[reallytired]

Hi everyone! I just took REG on Friday (will most likely be retaking it end of October, people aren’t kidding when they say sims from hell) and have started with AUD today. I take the exam 10/1 and have three more weeks until I start my job, so I will be studying around 45 hours a week for three weeks and then about 20 hours that last week before the exam. So while I have a lot of time, I would love to use it efficiently. I am using Becker so I will continue with the lectures, taking notes, and the homework.

What I want to know is what you guys suggest I hammer into the next few weeks (i.e. for FAR, I knew to hammer into gov’t/nfp, bonds, leases, etc.). I would love any pointers as well!

B 10/29/16
A 10/1/16
R 9/2/16
F 7/26/16

[HoosierCPA]

haha REG sims are the worst! I will be on my 4th attempt and I have had scores comparable or stronger in all my MCQ's to date (so 9 for 9) the common theme on why I failed…SIMS!

Anyway, I just took AUD last Wednesday. Of the 4 exams AUD has the least amount of material. However don't let that fool you it still presents other challenges. I'm sure you will hear this a million times but it couldn't be more true…read the question!!! I would recommend answering the question and before you move on rereading it to make sure you read it correctly. Audit is nothing but a word game, one word can change everything. Also, I utilized the study group through A71–I had a good group of people that were all active on posting which was awesome. Instead of trying to figure out a concept or question till your brain hurt I just simply posted it and immediately heard 3 variations on how to explain it!

Good luck on your REG results!

FAR - 78
REG - 72,74,71...please just go away REG nobody likes you!
BEC - 82
AUD - Aug 16

[lolo]

@reallytired, you're in the same bout as me. Mcqs were fine but Sims were hell brutal …

We'll know soon how we did ….

My Nick name is sunshine, but the fact is I have not been in touch with it since I started this CPA exam! IT HURTS

AUD - ✔ Passed Becker self study!
BEC - ✔ Passed Becker self study!
FAR - ✔ Passed Becker self study!
REG - TBD

[reallytired]

@dtatham10 Oh that is exactly what I am nervous for! It just sucks because sims are so hard to actually study. I felt like I had a solid grasp on all the tax stuff but I just couldn't seem to apply what I learned to the sims!

Great, I will definitely use the study group for this test! I will probably need it, just doing the homework from yesterday was driving me crazy because I was scoring poorly due to the wording of questions! Not looking forward to this exam.

@.sunshine. I feel like it is a common theme for everyone who took it this quarter, so hopefully they curve it in our favor (as I think they do curve the sims compared to how everyone did… or maybe I dreamed that).

B 10/29/16
A 10/1/16
R 9/2/16
F 7/26/16

[Just_Trying_To_Pass]

I am in the same boat as you. I took REG 8/31 and just passed with an 83. I studied around 130-150 hours and barely skimmed R8. I started studying Audit this week and I just got through A1. Plan on taking the exam the middle of October. So if hopefully some other people can be active in the AUD study group thread and we can all help eachother out. Regarding REG, I felt the same as you about the test. MC was fine, I flagged 8 or so on each testlet, which were questions I didn't 100% know the answer to, but usually had a good guess. The sims were BRUTAL, and I got tested on 3 topics I could have single-handedly picked out before the test and say I hope I don't get tested on this (let alone a sim). If I had to guess I think I got away with the sims I had no clue on by getting ~40% for filling in “0's” I knew didn't apply to a category. Got the research and 2 other sims for sure. So I think you might have a decent shot as passing.

Going forward, I to am interested in learning about the “tips” for taking AUD. I thought learning the audit reports in A1 were tough to get through but maybe I'm just getting use to the audit report language. But I want to know specific tips for this exam, and I know “blowing through MC” is the commmon answer. However for BEC and REG, I would say I finished only ~70% of the hw and don't think I learn the best from just memorizing multiple choice.

Any tips from others? (for example I would say the most important material for BEC: COSO, Corporate Gov, IT, and financial ratios… for REG obviously R1-R4 are what most all SIMS consist of, and R5 is an important chapter for MC questions)

BEC: 70, 83
REG: 8/13/16
FAR:
AUD:

[reallytired]

@Just_Trying_To_Pass, Hey congrats, that is awesome! You are making me a little less nervous about my score release date! There was one sim on mine that I full on blew off the topic because I never ever thought they'd give me a sim on it. I vaguely knew enough to get a mcq or two but that sim kicked my butt. So you have definitely given me hope, thank you!

With ya on A1, just now finished up the mcq and didn't score too poorly by any means, but there is a lot to remember with all the reports. I am moving on to A2 after lunch and hoping it will help me get my audit jargon back. I will be in the audit study forum a lot for the next month!

B 10/29/16
A 10/1/16
R 9/2/16
F 7/26/16

[Ib]

@reallytired. Some tips for AUD: Read the text book. Yes, you need to know everything in your text book. Try to nail down all concepts. You must uderstand the complete audit procedure step by step. Audit risk is a must on exam. For MCQs read the question carefully before choosing your answer. You should always choose the best answer. Do not underestimate SIMS. practice as many sims as possible before exam. BECKER have some good Aud sims. Lastly,use AL to answer simulations where possible. Best of luck!

FAR 79
AUD 87
BEC 78
REG 08/31/2016

[lolo]

Hey,

I got 95% on AUD. As a piece of advice, READ THE APPENDIX OF BECKER VERY WELL. Pay a lot of attention to the wording of the question and make sure you read the book multiple times so you get used to the wordings that look good for an AUD answer, Also make sure you read the 4 choices before you answer.

@Just_Trying_To_Pass, Thanks for your REG experience boost.

My Nick name is sunshine, but the fact is I have not been in touch with it since I started this CPA exam! IT HURTS

AUD - ✔ Passed Becker self study!
BEC - ✔ Passed Becker self study!
FAR - ✔ Passed Becker self study!
REG - TBD

[Sang]

1. Work a lot of MCQs.

2. Work all of the Sims also. (Don't skip the Sims.)

3. Know how Audit Risk affects Net Income, Balance Sheet, and Income Statement (Increase, Decrease, No Impact)

4. Know the different scenarios that would cause Audit Risk to Increase, Decrease, or has No Impact.

5. Know the different rules and scenarios that affect an Auditor's “Independence”.

FAR: (05/24/16) | (07/15/16) | (10/22/16)
AUD: (09/07/16) | (11/29/16) |
BEC: TBD
REG: TBD
Using Roger CPA Review + Ninja (MCQs, Notes, Audio)

[Fluffy]

@reallytired

How did you manage to study AUD??????

I just finished FAR, and that was one rough monster, but at least it involved solving problems and I found it is actually quite interesting (because I wish my professors taught me this way instead)

only finished A1 and I think i dozed off about half the time..
I cant focus..
THE MCQ requires me to read everything.. and i have such a short attention span. ughh
I liked Tim Gearty, but not in AUD, I feel like he's just reading to me.

Im thinking of skipping the lectures and just really reading it myself. I don;t know how the other chapters are yet though. What do you suggest?

ALSO, I noticed you took REG…
Please tell me REG will be more bearable?

[reallytired]

@Fluffy, Oh gosh I totally agree with you on the interesting part for FAR. My professors made my life miserable for 5 years of accounting classes and Becker managed to make all of it seem so much easier to understand!

I am with you on Tim reading to you. He was actually extremely useful in his REG lectures, but his AUD lectures are awful. I listened to lectures for A1 and decided that they were too much of a waste of time. So I am about finished up with A6 and haven't listened to a lecture since. All I do is highlight everything the ebook has highlighted and then read through each section and then immediately do the mcq for that section until the chapter is done. It's worked pretty well so far, my average for mcq is probably around 75-80%. The entire book is relatively dull in my opinion so someone previously suggested read it out loud and that has actually worked for me!

REG I think will be more bearable if you prefer more calculations and less memorization. So far, I prefer REG and FAR to AUD because AUD is really boring to read and learn and the questions tend to be really tricky to answer.

B 10/29/16
A 10/1/16
R 9/2/16
F 7/26/16

[Author]

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