[lizardh7]

Hi All,

Using Becker and about to be 2 weeks from test date. Any suggestions on what to focus on, how you review, or any other tips in general for reviewing the final two weeks? I am sure this was a topic somewhere else but I just wanted to touch base and see what everyone’s thoughts were on two week review processes before exams.

Thanks!

[turo9992000]

For Audit, do non stop MCQs and try to really understand what an audit is and why each step is important. Audit ties up nicely at the end.

In the MCQs that you miss or feel that you don't understand, review your notes and maybe revisit those lectures.

[Tim]

I don't use Becker but I always start by doing sets of 20 MCQ's each until I have a good idea of what sections I'm weak on. Then I will read a section or two I'm weak in and do MCQ's from just those sections until I'm very confident about them. Repeat until I've covered all the sections I'm not confident with. Then I go back to doing MCQ's from all sections and continue identifying weak areas. Then I do MCQ's just from my weak areas and hammer them until I'm no longer weak with them. At some point I do the AICPA sample test. That's about all there is to it for me. By the time I take the exam I feel confident about every topic the exam covers.

edit: Note: I find going back and re-reading topics to be extremely important. Hammering MCQ's only will teach you to answer the questions and you won't truly understand the material. This is especially true when you start getting repeat questions and know them by memory. Gleim has 20 sections per exam and I end up re-reading half of them during the review phase.

edit2: Also, when doing MCQ's of course I make sure I understand why questions I got wrong are wrong and why the right answer is right. With Gleim I do “study sessions” instead of practice tests because it gives immediate feedback after each question.

[ineedthiscpa45]

Hi im also about two weeks outside of my testing date (1/27) & my plan is as follows 200-300 MCQ a day with a mock exam every other day. Based on my scores between my daily MCQ & mock exams i'll be reviewing those chapters through the book material. i'll also be at work listening to audio lectures non stop throughout the day just to ensure the material stays on my mind. I've yet to pass a exam yet & I'm hoping this a be the first. Good luck!

[turo9992000]

@ineedthiscpa45 don't do the mock exams every other day. Do MCQs that way you get instant feedback and learn.

[aaronmo]

The way I handled Audit…if I recall…was being able to, conceptually and strategically, tie everything back into the financial statements and the basic equation of accounting. How does _____ relate to a financial statement? What purpose does this control serve in reducing information risk in a financial statement? Tie everything back to risk management and use the financial statements and risk management for stakeholders as your framework.

Understand the difference between the different governing bodies and what they regulate.

I always kept in mind:

Who is the information user/stakeholder in this question?
Which rules/bodies govern that risk?
What is their risk?
How is what I'm doing related to reducing that risk?

[Anonymous]

I would not ignore the SIMS, also make sure you know your transaction cycles and different audit reports. I remember that was the thing I felt weakest on….

[ineedthiscpa45]

@turo9992000 Okay, what did you do for your final review & in your experience, by practicing TBS did you find it able to have you more prepared? That's really the only reason I intended on doing a mock exam is to get familiar with different types of TBS. I'm using Roger & Ninja.

[famh110]

thanks for asking and for all the replies. i will be referencing this in about 2 weeks 🙂

[Anonymous]

Have you purchased the Becker Final Review for AUD. I am currently studying for AUD and that's what I plan on doing with 2 weeks left for review, as the final review has really helped me a lot for FAR.

[turo9992000]

@ineedthiscpa45 I didn't do any TBS while reviewing. I just did MCQs. I did what Tim did 20 questions on a topic, If I did well I moved on. If I didn't I would study those questions a bit and try to understand why I was wrong. I did Jeff's ninja method for AUD, 2 weeks to read the becker book and take notes, and 2 weeks of non stop MCQs. I didn't feel prepared and thought I failed, but I got an 80.

[ineedthiscpa45]

@turo9992000 was that the difference between your scores both times? Like the first time you took audit did you have that same strategy?

[turo9992000]

Aud was the first exam I took. For my first try I used Becker. Lecture first then the questions. I didn't review and I felt overwhelmed during the exam. In my report it said I was weaker in all subjects.

I binged listened to the ninja podcast one weekend and that got me to change my study habits. I then studied and passed REG the same way I studied when I passed AUD. Read the book, take a lot of notes, and do non stop mcqs. In the last 2 weeks I focused on the subjects I was not getting, while still doing tests on subjects I felt comfortable with.

[Ruby]

I just took audit a couple weeks ago. Still waiting on my score. If I could change something about my review process, it would be that I didn't focus on the simulations enough. Even though doing multiple choice questions is helpful, the simulations are such a big part of the grade now that I would make sure to do a lot of those as well.

[ineedthiscpa45]

@turo9992000 Yeah i have a similar strategy. During work & driving i listen to audio lectures (roger) non stop. Oppose to notes i just highlight the important book material & reread whenever i'm doing a review of a chapter, i also review through flashcards (Roger & Becker). I also plan on doing non stop MCQ's (Roger & Ninja) in my final week. I'm praying this leads to my first pass. Thanks for the insight!

[Liiyum]

@Ruby How would you have studied SIMS? Would practicing them through Becker be enough? Does anyone know any prep course that's good at preparing you for the audit SIMS?

[Author]

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