Folks,

Adding to my post to be able to give a blanket Thank You!
for all your encouraging and informative replies. Truly
exceeded my expectations. To answer Marko's specific
question: Yes, looking for a career change, and was about to
be displaced. It appears I may "have to" continue on in a
different job here, but it pays the bills. Meanwhile, I
still have a keen interest in personal finance (I feel it is
made-for-me kind of work) and all your case studies have
given me increased motivation in that direction. It's a
matter of timing...

- Casey

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CB <temp1[at]tomochka.com> wrote:

- quote -

Not at all. I don't have a master's, I studied in my spare
time while working a full-time job, and passed parts 1, 3
and 4. While I had dealt with many of the topics covered by
part 1 for years, I had no experience with the topics
covered by the other parts until I began studying a couple
of months prior to the exam.

The Gleim books recommend a study schedule, which I can't
remember right now but is much less than 40 hours a week for
six months. I set it up for seomthing like 12 hours a week
for two or three months but circumstances conspired to allow
me to study only a fraction of that time.

I'm fully convinced that had I been able to follow the
recommended study schedule I would have passed all four
parts.

If you go with the Gleim self-study course, you can get
either books or software or both. I got both and would
recommend that.

Lee Choquette

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No, its not unreasonable at all. With a full-time schedule
to devote to it, you can probably do it in 2 months, in
fact. That is, if you use a self-study program. Do a
google search and you'll find several of them available on
the market.

Getting the credential is one thing, but what do you plan to
do with it career-wise? Have you decided to leave the
technical field wherein you received your masters degree or
have you just been displaced/offshored by Indians?

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"CB" <temp1[at]tomochka.com> wrote in

- quote -

Well, CB, if you really want to do it, you certainly can.
My degree is in earth and materials sciences, but put myself
through college doing bookkeeping. Worked as an engineer
for a dozen years. Ended up going back to finance for long
boring reasons. I've been an accounting consultant, worked
for a bit in a CPA office, taught bookkeeping and basic
accounting at a junior college for a while, and have done
taxes professionally for years. Never heard of the EA
designation until December of 2003 (too busy keeping my nose
to the grindstone) at a tax seminar. In mid-July of '04 I
signed up for the SEE. Ordered study materials (I used
Gleim) in August. Spent _four_ weeks studying like some
endless night-before-finals nightmare. Passed all four
parts, first try, with comfortable margins. I've done
endless 1040's, schedules a through e, did some partnership
stuff (up to K-1 prep) twice 8 years ago, helped with some
small corporate returns 12 years ago.

So if you're motivated, go for it. Good luck.

Catherine

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"CB" <temp1[at]tomochka.com> wrote:

- quote -

That is not too much to learn in six months if you go about
the study in the right way. Get copies of the past exams
from http://www.irs.gov. Look closely at the questions given
every other year.

Wayne Brasch, CPA, M. S. Taxation

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CB wrote:

- quote -

I learned it in more like 3, but I had the advantage of
having someone I could ask questions of for the stuff I had
no clue about (like C-corporation tax; when I passed, I'd
never done a C-corp return). When I passed in 1998, I had
one tax season of experience, most of which was spent doing
the initial data entry for individual returns. I started
studying in July / August.

Phoebe

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Something else:

Joke #1: Up to and after the exam, I said: "Hey, I know
everything there is to know about federal taxes...as long as
you ask me in three statements and a question, with four
answer choices, 3 of which are wrong!"

Joke #2: What do they call the guy who was the worst
student in class, in the lab, in practicals, in every part
of his education, and who graduated from med school at the
very rock bottom of his class? Answer: Doctor.

It's not about "digested and learned." It's about getting a
passing score on the SEE, if you see what I mean? <grin
Rob Nyberg, again

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From my personal experience last year, the answer is
definitely yes. I began in earnest in June for the Sept.
exam. I took a coaching course thru the Plano (TX) Area
Enrolled Agents that met every Saturday all day for 10
Saturdays before the exam. Just before that I took a
coaching course thru the DFW Area Chapter of Enrolled
Agents. Both courses used instructional software by Gleim
(www.gleim.com). There are other good software packages out
there. The keys to my passing all four parts were:

1. The obligation to show up prepared to the course. All
the other students I've stayed in touch with also passed all
four parts, so the courses do work well, if you're committed
to doing the work.
2. Interaction with instructors and other students in the
course and via email.
3. Focus on property (basis) questions.
4. Answering test questions. During Sept. I answered about
200 questions/day up to the day before the exam.
5. My wife's total support at home, and support at work. (I
could work on the SEE as much as I needed). I was able to
work, study, eat, sleep.

I spent 3 hours daily M-F, 6 hours in class on Sat. 6 hours
answering questions (study) on Sun. The SEE was the second
most difficult exam I've ever taken. I did not read the
pubs much at all; however, a friend in Austin read all the
relevant pubs over the Summer, did not take a course, and
she also passed all four parts the first time. If you read
the pubs, you will see examples just like the questions
asked on the SEE.

It is not too much to learn in six months. I'm far from the
brightest bulb on the tree, but I can persevere.

Rob Nyberg, DPM, EA (almost)(waiting for the T-card....)

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- quote -

MSEE, MBA, worked for Block for two seasons part time (which
had very little effect on my test taking knowledge), took
the Thomas course, spent the better part of the summer doing
the problems - passed all four parts first time.

--
Don EA in Upstate NY

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- quote -

Whenever a question like this arises, I have the same answer.
I used MicroMash software and TotalTape audio cassettes to
pass all four parts of the CPA exam in one sitting. Susan,
the mother of my sons, passed parts I & 2 of the Certified
internal auditor exam in the first sitting and part 3 on the
second sitting. She passed part 4 in the fourth sitting
after I got her a copy of MicroMash CIA review for part 4.

I am unfamiliar with programs offered by either Thomas or
Gliem and I do not know if MicroMash or TotalTape have
review courses for Enrolled Agents. But they are worth
checking out.

TotalTape (Bisk Publishing) gave 100 to 150 copies of their
previous year's CPA Review books to the University of
Baltimore while I was a Professor there. Several students
said the books alone were enough to study and pass all
four parts.

Dick

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Someone
- of above average intelligence (Masters degree in technical
field).
- with practical familiarity with individual tax preparation
(but never employed as a preparer). IOW, has general
awareness of what they are getting into.
- who can spend six months full-time (40+ hrs/wk) to study
all pubs and forms and past test Q&A (assuming SEE held in
Sept.)
- who is highly motivated with an aptitude for an arcane
labyrinth of rules, regulations, and conditional scenarios.

What it boils down to is the assessment of tax professionals
who understand the actual *volume* of material that must be
digested and learned. Is it too much to learn in six months?

TIA - CB

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