[adamasweger]

I am studying with Becker for the past 13-14 months. I studied for FAR for four to five months and got a 56. Switched to Audit and after two months got a 56, then two more months got a 67, then two more months I got a 53.

I do not understand what i am doing wrong because with Becker I have been scoring in the 80-85% range.

I have a full time job as a staff accountant at a relaxed firm, I study nights and weekends another 45-50 hours a week.

At this point I am open to ALL suggestions. I need to figure out a better way to do something. Do you suggest switching from Becker to another program, I have heard NIU is good for AUD. Some tell me Yeager is the best if you struggle with Becker.

I am happy to be going 90+ hours a week. I just cannot take another failed exam, my heart is already breaking over this.

[ruggercpa2b]

You need to give us more detail in what exactly you considered studying during the months you were studying. Getting another review course may not always be answer.

AUD - 73, 72 retake 7/2/2016
BEC - 8/20/2016
REG - TBD
FAR - TBD

I am so ready for this nightmare to be over. Been at this way too long.

[MaLoTu]

Are you just watching the lectures and doing the homework? This works for some, but I found that I have to make my own notes and actually read the material. I very rarely watch the lectures anymore. AUD is tricky and you truly have to understand the entity and the engagement inside and out to be able to decipher between the answer choices.

I agree with rugger that more info on your routine is needed.

[ohiostategirlcpa]

Don't quit your day job.

Consider other certifications as well: EA, CIA, etc.

F91 A95 R90 B94
CMA since 2015
(Gleim books/PDFs, MCQs, SIMS)

[jm962011]

How did you succeed in college? There are individuals that do great without going to class so long as they read the text. I wasn't that person, I had to go to class, listen to the lecture and take notes.

Some people swear by flash cards… I hate them! I hated them in elementary for spelling and math, it just doesn't work for me.

The key is figuring out what works for you! I started with Becker and my license ran out so I switched to Roger. I wish I would've considered more than Becker when I was just starting out but before you switch courses, try figuring out what works for you. I was able to pass audit with Becker because my license was still active, it took me 3 tries but I succeeded that 3rd time because I realized I needed to take my own notes.

[jm962011]

Oh! I wanted to add a few more things.. 4-5 months is a long time and maybe you forgot what you learned at first. Make sure to build in reviews. Make sure you're hitting MCQ's from the first chapter when you're reviewing the second chapter.

There are different schools of thought regarding this next point but are you comfortable with the topics in each chapter before moving on? I think you should master the topic before moving on but others don't think the same thing.

Before going all out and buying another review course, look for free Yeagar and Roger videos that explain a topic you might be having trouble with. For example, I could not figure out bonds with Becker to save my life. I found Roger's 60 minute YouTube video explaining bonds to be very helpful. There were a few other topics like that that helped and sealed the deal for me to buy Roger.

[steve777]

quit the job

[Missy]

Do not quit a job to study. Hands down worst idea. More time does not guarantee a pass unfortunately, and clearly for the hours you've put in, time is not your issue.There's no guarantees about how long it will take you to find a new job once you pass, either.

Need to identify where the disconnect is between your practice questions and the exam but if I had to guess I'd say you're memorizing the questions you've seen over and over again and just know the right answers without any idea why they're right. You can get to 100% on practice questions once you memorize them, doesn't mean you'd get the answer right if you saw the same question worded differently and it would throw you off.

Licensed Massachusetts Non Reporting CPA since 2012
Finance/Admin/HR Manager

[Anonymous]

I agree with mla11692 that you shouldn't quit a job to study for the exam. You don't want to end up jobless and no exam passed. Some people are having hard time to find a job even with all 4 parts passed. If you have been studying for 13-14 months and haven't passed a section yet, i don't think more time would help with the material. you need to review your study plan.

[win2bet]

i would read wiley

REG 68,87
BEC 85
FAR 75
AUD 64,64, 86!

[OKCalltheway]

My Experience:

I studied full-time for 19 weeks using Becker. During that time I studied about 55 hours a week. I took AUD, FAR, REG, then BEC. I studied 6 weeks for AUD, 5 weeks for FAR, 5 weeks for REG, and 3 weeks for BEC. I have a strong tax background and FAR was my weakness. I learned by reading, re-reading and taking a progress test every-other-day. By exam day I would have read the Becker book for the respective section at a minimum of twice, most-likely thrice. Even though I have a strong tax background, I re-read the estate tax portion of Becker-REG four times.

Why am I telling you this?

This is what worked for me.

My Recommendation:

Figure out what type of learner you are, develop a concrete study plan, and do progress tests. I began doing (Becker) 20 to 30 question progress tests regularly at the recommendation of a friend who attributed his success to this. He was a student who worked part-time while studying. Even if you've seen the question so much you're bored by it, work the problem step-by-step because you may not truly understand it. I would never tell you to quit your job to follow a study plan similar to mine. Figure out what works with your schedule as it seems you have allotted enough time to knock this thing out. You can do this!

FAR - 81 1st attempt
AUD - 91 1st attempt
REG - 93 1st attempt
BEC- 86 1st attempt

[Anonymous]

I was in my Master's Program, Working Full Time, and studying for the CPA and was able to pass each one the first time. It sounds like to me that you aren't connecting with the material. For me re writing notes from my Wiley Book really helped me to pass.

[1dayatatime]

Would you be able to answer “yes” if you asked yourself if you studied as hard and effectively as possible? Remember that after looking at the same questions so often, your brain tends to just memorize the answer. So when you're going through your MCQs on Becker, you might be clicking the right answers but not understanding the concepts behind the questions. Also, making your own notecards is incredibly helpful since writing is scientifically proven to help you retain information, and once they're written you have an excellent study tool. In my opinion, going through notecards before the big test is much better than redoing questions that you've seen 5 times before.

AUD - Pass
REG - Pass
BEC - Pass
FAR - Pass

[Track55]

You're in the same situation as my friend. I thought you were her until I saw the scores. She is also at a small firm, has Becker, and has not passed a section. This is what I told her:

Do not quit your job. It took me a year to find full-time work (3.8 accounting gpa). Stick with one section till you pass it. Switch to the Ninja MCQ. They are close to the test itself.

Like the 80's song said: If you've got no money and you got no car, you got no woman … and there you are!

AUD - 74, 99 !!
REG - 74, 92
BEC - 83
FAR - 73, 86

Studying for Ethics exam

California candidate
Business and Industry

[Vanessachy]

I don't think you should quite your job, maybe you need to change your study method. I didn't pass far either (I used gleim) I got 64. So, this time, I take my own notes, using ninja, practice mcqs and go back to the ones that I keep getting wrong. You already took once and have the experience, just focus on the ones that you were struggle at the exam and review the important stuff again. Also, maybe listen to the audio while you are driving to work.

Far 10/26/2015, 64, 1/4/2016, 82
Reg 7/10/2015, 60, 2/27/2016, 86
Aud, 5/9/2016, 74 (ouch), 7/26/2016, I cannot wait to take this test again
Bec, 6/10/2016, 70,9/8 retake

[Author]

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