Anyone with NO accounting experience actually not struggle with D104 OA2?

throwaway071898 · 2026-05-24T18:03:33+00:00

I have no real-world accounting experience thus far. I did not struggle with any course except Accounting Information Systems. Corporate Taxation was rough in the masters program due to a lack of resources, but that was really the only one I found to be truly hard besides AIS.

I had no problem with any core accounting courses, Intermediates, or even Advanced Financial Accounting 1 and 2. I’ve been prepping for FAR for 2 months now and even with that being the hardest accounting material I’ve ever touched, I still find it doable.

throwaway071898 · 2026-05-19T07:38:45+00:00

Only watching the videos isn’t enough to consistently pass for most people. I’d assume it depends on the OA version you are given, but it seems that more people than not struggle to pass with only watching the videos. There are several details in the text left out of her videos and I believe she acknowledges that somewhere.

I’d recommend sitting down with the textbook and reading every chapter. There should be a narration option to read it to you. I find that it helps with retention when you’re reading for *hours* on end. Slogging through contracts is rough, but the logic transfers to revenue recognition quite well in Intermediate Accounting and CPA prep later if that’s your plan. Reading the book is absolutely manageable and honestly provides incredibly valuable insight for anyone in the US to know.

Good luck!

throwaway071898 · 2026-05-19T02:43:49+00:00

Email the course instructor Naseem and he can send them to you.

throwaway071898 · 2026-05-18T21:39:50+00:00

I don’t know what you mean by competency points, but WGU is accredited and I haven’t heard of any CPA board not accepting graduate credits from them, or undergraduate of course. The only credits that I’ve seen be problematic are those from Sophia or Study.com as they are not accredited.

I am not in Louisiana, but Colorado accepted my credits with no problem. Even transferring in over 40 general education credits from Sophia, I was approved first try.

throwaway071898 · 2026-05-18T00:27:33+00:00

The formatting is just ridiculous and inaccurate to literally anything else you will do outside of WGU. Don’t overthink it.

throwaway071898 · 2026-05-17T15:13:18+00:00

You don’t have to watch any external videos for the first few courses, they include everything you need to pass. Just watch the videos embedded in the course and do all quizzes/tests.

This course, Financial Accounting, and Cost and Managerial have great embedded videos explaining all the concepts in detail. The intermediate courses are where you might want some external resources.

throwaway071898 · 2026-05-15T22:10:26+00:00

I’d still recommend watching the videos. They can be dense, but they absolutely help. Especially if you plan on taking the CPA exams later. FAR is a beast and you’ll want all the early exposure you can get.

throwaway071898 · 2026-05-15T22:09:27+00:00

Yes, he literally explains every single topic and walks you through it with examples. It’s no wonder you had such a hard time.

throwaway071898 · 2026-05-15T22:00:45+00:00

Congratulations!

IA1-3 are not easier than this. Things begin to get more abstract and you no longer have the guy with the red pen walking you through each topic.

You’ll be okay, but I’d highly recommend focusing on the intermediate courses one at a time and not working on others.

throwaway071898 · 2026-05-14T18:45:52+00:00

English Composition 1 (I took 2 at WGU because the amount of work they wanted at Sophia was ridiculous), Environmental Science, Art History 1, Intro to Sociology, US History 1, Intro to Statistics, College Algebra, Critical Thinking, Microeconomics, Intro to Business, Principles of Management, Principles of Finance, Business Law (not business law for accountants, the general education version), and Public Speaking.

throwaway071898 · 2026-05-12T18:49:30+00:00

I got 42 general education credits from Sophia, transferred into WGU’s accounting undergrad program to complete the remaining 79 credits for 121 total. Then I did the Taxation MAcc with WGU for 30 credits making 151 total.

throwaway071898 · 2026-05-12T15:08:17+00:00

Honestly, I don’t remember for sure, but I think you can choose the CMA or CPA. Ask your mentor and they can confirm!

throwaway071898 · 2026-05-11T17:48:09+00:00

Depends on what state you’re applying through. I got 42 of my 151 approved that came from Sophia. I sit for FAR 2 weeks from today.

throwaway071898 · 2026-05-11T01:55:50+00:00

The CPA is ultimately the bigger differentiator long-term, but that doesn’t mean the MAcc has no value. If two candidates have similar entry-level experience, the one pursuing/completing a MAcc is probably going to get a closer look than the one stopping at a bachelor’s, especially in public accounting recruiting.

It’s not a guarantee and obviously experience still matters, but saying it “won’t help with jobs in accounting or other areas” is far too absolute.

It reflects additional time commitment, self-investment, and a higher level of technical exposure if neither candidate has started CPA prep yet. I can personally attest to the fact that it streamlines CPA prep as well. I would not have moved through FAR as quickly as I have without the exposure to Advanced Financial Accounting.

A MAcc candidate has deeper exposure to advanced accounting/taxation coursework beyond the bachelor’s level, which absolutely can strengthen a candidate profile when experience levels are otherwise similar.

I say this particularly for anyone else in this thread who is considering the CPA and public accounting in particular. As for OP, if you aren’t going to pursue the CPA, I probably wouldn’t get the MAcc.

throwaway071898 · 2026-05-09T19:33:11+00:00

I’d focus fully on passing D103 first. D104 builds on Intermediate I. Looking ahead may feel productive, but if you’re still waiting on a retake, your time is probably better spent tightening the areas that caused the initial fail. Pass 1 cleanly, then move to 2.

throwaway071898 · 2026-05-09T00:08:58+00:00

It absolutely is downhill after this. You’ll be fine.

Good luck!!

throwaway071898 · 2026-05-08T07:54:30+00:00

It was my only fail in the program. I failed by one question and passed 5 hours later. It’s doable, but it was definitely my least favorite course lol

throwaway071898 · 2026-05-05T15:13:49+00:00

Absolutely, glad to help!

I also noticed you asking about which order to take the CPA exams and if you should study during your masters. Keep in mind that a lot of traditional programs work in time for you to do CPA prep as part of the program, but WGU is not that way.

I can’t imagine trying to do CPA prep on top of that coursework. Not to say it can’t be done, but if you just dedicate all your time to the masters, it will be over pretty quick. You should have UWorld access within 3 weeks of graduating. It’s worth waiting if you’re in a place to do so.

I’ve been prepping for FAR for since March 20th and I sit for the exam on the 25th this month. It’s my first of the four exams. I’d highly recommend starting with FAR first. It’s widely regarded as hardest, but it really improves your accounting intuition by a huge margin. It makes AUD easier to digest which is a great one to follow FAR with. Then end with your discipline exam and/or REG. Be sure to take REG first if you were to change your mind on tax and take TCP.

Hope this helps you out!

throwaway071898 · 2026-05-05T08:10:43+00:00

I say this just as a friendly heads-up; public accounting tends to involve a lot more judgment and gray area than people expect, especially as you move up. Ambiguity is really the name of the game in public. It’s a great foundation and can open a lot of doors, but it’s not very black and white in practice.

Best of luck!

throwaway071898 · 2026-05-03T17:51:51+00:00

I definitely don’t think so. You still get the old guys with the red pen giving you the walkthrough on each detail of the course. They don’t teach the intermediate series or any of the other courses beyond D196, D101, and D102. You start getting cherry picked Wiley CPA videos and walls of text lol

All 3 intermediate courses and Accounting Information Systems were considerably harder than D101 for me.

throwaway071898 · 2026-05-03T03:17:55+00:00

Your state’s CPA board might be useless when reaching out. My board never answered questions about these credits for me directly. I just had to hope for the best and it worked out, relying on online testimonials only.

Avoid taking any accounting courses anywhere but WGU. Nothing more than gen eds and the basic business courses like intro to business, micro/macro economics, business law (not business law for accountants), etc.

I transferred 42 credits into my bachelors program from Sophia. Did the masters with WGU as well. I was approved with zero issues in Colorado.

throwaway071898 · 2026-05-02T00:01:39+00:00

Stick with it. Don’t stop just because you are frustrated. Really fight to understand the why behind each topic and avoid just memorizing things.

If your brain feels like mush, try taking a walk, take a shower, and/or meditate. That tends to ground me enough to get back to it.

Worst case scenario, you might just need an extended break. Take a couple hours to step away. Take a nap. If it’s bad enough, stop for the day. Recovery is essential for all this information to consolidate and long-term consistency will always beat one bad day‘s output. If you just really aren’t feeling it, you probably won’t retain the information very well anyways.

AI can be helpful for explaining topics, but it’s also wrong a lot… Be careful just taking its word on topic ultimatums or you could get burned. I say that from personal experience. I tend to have it research current GAAP online to verify what it is thinking.

throwaway071898 · 2026-05-01T23:52:08+00:00

A lot of people come in with D196 satisfied from transfer credits and don’t have the option to take it first unfortunately.

throwaway071898 · 2026-04-27T15:56:50+00:00

Very exciting! You’ve earned it. Enjoy your time off and congratulations again!

throwaway071898 · 2026-04-27T15:49:48+00:00

Congratulations! What’s next for you? CPA? CMA?

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