If you ever failed a certification exam, you are familiar with the stinging feeling of disappointment. Don’t let it get to you. Remember how much work you put into your preparation. Think about your hard work every minute, every hour, and every day, and focus on your drive and grit.

This successful accounting career story told by Gerald Keating is both inspiring and humbling. It’s a testament to determination, the refusal to give up, and the importance of quality guidance. It reminds us that failure can absolutely be a part of the journey. You fail, you recover! – the motto of determined students.

The Accounting Journey of
Gerald Keating, CPA

My journey with Gleim Exam Prep Reviews started almost 50 years ago on August 6, 1977. I had just received another failing grade for Accounting Practice, the predecessor section to today’s FAR. I had failed that two-part, nine-hour exam four times, (scores in the mid 40’s) and was desperate to find anything that would work to pass it. 

Up to this point I had spent a fortune, both in time and money, on live review courses, namely, the Becker course (about $5,000 today). Back then, there were only a handful of study aids available.  Like many candidates today, I had to work during college. I also was drafted after graduating in 1971. Just like today’s candidates, I was searching for a review course that was affordable, effective, and would get the job done quickly. 

So, on that day in 1977, I ordered Gleim’s Accounting Practice Problems and Solutions for $29.99. It was a vast improvement, in that I wasted no travel time to downtown Becker classes, which were overcrowded, rushed, and impersonal.  I was able to better focus on Gleim’s superb MCQ explanations, and made flash cards for various accounting formats. I was also not wasting 8 hours every Saturday and Sunday for 17 weeks listening to uninspiring audio tapes. 

On August 1, 1979, I finally passed the last part due largely to Gleim’s systematized, productive review.  I continued using Gleim Exam Reviews, passing the then 4-part CIA exam in May 1993, and the 4-part EA exam on the first try in April 2002. This was an achievement for me because back then, an EA candidate had to earn 90% of the passing score on all parts to get credit for any part, and the exam was only offered once a year.  Like the CPA Exam back then, pass rates were abysmal, averaging 20-30% per part.  Gleim’s Exam Reviews aided me professionally during my 36 years in Accounting.  I retired from the IRS as an International Examiner in 2013.

I wish to congratulate the Gleim Family on its 50th anniversary and to thank them for the professional success its products have brought me in my career.

Sincerely,

Gerald Keating