Originally from Nigeria, Olu Egunjobi, CPA, came to the United States in 2015 to attend school. He earned his BA in Accounting from Boise State University and completed his master’s degree in Accounting directly after. At the same time, he cruised through the battery of the CPA exams.
Olu had originally planned to return home after finishing his MA, but, as luck would have it, he met a girl, fell in love, got married, and started a family. Ernst and Young offered him a job as an Audit Associate, and he relocated to Dallas with his budding brood which now included two little ones. The last year or so has been a whirlwind for Olu, with studying for the CPA exam, finishing school, starting a new job, getting married, having kids, and, whew!, moving to a new part of a new country.
Completed the CPA Exam in Less Than One Year with Wiley
Olu began studying for his CPA in August 2019 and was finished with his four exams by the end of the following May 2020. He set the pace for a quick and compressed exam experience. He first took FAR in October, then Audit in November. “I was in school at the time, taking an Advanced Audit class,” he says. “It made sense because I was using the Wiley materials for my class. Putting those two things together really helped me with getting through all of the studying.”
Olu owned the Wiley material while still in school, and he used that material in his undergrad, graduate, and CPA prep studies.
The Results: FAR: 95, AUD: 91, BEC: 95, and REG: 93
Olu’s condensed approach to taking the exams proved successful. For FAR, he scored a 95. “I was very excited about that, especially because it was my first one.” For AUD, he scored a 91. For BEC, he scored another 95, and for REG a 93. These scores, and his academic success, earned him a job at EY, one of the Big Four accounting firms.
Consistency at the Heart of Building a Successful Study Plan
Olu’s way meant studying consistently every day. “For me, I used Wiley CPA Review Course, of course, and a questions-based approach. Studying basically meant going through all the questions. I was not actively sitting down and reading all the material several times. I quickly studied the book, watched the lectures at double speed, and took a few notes. Then I just focused all my attention on covering the sample questions.”
Since Olu had the Wiley material while still in school, he also used that material to aid his undergrad and graduate studies. “If I needed help on a topic, I would just go to my Wiley guide and see how they presented the material. I eventually knew that I’d be studying the same material for the CPA exam. So why not just start using it for my school stuff?”
Though he also used Becker as a study supplement, his utilization of the Wiley CPA product facilitated his success. For now, though, he’s just happy to be done. “When I checked my score, every time it was such a huge relief,” he says.“Each time, I felt like a weight was taken off my shoulders. There was no screaming and shouting–just relief that I don’t have to study for any of this again. It’s a really good feeling. I actually don’t have anything to worry about!”
Managing Stress Was Key
Part of Olu’s success can be attributed to his preparation, not only for exam day, but to manage stress throughout the time he was studying for his CPA exam. Because he had long days and a young family, stress levels were high. “My day would go from 6:00 am to 11:00 pm, sometimes later,” he says. “During that time, I made sure I was constantly managing my stress, working out, eating healthy, and doing other wholesome activities, like going to the park with my family or going on dates with my wife. Sometimes to relax, I would take the baby for a little while. Those types of things helped to take my mind off the exam.”
A Mentor Helped Olu Keep Perspective
Occasionally, Olu would lean on a mentor to learn how to deal with the stress of work, studying, and family. “How do you do it all?” he’d ask. “People have to know that once they get involved in this, they will encounter times of intense stress,” his mentor says, “especially when they’re just getting started.
“There are some days when you think you’re not prepared enough. There are some days when you feel like you don’t know anything! The learning curve is really steep at that time. But you have to know that you will get through it.”
“Whatever it is they’re going through is helping prepare them for a better future,” he adds. “It might not feel like it at the moment, but they are learning and absorbing knowledge, and in the future, it will come in handy. After going through those times, they will be better prepared for future roles and bigger challenges.”