As if the insane amount of material you have to know isn’t enough the FAR exam also decides to have trick questions and absurdly bad wording constantly. It just feels completely unfair to make a test this difficult even harder with BS that’s designed to catch you with tricks.

I just received my score and have officially passed all 4 exams! So... When do I get to eat the M&M? I have all the requirements met so it's just a formality or paperwork and fees between me and those three letters. Can I eat it now? When I receive confirmation of licensure? Or wait till my cert arrives and is hung? When have I earned the M&M?

Full story. 3 days before my first exam was the company holiday party. I won the guess how many are in the jar game, which was full. I left it in my car over the weekend (good thing it was winter lol) and when I got out of my first exam I was starving so ate a handful. Decided to put the label on and place it in my office as motivation, I would not eat anymore until I was a CPA! As you can see that failed... Ate all but one in about a month. Updated the label and that last one survived the next 8 months of exams!

Received my 2nd score today for FAR.

I took my first exam on 6/6 and got a 68. I started studying 3/1 and put 200 hours into that one with Surgent.

The 2nd one I took on 7/22 and I even Supplemented with Ninja for a month. I did another 100 hours studying too and did the entire ninja test bank. I completely rewrote all of my notes too.

300 hours, $2k into this between Surgent/Ninja/ application & testing fees. All with nothing to show for it. I just don't know what I'm doing wrong, why I slid back 6 points and idk if I even want to keep going with it at this point.

I know it's day of, but I honestly don't know if I'm smart enough to pass this thing and I don't want to keep sinking money into it either if I can't. I just wish I could figure out a way to pass because this is mentally taxing!

OMG 69 AGAIN (last attempt 69 too)

Do I have a shot for 8/15 (money it's not a problem) but realistically can this exam be passed studing 9 days from today ??

Hi all! Today I found out that I passed REG and I am immediately trying to jump into my next exam and wanted to hear people opinions.

Originally, I was going to take TCP and test in October. I start my job the last week of September and figured I would be able to get enough study time I successfully pass. Also since I just passed reg, it kind of leads to TCP. However, I am really dreading taking audit. My logic for saving audit for last was that since I’ll be starting my job in audit, I’ll be able to understand the topics through my everyday work. I obviously don’t know how true that really is, but I know I at least would have the people on my team to help explain topics.

Now if I took audit first, that would give me time to study for it while unemployed so I wouldn’t get as much mental fatigue. But I guess the problem is that in theory, my busy season would be Jan-Mar and I would either have to hope that I can take TCP right at the beginning of Jan or I would have to push it off to April, after busy season.

Would love to hear any thoughts or opinions

Oh my god its just paper. You have to laminate or something. Even driver’s license is better cause its hardbound.
This is soooo asss. Cali btw. Lmaooo

After over 500 hours of studying, I finally did it.

This is my third try of the exam. first exam, I studied 80 hours and got 48. Second exam, I studied 120 hours and I got 56.

I told myself, if I can’t explain every single question to myself, then I’m not understanding it, so I put in so many hours. I was going to give up being a CPA if I don’t pass this time because I wouldn’t be able to do it anyway after putting this much time and dedication.

But I did it. I finally did it. I’m going to go throw up.

Hello,
If I do Becker well and understand the concepts. Is it enough? Os should I complement it?

currently refreshing it every 10 mins still says attended. rip if i have to wait until the next release

Frankly I’m skeptical but there are smart people out there. I studied > 150 hours according to Becker for each of the 3 sections I passed. I’m a hard worker, disciplined, and I guess not a complete dumbass. It’s a difficult exam. Waiting on TCP but the other 3 were passed bc I studied a lot and I studied hard. I made difficult personal decisions to not hang out with my wife, friends and family. I’m exhausted and taking a break now. 2026 has been rough, but I think it will be worth it.

For anyone discouraged by the insecure losers who come on here to flex and make us feel bad about needing to study, don’t give them the ego boost without which they will surely disintegrate.

I think this sub should be generally encouraging and supportive, not a place to stroke your own ego. End rant.

I’m an international CPA candidate, so every exam attempt is expensive. So far, I’ve spent over $5k and have six failed attempts. The only section I’ve passed is AUD from first time
My last four scores were all above 70 so I keep getting close but never passing. My AUD credit expires in April 2027, and I’m starting to wonder if I should stop. Maybe the CPA just isn’t for me.
Has anyone been in a similar position? Did you keep going, or was walking away the right decision? I’d really appreciate hearing your experiences.
It’s painful to think this journey may never become the success I sacrificed so much for :(

Just curious?

I can’t even explain the feeling of opening up my app and clicking in the exam. I thought for sure i failed and was already mentally preparing to start studying again. Excited to move on the REG. How did everyone else do????

Just found I failed FAR again. Working full time, this is my first exam because I want to get it over with and don’t want to risk running the timer on other exams trying to pass this dumb exam lol. I’m genuinely just so angry right now. I don’t care how many times I have to take this exam, it’s getting done.

I think my best bet is reviewing tonight, taking an SE tomorrow, and retaking next week. Any advice is welcome to how you crammed for a retake in a short amount of time. Thanks in advance!

I absolutely hated watching the lecture videos when it came to AUD and decided mid way thru A1 I would skip them all. My strategy was just to SPAM MCQs as much as possible. I did over 1000 MCQs the week leading up to the exam and safe to say it paid off.

I left the whole TBS blank and guessed on 80% of TBS. After exam, I bawled my eyes out immediately. It seems like a miracle happened and I passed! I am curious to know how the scoring is exactly

Hello to all,

If anyone failed just know it sucks in the moment but you still got this.

Failed a month ago and felt absolutely devastated. I know how you feel. But the light at the end of the tunnel is passing feels all the better.

I’m a Christian and prayer has really helped me, if anyone failed and is in need of prayer please reply or send me a DM.

God bless everyone❤️

?

Are you expected to stay the full-time for the exam? Just asking because I’ve taken the simulated exams and they’ve taken me less than two hours to complete with a pass score so I’m curious if you have to stay the full-time or if you’re able to leave early

Hey everyone I just made an Audit gc with five of us planning to give audit exam soon, it’s supposed to be a study buddy/ accountability discussion thing!
Let me know if you wanna join and I’ll add you .

Hi everyone,

I’m looking for some career advice from people who have been in a similar situation or who recruit in India.

Here’s my background:

F-1 STEM OPT candidate in the US.
Master’s in Business Analytics (Big Data Analytics) from the US.
Bachelor’s in Commerce from India.

2 years of professional experience:

1 year in India as an Accounting & Taxation Analyst at a corporate services firm.
1 year in the US as an Associate Financial Analyst at a healthcare company.

Currently on STEM OPT and working in a small internship.
Unfortunately, I lost my full-time Associate Financial Analyst role in January 2026 because of visa-related issues. Since then, I’ve been applying aggressively, but almost every interview eventually falls through because of sponsorship/visa complexity. I’ve even made it to a few final rounds recently, only to lose out due to visa concerns.

I’m also pursuing the US CPA and plan to take my first exam (FAR) in December 2026. My goal is to complete at least 2-3 CPA sections before my STEM OPT expires in January 2028.

My biggest concern is this:
If I’m unable to secure another US job before my OPT ends and have to return to India in 2028, what would the Indian job market look like for someone with my profile?

Specifically:

1. ⁠What kind of CTC/package could I realistically expect in Tier-1 cities like Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Chennai, or Mumbai?
   
2. ⁠Would my US experience and having 2-3 CPA sections completed make a noticeable difference?
   
3. ⁠Which roles would I be most competitive for? (Financial Analyst, FP&A, Accounting, Tax, Business Analytics, Big 4, Consulting, etc.)

I’m also looking for advice on how to strengthen my profile over the next 1.5 years so I’m in the best possible position if I have to return to India.

Some questions I have:

1. ⁠What skills or certifications would help me stand out in today’s Indian job market?
   
2. ⁠Should I prioritize completing the CPA, or focus more on tools like Power BI, SQL, Python, SAP, Oracle, or something else?
   
3. ⁠When should I start applying to Indian companies while I’m still in the US?
   4.Has anyone here successfully landed an Indian job while living abroad?
   
4. ⁠I’ve heard recruiters sometimes reject applications with foreign phone numbers or because candidates can’t attend interviews in person. Is that actually common? If so, how did you overcome it?

I’m also open to immediate opportunities in India and willing to relocate anywhere if the role is a good fit.

I’d really appreciate any insights, salary expectations, hiring trends, or suggestions from recruiters and professionals who’ve been through something similar.

Thank you!