[DarkHorse]

I have Becker and Ninja MCQ.

I watch the Becker lecture for the chapter, go back and re-read it on my own, and then attempt HW/Ninja MCQ and fail. EVERY SINGLE TIME. I have no real idea what is going on unless I refer to the book..

Should I be making my own flashcards?

I don’t understand how I am supposed to memorize all these different rules, tricks, methods, exceptions without literally making a notecard for every single thing..

It takes me about 6 hours to read through 70 pages, is that too long?

[Claudia408]

memorization helps but you can't memorize everything. when reading the question, think about what they are asking. they are usually asking the same thing over and over in different ways and patterns. you get lost in all the information you need to know but there is a pattern. what helped me is to print out a bunch of questions on one topic and pretend like you are back in high school reading and writing the answer on the sheet of paper. it's easier to see the pattern of the questioning.

BEC - 75 (3x)
AUD - 78 (3x)
REG - 67, 66, Aug 1
FAR - 54, Sept 8

[monikernc]

if you are not learning by reading try video or audio. not sure what section you are studying but you demo both types from various sources. i do read first but i do not really start grasping and retaining concepts until i do many mcq's on a topic and taking notes from those on the concepts. i like claudia's suggestion above. try that.

FAR 7/25/15 76!
AUD 10/30/15 93
BEC 2/27/16 82
REG 5/23/16 88!
Ninja Book and MCQ and the forum - all the way!!!
and a little thing i like to call, time and effort!
if you want things to change, you have to do something different

[ABTX411]

@darkhorse

Is this the first section you're studying for? Which section is it? Can you give us some sample questions that are stumping you? The two things that help me the most are 1. making sure I understand why the answer I chose was wrong and why the correct answer was right, and 2. finding ways to apply the information to my personal and/or professional life. I'll make up a 2 second video image in my head sometimes. I'm a visual learner. The first trick is more useful for understanding, the second for making that information stick. Let us try to help – give us a topic!

BEC - 90 - 2/04/2016
AUD - 97 - 2/29/2016
FAR - 92 - 4/19/2016
REG - 88 - 5/19/2016

[Anonymous]

ON FAR I bought Roger audio and listened to the lectures 20-30 times at least. I still have a hard time sitting through the lectures and question whether they help much.

I just whipped through 40 mcq's and barely learned anything. I'll let myself get away with this because I'm tired and I want to keep on my goal of 60 per day. But most of the time I have to sit there and google the topic when I don't know a question. Write it down, make up some way to remember it, etc. Time consuming.

[kiester]

This seems to work for me,
1)Video/Sloppy notes

Then by each section,
2) Note cleanup/review
a) I type the ninja notes first in word not caring about the spelling. I have have trouble focusing unless I type as I read until I pick it up.
b) Incorporate my sloppy notes into Ninja Notes neatly (extra notes on additional pages)
.
3) Do one of each Ninja MC by section
a) Notes on most MC I miss or don't get.
Move to next section/chapter

-Start SIMS

4) CRAM video – I'm a little older and don't have the best memory i need the refresher. Focus on sections I had trouble with. For REG this will be all of them. Who knew Business Law could suck so much?

5) Ninja MCQ- Whatever you need to mix it up (let adaptive learning work, focus on trouble areas, etc)

6) Lots of prayer:)

Good Luck! It sucks! I'm there with you! Just keep on going!! You can do it!!

AUD (10/14) 62 (2/16) 83
BEC
FAR (8/14)71 (1/24/15)77
REG (5/14) 69

[monikernc]

i think some folks use the mcq's as measures of exam performance. i believe they have to be used as a learning resource. what i mean is that the mcqs work for teaching the concepts and how to apply them in a way that benefit your exam performance, but at the end of the day if all you can do is answer a ninja question it may only mean that you remember the answer or the solution. you have to master the concepts and methods the questions are asking you to apply. we are not passing the ninja test, we are studying with ninja (or becker or roger, etc) to prepare us to pass the cpa exam. we rarely, if ever, see identical questions on the actual exams. but if we learn the material, we can apply it during the exam.

FAR 7/25/15 76!
AUD 10/30/15 93
BEC 2/27/16 82
REG 5/23/16 88!
Ninja Book and MCQ and the forum - all the way!!!
and a little thing i like to call, time and effort!
if you want things to change, you have to do something different

[Skynet]

When I studied for the exams, I only read each chapter at most twice in Gleim. I went through the chapters fairly quick.

The bulk of my learning came from working the mcq's and Sims. The chapters was more of a reference.

[monikernc]

skynet, do you have a fever? that was a remarkably sedate response from you…and i've seen a few like these from you lately. this tone down won't be permanent, will it? i count on you to lighten things up around here.

FAR 7/25/15 76!
AUD 10/30/15 93
BEC 2/27/16 82
REG 5/23/16 88!
Ninja Book and MCQ and the forum - all the way!!!
and a little thing i like to call, time and effort!
if you want things to change, you have to do something different

[gigabyte2001]

The Gleim System is working well for me. The steps it uses for each chapter are:
1. Set of 20 MCQ's – essentially a pre-test
2. Watch Video lecture (or listen to audio lecture)
3. Do 30 T/F Focus Questions
4. Read the Chapter
5. Do 20 MCQ's
Then it has you do two more sets of 20 MCQ's and 1 set of Sims before you move to the next chapter. Once you have been through all the chapters, then it gives you a week to review areas you're weak in and shore those up.
Given the material that you have, and the way you learn can you adopt this methodolgy?
I will make notes as I'm reading the chapters and try to apply the information to something I've done at work somewhere along the way. It also probably helps that Gleim has a large set of MCQ's.
I'm a very visual learner and probably a little ADD. I can tune out a lecture and not hear a word of it, so it helps me to see things and work the problems. If I'm struggling with a formula (had that problem with audit) I will take a blank sheet of paper and work that problem over and over until I can do it.

B - 11/11/16
A - 4/16/16 87!!
R - 2/17/17
F - 7/26/16 - Waiting for 8/23

[DarkHorse]

Thank you all for your awesome responses!

@ABTX411 This is my first run through of AUD. I attempted REG twice and failed so I decided to move on and “give myself some light at the end of the tunnel.” I plan on returning to REG after this exam.

I feel like my memory is awful. I'll read pages, study some notecards, then make my way to MCQ and poof its all gone. I feel like I have to drill this information backwards and forwards in my head in order to be able to apply it to MCQ/SIMS but have never seen anywhere people doing this and not sure if this is the best way to spend my time. Everyone alway's is saying here “MCQ MCQ MCQ” but I feel like I just end up memorizing the questions/answers and don't really have the underlying concepts down.

SO FRUSTRATING!

[Nessie]

AUD is tricky. And, I don't think Tim Gearty is a good AUD instructor. So if all you are doing is reviewing with Becker, you might want to try NINJA MCQs

I was scored close to 90% on my Becker practice exam. Ended up with an 80. The problem with Becker is that they bury you with a ton of useless info, so you end up spending so much time going deep down a useless rabbit hole, that you have no time to master the basics.

FYI: It would be IMPOSSIBLE to do 5000 Becker MCQs (even if that many existed), so get NINJA, and get actual straightforward MCQs that will be the same as the ones you will see on your actual CPA exam.

I just bought NINJA for FAR and I am loving how many MCQs I can do in a night.

BTW, if you are keen on sticking with Becker, they switch instructors with the “final review” course, someone who doesn't burp and flub his words like Gearty.

REG Aug 20/15: 88
AUD: Feb 29/16: 80
FAR: Jun 10/16: 80
BEC?

Becker self-study, Becker Final Review & NINJA MCQS

[perezc3910]

@darkhorse I am in the same boat as you except that I am studying for BEC. I am currently doing homework for Chapter 2 and I cannot get anything better than 50%. The information is just not sticking and it is frustrating me SO much. I have Becker self study, Ninja Notes, and Ninja Audio. It has been taking me a whole week to get through a chapter and I can't even say that I understand it all. It is very overwhelming!

BEC-July 2016
REG-August 2016
FAR-October 2016
AUD-Nov/Dec 2016

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