You finally graduated from college, so you deserve time for the beach, kayaking or working that summer ice cream-parlor job you’ve had since high school.
But let’s put the brakes on taking off one last summer before adulting. Now is the ideal time to take and pass all four sections of the CPA Exam. After all, the CPA credential is in your future because it’s the key to career advancement.
Make the future happen now. You already know that the CPA Exam requires you to pass all four sections of the exam within an 18-month window. But did you also know that research from the National Association of State Boards of Accountancy (NASBA) and the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) consistently show that the sooner candidates take the CPA Exam after graduation, the more likely they are to pass?
It’s a fact. If you’re a recent or soon-to-be college graduate, consider the top four reasons why you should take the CPA Exam as soon as you finish your accounting degree.
#1: You’re at peak performance
Look through the content blueprints of the CPA Exam, and memories of your college career will come flooding back. Audits. Tax. Accounting 101. Advanced Accounting. All of it is on the exam.
If you sit for the exam in the months after you graduate, you’re not starting at zero. You’ll still need the help of exam prep to review all the information and topics that may have not been emphasized in your accounting studies, but it’s fresh in your mind and easily recalled.
It might seem intimidating to cram four or five years of college learning into a four-part exam, but Surgent’s CPA Review materials help it all make sense. With Surgent CPA Review, you review the concepts you’ve already learned and can expect to see again.
You’ll even get feedback on the areas that need work in case you were busier with intramural volleyball than tax class that one semester. Surgent CPA Review brings you up to speed and makes study time count with these exclusive features:
- A.S.A.P.® Technology: Adaptive learning assesses what you know and need to know, so you spend your time shoring up weaknesses to help prepare you for the CPA Exam faster than other exam review providers.
- ReadySCORE™: No guesswork on when you’re ready to take the exam. ReadySCORE predicts your likely score if you were to sit for the test that day.
- Daily Surge: Your time matters. What should you study today? Daily Surge cards appear every time you log in, suggesting the topics you need to cover to stay on track.
- MyMCQ™: Surgent’s customized multiple-choice practice questions push you to learn more challenging concepts with each round and don’t waste your time making you study questions you have already mastered.
- 100% pass guarantee: Surgent’s pass guarantee means you don’t lose your prep course investment if something goes wrong.
#2: You’re already in study mode
You spent the last four or five years honing a study routine that maximized use of your time and sent you into exams at peak performance (well, most of the time, hopefully). You also remember the challenges of trying to resume that routine in the fall semester, after a summer off.
Now, imagine trying to dust off that routine after you’ve been working for a few years. Your life has grown richer, so you’re juggling your career, friends, family and volunteer commitments. You’ve developed an approach that maintains work-life balance, but the pressure is on to earn that CPA. Cramming a forgotten study discipline into your schedule makes the process much harder and longer than it has to be. Plus, do you really want to study for an exam after working a full day once you begin your career? We think not.
When you’re fresh out of college, your ingrained study habits make prepping for the CPA Exam an easy pivot. Why not take advantage of the information still fresh in your brain and keep the momentum going? There’s no better opportunity to utilize everything you’ve learned about time management and study tactics. Plus, all your learning is still top of mind, so your total time investment will be less now than it would be in a few years.
#3: Earn more money earlier in your career
Let’s talk turkey, or in this case, dough. CPAs earn more money than accountants without a CPA, so the sooner you get your credential, the more you’ll be making. In fact, compared to their uncertified counterparts, CPAs can earn up to $1 million more over the course of their careers. The money starts accruing earlier in your career, putting you on a fast track to your financial goals.
For an immediate boost, remember that many firms give out lucrative bonuses for candidates who pass the CPA Exam in an allotted time. Before you begin your career you’re likely taxed at a lower rate so you’ll get to keep more of that bonus! You also will make yourself more marketable for the best jobs available, and you will advance more quickly than your peers.
#4: Gain a competitive advantage
Top employers want to see initiative, self-motivation and perseverance. If you already have a position in an accounting firm, immediately pursuing your CPA credential signals that you are serious about career advancement and about continuously adding to your repertoire of skills.
If you’re still looking for a job, take advantage of your free time and pin down that CPA. This could be the only time in your life when other obligations aren’t standing in the way. Plus, the sooner you start, the more motivation you have to finish. You’ll have an edge in job interviews, and maybe you’ll even have time for an abbreviated but well-earned stay at the beach or in the mountains.
Surgent can help jump-start your career
The advantages to studying for the CPA Exam after graduation are clear. You’re primed for success. You’re not shoehorning study time into a schedule loaded with new obligations. You’ll earn more money sooner. And you’ll be a prize candidate on the job market.
Ready to go? Just one more thing. Surgent CPA Review is your personalized, best-in-class choice in prep courses. The adaptive learning of A.S.A.P. Technology “listens” to what you know and don’t know, delivering customized learning strategies every time you sit down to study.
And with Surgent’s ReadySCORE, you won’t spend one hour more on studying than necessary.
ReadySCORE is unique in the exam prep marketplace, removing any uncertainty about when to schedule the test while providing the confidence you need to take and pass the CPA Exam.
After all, it’s summer. You want more effectiveness and less study time. Study smarter, not longer, with Surgent CPA Review and get your career off to a running start. Plus, Surgent’s special student pricing makes it affordable.
Seize the moment! Learn more about Surgent CPA Review and take your accounting career to the next level.