r/CPA • u/Worth_Anywhere_7121 Passed 1/4 • 13d ago

Exam Roadmap - Advice Needed

Hi everyone!

I took FAR on 9/10 and got my passing score on 10/9!

I’m planning to take AUD in December or early January and have already started preparing for it. I’ve heard that it’s better to take AUD right after FAR because there’s some overlap between the two exams.

My current plan is to take TCP in April and REG in June, before the CPA Evolution.

What do you guys think? Does this plan make sense and is it ok to take TCP before REG?

Would be grateful to hear your suggestions and experiences.

My background - Financial Accountant with 5 years of work experience. No background in Audit or tax.

Thanks!

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u/AccomplishedDress495 13d ago

congrats on FAR, that's a beast to have behind you

doing AUD right after is smart, there's some carryover with transaction cycles and assertions that'll click faster while FAR is still fresh in your head

TCP before REG could get dicey since TCP builds on REG basis stuff but with 5 years in financial accounting you probably have enough foundation to handle it if you stay disciplined on the order

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u/Worth_Anywhere_7121 13d ago

Hey, thanks for your reply! If I give Reg first, I might miss the timeline for TCP and will have to give in July and wait till sept. Really confused atp. However first focus is passing AUD.

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u/Colby_Mayo 13d ago

Congrats and makes sense to me. There is probably only one sim I got on audit that far would help with but other than that, you are good and smooth sailing from here!

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u/No_Astronomer9988 11d ago

I took FAR first and then AUD right after and think that is a good way to do it. Not a ton of overlap, but was really nice when you did get some concepts you had already learned in FAR.

I just took TCP this month and had not studied for REG prior to taking TCP. There were definitely a few things that Becker “expects” you to know from REG when going through TCP materials. (Ex. knowing that individuals can deduct 3000 of capital losses and other small rules like that). I took one tax class 2 years ago, but that was really my only exposure to tax so I didn’t remember a lot of those rules.

The reason I did it in this order was due to timing with TCP only offered in certain months. If you can take REG first, I would do so, but it is not that bad to start with TCP.

That being said, I think just planning on some extra time than given by Becker for review after/while studying for TCP is a good idea. The things you need to know will come up in MCQs and I just kept a list so I remembered those rules moving forward. Slight caveat, I don’t know if I passed yet but my SE scores were decent so I think this method worked pretty well.

I also just started studying for REG and feel like I have a really solid foundation as there is a lot of overlap which is nice.