When To Take The CPA Exam

Parkinson’s law states that work expands to fill the time that it is allotted. 

So if you never schedule your CPA exam, your CPA exam studies will never end. They will continue to expand and expand as you put off ever scheduling an exam. Not ideal.

So use that law in your favor. Set your exam date as early in the study process as you can. Your work will fill that time frame. You will have a clear end and you will work (consciously and unconsciously) to be prepared by that date. 

But you obviously can’t just pick a random date and schedule your exam. Plan out your study process. Plan out how long it will take you to finish the course. And then add 2-3 weeks purely for you to review material.

It takes about 100-130 hours to prepare for the exams (as a rule of thumb). Use that figure when planning out your exam date.

But please, whatever you do, schedule an exam. Don’t be the guy who studies forever. Don’t be the girl who talks about becoming a CPA but never takes the exam. 

Don’t do that. Be brave. Schedule your exam and put in the work. Simple as that.

You got this!