[ThunderFan0]

Well I just got back from the AUD exam….

I went into this exam feeling the most confident I ever have. I got in the mid-80’s on my two Wiley exams I took yesterday.

Coming out of the exam was a different story….this is the WORST i have ever felt about an exam. Which makes no sense to me that the one I am most prepared for left me feeling the worst. Unlike other people on here….when I have come out of a test feeling bad I fail, and I have come out feeling decent twice…and those were my 2 passes.

On to what happened in the exam:

Testlet 1 = The questions were pretty tough….I had to go back to several of them…didn’t feel too great going into the 2nd testlet.

Testlet 2 = I couldn’t really tell if the questions were different or not(I am not really sure how anyone can in the AUD exam)

I felt decent about this one

Testlet 3 = See testlet 2

Simulations: WOW. I have never seen such obscure questions in my testing thus far. For the icing on the cake…I spent my last 20 minutes trying to find the answer to the research questions to no avail. I should note that I am usually solid on the research tabs…so this was super frustrating. I will be lucky if I got 10% of my simulations correct. I have pretty much no confidence in them. Nowhere in my study material was I told how to determine certain audit elements as high/medium/low.

I am devestated right now…I am going to have to retake this. I will probably fail REG for the 500th time in February and end up losing my BEC credit in May. I am losing the will to put up with this crap.

I could tell you all about auditing…and I have performed top notch work on several audits at my firm….but just because I can’t answer obscure test questions I cant be classified as a CPA.

I absolutely love that the passing rates keep dipping lower and lower every year. This testing process is a huge money making scheme and I wish someone would regulate it, because with the economy the way it is there is no way that competent people should be denied licensing and keep having to pay money to continually retest because of sketchy testing questions/grading procedures

Venting done(for now)

FAR - 74, 76
BEC - 77(expires 5/24/12)
REG 71, 72, 78
AUD - 69, 72, Retake 5/23/12...78!! FINISHED!!

[nextstopCPA]

I took AUD yesterday and it was brutal. It was definitely much harder this time around than the first time. I marked at least 15 MC for review. My SIMS were vague and irritating. I had at least 2 FAR, that high/low/medium crap, and a few AUD ones. Research was ok but I can't remember if I put in the document source. Bummer! Research didn't help much on FAR topics or that very obsure one. Just hope I knew enough to pass, if not, it's two parts I'll be taking next quarter!

FAR Passed
REG Passed
AUD Passed
BEC Passed

All aboard, this train's leaving. Next stop, TBD!

[Anonymous]

@ThuderPlan – My audit experience sounds identical to yours, I myself am also an auditor and thought I knew the material very well. As it turned out I failed.. and that is after making passing scores on the majority of my review material practice questions and exams. Its definitely a shame the way the AICPA goes about the exam process but on the other side of that, everyone who is a member of the AICPA had to do the same thing we are doing now and some are more fortunate than others when it comes to passing quicker and saving that $guap$. Anyways heres to a summer full of studying and as always this a great support site, I am really glad Jeff got this going. For those ppl who post like idiots and say negative things, there all clowns and the know it.

@goodluck, could you emphasize on how to utilize the research tab better? and also what materials did you use or what did you change up to get such a better score the second time around on Audit?

[Mikeb123]

I feel all of your pain. This test has defined me for so long. I PRAY that I passed and can put this all behind me. I took AUD again and I gotta tell ya I am worried, not because I didn't think that I did so good but the opposite.

FAR - 74, 76 (expires 6/30/12)
BEC - 77(expires 5/31/12)
REG 74,73,82 (expires 8/31/13)
AUD - 68, (waiting, took 2/28/2012)

[iwantmylifeback]

@ ThunderFan0 – Couldn't agree with you more. This whole thing is a huge money making scam. I could care less about this whole testing process. I just wanted the promotion at work. As soon as I pass I plan to write a manifesto on this whole thing.

The most hilarious thing about this test is that it is not even a gauge as to how well you will actually be able to work in accounting. I have worked with people who passed every part their first try and they are the people who struggle with everyday work. Typically lacking common sense and any sort of creativity because all they have is a bunch of rote memory skills that they can't seem to apply to anything besides an arbitrary MCQ. (There are some exceptions to this).

Anyway, I just took audit again on 2/27. I had to pass it again since I lost the part which is complete crap since it was taking them 6 months to get me scores and now they are turning them around in a few weeks. It should've been this way all along. I'm going to feel like a complete tool if I fail since I do this everyday, but I had the impossible research question too. The other sims…well I wish I could've typed in my own answers because they were better then the options provided.

AUD 92 (now expired FML), retake 2/27
BEC 87
FAR 73, 73, 78
REG 70, 74, 75

[Mikeb123]

I am continuing my previous post before, I was interrupted by family (crying baby), sleep, and work. (my beautiful wife decided to help me send my post anyway).

As I was saying. I am worried because the first time I took AUD I felt that I aced it and I have never felt that way on a CPA exam. Well I should have known because I got the worst score of all my test. A 68 but like so many I did better than those that passed with a 75 to 80 on the MCQ, but worse on the SIMS. I had enough time to use the research tab to check on a few totally obscure SIMS but in the end I still got a 68. This time around I think that I had a better test. I felt that of the MCQ's were 90% easy, with the other 8% that I had to come back to check but I felt pretty good about my answer, the remaining 2% I have to assume were test questions that won't count (they were totally out there). I got through the 3 MCQ's in about 2 hours. I took a quick break and said a prayer, hoping that the SIMS would be something I knew. 6 tabs and I felt that I knew them all well enough to pass. I triple checked everything and finished with about 50 minutes left. So like I said, in my heart I think I passed but we all know that doesn't matter and that is what is killing me.

Like so many have said there is no oversight on these tests. I find it hard to believe that in all the years of the test that of all the people that a petitioned to have their scores reviewed not one had resulted in any change to a score. (I think I read that on this site somewhere). And with it costing $250.00 to even request to have your test reviewed it seems like a waste of money. I seriously considered it when I got a 74 on REG and even again when I got a 73.

Well I am going to hope for the best. I really would like to do some other things with my time than having to study for these test. I think we should have the results for the last days of this window sometime early March, I think I read March 8th? If I passed I am going to splurge and get something nice and that will last. I am thinking a nice watch, so I can always remember how much TIME I have spent studying Accounting to be a CPA.

Good Luck all, I hope we can meet at a conference someday and talk about anything but accounting. JK

FAR - 74, 76 (expires 6/30/12)
BEC - 77(expires 5/31/12)
REG 74,73,82 (expires 8/31/13)
AUD - 68, (waiting, took 2/28/2012)

[Anonymous]

Aud is my last test…I took it 2/29…..I actually left the test center feeling pretty good about it….I mean two sims I definitely felt like I was guessing but I had to guess slightly right I hope…I really want to be done….I can't take studying anymore….

[mnCPAwannabe]

My experience was that if the tests felt extremely difficult that was a good sign of things to come. Everybody is different, but just my two cents. I remember having the same thoughts and feelings as the posters above while working on the exams, but the passing scores still came. Keep a positive attitude, keep fighting, you will pass this thing!

FAR: 84
AUD: 95
REG: 78
BEC: 88
ETHICS: 100

[Mikeb123]

The results are in. I PASSED AUD. I am done. Well I got a the ethics to go. Thank you all and Thank God.

FAR - 74, 76 (expires 6/30/12)
BEC - 77(expires 5/31/12)
REG 74,73,82 (expires 8/31/13)
AUD - 68, (waiting, took 2/28/2012)

[lipcius112]

Absolutely childish to think that this is some sort of profit-seeking scheme by the aicpa. Bottom line, try and read through the entire IRC handbook and make sense of it. YOU CAN'T!!! So Becker and other review courses provied you with tools to gain an understanding of the largest topics, with this general knowledge an accountant who is fit to protect public interest should be able to figure the rest out, at least enough to pass. Plus they add in a little curve so the people who can only regurgitate information have a shot too.

[twilley08]

Glad to know I'm not the only one who got obscure SIMS! I took it last night and felt extremely prepared, but now I don't even think I passed. The MCQ's were good and bad — some I've seen in my study materials, and others I've never EVER seen before.

As for the SIMS….ouch. I am crossing my fingers that some of this was pre-test. And THANK GOD for the authoritative literature, I think 2-3 of my SIMS came directly from there.

It's frustrating to think about all the time I spent studying, just to get tested on topics I've never heard of. Becker has such a good reputation for passing rates, but now I'm not so sure…

For those of you who have had this experience — did you end up passing?! I get my score in 3 weeks so I will let you all know!

AUD - 97
BEC - 88
REG - 93
FAR - May 2013

[Author]

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