You Can Pass the CPA Exam: Get Motivated: Knowledge and Confidence-Building Techniques [With CD]

What a wonderful book. It seems to have been written for a junior or senior in college who is majoring in accounting. I'm sure it will be very helpful to people on their journey to successfully tackling the CPA exam and getting licensed as a CPA. I found the text to be very informative since I passed the exam back in 1984 (law and theory) and 1985 (practice and auditing) when it was administered a little differently. I must say, though, that the exam experience described in the book sounds like it is still pretty much the same deal I sat through 20+ years ago. I found out I passed the practice and auditing sections of the exam just two weeks before starting my first law school education. And when I completed law school three years later I sat for the New Jersey and Pennsylvania bar exams together. Taking those two exams was a joy ride compared to taking the CPA exam. And I passed both on the first try with minimal study. The author in this book doesn't say it, but the reason the pass rates for the CPA exam are so low compared to the pass rates of bar exams is that it's not all that difficult to qualify to sit for the CPA exam. One could be a high school dropout, sneak into community college, and then transfer into a 4-year college that will give them an accounting degree. And they can graduate from college with a C average and still be allowed to sign up for the CPA exam. Exam applicants like that are more likely than not to pull the pass rate down. It's tough to get into law school. The screening process in the accounting profession rests with the CPA exam. In the legal profession the screening process is in the law school admission system - not in the bar exam system. I think a freshman in college will benefit from this book even more than a junior or senior. This book is not just about passing the CPA exam like the title suggests. It is really about getting the CPA license, and a college freshman that wants to be a CPA some day should be very interested in what he or she will have to do to get that license. This book will tell them. I would have liked the book better if it had not tried to make the CPA license sound so impressive. Sure, I'm very proud that I passed the CPA exam, but being a CPA isn't anything special. The guys that make the money in the corporate world are the guys with a sales background or financial analysts that rise up through the mergers and acquisitions departments. CPAs rarely become CEOs. If they are lucky they might become a CFO. Furthermore, all the time and effort required to maintain a CPA license is not worth it. But if you major in accounting in college, then you owe it to yourself to at least put the icing on your college degree by passing the CPA exam. To not do so would be like going to law school, graduating, and not passing a bar exam. 5 stars!

If you are considering sitting for the CPA exam, I strongly encourage you to read this book. Debra Hopkins provides incredible insight and guidance to help you reach your goal of passing the CPA exam. She outlines exam strategies for preparing and sitting for each of the four sections. She also discusses the main reasons why the pass rate for a first time test taker is so low and how you can overcome the odds and pass the first time. This book helped me pass the November 2003 CPA exam. Keep in mind that the November 2003 CPA exam was the last paper and pencil CPA exam. In the future, the exam will be computerized. Even though some of the information in this book (the 2000 edition) is no longer applicable because of the change, I still recommend this book.

WOW! I wasn't even planning on taking the CPA exam. I saw the book in a bookstore and started to read it. I ended up buying it and finished it the first day! It was so motivating and really made the CPA less intimidating. I am now planning to take the November 2001 exam and I'm hyped up! I'm reading it again for the second time and am recommending it to all my friends and co-workers planning to take the grueling two-day exam. Don't give up and you can pass!

I will be sitting for the November Exam, and I think that the practical advice Ms. Hopkins offers will definately help. I went from overwhelmed to feeling as if I can prepare to pass this exam. The CD that comes with it is definately worth listening to.