Do the courses you take in college make a difference on the CPA exam? Maybe a little, but the education requirements to become a CPA are actually fairly consistent.

All kinds of students take the CPA exam though, and everyone learns a bit differently. If you were someone who grasped concepts quickly and didn’t need to read much or take many notes in college, then you may be able to skip some of the more time-intensive parts of your CPA review course. Otherwise, if you’re like me you might need to spend time reading the textbook, watching the lectures, and then maybe reading the textbook again to fully grasp some things.

There’s no perfect way to study for the CPA exam, so just follow the path that works best for you, even if it takes a little bit more time.

Studying for the CPA exam is a slog, but it might be a bit easier if you take it right out of college or shortly thereafter since some of the exam material will still be fresh in your head. This is especially true if you finish with a Masters in Accountancy (MAcc) degree, since your final year will consist of several higher-level accounting courses. You’ll also have the added advantage of still being accustomed to “study mode”.

If you’ve been out of school for a while (>3 years) then it might take a little more time to study, especially on topics that you aren’t regularly exposed to at your job. Don’t worry though, as being out of school for a while can also create some advantages for you.

The flip side to being out of school for a while is that you may have real-life experience with the content covered on the CPA exam.

If you work as a tax accountant then you’ll likely know or at least be familiar with most of the content on the REG exam relating to the U.S. tax code. Likewise for FAR if you’ve worked as a corporate accountant or in a financial reporting role for a number of years.

Don’t get me wrong, you’ll still need to study, but having a few years of direct work experience with the content on an exam can easily shave 30-40 hours off of your prep time for that section.

Unfortunately due to how specialized the accounting industry is, work experience will likely only give you an edge on 1 or 2 exam sections at the most, so don’t get too excited!

As the old saying goes, “If you want to get something done, give it to a busy person.”

Most folks wish they didn’t have to juggle the CPA exam with a full-time job, but the demands of a full-time job have a way of forcing you to make the most of your study time.

If your only focus is on studying for the CPA exam then you’re more likely to take your time watching lectures, writing notes, taking practice quizzes, etc. There’s nothing wrong with going at a slightly slower pace if that’s more effective for you, but the extra time can quickly add up!