Good News, Bad News

Good News: I passed all 4 parts of the CPA Exam! WooHoo!
Bad News: Two parts expired by the time I finally passed the fourth section and I need to take them again.

Good News: I already passed those parts. I know I can do it again.
Bad News: I have to keep studying and putting my life on hold.

Good News: Audit doesn't expire until November, 2011.

Bad News: Audit expires November, 2011!

I can't even begin to tell you the feeling of the weight of the world being slightly lifted off my shoulders when I saw I finally passed BEC. If I passed it the same time last year I would have already been a CPA for a year. I studied for BEC for almost exactly one year! One year on the same topic and I only just passed by the skin of my teeth. I passed with a 75! BEC is a killer and I am so glad to have that behind me. I know that finally passing BEC, I will not let it expire.  I don't know if I would be able to put myself through the torture of  BEC again. So I won't have this negative attitude. I won't need to retake it. That's just negative thinking and negative thinking is not me!  

I initially was thinking of taking FAR the second to last week in July and taking REG the last week of August fully knowing that if something went wrong I had the fourth quarter testing window to retake either of those sections before Audit expires.  However, thinking about it, I feel like I was setting myself up to fail those sections. I would have only given myself about a month to study for each. While I did just study for FAR last quarter there is SO much material. I can't even begin to grasp it in a month let alone know it all in a month! And I haven't looked at REG in 18 months! Besides the crazy amount of material that is needed to know, I already have two vacations planned. One in July and one in August.  That means on my vacations I would have to study the entire time and not be able to relax at all.

Time for a new plan.  Sitting down thinking about it..... wait strike that While working out and thinking about my goals and what I need to do achieve them (because yes working out is still a priority in my life. Not number one but it's up there), I decided that I would be better off only sitting for FAR this quarter. I will take it mid August.  I will take my books with me to the beach. I will bring my laptop and study every chance I get at the house. I will even have to sacrifice a few days on the beach to sit in the house and study. Yes, it stinks. I would much rather be laying out in the sun and having fun with my family. But if I don't do this now, then I will never be able to enjoy my family time because the big black cloud known as the CPA exam will always be lingering over my head.

I plan on taking REG in the final testing window. I will have about two months to study and refresh on all the tax laws and business laws. I need to know this as Audit will expire this testing window. There are no two ways about it. I will be a CPA before 2012 hits.