[go2134]

Hey guys, I took my exam on Monday. I thought my MCQs were relatively easy, with only a few difficult ones peppered in the last testlet. That being said, there were questions that were NOT covered in Becker, but were covered in CPAExcel.

The SIMS were extremely fair, but I struggled more so than I’d like to admit for 2 reasons. 1, I struggled with because I didn’t get a chance to study for the FAR question I got, but in all honesty it was very, very, fundamental FAR concepts (I think that’s about all I can say about that).

My other downfall was not MASTERING navigating the AL. I got cocky and figured I wouldn’t have to practice much with it, but if I were better with it, I’m sure I could have found at least 3 of the Sims word-for-word; and that’s not counting the 2 research questions I got.

What I wish I focused more on: I’m fairly strong with Relevant Assertions and Audit Procedures, but I would have focused a little more on which kinds of procedures go with Balances vs. Transactions, and how the exams prefer their answers. I grew very frustrated practicing Sims and yelling at my computer when they asked for Rights & Obligations of A/R and wanted me to say Confirmations instead of examining Agreements for Factored A/R, but that’s the way they want it.

What I’m glad I did: I got to the testing center 45 minutes early and looked over all of my notes immediately before I went in, and during the 10 minutes I had to click “Agree” before starting the exam, I wrote down everything I could think of that I might forget.

During the test, I’d be sure to highlight the key words in the question (e.g., review, audit, issuer, except for, etc.), it really helped jog my memory and kept me from making foolish mistakes.

When it came to MCQs I got stuck on, I looked for key words in the answers to narrow them down (e.g., if a question was on Tests of Controls, eliminating any answers that say “Project an estimate”)

My best advice is this, don’t make the mistake of “Learning the Questions”, when I was confused on something, I would use other sources to figure it out (CPAExcel is very dry, but it gives you clear-cut outlines of the standards). And don’t keep reading your notes over and over, keep practicing questions and you’ll be surprised when you teach yourself something but debating over answers.

Any other questions, feel free to ask.

[Anonymous]

@Go2134 when you refer to FAR sims in your earlier posts, do you mean sims that encompass aspects of financial reporting?

[Author]

Replies