It’s the moment every CPA Exam candidate dreads: a score below 75. But many candidates will face this reality, with CPA Exam pass rates hovering around just 50%.
Scott Stacks had to face a failing CPA Exam score 13 times before passing his final section. Learn from his story, understand how he passed with Becker, and gain insight into the top tips he offers based on his CPA Exam retake experiences.
Scott's Story
After receiving his master’s degree five years prior, Scott realized how important a CPA license would be for his accounting career. He then began a six-year journey to earn his CPA license and, in 2018, he passed his final CPA Exam section and earned licensure.
These are Scott's top 5 tips for CPA Exam Review based successfully passing after switching to Becker. Having first spent six years of testing and 13 failed attempts, his story speaks to anyone lacking motivation and confidence after failing a CPA Exam section. Note that Scott studied with Becker in 2018, so while his tips still apply, Becker's review has evolved to meet the new CPA Exam format and added even more resources to improve your study experience.
Top 5 Tips for CPA Exam Retakes
1. Study Like It's the First Time
Scott recommends taking a failed section during the next testing window, but studying as though you had never seen the material before.
“One mistake I made: I received a 72 and thought, "Oh, I almost passed. I only need to study a little bit here and there. That is wrong! Don’t do that. Always treat each section like you are studying it for the first time.”
2. Break Up Your Studying
Scott learned through experience to take one full day off from studying each week. He also took frequent study breaks to have a fresh mind–roughly 5 minutes per every 30 minutes of study time. Although it's tempting to give into your nerves and drill CPA Exam prep at every waking moment, you'll likely burn out, lose motivation, and not even retain the information you study.
3. Believe in Yourself
Scott described the experience of failing CPA Exam sections as “absolutely deflating.” He felt extremely discouraged, bordering on depressed. However, he chose not to doubt himself (even if others did).
“What pushed me was that most of my scores were in the upper 60s to low 70s ,” he said. “I knew that if I could just do a little better then I would pass the exam.”
4. Consider the True Cost of CPA Exam Reviews
Over the course of his CPA Exam studies, Scott used three different providers and a local review course before finally choosing Becker CPA Exam Review.
“I easily spent around $10,000 and took 6+ years of my life, which is much more costly than the money, trying to pass the exam without Becker because ‘Becker was too expensive,’ ” he said. “Looking back, I wish I had made the investment up front.”
5. Use All the Becker Study Tools
Scott attributes his CPA success to the learning resources that Becker provided.
“I believe that using all the Becker tools together was the big reason why I passed,” he said. “Listening to the [video lecture] audio while commuting to work and back was huge. I fell in love with the instructors! The flashcards helped me immensely and the textbooks and questions were helpful as well.”
13 CPA Exam Retakes...Then Becker
With Becker or not, passing the CPA Exam isn't easy. But Becker gives you the best shot at passing; in fact, our Exam Day ReadySM students' pass rate is 64% higher than all other test takers.
The difference, as Scott experienced, lies in Becker's unique blend of:
- content expertise and total course alignment with the latest CPA Exam syllabi
- decades of exam review experience and proven success
- the most advanced, personal tools that make study efficient and effective
All our CPA Exam Review packages include a tried and tested Exam Day ReadySM toolkit, pacing and tracking your study towards qualifying as prepared to pass your exam section.
Plus, we offer four different packages, so you can choose the level support that works best for you. Our Becker-exclusive study tools available in some or all package levels include:
- NewtTM AI study assistant
- Money-back and pass guarantees
- Complete course totally aligned with the latest AICPA exam blueprints
- Printed textbooks
- 1-on-1 tutoring sessions
- Customizable study planner
- LiveOnline prep classes
- DeepDive workshops
- ExamSolver videos
- and much more!
Start Your CPA Success
Scott says he that considers his perseverance to pass as the ultimate victory of his professional life.
“It didn’t matter that I failed the CPA Exam a combined 13 times!” he said. “What matters is that I finally passed all 4 sections and am now a licensed CPA.”
So, no matter where you stand in your CPA journey, be it at the beginning or frustrated after a failed attempt (or many!), don't lose hope. Scott just needed the right support, and maybe you do, too!
Becker can help you achieve your CPA goals and go even further. Start with a FREE 14-day trial to get started!
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