How I Passed The CPA Exam

Hey Future CPA! My name is Bryan Kesler and today I’m going to share the exact method for passing the CPA exam.

This is the method I used and is now recommended by top CPA courses like Wiley CPAexcel and UWorld Roger CPA!

I’d argue that if you ignore this method that you will be putting yourself at risk of becoming a casualty of the estimated 80% of CPA candidates who fail at least one section of the CPA exam.

So today I’m going to show you HOW I used this method to overcome failing 5 sections of the CPA exam in a row and used it to transform my study habits and ultimately pass the CPA exam with.

Even more importantly, how you can start executing this step-by-step method to passing starting today.

Let’s dive in!

The Method I Used To Pass

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Alright Future CPA

So what is this method to passing the CPA exam that is crucial to your success?

Well it’s called the Ultimate CPA Exam Guide Method or U.C.E.G. Method as the cool kids call it.

In order to implement this method all you need are three key resources that you probably already have…

Your time, your CPA Review Course and something most CPA candidates don’t leverage which is their CPA exam mentors.

Now what’s important to understand is that when you optimize each of these resources based on your specific situation, you will have the Perfect Study Plan to implement that will help you achieve the Perfect Grasp of the AICPA blueprints and the Perfect Support team in place to keep you focused and motivated on your journey to passing the CPA exam.

And what’s cool is that once you have each of these CPA exam assets firing on all cylinders for you, you will achieve what’s called the Atomic Effect!

When you achieve the “Atomic Effect” you will become an unstoppable force that will stop at nothing until the CPA exam is passed.

Now before we break all this down step-by-step…

I want to use myself as an example of what achieving the Atomic Effect looks like…

How I Passed FAR In 47 Days

I had my back up against the wall, I only had 47 days to study for FAR (my last section to pass) before the end of the window.

It had been 2 years since I had last taken FAR and I hadn’t even looked at the content since then, so I was starting fresh and the clock was ticking…

I was working full time and knew if I didn’t drastically change my routine I was dead in the water.

I met with my trusted mentors to discuss my game plan and got to it.

Every waking moment of my life was optimized to get my day job done so I could study.

Another priority I focused on was my health, in fact, I was in the best shape of my life during this time because I forced myself into a workout routine so I would have energy at night to keep studying.

I was constantly reviewing and learning to make sure I didn’t forget anything.

Exam day came like a blink of an eye. Gave it my best shot and BOOM passed with a 77! I was a CPA thanks to the U.C.E.G. Method.

Does The U.C.E.G. Method Work For Everyone?

What I’ve discovered over the past five years of mentoring CPA candidates like yourself is that this method works for nearly every CPA candidate I have met and worked with.

Folks like Travis who was a sub 3.0 GPA student in college who used this method to pass the CPA exam…

…or folks like Monica who had breezed through college with awesome grades but struggled with the CPA exam, in fact, she failed 9 times before she finally discovered and implemented the U.C.E.G. Method and turned everything around and once she did she passed the CPA exam in six short months by increasing her scores by 12-21 points across the board!

Key takeaway here is that when implemented correctly the U.C.E.G. Method works for nearly every type of CPA candidate I have come across.

But word of warning, this is not a shortcut. The U.C.E.G. Method will push you harder than anything you have ever experienced so it’s not for the faint of heart.

But it’s worth it because of the results you will get.

So let’s dive in and break this Method down step-by-step!

Step #1: Optimize Your Time

Step #1 in the U.C.E.G. Method is to optimize your TIME.

It doesn’t matter what CPA review course you use or the quality of your mentors.

If you don’t make the time to study a priority in your life then you will never pass the CPA exam.

Here’s why…

Whenever I’m helping a brand new CPA candidate map out their CPA journey, I typically recommend they spend only 8-12 weeks per section.

Any longer than 12 weeks, they don’t take it seriously and they get burnt out, and any shorter then 8 it’s just not physically possible to get through all the material unless your back is up against the wall.

Now 8-12 weeks is not very long at all

So you will need to make DRASTIC changes to your life. Most candidates don’t understand how to juggle work + family + studying and it can destroy your chances of passing if you don’t figure this out first before you even start studying.

So how do you make time to study for the CPA exam?

Well there are four factors to consider here:

1) Sacrifices
2) Study Goals
3) Distractions and
4) Your Relationships

The biggest time creator I want to touch on today is all about making the right sacrifices. I teach my students to create what’s called a life audit where they create a list of everything that is more important and less important than passing the CPA exam.

Then anything that is less important is typically cut out of their life (temporarily) or used as a reward for getting studying done.

This is highly effective at organizing your life and I recommend performing a life audit on yourself to see where margin can be made in your life to spend extra time studying.

It made a HUGE difference in how I prioritized my life and it wasn’t easy but it was necessary.

Step 2: Optimize Your CPA Review Course

Now quick reminder just having the time to study isn’t enough to pass the CPA exam

In order for your time to be used wisely, you must have a study plan that will maximize your study personality.

Meaning you learn in a very unique way and if you study the wrong way then you risk not truly understanding the AICPA blueprints.

This brings us to step #2 which is optimizing your CPA review course.

There are 4 factors to consider when doing this
1) your study personality
2) cutting out the busy work
3) studying to understand and
4) using it to review.

So lets discuss your study personality because it is the foundation for how you will study.

The thing about CPA review courses is this.

They have to provide a product that will work for ALL study personalities.

And what can happen is that what they recommend you do will actually hurt the speed that you learn the material.

So for example I don’t learn well from watching video lectures.

Well my CPA Review Course required me to watch all the video lectures and it ended up doubling my study time.

So it wasn’t until I cut out the video lectures and dove into the text and the questions and taught myself did I actually see my scores increase.

So understanding my study personality was a game changer for how I tackled the CPA exam and I kick myself in the butt everytime I think about the hundreds of wasted hours I spent studying the wrong way.

Now big disclaimer it’s on you to determine your study persoanlity and then apply that to the way you study. Because what worked for me won’t necessarily work for you.

If you don’t know your study personality yet, you might checkout freecpaquiz.com.

It’s a unique study personality quiz that I created to help you determine how you should be using your CPA review course.

It’s free and your results get emailed right to you so head to freecpaquiz.com so you can identify your study personality before you waste any more time studying the wrong way.

Step 3: CPA Exam Mentor vs CPA Exam Tutor

Once you understand how you learn best, this gives you the power you need to optimize your CPA review course and maximize the speed that you learn.

Once you optimize your time and your CPA review course this leaves you with two options.

You can dive in on your own and just pray you are studying the right way which is what I like to call The Study and Pray method…

…or you can implement step #3 of the U.C.E.G. Method which is to find a CPA exam mentor.

Well not just any CPA exam mentor, an effective one.

Now what is an effective CPA exam mentor exactly?

And before you ask, no I’m not talking about a tutor. A tutor and a mentor are very different.

A CPA exam tutor is there to give you technical accounting advice and help you learn the actual content tested on the exam on a one on one basis in a way that the CPA review course companies can’t do.

Unlike a tutor, an EFFECTIVE CPA exam mentor is someone or a service that will teach you exactly what you need to do to pass the CPA exam to help you avoid trial and error which wastes your time and hurts your chances of passing on your first try.

When looking for a mentor you should consider four factors 1) is this mentor giving you motivation to keep going 2) is this mentor pushing you and helping you maximize your intensity 3) is your mentor teaching you study methods that work and 4) is your mentor providing you with positive community.

If the mentor you find doesn’t provide those four services then I’d avoid them at all costs.

What Are The Types Of Mentors (And Where To Find Them)

There are three primary types of CPA exam mentors, the most common being the free online CPA exam forums.

Personally, I don’t like them because they are full of negativity and questionable advice. So I’d avoid them if you can.

Second, and more difficult to find, are coworkers and peers who are willing to help you.

But a word of warning, asking for free help from these folks gets annoying and intrusive after awhile so be careful taking this route.

The final option is to use a 3rd party mentorship program.

In my opinion this is the best route because you are getting advice from a reliable source, but be sure to do your due diligience and make sure they have a track record of actually helping people.

I also recommend a 3rd party mentorship service because you don’t have to annoy anyone in your social circles or work environment with your questions and problems which can save you on stress and give yourself privacy.

Now back when I took the CPA exam these services didn’t exist, so I had to rely on my coworkers and my secret weapon.

My dad, who was an Elijah Watt Sells winner back in 1984, and was one of the biggest influences in my life that helped me discover the U.C.E.G. Method.

Now most people aren’t that lucky to have such amazing resources available to them and that’s why I create videos like this.

I’m passing on the information that was given to me and I’m trying to give back to this amazing industry that has changed my life.

Now regardless of the mentors you seek out I strongly recommend you find mentors who will provide you with the following

You want a mentor to help you tailor the Perfect Study Plan you need to implement in order to obtain the Perfect Grasp of the AICPA blueprints, and when you have a mentor and a CPA review course you will have the Perfect Support for you in order to keep you going regardless of whether you pass or fail and ultimately help you achieve the ATOMIC effect.

The Next Step

In my humble opinion, having an effective mentor is the missing piece in the majority of CPA candidates toolboxes and the reason they fail.

They feel alone as no one understands what they are going through.

They don’t have someone to push them or keep them motivated.

And I know this because after I failed 5 times in a row I was depressed, frustrated and so embarrassed that I didn’t let anyone know for a few months.

I had to suck up my ego and find my mentors.

It wasn’t easy but the only other alternative was to give up.

And I don’t know about you, but I’m not a quitter.

I didn’t go to school for 5 years just to give up on my dream of becoming a CPA.

I wasn’t going to get stuck in a dead end accounting position posting journal entries all day.

I wanted my CPA license so I Could take control of my career.

Have flexibility and recognition that set me apart from the hordes of accountants with MBAs.

I also wanted to be the best I could be.

That’s why I didn’t give up and that’s why I’m so thankful I discovered the U.C.E.G. Method and have been able to share my success with thousands of CPA candidates around the world.

Now obviously at this point you have a choice.

You could take what you’ve learned here and try to implement it on your own and find your own mentor.

Or we could explore working together and see if you would be a good fit for my mentorship program Ultimate CPA Exam Guide.

If you are interested in learning more about the U.C.E.G. Method, I put together a simple application for you HERE.

You can also read up on my track record of helping folks pass the CPA exam and about how I’m the trusted mentor for the top CPA Review Course Companies like Wiley CPAexcel, UWorld Roger CPA and other!

Now the reason I have an application is because I am a bit picky with who I allow to enroll in my mentorship program, I’m only looking for motivated accounting professionals willing to put in the hard work to pass…

…but the good news is that it’s affordable, proven, and effective at helping you optimize your time, your CPA review course and provides you with a premium CPA exam mentorship experience that can’t be found anywhere else.

If you’d like to learn more and want even more in-depth training on how to implement the U.C.E.G. Method then head to cpaexammentor.com.

Either way, thanks for reading and best of luck on your journey to passing the CPA Exam!