{"id":41,"date":"2026-05-20T00:33:30","date_gmt":"2026-05-19T15:33:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gaap-bridge.com\/?p=41"},"modified":"2026-05-20T14:48:04","modified_gmt":"2026-05-20T05:48:04","slug":"uscpa-01-how-i-passed-the-uscpa-while-working-full-time","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gaap-bridge.com\/?p=41","title":{"rendered":"USCPA 01 \u2013 How I Passed the USCPA While Working Full-Time"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">On July 11, 2023, I officially passed the USCPA exam.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I had always planned to write about my study journey after finishing the exams, but procrastination won for quite a while. Now, finally, I\u2019m starting this blog to record the process, the struggles, and the lessons I learned along the way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">First of all \u2014 the official Pass Letter from NASBA!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure data-spectra-id=\"spectra-5852ca4b-973e-4f65-a73a-5099656e7a4f\" class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"602\" height=\"780\" src=\"https:\/\/gaap-bridge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/image.png?w=602\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-43\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">(And yes, \u201cInternational CPA\u201d is my signature ?)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">My preparation period started in August 2022 and lasted until my final exam on June 30, 2023.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Unlike many impressive success stories out there, I did not study every single topic perfectly across all four sections. I was working full-time while preparing for the exams, so my focus was more on studying efficiently and strategically rather than trying to master absolutely everything.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I currently work in the audit division of a Korean accounting firm after passing the KICPA exam. Since it had already been more than five years since I passed the Korean CPA exam, my practical experience definitely helped with FAR and AUD.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">However, REG and parts of BEC \u2014 especially the IT-related topics \u2014 felt completely new to me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">REG was especially painful.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Studying U.S. tax law without being familiar with the legal background, terminology, and general American context was honestly overwhelming at times.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">(I already suffered enough from tax during the Korean CPA exam\u2026 and apparently USCPA wanted me to suffer again ?)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As of January 1, 2024, the BEC section has been replaced under the CPA Evolution changes. Still, I believe the overall study approach and preparation strategy remain quite similar.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Through this series, I want to share:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Why I decided to pursue the USCPA<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>How I studied while working full-time<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>How I approached each section efficiently<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>What worked for me (and what didn\u2019t)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Hopefully these posts can be helpful for accounting professionals who are considering the USCPA path, while also serving as a personal archive of a challenging but meaningful period in my life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If you\u2019re preparing for the exam or simply interested in the process, feel free to leave a comment or message me anytime ?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure data-spectra-id=\"spectra-b4eddf19-05ef-44b7-ad71-5aeeee89be63\" class=\"wp-block-image size-large is-resized\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"256\" height=\"256\" src=\"https:\/\/gaap-bridge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/ayjjczto9pjmjim5kvhv.webp?w=256\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-46\"  \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>On July 11, 2023, I officially passed the USCPA exam. I had always planned to write about my study journey [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":276482313,"featured_media":46,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_eb_attr":"","site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center 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