Leveling up: How Kadeja Abbott, NABA CPA Bound 2.0 Cohort Member, passed the CPA Exam

Kadeja Abbott, Becker student and NABA CPA Bound 2.0 Cohort Member, shares her experience with passing the CPA Exam. 

My CPA journey began when I graduated college, Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU), in 2018. I was offered a job with an accounting firm in Maryland, and I moved from Richmond to begin my accounting career. I started studying for the CPA Exam in 2018 and sat for my first exam, REG (Regulation) in 2019. I actually passed on the first try with a 77! That gave me a boost of confidence to go for the next exam, which brought me to FAR (Financial Accounting and Reporting). 

FAR and I tussled with each other two times. The first score I made was a 60 and then the second time I sat, I made a 62. At that time, I didn’t have the motivation to continue studying so at that point, sadly, I gave up. 

While I wasn’t studying pre and post COVID, I had time to enjoy my life a bit and not overthink things. It was around 2022 when I began to get motivated to study again. I knew if I wanted to really make a difference in my career path, I had to get it done. Although studying for a rigorous exam can eat away your time and freedom, I had more freedom than I thought. I took advantage of my one-woman-for-herself lifestyle and got back into it.

By the time I began my journey again, I had lost my credit for REG. I was very much prepared to retake it, however, I began studying for FAR again. On my 3rd try, I failed again with a 69. I was disappointed of course, but looked on the brighter side in that I was closer to passing than I thought. I took the uppercut to the chin and went back to study again. This time, I scored a 75! I was so relieved. 

As soon as I completed FAR, I began to study for AUD (Auditing and Attestation). I learned quickly that just because you’re an auditor, which I was and still am, it wouldn’t be guaranteed that you will pass. I sat for the AUD Exam seven times with these scores: 61, 65, 68, 65, 61, 72, 83. I was quite impressed with myself when I saw the big difference between my last failing score and the passing score. 

Throughout my CPA journey, the AICPA had started changing the CPA Exam requirements, so I was able to retroactively retrieve my credit back for REG. The next and final exam I took was ISC (Information Systems and Controls). I failed it twice with the same score of a 71. The third time I took this exam had to ultimately be my last time taking it because I was facing the chance of losing my credit for FAR and REG by June 30, 2025. I could have taken it one more time and got the score back in mid-June, but that was too risky. Although I was willing to do whatever it took, it was in my best interest to make sure I passed on this last exam. 

In 2025, I sat for ISC on January 31st and got my score back on March 18th. I passed with an 82! I could not believe I had officially passed all four parts of the CPA Exam. This was not only an accomplishment, but a historic event for people of my background. I will be a part of the 2% of Black CPAs in America so I do not take this lightly at all. 

In conclusion to my successful CPA journey, there was a lot to consider. I kept my father’s words in the back of my mind “never give up”, I wore my orange “#FutureCPA” shirt for every exam I sat for. I had to change my study habits which included: 

• Waking up earlier to study before work
• Giving up social media
• Taking fewer outings
• Studying in increments (two to four hours at a time)
• Making and reading flash cards
• Subscribing to primary and supplemental CPA review courses like Becker for their mirroring multiple choice questions and simulations
• Incorporating more fitness and eating better

Most of all, I had to stay motivated and disciplined. You will learn that these types of exams teach you more on how to be a test taker. I had days where I had dreaded the thought of studying, but I just had to do it. I also found it helpful to change up my environments in where I would study. Sometimes I would go to the coffee shop if I simply practiced quizzes or read notes and other times, I would drive to this trail near me and walk while I looked at flash cards. I would also walk and study flash cards in my neighborhood. Studying can be quite boring so I tried to find ways to make it look sexy in my eyes. 

Success does not happen alone. We all need a village and a village I’d like to mention is the NABA-Becker CPA Bound 2.0 Cohort. Through this program, I was offered a scholarship that covered the expenses for the Becker review course. I was able to attend video calls where professionals who looked like me provided the attendees motivation to be successful in our career paths. I also attended some of the check in meetings that were held to check in with everyone’s well-being and offered time to ask questions. 

Thank you for taking the time to listen to my story. As you are reading this, if you are looking to sit for the CPA Exam and if you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to me on LinkedIn.

All of us at Becker want to congratulate Kadeja on her success and wish her the best of luck as she moves forward as a CPA!  Learn more about the CPA Bound 2.0 Cohort program here.