January 2017 Student of the Month is Fahad Farooq

Why did you take Roger CPA Review?

I took Roger CPA Review because I absolutely loved Roger Philipp’s instructional style. It is the most cost effective review course in the market. The product and service offerings are excellent. Lastly, I was honored to be Roger CPA Review’s Campus Representative at my university for nearly three semesters.

How did you hear about our review course?

I was researching various CPA Exam review providers in the market and I first came across Roger’s review course through ipassthecpaexam.com.

What was your favorite aspect of the course?

Unequivocally, my favorite aspect of Roger CPA Review, is Roger Philipp himself. This was the primary reason I was attracted to the review course. Roger’s goofy yet effective mnemonics or memory aids were vital to my success on the CPA Exam. Additionally, Roger Philipp’s ability to present an arguably dry and difficult subject such as accounting in an enriching, engaging, entertaining, effective, efficient, and easy-to-comprehend fashion is unparalleled.

How has passing the exam affected your personal and professional life?

When I passed the entire exam, I was absolutely elated. It was pure jubilation for a few days. The feeling is indescribable in words. Personally, being able to pass arguably the most difficult professional licensing exam was truly an amazing accomplishment. I literally sacrificed everything for this exam. I decided to stop working and commit full time energy and effort to exam studies.

Also, my social life became virtually non-existent. At the end of the arduous and exhaustive journey, it was completely worth it. I am confident that many professional opportunities will arise in the future, having successfully completed the entire CPA Exam. Having the letters, CPA, after your name is truly valuable whether a person pursues public or private accounting. I aspire to become a partner at a firm one day and having a CPA license is vital to reach the highest level of management.

What piece of advice do you have for other CPA Exam candidates?

Schedule your exam early as possible so you can select the desired date, time, and location for the exam. I was never an excellent test taker. I tell others if I can pass the exams, so can they. Take the studying one day at a time. Don’t underestimate the significance of any information in the review course textbook. Follow Roger’s study month planner to tailor to your schedule or modify it to your liking (as I did).

Also, alter your studying habits to find the best method that works for you. Change scenery if you like. Personally, I remained in my room virtually all day to study. My study plan was 6 days a week: 8-12 hours a day. This consisted primarily of the Roger method. First, watch the lectures and read the e-textbook along for each section, highlighting important points and taking notes. Then, after all the lectures were viewed for a topic, go back and read the textbook again. Afterwards, use the software to do practice questions. Then, review all correct and incorrect answer explanations. For each exam section, target to finish two weeks before the scheduled exam date. Thus, you can go back and review the textbook and do the practice questions one more time.

In the final two weeks before the exam, conduct at least one full length practice exam to gauge your time. Also, perform a few research based questions to become familiar with the usage of the authoritative literature aspect of the exam. In total, you should have read the textbook three times, and gone through the questions 3-5 times.

Finally, create a condensed summary word document for the entire exam section comprised of textbook notes, mnemonics, steps, formulas, and other crucial information. Also, you can create a table of contents to indicate specific page numbers for mnemonics, formulas, and other crucial information. These are the steps I followed throughout my entire exam studies. Moreover, you may have to use additional resources than necessary.

For example, having to take only one section twice, I decided I needed to use additional resources as a supplement and place more effort into the section. It worked out very well and I passed on the second attempt. Ultimately, I treated the CPA Exam like a full-time job. Also, as Roger mentions consistently in his lectures, read the questions carefully. Watch out for answer choices that I call “click-bait” ones that are typically wrong. If you see yourself starting to do poorly on the practice problems, that would be a good time to take a break and get some fresh air.

Repetition is key as Roger will say frequently in his lectures. Moreover, as I tell my friends, “No grind. No glory.” Finally, as Roger has stated before, “If you study, you will pass.” These are statements I remind myself of everyday throughout the journey.

Anything else you would like to share?

Be mindful of your state board of accountancy education credit requirements. Requirements to become a licensed CPA are always changing. Some states, if not all, allow you to sit for the exam with 120 credits or more. Personally, I did this. I took the final 4 courses at a community college to satisfy the 150 credit hours’ requirements a year later.

Also, ask your state board of accountancy if experience in one state can transfer and count in another state. Additionally, inquire about an ethics exam requirement for your state board of accountancy. Since the exam is changing significantly starting April 1, 2017, I would advise all candidates, if possible, to attempt to complete the entire CPA exam by March 10, 2017.

Favorite quote?

"Desire is the key to motivation, but it's determination and commitment to an unrelenting pursuit of your goal - a commitment to excellence - that will enable you to attain the success you seek." -Mario Andretti. This quote has resonated with me my entire life. It absolutely requires perseverance, self-discipline and a genuine desire to conquer the entire CPA exam.