Community and a network of “I can relate to that” is an important thing to have when you’re studying for the CPA Exam. Especially if you’re the only one in your family or group of friends who’s doing it. They will be able to sympathize with what you’re doing, but they’ll never truly understand. Enter CPA Exam forums. You’ve probably already either been to a few or have haphazardly come across them when searching for an answer to a CPA Exam-related question. If you’re not already a member, we highly recommend you join one or more platforms to reap the benefits of being part of a community that knows exactly what you’re going through. Here’s what those benefits are.
1. You learn a lot. About yourself and others. Forums are great for…
• Finding answers to your questions
• Seeing something from a different perspective
• Problem solving from multiple angles
• Getting a better, more rounded understanding of certain topics
• Good advice, resources, and studying techniques
• Learning that you’re not alone!
2. Great review strategy
You don’t have to go on forums only when you need help. If you see someone else who is struggling with a topic that you’re pretty well-versed on, test your knowledge by helping them out! At Roger CPA Review, we always recommend teaching the material to someone else to make sure that you have a thorough grasp. Forums are a great way to do that. Once you finish a section, chapter, or part, test yourself by answering questions for others on the same topic(s). This will be a fantastic part of your review strategy and it also gives you a chance to impart some wisdom and help someone else out!
3. They are entertaining
CPA Exam forums can be pretty hilarious. There are lots of funny, witty, and clever people out there who can make up memes and accounting puns on the fly. And we’re sure you’ve probably already come across some that you’ve shared with your fellow CPA Exam peers. There are also lots of snarky people out there who enjoy drama, and you’ll come across conversation threads of people going at it and other randoms jumping in to give their two cents or leaving comments to provide comic relief and break the tension. In which case you can sit back, read on, and find it all very entertaining if nothing else.
4. Keeps you up-to-date
Being subscribed to CPA Exam newsletters is all good and well since they will give you important updates about the industry and Exam. But if you want to go more in-depth about what people’s opinions are about these changes or how they’re going to affect you, look no further than a forum. They’re great for discussions about industry and exam changes that can really open up your horizons and give you more information about the how, why, what, and when of how it all relates to you, your career, and the possible consequences.
5. Builds your network
You can use forums to your professional advantage by building your network! Reach out to people whose comments you enjoy or who you feel are in similar positions as you are. Keep in touch and introduce each other to your own individual networks. You never know who you may run into who can offer you a job, internship, or keep you on their list of “That person is really nice and I’ll keep him/her in mind when we have another opening.”
So if you’re not a member of a CPA Exam forum already, we highly encourage you to do so! You’ll find that a forum is a good community and good company to keep as you’re going through your CPA Exam journey with other fellow candidates. Some ones to consider are Reddit (r/CPA), Quora (Topic: Certified Public Accountants), or Yahoo Answers. You can also find many discussion forums on LinkedIn. Happy studying!