Inspiration and tips on preparing for CPA exam from someone who (almost) lost focus but managed to come back
Hello. I would like to share my inspiration and my journey to becoming a CPA, hoping it might reignite the passion of someone who is feeling tired, discouraged, or lost (like I was once).
A beginning…that wasn’t grand, simply because I “like” accounting
During high school, I had the opportunity to take an elective course in accounting, and I found it very interesting. I thought I could pursue this field further. Upon entering university, I discovered that there are many career paths in accounting, including accountant, internal auditor, and external auditor. This is where I started looking for the direction I wanted to go.
It wasn’t until the summer break of my second year that I had the opportunity to try working in accounting and in my third year that I was an intern at an auditing firm! That was when I realized I liked auditing more. It was challenging, fun, and seeing the CPAs made me think, “Wow, they’re so skilled!” I wanted to be skilled like them, too.
After graduating, I started working at Dharmniti Auditing Co., Ltd. with the firm intention of becoming a certified public accountant. Even though, at that time, that intention wasn’t as resolute as I had envisioned.
A difficult journey…but I won’t give up.
If you don’t give up, you’re bound to succeed. But the truth is, it’s not easy at all. Work is tiring, when I get home, I just want to rest, I want to be on social media, I want to watch movies, I want to go out with friends. In the end, I spend more time on these things than on studying. And the phrase I have to remind myself repeatedly is, “Don’t lose focus yet.”
Then, after some time, we passed one subject. It was like the fire was reignited. (The CPA exam has six subjects in total, and the results of each subject are only valid for four years (at that time), not including the 3,000 hours of internship that need to be completed within three years.) After that, I still didn’t pass any more exams because I got too relaxed again. “Here I go again…”
New plan, new approach
Realizing that if I continued to be as relaxed as before, I definitely wouldn’t be able to pass the exams within four years. I made a new plan. I decided to take four subjects at once to put more pressure on myself and create a more serious study atmosphere like when I was a student.
A summary of how to prepare for the CPA exam, the cool way
1. Set a goal (even if you sometimes forget). Tell yourself, “I will become a certified public accountant.” Say it often; it will gradually submerge into your subconscious.
2. Reward yourself. For example, if you complete your study plan = eat delicious food, watch a series, go on a trip. Lots and lots of rewards! (But I haven’t passed the exam yet, hahaha)
3. A serious reading plan (sorry for the occasional distractions)
Monday-Friday: Plan your work to meet your goals. After work: Read for 2 hours (so you have time to relax and don’t go crazy).
Weekend: The ultimate study day! I’ll be incredibly focused, starting from waking up, showering, eating, watching movies, listening to music… “Have I read anything yet?” (Maybe not…) Saturday and Sunday will be my study period. I’ll start studying from 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM, take a break from 1:00 PM to 6:00 PM, and then another break from 8:00 PM to 11:00 PM. I might take breaks along the way because there’s a lot of material to memorize, understand, practice, and review.
With this much seriousness, I had to pass, right? My wish came true, I passed four more subjects, bringing the total to five. However, I missed the four-year deadline, so the first subject I passed expired. I was left with only four subjects to pass again. (Later, the Federation of Accounting Professions extended the validity period of the exam results to seven years.) And in 2025, I passed all six subjects! Yay! (I’m secretly tearing up.)
Tips (but not really secrets)
– Read every page and every chapter of the book. Don’t try to guess the exam questions until you’ve read it all.
– Compiled past exam questions from various instructors in the tutoring industry (a little secret: CPA Solution and Penkwin CPA Institute).
– Practice with multiple-choice questions, such as those from the Accounting 1 and Accounting 2 textbooks from CPA Solution (which are sold in two volumes for each subject). This practice will help you read the questions faster and understand them better during the exam.
– Enroll in tutoring courses for Accounting 1, Accounting 2, Legal Studies 1, and Legal Studies 2. These include a textbook and a course. The textbook will be sent to you before the course begins (if you don’t want to travel, consider online tutoring). For some subjects, the instructor will compile multiple-choice exam questions available for purchase. It’s recommended to buy them and practice all the questions 2-3 times.
– Practice with past written exam papers from the last 3 years (all subjects). After that, start trying to predict the exam questions.
– Some subjects require memorization (so allocate extra time for memorization…). Since these are laws we must follow, exams often ask for references to legal principles. Therefore, if you write a legal statement incorrectly, you will not receive any points.
– If you fail the exam, I recommend reviewing the exam paper. This will help you identify the scoring points, allowing you to answer more directly and concisely.
– What if I don’t have enough time to study? (Maybe I’ll make a wish…) Just kidding! Think of it this way: you tried so hard and still didn’t pass, but that’s okay. Just get up and start again. You’ll succeed someday. It took me almost 9 years (but I don’t recommend it!).
From someone who has been discouraged
Sometimes life doesn’t require winning quickly, simply not giving up is a victory in itself. I want to encourage everyone preparing for exams or feeling burned out. Keep fighting! Effort never hurts anyone. And whenever you feel discouraged, remember “the reason you started.” Someday you’ll be as skilled as the person you once admired, and you’ll feel proud of yourself like never before. If you’re on this journey, I’m supporting you! Thank you for reading this far. I hope to see you in the auditing profession!
Author: Khun Sutanya Tammarat
Dharmniti Auditing Co.,Ltd.