How to Pass the CPA Exam (or Any Other Difficult Test) the Very First Time

Someone dear to me is having a lot of trouble with testing right now. They call it test anxiety, and I've seen it before. I saw it in a lot of my friends who were taking the CPA exam. I knew one guy who took the exam eleven times before he passed even one part, and another lady who made taking the exam her twice-annual ritual even though she never passed anything.

I'm not a rocket scientist or anything like that, but I did pass the CPA exam the very first time I took it. Only about 5% of people who take it do pass the first time, so that was somewhat of an achievement.

There were some simple tips and strategies I followed that really made a difference for me. I can't guarantee that you'll pass the CPA exam the first time you take it, or ever, but those tips and strategies should do you well for just about any test.

The first tip is pretty much a no brainer: study. They guy I knew who took the exam all those times didn't really seem to take it too seriously. In contrast, I set a goal and I worked hard to meet it. I studied in the evenings, studied on the 4^th of July, and took the Becker CPA Review Course. Taking the course wasn't that easy for me, because I had to work all day first then commute for an hour. Sometimes I had Finance Committee or Board Meetings before I got to my class, but I made a commitment to the class and I studied.

Perhaps just as importantly, I studied how to take a test. I actually bought a couple of books on test-taking and studied them well. I don't know what the rules are now, but at that time they didn't allow people to use calculators on the CPA exam. So I studied up on math shortcuts, and practiced until I had them memorized.

The best test-taking tip I read, and one that helped me out a tremendous amount in taking the exam, involved time. One book advised that test-takers put a 3-minute timer on their desk, and spend no more than 3 minutes on each question. There was a reason for this. If you spend too long on one question, and don't solve it, you may get frustrated and be less efficient on future questions. The theory was that it was better to progress through the test and answer the questions you could correctly. At the end you could always come back, if you had time, and review the questions you weren't sure about.

This system worked very well for me. I actually made it through each section of the exam two times, and had as much as ten minutes to spare at the end, using this system. This is in contrast to some of my friends, who couldn't even get through some sections once without running out of time. It is not that I am such a genius, either. If I was, I would have been one of those people who scored in the 90s and won a national award. I was just happy to be in what they call the "300 Club" (there are four tests, and a 75 is a passing grade on each one of them).

Eating carefully and getting plenty of sleep was another strategy that served me well during the test. This was no time to clog up the mind with cheese pizza or burn the midnight oil. I found that my mind was much clearer when I did not overeat and ate simple things on a regular schedule.

Calm nerves are a good thing to have in this situation. I had a song that was an encouragement to me, and I listened to it a lot during the two and a half days I was engaged in testing. I'm not recommending drugs here, but if nerves are a problem, do what you can to stay calm. Whether it is a walk, a back rub, a hot bath or talking to a friend, your mind will be much clearer if you keep your nerves in check.

There was one other thing I found to be helpful in passing the test-I prayed. It may seem like baloney to some, but it was surely a good thing for me.

If you are struggling with test anxiety, I encourage you to try one or more of the strategies above. They can work on any exam, and your efforts at becoming a better test-taker are almost as important as studying for the exam itself.