Like that’s just tune out. But I’m sure, yeah, I’m sure tune out. By that point, you’ve pretty much forgotten a lot of it. So you’d have to like kind of totally restudy if you fail. It’s just, yeah.
Kevin: No, that was, that was super frustrating. I mean, yeah, thankfully I didn’t have to go through that like in, in the worst of it, but yeah, I, I planning for that and everything.
That’s just a. That would have been really tough. So if, if that was your situation, whoever’s [00:38:00] reading or, you know, watching this, we’re sorry.
Nate: Yeah.
Logan: Yes.
Nate: 2024 is almost over. Yeah, a fail, a fail in 2024 was just a much bigger deal because you either had to decide to keep studying for that section. I mean, after you took it to just make, try and keep up on it or move on.
And then, like you said, you’re three months removed from studying from the one you just failed. So you starting over.
Kevin: Yeah.
Nate: Anyways.
Took a Day Off the Week Since He is Studying Full-Time
Nate: Uh, let’s see, we kind of went through what your day looked like. Did you do anything different on the weekends or, I mean, kind of follow the same format because.
Kevin: Yeah, I try to do as much as I could, like, since I was already studying full time throughout the week. Um, I mean, I know this isn’t like totally recommended, but sometimes I would give myself like a day off, like on, on Saturday or Sunday, just to kind of like reset, I’d usually try to do at least a little bit, but I think on the weekends, I’d only average like maybe one or two hours, um, just because I was.
Already studying throughout the week.
Nate: Right.
Kevin: Um, [00:39:00] and luckily for me, like, I felt like it just helped just to kind of reset the brain, come back. And usually by Monday I’d be feeling great. Didn’t feel like I lost a whole lot of stuff or anything. Um, and yeah, again, I know that you guys don’t often recommend taking rest days and stuff, but there definitely was a few days where like, I just, I just, my brain just kind of needed a break.
So depending on your situation, I feel like it can be a good thing.
Nate: Yeah.
Logan: Yeah. The reason we say that is because as a blanket statement, it’s easier to say that kind of a thing. But you know, if your process is working, like it was obviously working for you. Uh, you know, i’m not saying take the whole week off, but i’m saying like,
Kevin: Yeah.
Logan: If you’re if it’s working and you’re able to still do it by not doing it on Saturday occasionally like or on Sunday occasionally that’s great. The problem is to many people it, if they take that one rest day, then oh, then maybe I’ll take another one and then another one, but you have the control to not do that, so did it did that continue?
Had to Adjust His Studying When He Started Working Full-Time
Logan: Even when you were working, like, were you still kind of not studying as much on the weekends or did you [00:40:00] start studying a little bit more once you were working full time for REG?
Kevin: Yeah, I think I, I did study a little more on the weekends, um, during that time, like, cause I knew I’m like, okay, this is the good amount of time to study, kind of just get ahead.
Um, and yeah, and during that time I was also just like waking up at 5 a. m. every morning as well. Cause that was one of the pieces of advice as well that I liked a lot was just getting up early, doing it before work. Cause after work, there was no chance I was going to get it done. Um, and, and yeah, and the weekends kind of allowed me just to like sleep in a little bit and then study and do a little bit more.
And yeah, I would kind of just adapt the, uh, the study strategy that I had during the, you know, during my, my full time study, uh, plan was when I, I would just kind of get through it, just a couple blocks of like the two hour study session with the re-review and maybe just do a couple of those and call it good.
But yeah, I think, I think that’s what I can remember. I, I feel like it was kind of a while ago already, but.
Nate: Yeah.
Kevin: Yeah.
Pretty sure.
Logan: In just a few months removed.
Kevin: Yeah. Yeah.
Nate: It’s again, just, I had this like tangible sense of relief [00:41:00] for months. Just think like, I don’t have to study tomorrow morning. I’m done. Yeah.
Always Made Sure to Study Every Morning
Nate: But, uh, uh, when you were, you might’ve said this when you were studying. All day, every day. Did you approach it the same way? Try to start in the morning and just knock it out in the first six hours of the day?
Kevin: Yeah, no, that’s definitely what I would do. I think there was a few times I would like wait until later in the day and I could already feel just my, my brain was already just a little bit behind compared to like in the morning.
Um, so I think even like, yeah, leading up to FAR, I was, I was like especially stressed for that one. And yeah, I think even I had the whole day to study and I would still like, I think I started studying one time at like 5am. Yeah. And my parents were like, you were up early, like, what are you doing? I’m like, I don’t know.
I just woke up and wanted to start studying. You know, my, my, my brain just felt awake at that time. You know, you’re still tired for sure. And it’s an effort to get up and do it. But that, yeah, those first few hours of the day were like by far my most productive. Um, it was just the time to, to get it done.
And as the day went on, I could just kind of feel my brain just not [00:42:00] as, not as focused anymore. That helped a ton.
Nate: Yeah.
Kevin’s Final Review Process
Nate: Um, and we talked about your flashcards and sims, I guess the last thing is like, uh, your, I think you kind of mentioned this, your final review. So you would leave about a week after getting through all the material.
Kevin: Yeah. Um, it kind of just depended on like how quick I actually got through it. Um, but yeah, I felt like I usually had about like a week for every exam. Um, of like, you know, just, Hey, I’m already through the material. What do I do? And I think I actually put that to the forum one time and Logan recommended just, yeah, like get as, get through as many of those re-review sessions as you can, maybe go back to a couple areas to polish, but just make sure that you’re still just covering everything.
And that, that helped a lot. I think I tried to get through as many, just 30, sets of 30 multiple choice questions that I could. Um, and then I would also just focus every once in a while, those on like some problem areas, like for audit, I think like A-4 was like one of the tougher ones. So I would, you know, just focus 30 sets of [00:43:00] multiple choice questions on those maybe just once or twice.
And then I’d continue going on with the other stuff. And yeah, I mean, even though it was such like a broad amount of, of questions, I felt like I still was, you know, getting the topics down that I needed to.
Nate: Yeah, and like you said just doing those sets of questions that like it solves so many problems in advance on test day you just get so used to taking questions that you’re fast at MCQs. You’re just you’re like good at it by then.
I know I say that all the time.
Kevin: Yeah.
Nate: You get good at answering questions, um.
Kevin: No, yeah, that’s exactly what it was. I felt like even with REG as well, like I went in there and I finished that exam with like an hour and a half left. I was kind of scared. I’m like, did I miss it? Like, did I miss something? Like, did I skip a SIM or something?
But I attributed that to just the fact that like, I was in the multiple choice questions. I just knew how to answer them. And I also just knew if I like, didn’t know something and I could just kind of move on to the next thing.
I felt like by then I had just nailed down the strategy pretty well.
Nate: Yeah, you have anything else [00:44:00] Logan?
Found SuperfastCPA Through Logan
Logan: No, it’s been awesome to, like, this is like the first time for me personally, you know, cause I’ve only been working with SuperfastCPA for about a year, like, that I was like, hey, this is somebody that, I talked to you about this, like, like, I actually talked to, like, it’s been, it’s really cool seeing you, like, and I, and I’ve been, like, we’ve been in contact a little bit throughout your process, and it’s been really cool to see your, see your progress, like, see you passing the exams and excited about it, um, what, so I, I was the person who like introduce you to, or had you kind of heard the ads before?
Like, or was no first person you’d ever talked to.
Nate: You were bugging everyone about it.
Logan: I was, I talked to everybody about it. I’m sure he can attest to that.
Kevin: Yeah, no, I think, yeah, I hadn’t heard about it until you, you had mentioned it. Um, yeah, I think if, if I remember, yeah, we were just in classes and stuff and thank you and Hiram and.
Um, I can’t, there may be a couple other people you’ve been talking about it, but you know, like Logan was [00:45:00] basically just like the celebrity in our cohort, you know, told everybody the thing like, yeah, we got two kids, you know, um, you know, working and doing all that and passed them like that. We’re all like, Oh my gosh, how, how did you do it?
You know, cause we all hadn’t taken them yet. And so when we heard, you know, Superfast, it was like, okay, yeah, I feel like this is the way to do it.
Logan: Yeah. Yeah. It was, uh, I was, I was definitely like, I wasn’t trying to be like, uh, bragging, but I was definitely like, come on, you, we can all do this. Like, like, uh, we can, we can definitely do it.
And, um, yeah, it’s just, it’s pretty cool. I mean, you did awesome. Like I knew you would crush it once you got it figured out and you definitely did.
Kevin: Yeah. No, thanks.
Logan: Have you, you’re just, you’re just working now? Like, that don’t have anything like I mean, yeah, don’t have anything else going on but like, yeah, yeah, you know getting used to working and everything.
Kevin: Yeah, pretty much Yeah, we’re actually a really good spot right now Like we we just finished with our deadline. This is kind of like the spot that i’ve been waiting to be at for a while now like, you know done with the exams.
Logan: Yeah.
Kevin: We’re past our deadline and we’re just kind of [00:46:00] floating for the rest of the year. You know, we got some small things here and there, but we have a lot of downtime and yeah, it just feels really good just to, just to get it done. Um, and I definitely know what.
Just Waiting for His CPA License
Logan: You received your license yet? Oh, sorry.
Kevin: Oh no, you’re good. Uh, no, actually I haven’t. Um, Colorado is really slow with it.
Unfortunately they, um, they have to like review the application, like in their, like bi monthly. board meetings, I think. Um, and so like their next one’s going to be like middle of October So I still have to wait quite a bit and i’m like, oh my gosh I, I had it all submitted at the beginning of August and I thought that it would be getting there before that thing. NASBA was just sitting on it for the longest time. They, yeah, they sent me so many emails of like, Hey, it went through this thing.
Then I went through this, uh, you know, this level of review and now it’s ready for this level of review. And I’m like, when does it end? Just, just give me my license already.
Nate: Yeah. Yeah. I mean, the crappy parts over that’s all that matters.
Logan: Yeah.
Kevin: Yeah. No, luckily now it’s like, there’s nothing I have to do or anything. I’m just waiting. So it’s not, I’m not [00:47:00] complaining too much. In fact, actually, it was kind of funny, like during the middle of my exams, like for some reason, one of my biggest motivators, not my biggest, but it was kind of in the back of my mind was like, just that thought of like actually getting the piece of paper and like, you know, getting it nicely framed and put it up on the wall.
Like, I don’t know why I just thought about like, you know, taking it to like a framer and just getting it nice and just having that up on the wall. I’m like, okay, that’s, that’s, that’s the goal right there. And for some reason, just it was weird things like that that sometimes kept me going.
Nate: I mean, whatever it takes, I, yeah, my license is like in a drawer somewhere, but,
Logan: Utah, I hope, I hope Colorado actually sends you like a nice looking one because Utah just sends you an email with a PDF.
Kevin: Oh, really?
Logan: You can just print it out yourself.
Nate: Yeah, the little doppel thing.
Kevin: Oh, yeah. Interesting.
Nate: It’s like the same license. Like my wife’s a dental hygienist.
Logan: You just.
Nate: She gets the same piece of paper.
Logan: You just get it sent and printed out.
Kevin: Yeah. Weird. Yeah. No, I’m pretty sure they send us something. I mean, we had to pay like 50 bucks for it.
Logan: I hope so.
Kevin: They’re cheap, you know.
Logan: I hope so.
Kevin: They’re like that. Yeah. They actually did have that. There was like a successful candidate letter that you can order from NASBA.
I’m [00:48:00] like, Oh, that’s gotta be cool. And you know, it came in like, just like this folded up envelope. I’m like, Oh, are you serious? Like I paid 20 bucks for this. I’m like, this is a waste. You know, it’s just how they are.
Nate: Okay.
Top Tips for People Still Struggling with Their Study Process
Nate: Well, uh, to not take up much more of your time, I appreciate you doing the call, man. Um, last thing we always ask is, uh, what would be your top three tips even if it’s stuff we already covered to people struggling, still trying to figure out their own process?
Kevin: Yeah. Um, I mean, the first one I remember, like, I think it was after I passed FAR where I was doubting myself a ton during that time, I just wasn’t sure if I was going to do it and then, you know, luckily passed it.
And my, my biggest thought was just, just don’t count yourself out. Like never think that it’s over. Don’t ever think that you can’t do it. You’re not smart enough. If you put in the time and you just keep going, it is absolutely 100% like possible. So never count yourself out.
Um, and then the next one. Yeah, I mean, I think that this is the common SuperfastCPA thing is to just ditch like no lectures. I think once I just kind of let those [00:49:00] go and then just relied on the book, um, during heart, like, you know, more difficult topics, um, and then just not being super like worried about the exam day ready thing, I think once you can kind of just let that go, um, and just really trust in SuperfastCPA method, that’s going to help you a ton.
Um, and then third, I’d say probably like definitely, a lot of people ask like how you can stay motivated and like just dedicated to studying. And yeah, I mean, I, I like how that was your main thing was to, you know, write that down, kind of just keep that in mind. Like, why am I actually doing this?
Um, I feel like no matter what it is, just kind of keeping that in your head, um, and always just stay focused on that. I think that helps you a ton, um, whether it’s, you know, putting just a piece of paper up on your wall, like, like me, or whether it’s like just bigger career goals or something. I feel like that’s definitely the, that’s what helped me a lot get through it.
Nate: Yeah. So you did use that. You like wrote something out and put it where you study.
Kevin: Um, I, I can’t say I put it where I study. I was more just referring to like my, uh, just the certificate, you know, at [00:50:00] the end, getting that framed and stuff.
Nate: Oh, but yeah, just that one common thought that you always had. Yeah.
Kevin: Yeah. I can’t say I like wrote it down or anything like that, but I feel like that was just always in the back of my mind. Like for me, I just did not want to have like a roof over my career. I knew that like, like you’ve said before, like the CPA is just like the crown jewel of accounting. Like no one cares if you got, you know, your master’s or what your GPA was.
It’s like, you know, the CPA is the main thing. That’s what you want to go for. And I kind of had that in the back of my mind. I’m like, okay, now’s the time to do it. That’s what I want to do. And yeah, I feel like that helped a ton.
Nate: Yeah. Awesome. Well, yeah, like I said, thanks for doing the call, Kevin. I’m glad you gave it a second shot and, uh, you know, you would have figured it out eventually, but I, hopefully we helped speed it up. So yeah, congrats on being done.
Kevin: No. Yeah. Thanks. Yeah. It’s a pleasure to be on the call with you guys as well. It kind of feels surreal, you know, watching those podcasts and then being in the spot too. I know some other people have said that as well, but it really is true.
Nate: Yeah. It’s funny.
Logan: [00:51:00] Alright, that was the episode with Kevin. I think it was an awesome episode. Again, I know Kevin personally. So, it was awesome to be able to see him make progress through this and do so well on his exams.
And I just love his story of kind of wanting a refund and not really being sure if this was right for him and then in the end, he decided to go for it again. And again, you saw the results. He passed his exams, he did amazing and he was able to go back to focusing on work, family, and biking. I’m sure that you liked this episode. And if you did make sure to like it and leave a comment in the YouTube video, or leave a rating in your favorite podcast app. Just another reminder before you go, make sure you check out our SuperfastCPA training webinar on superfastcpa.com. Again, It’s free, it is one hour and we will teach you how to pass the CPA exam without wasting months of your time. So make sure you check that out and also make sure you share this podcast with everyone you know who is going through the CPA exams. This podcast is one of the greatest free resources out there for CPA exam candidates.
So make sure you share it with your friends and your family so that they can also start doing this effective approach to passing the CPA exams.
With all that, that was a [00:52:00] great episode with Kevin and thanks for watching, we will see you in the next episode.