Shows / The CPA Exam Playbook with Blake Carroll
The CPA Exam Playbook with Blake Carroll
The CPA Exam Playbook with Blake Carroll is for CPA candidates who are putting in the effort, but not seeing the results they expected. You already have the course. You’ve watched the lectures, taken notes, and done the questions. But progress feels inconsistent, and it’s hard to tell if what you’re doing is actually working. This podcast is about execution. How to study effectively when you’re working full time. How to stay consistent without burning out. How to simplify your approach so you…
Episodes
- The CPA Exam Playbook with Blake Carroll
You Failed the CPA Exam. Now What?
One of the biggest mistakes CPA candidates make after failing an exam? They change everything. New study plan. New schedule. New notes. New review strategy…
- The CPA Exam Playbook with Blake Carroll
How Much of Passing the CPA Exam is Luck?
A 76 does not prove you studied well. A 73 does not prove you studied badly. We love looking at outcomes and working backward. Passed? The strategy worked…
- The CPA Exam Playbook with Blake Carroll
Feel the Day
In this episode I talk about a quote from the book "High Performance Habits" by Brendon Burchard that can teach us how to be more present and get a deeper…
- The CPA Exam Playbook with Blake Carroll
Either Commit to the CPA Exam or Let It Go
The CPA Exam is too demanding to live in the middle ground forever. In this episode, I talk about what it looks like to either truly commit to the process or…
- The CPA Exam Playbook with Blake Carroll
How to Change Your Mind
It can be incredibly difficult to admit something we think or believe to be true is wrong. But if you think about it so much of what you believe today is…
- The CPA Exam Playbook with Blake Carroll
Why I was Hoping to Get Laid Off
What does it mean when you’ve built a good career… but part of you is hoping someone else will give you permission to leave it? In this episode, I reflect on a…
- The CPA Exam Playbook with Blake Carroll
Why Knowing What to Do Isn’t Enough: Behavior Change for CPA Candidates
You probably already know a lot of what you should be doing to pass the CPA Exam. Study consistently. Do cumulative review. Practice the things you’re…
- The CPA Exam Playbook with Blake Carroll
The Surprising Power of Flexibility Over Discipline in Exam Success
I used to think consistent CPA candidates were just more disciplined, but that's not the case. The candidates who make it through usually aren’t perfect. They…
- The CPA Exam Playbook with Blake Carroll
Inside the Box: How Constraints Can Make You a Better CPA Candidate
What if having more time, more resources, and more options isn’t always better for CPA candidates? Sometimes the constraint is what makes you focus. That’s…
- The CPA Exam Playbook with Blake Carroll
CPA Candidate Pulse What You Told Me - August 2026
I’ve spent the last month asking CPA candidates what they’re actually struggling with. 274 of you told me your biggest obstacle. 122 told me why you miss MCQs…
- The CPA Exam Playbook with Blake Carroll
You’re So Focused on What’s Missing
When was the last time you felt grateful for any part of your CPA Exam journey? It's easy to focus on everything that's difficult: how much you still have to…
- The CPA Exam Playbook with Blake Carroll
The Let Them Theory and the CPA Exam
You cannot control whether people understand your CPA journey. Some will think you study too much. Some will think you are taking too long. Some will not…
- The CPA Exam Playbook with Blake Carroll
The CPA Exam Is Supposed to Be Uncomfortable
Passing the CPA Exam is going to require you to do things you don't always feel like doing. You're going to study when you're tired. You're going to struggle…
- The CPA Exam Playbook with Blake Carroll
When Work and the CPA Exam Take Over Your Life
You can leave work without mentally leaving work. And you can stop studying without mentally leaving the CPA Exam. That is how work and the exam gradually…
- The CPA Exam Playbook with Blake Carroll
If Your Study Plan Doesn't Fit Your Life, Change the Plan
One of the biggest mistakes CPA candidates make is assuming their study plan is fixed. If your review course schedule doesn't fit your work, family, and…
- The CPA Exam Playbook with Blake Carroll
How High Performers Use Clarity and Energy to Crush CPA Exam Goals
Unlock the high-performance secrets that top CPA candidates swear by—habits that transform procrastinators into unstoppable achievers. If you're feeling stuck…
- The CPA Exam Playbook with Blake Carroll
You Have to Keep Remembering Your Why
Most CPA candidates think motivation is something you either have or you don't. I disagree. In this episode, I explain why motivation fades naturally over…
- The CPA Exam Playbook with Blake Carroll
The Fear Behind the CPA Exam
Fear affects far more of the CPA journey than most candidates realize. Fear of failing. Fear of disappointing other people. Fear of wasting time. Fear that…
- The CPA Exam Playbook with Blake Carroll
You Don't Have to Keep Proving It
After three years of building my coaching business, the evidence is clear, the business is growing, the demand is real, and the opportunities are there. But…
- The CPA Exam Playbook with Blake Carroll
Deep Work for CPA Success How to Focus Like a Pro and Pass Faster
You blocked off two hours to study….and somehow spent 90 minutes switching tabs. It’s not your fault. Distraction is the default. But it is your responsibility…
- The CPA Exam Playbook with Blake Carroll
Setting Daily Goals: The Floor and Ceiling Approach
Most people only set one daily study goal. That's the problem. In this episode, I explain why every CPA candidate should set both a ceiling goal and a floor…
- The CPA Exam Playbook with Blake Carroll
Visualization, Manifestation, & the CPA Exam: What's Real and What's Fake?
Manifestation and visualization are everywhere right now. Some people treat them like magic. Others dismiss them completely. I think the truth is somewhere in…
- The CPA Exam Playbook with Blake Carroll
10. Comparing Up vs. Comparing Down
Teddy Roosevelt said "comparison is the thief of joy," but does that have to be the case? Far too often we find ourselves looking at people with more than us…
- The CPA Exam Playbook with Blake Carroll
9. Don't Wait Until 2021
What a year 2020 has been. Filled with all kinds of unforeseen stress, craziness, and challenges of all kinds, from the pandemic to the election and all of…
- The CPA Exam Playbook with Blake Carroll
8. More Than a Paycheck
In this episode we'll discuss the idea of getting meaning and fulfillment from our work versus only working because we get our paycheck and it pays the bills…
- The CPA Exam Playbook with Blake Carroll
7. It's NOT Us vs. Them
In today's world it may seem like we cannot agree on anything. Every issue seems to have two opposing sides who refuse to find any common ground. It may feel…
- The CPA Exam Playbook with Blake Carroll
6. If They Would Just _
Whether it's at home, work, school, or someplace else, we are all going to experience interpersonal conflict. What do we do when we find ourselves in a…
- The CPA Exam Playbook with Blake Carroll
5. Where Did You Get Your Beliefs?
Y'all may have heard that there is a pretty big election coming up this November. Naturally, I have some thoughts on it. DISCLAIMER that I am not going to be…
- The CPA Exam Playbook with Blake Carroll
4. I Totally Won that Argument. But it didn't Actually Happen.
Too often we can spend so much time and energy preparing for fights and conversations with others in our head. Thinking through what we will say and how things…
- The CPA Exam Playbook with Blake Carroll
3. In Honor of Chadwick Boseman
Chadwick Boseman, a highly acclaimed and successful Black American Actor known for movies including 42, Black Panther, Marshall, and more, sadly passed away…
- The CPA Exam Playbook with Blake Carroll
2. Feel the Day
In this episode I talk about a quote from the book "High Performance Habits" by Brendon Burchard that can teach us how to be more present and get a deeper…
- The CPA Exam Playbook with Blake Carroll
1. Change Your Mind
It can be incredibly difficult to admit something we think or believe to be true is wrong. But if you think about it so much of what you believe today is…
- The CPA Exam Playbook with Blake Carroll
Living and Learning Trailer
Check out this introductory episode to my new podcast! I'm looking forward to beginning this journey of creating a show, and can't wait to learn throughout…