Contact Us : 800.874.5346 | International: +1 352.375.0772
Contact Us : 800.874.5346 | International: +1 352.375.0772

How to Study for the CPA Exam during the Coronavirus

Many candidates have reached out to us for advice on their CPA Exam study plans because Prometric test centers are temporarily closing and the testing window is being extended due to the Coronavirus. If your test date is delayed, you likely need to adjust the pace and depth of your studies so you remain prepared. The good news is that you have more time to dig into the material, which is always a good thing. You can learn everything you need to know at a higher level, not only to pass the CPA Exam with confidence, but also to start your accounting career on the right foot.

The biggest concern we’ve heard from candidates is how they will remember all of the content they’ve already studied. You started studying with an end date in mind, but maintaining your accounting knowledge is similar to maintaining your strength. You don’t stop working out and expect your fitness level to stay the same. The same is true for your CPA Exam preparedness.

How to Study for the CPA Exam during the Coronavirus

Many candidates have reached out to us for advice on their CPA Exam study plans because Prometric test centers are temporarily closing and the testing window is being extended due to the Coronavirus. If your test date is delayed, you likely need to adjust the pace and depth of your studies so you remain prepared. The good news is that you have more time to dig into the material, which is always a good thing. You can learn everything you need to know at a higher level, not only to pass the CPA Exam with confidence, but also to start your accounting career on the right foot.

The biggest concern we’ve heard from candidates is how they will remember all of the content they’ve already studied. You started studying with an end date in mind, but maintaining your accounting knowledge is similar to maintaining your strength. You don’t stop working out and expect your fitness level to stay the same. The same is true for your CPA Exam preparedness.

There’s some work to do, but you don’t need to worry about losing your progress.
Here are our suggestions on how to approach your studies while you wait to sit for your CPA Exam.

Step 1
Step 2
Step 3
Step 4
Step 5

Learn

Your Gleim SmartAdapt™ course is designed to find your weakest areas and deliver the content you need to shore them up. The content it delivers changes based on your performance, so follow its recommendations and you’ll study all the accounting content you need to learn to pass the CPA Exam.

If you skipped some quizzes or topics because you didn’t think you’d have time to study them, now is the time to go back and work through each study unit until the course suggests you move on to the next one. Be sure you have completed all recommended study sessions. Remember to take breaks if you find yourself with an abundance of time to study.

Retain

To dive deeper into your studies, create your own summaries of accounting topics. Review each subunit in the Gleim CPA Review outline, then write a few sentences outlining the concept in your own words—as if you were explaining it to a fellow candidate.

This will help you identify any areas where you don’t feel comfortable—maybe you remembered the right answers and were able to achieve a passing score on a topic, but you’re not confident you’d be able to defend your answer choices if asked to explain them. Being able to clearly communicate the reasoning behind your decisions is a skill that can elevate your career.

Drill MCQs & SIMs

We suggest scheduling three or four study sessions per week, and we’ve created a resource to help you remain productive while you’re at home. Each study session should include two 20-question Multiple-Choice Question quizzes and one batch of 5 Simulations.

First, read through the summaries you wrote in Step 2. Then, use the Multiple-Choice Question Test Bank to create randomized Practice Exams that pull 20 questions from various subunits. Completing these quizzes will refresh your knowledge on all of the subjects and allow you to practice your time-management strategy for the exam (our recommendation is on page 34 of our free CPA Exam Guide).

If at any point you need a break from completing Practice Exams and reviewing the answers, add a step between taking the quiz and going to the review session by writing your own answer explanations for each question’s answer choices. Then, when you do your review session, compare your answer explanations with the Gleim ones to see how you did! We recommend you write both the correct and incorrect answer explanations. In your career, you’ll find the ability to explain why a given course of action is wrong is often just as valuable as being able to explain why another is right.

After your MCQ quizzes, build an Adaptive Simulation quiz from any study unit. Simulations evaluate you at a higher level than Multiple-Choice Questions and are much harder to effectively manage your time on. Building familiarity with Sims is a surefire way to gain confidence.

Rehearse

If you haven’t already completed your Exam Rehearsal, we suggest you complete one when you have approximately 20 hours of study time remaining before your actual exam. If you have already completed your Exam Rehearsal, we will gladly reset it for you so you can do it again; simply reach out to our Personal Counselors at 800.874.5346, ext. 498.

The Exam Rehearsal will help you prepare for your actual Prometric test center experience. It reproduces the computer-testing environment almost exactly. To make your Exam Rehearsal authentic, we recommend conducting yourself as you will on test day. Wear the same kind of clothes you intend to wear, and if you’re going to bring a snack, only reach for it when you’re on break.

Review

After your Exam Rehearsal, follow your course’s Final Review recommendations as you wait for your testing date. You may also want to revisit your summaries of accounting topics and consider what is still causing you issues. Gleim Instruct video lectures are a convenient way to review key material from the outlines. Finally, consider whether you’re having difficulty completing MCQ or Sim quizzes within your time budget and spend more time drilling them if you are.

If at any point you need assistance, please reach out to a Personal Counselor. We’re happy to help, now more than ever.

Gleim has the largest test bank of Multiple-Choice Questions and Task-Based Simulations on the market, so you can practice as much as you need in order to be prepared come exam day.

Stay safe and healthy, and bookmark our Coronavirus Update page for the latest news affecting CPA candidates.
You can also sign up for Coronavirus text alerts by texting CPA CV19 to 970-704-5346 (or 970-70-GLEIM)*. Be the first to know when CPA Exam news breaks.

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