Hi everyone! I hope you are all doing well and have made lots of progress toward your CPA studying goals. Today, I would like to talk about tips for saving money going through the CPA Exam process. I had started studying for the CPA Exam once before in the past and gave up after failing my first two exams. The cost of the CPA material and exam fees were not cheap. After 2 years, I decided to try again and to be more money conscious this time. Here are 3 tips I learned from my own experience and from my co-workers at CPA firms that may help you save some money when you’re scheduling your CPA Exam.
First of all, scheduling can be a little tricky.
Many people pay for all 4 sections of the exam at once because they only pay a single $75 application fee. If you schedule them over multiple applications, you will need to pay the application fee each time. The test window is 6 months and even though it does not sound hard to take 4 exams in that time, it ends up taking most people longer due to unexpected life situations or people discovering they need more time to study to be prepared. Unless you have very good knowledge of the material and can devote full time to studying, taking 4 exams within 6 months can be very hard. I strongly recommend applying for 2 exams instead of 4.
Another thing which is good to know is that exam date can be rescheduled as many times as you would like for free if it’s done a month in advance.
It is a great relief to know about this option because if you are not ready, you are probably not going to pass the exam. For rescheduling, all you need to do is go to the Prometric site and set a new date. Then, you will receive a confirmation email and it’s all done! Just make sure you do it one month in advance.
If you are not sure if the study material fits you…
It might be a good idea to buy each section of CPA materials individually instead of buying a package of all 4 sections. Most CPA materials expire in 18 months and it is waste of money if you do not like the material. It happened to me with Becker CPA. I wish I had come across Roger CPA two years ago!
My CPA journey has been very long for me now that I’m on my second try. Yet, I am enjoying the whole process, learning new concepts, and time management. Part of this is because I’m a bit older, wiser, and have a great program that I actually enjoy studying with. I’m able to have a different approach this time and work at my own pace with my favorite CPA material. I also like helping other people by sharing my experiences through this blog. These experiences make me more passionate about my studies. I hope you can enjoy the process too and that these money saving tips work for you!
–J. Frazier, Guest Blogger for Roger CPA Review