[Anonymous]

Hello all,

Can any of you pass along some AUD exam tips. I have a few friends who walked out quite confidently and did not pass the exam, which is making me very nervous.

I am using Becker and take the exam on Oct 10th. Any specific matter that I should focus on in these last two weeks.

Thanks a lot!!

[Patrick909]

I have AUD on the very last day of the window, 11/30. I'm hoping one month of study is enough. I did reasonably well on the Bisk diagnostic exam, for not having looked at any kind of auditing textbook since 2002, or never having conducted an audit before.

My “preliminary” (to get in the spirit of AUD) feeling about this particular section is that it's 75% common sense, logic and test-taking skills. What worries me is that some of the answers to the MCQ seem to be worded quite poorly, IMO….I came across some that were worded in such a general, vague way that you would never think they were the correct answer….yet they were.

I hate correct answers that look like total bull****. I'm worried about this exam….while it might appear to have the potential to be an “easier” exam, I'm not really that great at memorizing nebulous, vague concepts….which would seem to describe the bulk of GAAS. And the lectures are boring me…..this is a super-boring topic, almost as bad as Tax.

[TampaAccountant]

Patrick, I failed AUD (70) in Aug '09 and memorized every report and rules and procedures. I thought I knew the material, but I must be do something wrong.

I'm taking AUD also on NOV 30. I'm going to study 2 weeks going over more MCQs, I guess. I'm going to concentrate more in the areas I did poorly in, according to my Canidate Performance Report:

Information

Review

Now, I just need to figure out in what Modules of the Wiley book are those content areas found?

Oh, also SLOW DOWN for this exam, read the questions and each answer a few times. I finished in 3 1/2 hours with an hour left…..not sure if having the extra hour would've help though,…I was so confident I scored like a 90..lol.

[Anonymous]

Hi Everyone,

I am taking AUD on Nov 28th for the first time. If you have taken it before, how long are the simulations? I just took REG, and they each took about an hour.. how long do you recommend to save for simulations? I know this is the longest exam.. but I'd just like to get a good idea of how long to spend on each testlet.

Thanks!

-Kathleen

[Patrick909]

KT,

I'm planning to budget about one hour each on the sims – that seems to be an adequate amount of time. And, it shouldn't be a problem on AUD, given a fair amount of time. I won't be watching the clock on this one.

[Anonymous]

Thanks! that sounds reasonable.. that gives about like 50 minutes per testlet.. sounds like more than enough time!

[AARON]

KT, this exam is very forgiving, especially if prepared. Make sure you spend a lot of time on the MC, you'll have plenty of time to finish the SIMs. You can almost budget 2.5-3 Hours strictly to MC.

? AUD - 87 (8/12/09)
? REG - 77 (1/15/10
? BEC - 77 (1/6/09 - Expired) / 79 (11/18/10)
? FAR - 75 (2/11/11)

[OnePointAway]

Glogo,

I beg to differ with you. I also thought the AUD exam was not difficult and I got a 74 the first time around. I just took the exam for the 2nd time on Oct. 27. The AUD exam is deceptively hard. Remember, I passed the other 3 exams on my first try. You really have to know the MC and the sims are extremely challenging. Most are FAR material. For me the AUD has been the hardest exam even though it is not really quantitative. I would suggest studying at least as many hours for this one as the other exams.

[AARON]

I agree that you need to put effort into preparing… What I mean is that the four and a half hours for this exam is very manageable if prepared. I suggest spending time to really do well on the Multiple Choice.

? AUD - 87 (8/12/09)
? REG - 77 (1/15/10
? BEC - 77 (1/6/09 - Expired) / 79 (11/18/10)
? FAR - 75 (2/11/11)

[OnePointAway]

Glogo, you can make a good point. I was just saying that one better be fully prepared for AUD or else it will almost surely burn you. That 74 I got really hurt me. I really wanted to put a CPA marking on my resume.

[Anonymous]

OnePointAway- you said the sims are mostly FAR material.. I have not taken FAR yet.. so how is someone supposed to be prepared for the simulations in AUD if taking it before FAR?

I am definitely studying for this one as much as the others.. I am not studying less for any one of them, I think they are all difficult no matter if they are shorter, longer, or whatever. They all have about the same passing rates, give or take a percent or two. I am actually doing better on my first try of the MCQs in becker's software than I have done for BEC or REG.. so hopefully this is a good sign!

[Anonymous]

& sorry about your 74.. me too for BEC 🙁 Hopefully you can put CPA next to your name in the next few weeks when you find out!

[Anonymous]

The FAR material tested in AUD simulations is likely to be pretty basic, probably something along the lines of proposed adjusting journal entries or ratio analysis. This stuff is included in the AUD section because it's relevant to conducting and completing an audit. For example, an auditor would need to know how to correct an entry that initially recorded a sale for goods out on consignment that haven't been sold to a third party by the end of the reporting period. Similarly knowing how certain transactions or accounts affect ratios is primarily a FAR topic, but knowing how these ratios affect the audit is an AUD topic.

[Anonymous]

I haven't gotten through the book yet, I am in the beginning of R3. Does the review material cover these topics, just for some practice or are we expected to just know this stuff going in? I can handle or figure out the journal entries.. but I have hardly delt with ratios since my finance class. I never analyzied ratios in any of my financial accounting classes.

[Anonymous]

If I remember correctly, they will give you a tab in the simulation with all the relevant ratio calculations that you would need (if the simulation does in fact deal with ratios). I don't know if Becker's review material incorporates it because I used Bisk. You don't need to know too many but you should know the main ones (i.e. current ratio, basic EPS, debt-to-equity, A/R & inventory turnovers) and how transactions or correcting entries affect them. If you're rusty with those you could glance back at your intermediate accounting textbooks if you kept them, or use a Google search.

[Anonymous]

Okay thanks a lot! I don't think my intermediate books even covered ratios.. all that stuff I learned in Finance. But I do know most of those.. ahh this stinks though. Now I am getting scared about the sims.

[Author]

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