In this SuperfastCPA podcast interview, you’ll hear how Nicki was able to pass the CPA exams in 4 months of total studying while still taking some breaks for work and family. You’ll hear how she went from being super overwhelmed studying for FAR in the beginning, to passing BEC first try.
One of the key points Nicki talks about is daily review. In this interview, you’ll hear how she stayed motivated even when she was discouraged, and used daily review to pass all of her exams on her first try.
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 Nicki Interview
- 03:06 Why Nicki Decided to Pursue the CPA
- 04:30 Passed the CPA Exams Before Finishing School Credits
- 05:23 Got SuperfastCPA Immediately
- 06:17 How it Felt Studying for the First Exam
- 07:06 Passed BEC Within a Month
- 08:22 The Difference Studying for FAR and Passing BEC
- 09:38 Still Passed Even When Studying Was Difficult
- 10:54 Elimination of Videos and Reading Made the Studying Faster
- 12:54 Using the SuperfastCPA Study Tools
- 14:21 Exam Timeline After Passing BEC
- 15:49 Nicki’s Study Schedule
- 16:25 SIM Preparation
- 17:52 How Nicki Tackled the Sims
- 19:25 Taking the Other Exams Before FAR Helped Her Gain Understanding
- 20:33 Not Trusting the Process Held Nicki Back
- 21:52 When Nicki Realized It Was Working
- 23:01 Nicki’s Learning Process
- 25:07 Reviewing Her Leading Up To Exam Day
- 26:24 Listening to the Audio Notes When Walking the Dog
- 27:09 Had to Make Sacrifices to Study
- 28:44 The Most Helpful Thing from SuperfastCPA
- 31:24 How Nicki Used the Audio Notes to Study
- 32:19 Nicki’s Thoughts About the CPA Exams
- 34:54 What Kept Nicki Motivated
- 37:08 Getting Past Not Getting the Answers Right When Learning
- 38:25 Trusting the Process
- 39:40 Nicki’s Top Tips for People Still Struggling with the CPA Exams
Interview Transcript
Nicki: [00:00:00] The other thing is, this can be an incredibly discouraging process, and I think everybody’s gonna have moments where they’re incredibly discouraged and I would have those moments and I’d have to take a little bit of a break, not necessarily like a week, but I would have to take a little bit of a break and just kind of like step away for a minute.
I didn’t skip my re-review. I always did those, but sometimes you just need to like have a breather.
So just know that you’re gonna have those discouraging moments, but then, just wallow in it, like take your breather and then jump back in.
Logan: Welcome to another episode of the CPA Exam Experience podcast from SuperfastCPA. I’m Logan, and in today’s episode, you’re going to hear me talking to Nicki.
Now, Nicki had an awesome story. They were traveling a lot because her husband was in the military, but eventually she got into accounting and decided to start pursuing the CPA.
And when she started, she actually found SuperfastCPA [00:01:00] right at the beginning and then realized that she also needed to have a full review course because you know, SuperfastCPA is supplemental. So she also purchased UWorld and Roger and started trying to study, but as you’ll hear at the beginning of her story, she was trying to study for FAR and it was just super overwhelming because there was a lot going on in her life with her family and FAR was just super difficult for her, so she kind of took a break and wasn’t able to do it at that time.
But she came back at the end of 2023 and took BEC and all the other exams over the course of the next year and passed them all. And she did extremely well, I think she only studied somewhere around like four or five or six months total. Because even though she did it over the course of a year, she took a few breaks so she was able to pass all of the exams over the course of about four or five or six months and she was able to do that while working and while having a family, and she did really well.
So I think this episode is going to be a great one for anybody who wants to know, can I do this even though I’m busy, even though I have family? Can I still do this? And the answer [00:02:00] is yes, if you have the right strategies. And you’ll hear Nicki and I talking about those strategies in this episode.
Now, before we dive into the episode, I just wanna give you one more reminder about the SuperfastCPA training webinar on superfast cpa.com. That is one hour that will literally save you months and months of time struggling with the exams because we will teach you the key ingredients to passing the CPA exam in just that one hour.
So make sure you check out the one hour webinar and after you watch that, make sure you also check out becoming a SuperfastCPA PRO member, because SuperfastCPA PRO members get access to something that I’ve been working on for over the past year. And it’s something called multiple choice question walkthrough videos.
They are on YouTube and we also have full versions for the SuperfastCPA PRO members. So if you need help with specific topics, I have created multiple choice question walkthrough videos for just about every topic in FAR, just about every topic in audit. And I’ve done a lot for REG, TCP, and I’m currently working on BAR right now.
So again, if you like those and you see those on YouTube, check out becoming a PRO member because you get access to the full [00:03:00] versions of those in the member forum.
Now, with all that out of the way, let’s dive into the interview with Nicki.
Why Nicki Decided to Pursue the CPA
Logan: What were you doing when you decided that you wanted to go for the CPA exam? Like, where were you in your career?
Nicki: Um, well, uh, it’s a, I’m in, this is a second career for me. I started it after my first kids were born, kind of fell into accounting and I am part of a military family, so we moved a lot. Um, and on one of our moves I decided to learn more so I signed up for classes at the local community college, and I had a professor who essentially told me that he doesn’t even look at resumes for people unless they are CPAs.
It hadn’t really been on my radar to do it before that, and because we move a lot, I’m always in a position to find a job, so I thought, well, I will pursue this.
Logan: Right. So, so, you know, and you were moving a lot, uh, was that, are, are you in the military? Is your husband in the military? Like [00:04:00] what’s, uh, you said this is kind of a
Nicki: My husband.
Logan: Okay. Okay. Nice.
Nicki: My husband’s in the military, um, and it’s a second career just because I had been part of the mortgage industry prior to 08 when everything crashed, and then I found myself trying to find a path.
Logan: Okay. Okay, that makes sense.
So you start going to college for accounting and then your professor says, CPA is really what you need, and that, that makes sense, that you would want that cause if you’re moving around frequently, you gotta have something that will give you an in every time.
Passed the CPA Exams Before Finishing School Credits
Logan: Uh, so you start looking to, into the CPA. What was that like? Were you working in accounting yet, or were you just studying at, like, were you just doing your schooling? Like what, where were you when you started to get into CPA?
Nicki: I, um, was working. So I had, um, began working in tax and I’m still working in tax actually. Um, and I still don’t have my CPA license, ironically enough. Um, and that’s a whole nother story but, uh, so I was just doing [00:05:00] school, managing work, and family. Um, and I think I have three different institutions and I’m on my fourth now because I, because of all the moves and just, apparently I, I did pass all my exams, but I don’t have enough credits as it turns out, so I’m still on this path.
Logan: So you’ve passed all the exams, but still trying to get the credits to get the license. Okay. Okay.
Nicki: Yes.
Got SuperfastCPA Immediately
Logan: Uh, so what did you start doing when you started going for the CPA? Like did you get a review course? Like how did you start studying?
Nicki: Yeah, so I believe it was 2021 when I finally received from California that the okay to sit for these exams. So then I started researching programs and I found SuperfastCPA and Nate made it sound so great and so easy, so I bought that right away. And then, um, after I bought that, not totally clear at the moment that I also needed a review course.
Then I did [00:06:00] purchase a review course as well, and I bought UWorld.
Logan: Okay.
Nicki: Or RogerCPA.
Logan: Yeah, whatever, whatever it is at this point. So you, you had SuperfastCPA first, and then you got a review course, and that does happen sometimes, you know, we never claim to be a full review course, but it does sometimes uh, get a little bit confusing.
How it Felt Studying for the First Exam
Logan: So you’ve got SuperfastCPA, got UWorld, so you were using SuperfastCPA right from the start. Is that right? Like, were you using, did you get the PRO course?
Nicki: I did, and I, um, so yes, I watched all the PRO videos. Learned how to study in this new method and jumped right in, was super overwhelmed, and the, you know, the, the, the school of thought on taking these exams. What everybody has told me is start with the hardest, start with FAR, and then once you get that one knocked out, you can knock out the rest.
And so I, that is, that, that’s what I did, and then life got in the way. We moved again. Um, you know, my, I have three kids. Um, but what I remember from that beginning, [00:07:00] the, the beginning of my studying was that I was super overwhelmed with FAR, and it was incredibly discouraging for me.
Passed BEC Within a Month
Nicki: Um, so then fast forward to 20, it took me a year to do the exams once I finally sat down to do it, um, it was 2020, it’s 25, so 24. At the end of 24, I took, uh, before BEC expired, I decided, um, everybody told me it was the easiest one and I was like, you know what, I’m just gonna jump in with the easiest exam.
And so I studied for a month and pass that one.
Logan: Nice.
Nicki: Um, so, so yeah. So there was a big gap between when I was allowed to sit for the exams and when I actually began.
Logan: Yeah. You start,
Nicki: Life got in in the way.
Logan: Yeah. I mean that, that definitely happens. So you started in 2021, but really didn’t get to really dive in until, I think it must have been 2023, because if you were able to take BEC that was, uh, it went away in 2024.
Nicki: Oh, you’re right, you’re right. So I finished this in [00:08:00] 24. You, you’re right, it was 23. Yeah.
Logan: End of 23 to 20 to end of 2024 was your timeline.
Okay. I see.
Nicki: Correct.
Logan: So, uh, I mean, for me, BEC was the hardest exam for me personally, I just really struggled with that one, but you passed it first try and that was your first exam. That was the first exam you ever really took, right? Um.
Nicki: First one I sat for. Mm-hmm.
The Difference Studying for FAR and Passing BEC
Logan: And so what was the difference this time from studying for FAR, feeling super overwhelmed, compared to studying for BEC this time?
I mean, obviously family was still probably a big part of both situations, but what was the difference that allowed you to, you know, sit down and pass this time?
Nicki: Well, I think I work best under a deadline, to be quite honest. And so the fact that it was expiring, I just wanted to pass it. And so I, I didn’t, I didn’t think too much about the process. Um, I reviewed those PRO videos again, and then the other thing is I think he had put a new instructional video [00:09:00] online, which showed using an Excel spreadsheet to take notes and use it for calculations.
And that for me was an incredibly effective tool. So I just, I worked with two screens and I just kept my notes on one and used the tutor mode in the review course and just, I didn’t even bother with videos. I just kept going. I just was like, I’m gonna trust this process.
And he did say it feels weird at first, but eventually it’ll click. And so that’s what I did and I listened to the BEC notes. Um, uh, and yeah, I just kept doing question after question after question.
Logan: Right.
Still Passed Even When Studying Was Difficult
Logan: So what was your, did you just follow all parts of the process? You were studying in the morning, doing the, like going to the questions first, like, were you doing all the stuff in the PRO course?
Nicki: So I didn’t study in the morning. Um, so I work in tax, so it’s kind of a slow time of year in November for us. So I used [00:10:00] my, a little bit of time at work and then I would study after I came home and did all of the family stuff. I would study after everybody was kind of settled in for the night and I would study at night.
Logan: Okay. And are your kids, you, you said you have three kids. Are they kind of like, uh, like still in school? I mean, you, before we got on the call, you were, you were mentioning that, you know, it’s summer right now for you. So, uh, is that something that kind of was the same throughout the process where, you know, you always had to make sure that you were taking care of your kids and then you, you were studying in the evening or something like that?
Is that kind of what it was like?
Nicki: It was, I mean, it was basically I, my priorities were family, work and then the exam, that was kind of the hierarchy for while I was going through each exam.
Logan: Yeah,
Nicki: And everything else kind of fell off o other than trying to remain healthy and
Logan: Yeah.
Nicki: Work out and all of that, but for the most part, those that was the hierarchy.
Elimination of Videos and Reading Made the Studying Faster
Logan: And so kind of like along those lines, what did, so, you know, you [00:11:00] never really had this, uh, this timeline, this time where, you know, you didn’t have SuperfastCPA. Uh, but what did SuperfastCPA teach you or give you that allowed you to, you know, even though you had, you were busy with family, busy with work, uh, and you know, tried to still exercise and things like that, what did it teach you or what came from that that allowed you to still be able to maintain all the other things in your life?
Nicki: Well, I think, I think the, the, the elimination of all the videos and the reading, I mean, that’s a, that’s a lot of time. If you, the, the review courses, they’ll give you a calendar. So if you map out the full course. It’s just such a huge time commitment and it, and so by just eliminating those pieces, I didn’t, it was just so, it just, it really did, it was super fast.
Logan: Right. Yeah, it kinda like cuts it down. I remember when I was going through it with FAR, um, I like, I like counted up the hours that it would take to watch all the video. I had [00:12:00] Becker all the videos in Becker and I think it was like 40 or 50 hours, and that’s just watching them all one time through, not pausing or anything like that.
So yeah, it saves a huge amount of time to not watch the lectures and so, so did you never watch lectures at all?
Nicki: No, I did watch some lectures in FAR. So if I was struggling on a certain topic, I would, I would use the lectures and on, to be honest, I didn’t really watch them. I would listen to them like on a walk or whatever. Just I, so I didn’t need to visually see it. I think I just needed a verbal explanation.
So I did use some of them, but a lot of them to be quite honest are boring and I don’t know, incredibly, just depends on whatever the topic is.
Logan: Right. Yeah, they, they are, I agree. They are very boring, which is why I stopped watching them as well. And I mean, granted it is CPA material, so can’t do too much. That’s exciting for them.
Using the SuperfastCPA Study Tools
Logan: But, uh, you, so, and actually you mentioned something, you, you would listen to them that kind of want, makes me want to [00:13:00] ask a little bit about like the mini sessions. Uh, did you listen to the audio notes? Did you do the mini quizzes, the review notes? What did you do with all that?
Nicki: So I did use the audio notes and listened to those as well while I was doing other things. And then I used the mini quizzes as well. I didn’t do probably as many as he recommends, but I did a ton of questions in my review course, uh, cause I would do those re-review quizzes. I mean, without fail, that was the one thing I, if I was too tired of study and learn new material one day, I would just always do re-reviews all the time.
Um, so I didn’t use those mini quizzes quite as much. And then I didn’t use the the notes at all because just, it was like so hard for me to read it on my phone and just, I needed like, I don’t know, I just didn’t use ’em.
Logan: Right.
And with the, um, and, and the re-review is a huge, I mean that’s like, I think if you could really narrow this all down to like one word [00:14:00] and, you know, comparing this to what other people typically do, compared to what SuperfastCPA teaches is like reviewing. Constantly reviewing because otherwise you’re just gonna forget everything.
Did you find that that was kind of like the key in your success was the constantly reviewing?
Nicki: Without a doubt. I think that was the winning ticket.
Logan: Right.
Nicki: For me.
Logan: Right.
Exam Timeline After Passing BEC
Logan: So you, so you took BEC, you passed that in just a month, and what, what did the rest of it look like? What was your timeline after that?
Nicki: So then, um, you know, we jump into tax season right away in, you know, January, February, so I didn’t even bother during my busy periods.
And then the next opportunity I felt that I had free time to study, my whole family left for the month of July, so I began in July and studied. I did, uh, REG in July and took it on July 31st.
So I started in July, finished in July 31st and passed that one. And then I took two, the last two after extension. So audit and FAR, I took [00:15:00] after October 15th and got those done in the last couple months of the year.
Logan: Wow, so, so really, if you really think about the time that you were studying, you really did all of these in four months.
Nicki: Four months, maybe a little more, but yes.
Logan: That’s incredible. So, you know, a year timeline, but really it was just a month for BEC, month for REG, and then about two, two and a half months for audit and FAR. That’s, that’s really impressive. And what were, and you passed all of them first try. Is that right?
Nicki: I passed all of them. Mm-hmm.
Logan: Nice.
Nicki: I’m not saying I was like stellar. I think I got a 75 on FAR, but I thought, well, I studied just the right amount.
Logan: Hey, that’s the perfect score. It doesn’t, it does not matter. I got a 75 on BEC, I was mentioning to you that I thought that was the hardest one, so, hey, it doesn’t matter. That’s, that’s awesome. Uh, I mean, that’s really impressive.
Nicki’s Study Schedule
Logan: Uh, so what did your, what did your typical day look like then? So, you know, were you studying like two hours, three hours?
So in like during those four months that you [00:16:00] were actually studying, how much would you say you were actually studying each day?
Nicki: So I would probably say I got about two hours of studying in per day during the week. And then I had an incredibly supportive husband who would kind of take on whatever he could on the weekends. And so I would study most of the weekend.
Logan: Oh, okay.
Nicki: I would go into the office and just study for six, eight hours a day if I could on the weekends.
SIM Preparation
Logan: And during those weekends, were you studying, uh, mainly multiple choice questions still, or were, or did you start incorporating sims at that point?
Nicki: Okay. So I don’t necessarily recommend this, but I did kind of feel like the multiple choices really did cover everything that was on the sims, so I didn’t do a lot of sim preparation. I did jump into some sims for FAR.
Logan: Right.
Nicki: But I think that I found the sims to be incredibly discouraging, and so I didn’t, I didn’t spend a ton of time on sims. I just assumed that I covered [00:17:00] the material with the multiple choice and then hoped for the best when I got into the test.
Logan: Yeah, and I mean you, you passed all of them. That’s, sims are such a difficult thing to prepare for because they’re going to be different on the exam than what you’ve seen. And I recently made, uh, some walkthrough videos for sims, for each section for some clients. And the thing that I think that, that most people need to realize about sims is there’s like diminishing returns when it comes to studying sims.
You can’t study like, you know, six to eight hours of studying multiple choice questions. It’s very difficult to study six to eight hours of sims. So really practicing sims is about less about a ridiculous amount of time spent on them and more about having that exposure and learning how to pick a sim apart. Uh, cause most of your knowledge comes from multiple choice questions, like you said.
How Nicki Tackled the Sims
Logan: Uh, so you said you practiced sims with FAR, did you, like, what was your approach with sims? Like, did you just not really study them [00:18:00] or? Yeah, like did you just kind of,
Nicki: Well, you know, it gives you, on your steady plan that the review course gives you, they just have sims to knock off and like hit a check mark. And so I would just, I didn’t always do them, but I would, I would maybe tackle four or five, like maybe three. I think they came in testlets of three. And I would do, sit down and I would just do three and I would, it felt like I always failed them.
Um, and then I would sit and I would look at all the explanations and read through why I failed them. And so maybe once a week I might do a few for FAR. I don’t feel like I did any for BEC. Maybe I did a couple, I don’t know. And REG, I worked in tax, so I was less concerned about REG. And then, um, audit was just a bear for me. And the, the simulations, I just, I didn’t like them. I mean, it was just so much reading and [00:19:00] words and.
Logan: Audit is such a unique exam, is just completely different than the other ones. Totally conceptual. Every little thing is like so similar to every other little thing, but there’s like these slight differences. So yeah, I think audit is a very, I would say that audit is maybe more difficult than FAR for a lot of people just because it’s completely different. Uh, so yeah, I mean, that
Nicki: I feel like it was for me.
Taking the Other Exams Before FAR Helped Her Gain Understanding
Nicki: I wanted to circle back to the order of the exams because, uh, what ended up working for me was different within what everybody recommended, which is take FAR first. FAR was my very last one I took, and I did feel that a lot of the knowledge that I had learned through all of the previous exams.
Aided my understanding in FAR, so I felt like FAR was a lot less overwhelming for me having taken it last than first.
So for anybody who is in that boat, it may not, the order may be different for you.
Logan: And the interesting about FAR is it’s so connected to the other exams that. It can kind [00:20:00] of go either way. You can either take it first and I, and if you pass FAR, your knowledge can of translate to the other exams or like you were saying, since FAR can be so difficult, getting that confidence and getting that understanding from the other exams made FAR not as intimidating.
I didn’t do FAR first. I think it, I did audit first. Um, so yeah, I, it, the exam order doesn’t really matter. Um, other than, you know, maybe trying to do whatever would be slightly maybe most difficult for you. It, it, honestly, as long as you pass all of ’em, doesn’t really matter. Yeah.
Not Trusting the Process Held Nicki Back
Logan: Um, so, I kind of had, I kind of already asked this, but I just wanted to ask it maybe more clearly. Uh, what was the difference between in studying in 2021, you were overwhelmed, to studying in 2023, like you had SuperfastCPA both times, but was the difference? Why, why were you so overwhelmed then compared to in 2023?
Nicki: Um, well, I think I was trying to study for FAR
Logan: That, that makes a difference. [00:21:00] Yes.
Nicki: Uh, the material was incredibly overwhelming and I don’t think I really trusted the process yet. I, I really, I felt like, oh, I need to look at the materials. I need to look at the videos, and I still kind of was messing around with that.
Logan: Mm-hmm.
Nicki: But then, when I decided to take in 23, there was that hard, hard and fast deadline that this exam is gonna be gone and then I’m gonna have to buy, well, actually my material’s updated, but I was just thinking, oh, I’m gonna have to like switch focuses.
And anyway, so just that hard and fast deadline, it was like forcing me to get started. And because I only had about a month, I dove into the Superfast method wholeheartedly and didn’t question it, and just kept putting one foot in front of the other and kept going until I was done.
Logan: Right.
When Nicki Realized It Was Working
Logan: And how long would you say it, I mean you had a month for BEC and you mentioned that, you know, of course Nate says [00:22:00] it’ll take some time to get used to it, for it to click. Would you say it started clicking before you took BEC, or did you not really feel like it clicked until you saw your result for BEC?
Nicki: Oh no. I felt like once I under, probably two weeks of study in that way, I, it started to click and I understood how I was learning through the question. And so, certainly the method I felt like it clicked for me about two weeks into my studying and I just kept going at that point.
Logan: Okay.
Nicki: So even though those first two weeks feel awkward and like, this isn’t working, I, I just kept going.
Logan: Right. And, and that’s, I think that’s, um, I think that’s a good tip for a lot of people is, I think frequently, and this is how most people are in a lot of things in life, we kind of get discouraged if things aren’t working quickly.
But yeah, just kind of letting yourself stay in it for like those two or three, maybe even four weeks until it clicks, I think is kind of that, uh, that sweet spot where things [00:23:00] start to actually work out.
Nicki’s Learning Process
Logan: So, you know, it started to click after about two weeks, what did your studying look like? So you get into doing the multiple choice questions and you are learning from them. What would you do you were learning from them, and especially when you were learning from something difficult, like, what was your process like?
Nicki: Oh, so I would take notes on the Excel sheet with the more difficult topics, I think to kind of help me remember it. That was important for me just to, I mean, I love to do, I, I faster with typing, so that’s why I use the computer. But I do think I learned better, probably handwriting, but I didn’t have time for that.
So I would take notes on all of the questions that were, that I didn’t grasp, and then I would do, I would rework the formulas that I got wrong and, I feel like I got everything wrong like anything, you started a new topic. It was just failing all over the place, you [00:24:00] know, and so I just kept redoing the problems and reworking and then I’d re-review.
And so I guess, I mean, and those multiple choice, they gave you so much information.
Logan: Especially UWorld.
Nicki: And if you take the time to read them and really try and understand what you’re reading, then that gets you further along than just kind of skimming it. So I did try to put the time in on the new material.
Now, when I was doing my re-review tests, I would do the non tutoring tests, and then I would go through the questions I got wrong.
I didn’t spend as much time focusing on the notes and the tutoring notes in those questions. I would just try to say, where did I misstep and what did I misunderstand, and kind of maybe make a note for that.
Logan: So you, uh, and so, and you were, um, I agree, I, I typically did better with handwritten notes, but definitely the, like, getting used to using an Excel sheet I think is a really important skill because you have an Excel sheet on exam day. Uh, so that’s a very useful thing to be.[00:25:00]
Nicki: It saves you so much time.
Logan: Yep, cause you’re used to it. You’re, you’re, you’ve been doing that for the whole time you’ve been studying, so it makes it easier.
Reviewing Her Leading Up To Exam Day
Logan: Uh, did you ever really go back and look at those notes or was it more of a in the moment thing to help it kind of click?
Nicki: Mostly in the moment, I would tell myself that I was gonna read them every night, you know, before bed for like 10 minutes, but by the time I was done studying and I was tired, and I’m like, forget it.
So, the week before the exam I would start kind of reading through them. I would refer back to them when I was confused about something and find where my note was on whatever the topic is and then, you know, and then I would take, I would print ’em out for that last week and just kind of like, if I had time, I’d read through my notes.
I was reading through them in the car, in the parking lot before going for the exam, so that’s kind of how I used the notes.
Logan: And it sounds like that was kind of your, your version of flashcards. ’cause you know, we typically have, we tell people to make flashcards, but did you not really make flashcards and more just focused on those notes?
Nicki: I tried to, but again, it was more of a [00:26:00] time,
Logan: Right.
Nicki: Crunch, I just, I didn’t, and the, I really do think that with the testing that I was doing daily to go over all of the material that I had learned, it was keeping that fresh in my mind just on a daily basis. So the flashcards I didn’t use, I sometimes I would go in to the ready deck in my, my class and do use those, but pretty infrequently.
Logan: Okay.
Listening to the Audio Notes When Walking the Dog
Logan: And kind of switching gears right here, so you, you also mentioned earlier that you listened to the audio notes. Did you listen to those a lot? Was that like just anytime you possibly could? What, what did you, what did you feel was helpful about the audio notes?
Nicki: Uh, well, I would walk, I go out walk with my dog every morning, so that for me was my audio note time. And so I would just plug in and, and it would be, I would say, I just gotta get through this exam and then I can listen to something more interesting when I’m done. So that is pretty much how I use the audio notes.
Logan: Right.
Nicki: [00:27:00] Mostly during that time of day, I would try and do it later, but I, I mean, you know, you have three kids, like you’re just constantly interrupted and just it
Logan: Yes, yes. Uh, yes.
Had to Make Sacrifices to Study
Logan: And, uh. of along the lines with your family, like what did, were you still able to like, I mean, you said that family and then work, and work were your top priorities and then the CPA. Were you able to still, you know, be there with your kids, take them to school, do activities with them, what were you still able to do all that stuff?
Nicki: I did a lot less, um, especially on the weekends. My husband kind of stepped up and did all the driving to the different events and such. We did have dinner every night as a family, so we maintained that. I did have to do, you know, drop off in pickups, so I did that, but I didn’t do a lot of the extra things.
Logan: Just for the dur, and, but that was even just,
Nicki: It was four months, so.
Logan: That’s not that bad really. Uh, uh, honestly, if, if, if anybody, if people could [00:28:00] pass the CPA exam in four months just by sacrificing a little bit of time, I think everybody would a hundred percent go for that.
Uh, did you, but it seems like you didn’t really have to sacrifice like much, you know, like, would you say that’s true? Like you were obviously very busy, but you were still able to see your kids still able to do the important things. Would you say you didn’t have to sacrifice too much?
Nicki: Yeah, I mean, what are you sacrificing, some TV time and maybe some social outings. You know a lot of my friends who were used to seeing me, you know, like, you disappeared. But I mean, yeah, I, I, I, I mean just with anything, like if you had, just like with tax season, I don’t see people because I’m working all the time and it’s all kind of the same, so.
Logan: Right.
The Most Helpful Thing from SuperfastCPA
Logan: Uh, so overall with everything, what would you say were the, and we, you know, we maybe have already mentioned this a little bit, but I just kind of want to hear it one more time. What would you say were the helpful things that SuperfastCPA taught you or helped, or [00:29:00] gave you going through these exams?
Nicki: Uh, most helpful was the, the, the steady plan and the method, and learning from the questions for, without a doubt. And then I think the re-review, again, I mentioned this, that was key. I kept it fresh in my mind. I didn’t forget it. And the other thing I, I, I’ll come back to that, but, um, so those two things, and then the listening for me, just even though it wasn’t all the time.
It just kept, it just was another way to learn it, you know, other than looking at the computer screen and doing questions just found another way into my brain. So I would say those three were, were key for me. Um, the other thing that I wanna mention, for me, I felt like one of the reasons I wanted to do the exams quickly was because, you know, the longer it, like, if I take three months to study it, it’s gonna be, it’s not as fresh in my brain no matter what. Even with all that re-review, it’s [00:30:00] gonna fall off. And, and so the quicker I did it, I knew that it would still, maybe it still might be there. Um, so that was the other reason that I wanted to, to do it quickly.
So I do think that is a benefit of trying to really push through and just getting it done.
Logan: Right. Like having that, just, obviously not rushing through it, but just having a, being very committed to doing it all the time. Like just, that is like a huge priority for you in the moment. I, I, I really agree with that. I, I think I did all of mine in six weeks, um, besides my first one. So I, and I felt the same way that getting through it, quickly really kept like the momentum going, really kept my motivation up and kept things really fresh as like, like you were saying.
Um, and going back to the audio notes, I also loved the audio notes because it made it so that I could, I felt like I really was studying like all throughout the day. Uh, and it just, and you know, they’re, they can be [00:31:00] boring as I, I mean, we all know that it can be boring to listen to Nate, and I think you probably listened to my voice as well, once you were doing audit, which
Nicki: I did.
Logan: Still weird. Yep. Which is still, which is still weird that people, uh, are listening to my voice out there.
But, uh, I think that the audio notes are just like, I, I think frequently that becomes people’s like bread and butter, that, that’s just like the thing that they’re always able to do.
How Nicki Used the Audio Notes to Study
Logan: Um, and would you say that, you know, were learning from it even if you weren’t fully listening, uh, all the time? Is that right? Would you say that?
Nicki: Yeah, I mean, I do think, I think he mentions at the beginning of the notes about how to use them and just to keep going even though you may have missed some of it, um, because you end up listening to them all again, because you’re listening to them. So yes, I mean, there were certainly moments when I zoned out and then I’d kind of like get back in line with what was happening and then, you know, it would come back around and I’d hear it.
[00:32:00] So I, I tried not to worry about it. I didn’t really rewind. I just kept it going.
Logan: Yeah. yeah, I think that’s, I think that’s perfect right there. Uh, I mean, honestly, I feel like we’ve pretty much hit most of the stuff. I mean, we talked about your main studying, we talked about sims a little bit. We talked about your notes and then also about the mini sessions.
Nicki’s Thoughts About the CPA Exams
Logan: Uh, is there any other thing in the process that you thought of that was really helpful or that you wanted to talk about on the podcast that we haven’t talked about?
Nicki: Yeah, I think, uh, two things I’ll mention. The first one is for me and for any of you out there who need to have a, a hard deadline to motivate you, I did schedule my exams. So I looked at my calendar and I figured it out, like, this is how much time I had to study for, and I, I paid for it and I put it and I scheduled it.
Um, because I didn’t wanna have that, like wishy-washy, I can always extend. So that was a really helpful tip for me because I need that kind of hard and fast deadline.
And then the other thing [00:33:00] is with the review programs, you know, they score your tests as you go and because you’re learning from the questions.
It is a bit discouraging to look at your scores because you feel like you’re learning. But then remember that as you go through new material and you’re failing all those questions and you’re missing them, that factors into your score. So there’s a lot of advice out there that says, oh, you need to be at 80% passing on all of these questions.
I don’t think if you’re using Superfast method and those scores exactly correlate to what you’re at, whether you’re ready or not. Um, so don’t let those scores hold you back. Cause I think on all of my scoring, I was at about a 70% when I sat for each exam and I still passed so, um, if you need that marker to get there for yourself, like by all means, go for it.
But because you’re, you’re not hitting those questions that you’re learning from correct, that’s always been a factor. And, and then the other thing is this can be an incredibly [00:34:00] discouraging process and so you’re gonna, I, I think everybody’s gonna have moments where they’re incredibly discouraged, and I would have those moments and I would, you know, I’d have to take a little bit of a break, not necessarily like a week, but I would have to take a little bit of a break and just kind of like step away for a minute.
I didn’t skip my re-review. I always did those. But sometimes you just need to like have a breather.
Logan: Right.
Nicki: So, just know that you’re gonna have those discouraging moments, but then don’t, just wallow in it, like take your breather and then jump back in.
Logan: Right. I, I think that, and you know, in the coaching program where we have like, uh, coaching clients that we work with a little bit more closely, that is definitely a frequent discouragement, is, you know, they’re doing the questions first. They’re doing all this, but they don’t feel like they’re improving and, you know, this is a hard process and they get really discouraged. So I really like what you said there.
What Kept Nicki Motivated
Logan: And actually, uh, you, I have two more questions based on what you were saying so, [00:35:00] um, did you, how did you, this sometimes seems like a silly question, but how did you stay motivated? Like, what kept you going through, you know, I mean, what kept you motivated during this?
Nicki: Uh, well, I’ll tell you, my husband was a huge help cause he would, he would just say, come on, keep going. Don’t, don’t stop. And, you know, sometimes you need to hear that from an outside person. Um, and then I think just like, you know, I’m older so I have been through, you know, so many different things in life that are difficult and you just kind of learn over time that you just, if you just keep going, you’ll eventually get there.
Logan: Yeah.
Nicki: And if you just stop, then that will be your result. And so, you know, part of life experience has just taught me that you just have to keep pressing on.
Logan: Exactly. Yeah, it, I mean that, that’s the interesting thing about the CPA exam, and it’s not always like this in all things in life, but the only way you can truly fail the CPA exam is if you stop. You just give up. Uh, and [00:36:00] did you, just curious, did you have the motivation sheet? Like there’s the one in the PRO course where we ask you to fill it out.
Did you ever fill that out and print that out?
Nicki: I think I probably did the very first time I sat, started, and I don’t think I did again.
Logan: Okay. All right. But, and, and, but that’s something that I always like to recommend to people is, we have that motivation sheet in the PRO course where we have you just write it out, you know, why am I doing this? What are the bad things that will happen if I don’t do this? And I just think having that constant motivation, seeing that like why am I doing this, is super important.
And, and also having that support from other people. I think frequently people think that, uh, you know, candidates think that they have to do this totally alone, which is kind of true because a lot of people aren’t, don’t really understand the CPA, but being open with people in your life and saying, Hey, I really need to get this done. Can you help me? You know, like can you help me with this? Or, you know, can you be okay with not seeing me as [00:37:00] frequently? I think that, you know, being open with people about it, like you were with your husband can get a lot of, will give you a lot of, will give people a lot of support that they didn’t think they could have.
Getting Past Not Getting the Answers Right When Learning
Logan: Um, and one other question, uh, you were talking about the, you know, feeling discouraged about the questions and everything. At what point did you kind of have a mindset shift where it’s okay to not do very well on the questions when I’m learning from them? Because if people, a lot of people get really discouraged by their scores when they’re learning from the multiple choice questions. So what helped you to like get past that?
Nicki: Uh, I think I’m, I mean, I hate to see it with all the way into my audit studying because audit was the hardest for me and I just kept missing ’em and, but I had already scheduled my test.
Logan: Right.
Nicki: And so I was like, well, I’ve passed two and you know, I’m 50% of the way there. So I think, I think it was in that, that class where, in that course where I realized like, okay, my scores are just not gonna accurately [00:38:00] reflect what I know.
And, but even still, I knew that kind of, I mean, I did, I never really hit 80% on any of my studying, but, um, I think cause audit I was just failing like, I kept failing questions and failing re-review tests and it was just, that was probably the hardest one and the most miserable for me to study for. So that one is probably where I realized like I just have to keep, I just have to keep going and hope for the best.
Trusting the Process
Logan: So what did, what helped you to know or to feel like you were still learning from the questions? Like, yeah. What allowed you to still go sit for the exam, thinking that you would hopefully pass, even though you were kind of feeling like that?
Nicki: Um, I do think because I, I definitely thought about extending my test date on audit and, uh, I think my husband was like, don’t extend it. Just go take it. And, cause you know, the worst that happens is you don’t pass, right? So it’s like at least you kind of know what you’re walking into then at that point.
You do start to learn it. I mean, even though you feel like [00:39:00] you’re failing a lot and you might miss the same question, and so it’s, you know, something’s not clicking, but you do start to see yourself learning the material. You’re like, oh, I remember this. Oh, oh yeah, that’s how that works. You know, it, you kind of do see yourself learning, even though you know it might be hard and it might take while to get there.
Logan: Yeah. Eventhough you might be looking at your scores and saying, wow, I got like a 50% on my quiz today, but if you can look back over the course of your, you know, your month or six weeks or eight weeks and feel like, oh, I really have learned this. A lot more than I realized. I think that that can be something that’s very motivating, especially when you’re doing questions first.
Nicki’s Top Tips for People Still Struggling with the CPA Exams
Logan: That was, that was kinda like my last, uh, I think that was my last question based on what you had just said there. Now the last question that we always like to ask, even though these are probably things we’ve talked about throughout the interview, but just kind of to finish. What would be your top two or three tips to people who are still going [00:40:00] through the CPA exam? Uh, what would be your top two or three tips to them?
Nicki: Uh, my number one tip is to do the re, re-review every day. Just make that your benchmark. You’re gonna do at least 30 questions a day. And my second tip is, I do think the speed of which you go about it matters. And if you can just really dig deep and focus for month to six weeks, and then take the exam. I just think it’s gonna be easy for you because it won’t be so much time from when you covered the beginning of the material.
And lastly, I do think your support network matters, so get your family on board.
Logan: I I love that. Yep. I, I think that, that’s a super important point right there. Uh, I, well, I, you did amazing. I am so glad that I was able to be on this call with you today, Nicki. Uh, yeah. Congrats on being done. I hope that everything works out with getting your license soon. [00:41:00] Like what’s the, what’s the, like, how much more do you have to go for the, like credits and stuff like that?
Nicki: Oh, I guess I needed some more accounting and business credits. So I have to take, like, I think I have to take six classes. So I’m just doing, you know, I’ve signed up for two and I’ll knock them out, hopefully be done, and by the time I’m done, they’ll pass the new law where it’s two years of experience and 120 credits.
Logan: Oh, no. Yeah, I, uh, I, I hope that that goes smoothly for you, but I mean, you got the, by far the hardest part out of the way, which was doing the exam. So good. Good job with that. Again, congrats on being done and thanks for being on the call today.
Nicki: Thank you.
Logan: Yeah, no problem.
All right, that was the interview with Nicki. And again, I thought it was an awesome interview because she was able to go from being super overwhelmed trying to study for far the first time, to having that shift and things changed a little bit in her life and she was able to go pass all four exams over the course of a year, and she [00:42:00] did exceptionally well.
And as you heard her mentioning there at the end, a lot of that had to do with the key strategies that SuperfastCPA teaches. Mainly, she really talked about the re-review. Reviewing what you’ve studied every single day is a key thing that you need to be doing to be able to pass the CPA exams. And I thought that was awesome that she talked about that so much. So I’m sure you loved this episode with Nicki and I’m glad that you listened to it.
Now, before you go, again, remember, make sure to check out the SuperfastCPA training webinar on superfastcpa.com. And after that, make sure you check out becoming a SuperfastCPA PRO member because they get access to multiple choice question walkthrough videos, the full versions that we post in the member forum because there are smaller versions in YouTube. But if you want the full versions, you can become a SuperfastCPA PRO member.
Now as we wrap up, 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. Thanks for listening or watching, and I will see you in the next episode.
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