Email Becker support. They offer to extend your software for a certain period of time up to your test date for a reasonable amount of time. You will need to provide the supporting documentation and registration of your test date though. Good luck Source: Co-worker did the above. Email Becker support. They offer to extend your software for a certain period of time up to your test date for a reasonable amount of time. You will need to provide the supporting documentation and registration of your test date though. Good luck Source: Co-worker did the above.
- Bryan Kesler, CPA
- Updated
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How To Recover From A Failed CPA Exam Section & Retake It
The worst thing you can do is beat yourself up about failing the CPA exam. A majority of CPA candidates fail at least one section, so you are not alone. You can still pass the CPA exam, and in fact you just discovered one way to NOT pass the CPA Exam. Your job is to figure out what worked and double down on those study routines. You also need to figure out what didn't work and cut out those study methods.
So you failed the CPA Exam, what do you do now?
It's easy to look at your peers who haven't failed and compare yourself to them.
Maybe you have a creeping thought in your head that you 'aren't smart enough' to pass the CPA exam.
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I know the feeling because I experienced everything you are experiencing MULTIPLE times.
There were many days that I was this close to giving up instead of retaking the section I failed.
Praise God I didn't!
More on that later...
In the meantime, read on to discover the exact steps you need to take to mentally recover, fix what went wrong and pass your retake in a blaze of glory!
Let's gooooo!
How To Mentally Recover From Failing The CPA Exam?
Despite what you might think, failing the CPA exam is the most normal thing you can do.
In fact, you just joined a club of around 70-80% of CPA candidates it's estimated who have failed at least one section!
It would be weird if you didn't fail a section!
This doesn't change the fact that failing sucks and is something that the average accountant has NEVER experienced.
Here's my 5 step process to mentally recovering from failing the CPA exam:
Step 1: Take a step back and breathe
Step 2: Remember WHY you must become a CPA
Step 3: Remember what you won't be able to accomplish if you give up
Step 4: Do something fun!
Step 5: Remember that the CPA exam is NOT an IQ exam and failing does NOT define how smart you are
If you need more motivation, I put together a list of 17 strategies for you to follow to motivate yourself to keep going.
Why Did You Fail The CPA Exam?
Now the question remains, why did you fail?
Your CPA Review Course told you just do the work and you will pass.
The problem is that they don't teach you HOW to actually study.
Are you a visual learner?
Are you more of a self-studier who prefers to teach yourself?
Did you highlight until your eyes started seeing sun spots?
Did you spend ENOUGH time studying or too little based on your schedule?
These are all variables that CPA Review Courses tend to gloss over!
They give you a study planner and study materials and wish you best of luck!
Then what happens?
You dive into the CPA Exam process just studying and praying that you are studying the right way for your learning style.
Here's the problem.
You don't have time to re-create the wheel when it comes to studying for the CPA Exam!
Best thing you can do is find someone who has passed the CPA exam and pick their brain on what they did that worked and didn't work.
I also recommend that your first step to recovering from failure is that you take a CPA Exam Study Personality Quiz to help you assess if there are smarter ways you could be studying.
I put a free one together for you - start your quiz here
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It will assess your situation, identify your learning strengths and provide you with a gameplan for your retake.
Totally free for you, but I do need your email to send you your quiz results (brace yourself!)
Am I Smart Enough To Pass The CPA Exam?
Failure is never easy and it hurts you mentally and physically...
Failing the first section of the CPA exam totally ruined my confidence...
Now, my guess is that the LAST thing you want to do is to pick up studying for the section you just failed.
Your gut is 100% wrong in this case.
Here's why.
The longer you hold off sitting for your retake the harder it will be to retain everything that you DO know.
Meaning...
You have built up a TON of short term memory so don't lose it!
Now if you are currently studying for a different section, obviously sit for that section first and then move onto your retake.
FYI - You have no idea how lucky you are to have Continious Testing. Back in my day we could only sit once per quarter!
Is Passing The CPA Exam Worth It?
No doubt if you have failed multiple times you have considered giving up on the CPA Exam.
I failed 5 times in a row AND lost my first job due to the great recession so I know those feelings very well.
BUT
It was because I lost my first job due to not being a CPA that opened my eyes to the fact that I am the only one who looks out for me.
This is why the CPA exam is worth it.
It lit a fire under my butt to figure this thing out.
What worked for me was sucking up my ego and admitting to several friends and family members that I had failed.
These were people who had passed the CPA exam and could relate to my situation.
THOSE were the people who picked me up and put me back together.
They taught me HOW to study and what I was doing wrong.
The fact that you are here right now means that you are taking the exact same steps that I did after I failed the CPA exam.
This is a smart move.
Now, tough question.
Do you have a CPA exam mentor?
Anyone you can rely on to bounce ideas off of?
If not, I highly recommend finding a community of fellow CPA candidates and CPAs who can help you.
More on that in a moment towards the end of this article...
How Do I Retake The CPA Exam Section I Failed?
Thankfully signing up for a CPA Exam Retake is simple and not as involved as signing up for the CPA exam itself.
If you are wondering how many times you can retake a section, the good news is that there is no limit to the number of times you can sit for a section. The only rule is that once you pass your first section, you must pass your remaining three sections within 18 months.
Follow these three simple steps to sign up and schedule your REG, FAR, AUD or BEC retake.
Here Are The Three CPA Exam Retake Scheduling Steps To Follow:
Step 1) Wait 24-72 hours after you receive your score before applying for a retake.
Step 2) Follow NASBA's most up-to-date instructions here on how to apply to receive an NTS here.
Step 3) Once you receive your NTS, schedule your retake as soon as possible
Step 4) Start studying for your retake
How Long Should You Study For A CPA Exam Retake?
This is where CPA Candidates get tripped up.
If you just failed a section of the CPA exam and can sit for it in the next month or two and scored at least a 50 or above.
You only need 2-6 weeks to study for this retake assuming you can put in around 15-20 hours per week of CPA exam study time.
The less time you give yourself and the higher intensity you study the better.
This will help you avoid burnout.
Now if you scored below a 50 then you have a lot of work to do to gain a better understanding of the AICPA Blueprints.
I would recommend spending between 6-10 weeks if you have scored below a 50 OR it's been 4 or more months since you last sat for the section of the CPA exam.
How Do You Study For A CPA Exam Retake?
Thankfully retaking a section of the CPA exam is not hard.
It's just VERY tedious.
But this process works.
It's called implementing a CPA Exam Study Funnel.
A Study Funnel is designed to help you funnel out everything you understand so that you focus all your time on what you don't understand.
How do you do this?
Analytics to the rescue!
6 Step Process for Studying for A CPA Exam Retake:
Step 1: Take a practice quiz over ALL the content in your section
Step 2: Dig into the explanations of each question, right or wrong
Step 3: Take note of the topics you don't understand
Step 4: Dig into your source material until you do understand
Step 5: Any topic you identified as being a struggle, take another practice quiz over just those areas
Step 6: Repeat
NOTE: If you are ready to make the same transformation as I did then I strongly urge you to download my free Recover From Failure Checklist. Click the button below: