Signing Up to Re-take REG

I just cleared the first hurdle – I purchased the NTS to re-take Regulation.

I just couldn't motivate myself to do this, but now I’m over it. I am so determined to stop this seemingly never-ending cycle of test-taking.

When I receive my NTS in a few days, I will schedule the test for May. I thought I could be a CPA before June, but it looks like it will take a little longer.

I am on my way!

Have you ever felt discouraged at re-taking a part of the CPA Exam that you thought you would have been done with? Please share.

Braised Pork Chops

I find that I purchase pork chops quite often these days since pork is relatively cheaper than veal or steak. Some people may think that pork chops are boring, but it depends on how you cook them, seeing as they take on the flavors of spices very well.

Braising is an effective cooking technique used to make tough cuts of meat tender, but you can also braise tender cuts since it gives the meat more flavor. Braising involves searing the meat in oil or any other fat until it browns and then simmering it in a liquid in a covered pot.

Mixed Vegetables and Couscous for Lunch

Couscous can be used to prepare a cheap and filling lunch (well, I think it’s filling). I buy plain couscous at my supermarket for less than $3.50 a pound. For those who are not familiar with couscous, it’s basically wheat granules. I use it rather non-traditionally to prepare a sort of stir-fry with vegetables. I don’t use many spices in this recipe. The flavor comes from sautéing the vegetables alone with salt and pepper and then adding the couscous.

Try it and let me know what you think? What other spices would you add?

Trying to Get Back into Study Mode

I am having the hardest time starting to study for the next part of the CPA Exam. I just took BEC two Saturdays ago and found out I failed REG last Monday, so last week was my little break from studying.

I have already received my NTS, signed up at Prometric and received my Yaeger Home Study materials for Audit. Despite all this, I still can’t get started today.

Unquestionably, I am hesitant since I haven’t taken Audit in years; and never as a computerized test. I am going to take a look at the tutorial and sample questions on the AICPA’s CPA Exam website. Maybe that will inspire me to start!

Are you finding it difficult to study after taking another part recently? How do you get yourself motivated? Let me know!

Analyzing the Candidate Performance Report

The Candidate Performance Report is printed on the back of the Score Notice. It compares your performance with the performance of passing candidates for each Content Area. It also evaluates your overall performance in Multiple Choice, Simulations and Written Communications compared to passing candidates. Here's a link to the AICPA's FAQ for Candidate Performance Reports: http://www.cpa-exam.org/cpa/diagnostic_report_faqs.html. It also has a link to a sample report (PDF).

I understand that the Candidate Performance Report isn't a precise or completely reliable measurement (it even states that on the bottom of the page), but it’s the best tool we are given to analyze our performance and come up with a plan of action for passing the next time around.

I received my Candidate Performance Report for REG the other day and was very eager to analyze my grade per section compared with the last time I sat for this part. I received the same grade both times, despite additional studying, so I wondered what went wrong.

The result was rather shocking.

Business Law and Property Transactions remained relatively unchanged; this I expected. However, Ethics & Responsibilities was a surprise because my performance declined significantly. Maybe I didn't take that section as seriously since I did very well on it last time. On the other hand, I was happy to see that my extra study efforts for the Entity Taxation segment were well worth it; increasing my grade for that area considerably.

From this data, I realize that concentrating on weak areas at the expense of stronger areas is not the way to pass. I was close to a passing grade (9 points away), so the strategy made sense. But I don’t want to risk failing again, so I plan to study and do questions on all areas equally (and do questions at least twice for all sections) when I re-take REG in May.

Do you use your Candidate Performance Report to analyze your performance? Do you base your study plan on this report? Or do you just throw it in a drawer and start from scratch? Let me know what you do.