[Oneday]

Hello. I hope u guys have a great plan for Thanks Giving. Im passing this Thanks giving to pass AUD :(..

I have passed REG and I found that using Authoritative literature function and practicing SIM was crucial to pass that exam (after failing one time). I don’t want to fail AUD once again to learn how to pass the exam.. so I ask.

I was wondering if it would be same for AUD as well. I study FULL time and have approximately 70 hours to study until my exam on Monday 11/30.

I am going to go over my Roger CPA video (on x2 speed setting)one more time to refresh my memory and pound on Roger and Ninja MCQ as well as look over SIMS. I am scoring around 60% on average on Roger MCQ quizes.

Any other test taking tips or study suggestions for AUD?

[Sam]

@ monikernc – You have some really great advice. I appreciate your posts. I am a non-traditional student and waited until I was out of college for 15 years before realizing how important this exam is to my career. I have successfully sat and failed all 4 parts of the exam and some of them numerous times. But I am happy to say I am back and feeling better than ever. However, my current problem is staying awake. After I finish work, I come home, eat quickly, and straight to the study cave…the minute I sit down and start to read my eyes close. It's crazy and annoying. I know this is something everyone in here as probably struggled with more than once….just wish I could find a way to stay focused sometimes. Any words of wisdom? Thanks!

REG - PASS
AUD - 3rd retake set for 7/16/16
BEC - Scheduled 9/9/16
FAR - Sometime in the 4th quarter when I feel ready

[monikernc]

all i can add to that is sleep better and enough when you do you sleep. drop caffeine to a minimal amount but don't go cold turkey. drink lots of water. i never drink soda except for an occassional ginger ale. reduce sugar. walk during lunch if only for 10 mins. eat a better diet. i actually eat 5 times a day in small portions. i have to limit sodium because it makes me really tired. i gave up meat and fast food years ago so i eat more fresh foods. i am older and can get up early and study for two hours before work. then do 1-2hours at night. i only work a 40 hour week and that helps. i don't study on friday nights because that is my break. i have to stay on an even keel with this schedule so sleep and diet and some exercise is key.

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

[Josh]

@monikernc, I'm starting to believe like Bryan Kesler and Jon Dorn say, that exercise is useful, maybe with green and water, even more than coffee. My doctors want me to give up caffeine for re-flux. They also want me to exercise and diet better for weight loss. I suppose it's time that I listen. My advice that I've heard from Jon is to save more time for the simulations. What I've heard from Bryan is that what you have in your short-term memory is key. For both of these reasons, I try to do a daily cumulative mcq study session during break at work or after meals or standing at line at money gram, anywhere really on a mobile app. I almost had the process down in BEC. I suppose, my biggest tip is commitment, accepting the fact that this is my only goal in life at this point, that and what will keep my family happy to some extent.

[sacpa]

monikernc,
Awesome score! Congratulations! Thanks for all the tips. I have been away from this forum for a while. Hope you remember me from our interactions in fall. I took AUD yesterday & it was like a FAR exam. The strategy about getting to know the standards & their format in AL is a great idea. But it would not have help me because 4, yes 4 sims were from FAR. Of that two were ok & the other two took a while to even comprehend what they were asking & then put together everything that was in the two tabs & then solve.

Regarding printing the standards for audit, review & attest in AL, is this one of the pages you are referring to?
https://library.aicpa.org/content/Document/1446034?search=true
That is the link for review standards. In spite of your detailed explanation, I am not following how referring to the standards in AL helped you answer mcqs better & how it helps in doing sims. I am still trying to get over from yesterday's AUD nightmare.

FAR - < than 75, 10/2013, 2/2015
BEC - < than 75, 10/2013
AUD - < than 75, 8/2015, 1/2016

~ Winners fail until they succeed. Losers quit when they fail. - Robert Kiyosaki
~ I survived because the fire inside burned brighter than the fire around me.
~ Something will grow from all you are going through. And it will be YOU.
~ Right now you may not be where you intend to be, but it's where you need to be in order to get where you want to go.

[monikernc]

The links i used are here, these are to the actual standards:

Links to the standards:

Auditing – use the Clarified, always AU-C
https://www.aicpa.org/research/standards/auditattest/pages/clarifiedsas.aspx

Attestation – always AT – https://www.aicpa.org/Research/Standards/AuditAttest/Pages/SSAE.aspx

Compilation and Review – AR, but Reviews are covered under some other standards, too, so watch out…
https://www.aicpa.org/RESEARCH/STANDARDS/COMPILATIONREVIEW/Pages/compilation%20and%20review%20standards.aspx

Ethics – AICPA Code of Professional Conduct https://pub.aicpa.org/codeofconduct/Ethics.aspx

PCAOB 5 for Issuers – An Audit of Internal Control Over Financial Reporting That Is Integrated with An Audit of Financial Statements – https://pcaobus.org/Standards/Auditing/pages/auditing_standard_5.aspx

and then AICPA makes their Online Professional Library (OPL) available free for 6 months to anyone with an active NTS. some folks on here say it helps them learn more effective searches. you can submit your request here: https://www.aicpa.org/BecomeACPA/CPAExam/ForCandidates/HowToPrepare/Pages/literature.aspx

i didn't find the OPL to be helpful. but hey that's just me.

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

[monikernc]

Reading the standards helped me better grasp the concepts and aid with mcq's.
Referring to the lists while studying helped familiarize me with what topics have their own standards. Knowing how they are organized and understanding their format helped choose the right paragraph for a sim. The numbered paragraphs provide the standard itself, the A provide more descriptive examples and apply guidance to different circumstances. Knowing where to find everything i needed during exam allowed me to finish because it takes a lot of time to complete the sims because of the content required – i had long sims with multiple parts so i was toggling a lot back and forth. I didn't memorize the standards per se i just became very familiar and understand them better.
All audit review materials are based on the standards – once i realized that using them as source material for review just made sense.

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

[monikernc]

Having said all this – don't count yourself out for audit. I was shocked by my score. It was an extremely difficult exam and i did not react well to it at all while taking it. I thought i may have to retake so i continued reading standards and participating on aud study group until scores came out.
Just try to settle down and take a break before you decide to move on or stick with aud until scores come out. I have yet to be able to study for next exam while waiting for a score so i keep the material fresh while waiting

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

[sacpa]

monikernc,
Thank you so much for your detailed response, links & helpful tips. Hopefully if I pass I don't have to study again. How did you come to know about reading the standards rather than your review course notes? A fellow candidate also told me to read the book & the AU-C material. But I just read the book & the only time I saw the AU-C material was when I practised research questions.

I used the OPL since I lost access to Gleim site a month before exam. I completed doing 2 rounds of all mcqs & sims in Gleim before I lost access. After I loss access, I managed with downloaded 2016 Gleim material & Wiley book. I also felt that OPL was not helpful. The link I posted was from OPL.

During the exam, I was doing fine till it was time for sims. The 3rd testlet was very challenging & I flagged around 10 questions. I had 1 hr 40minutes for sims. Panic set in & I rushed to do them without a strategy. Just kicking myself for doing that. Whatever be the result, I am ready. If I pass, awesome. If I don't, then I have made a note of things I should follow:
Be MORE thorough with concepts
Read the standards like you mentioned
Complete mcqs faster
Leave around 2 hours or more for sims
Do the research sim first
Do the sims which seem to be simple & manageable, FIRST.
Then do sims which are long & complicated
Most important of all, stay calm throughout the exam & not panic

This is my 2nd attempt at AUD. This time after the exam, I did not dwell much on the exam & how I did. I lost valuable time after my 1st attempt thinking about the exam & not studying again for AUD or study for another section. I cannot afford to do the same mistake again because my FAR NTS expires on 2/12/16. So now I am focusing on FAR & already have an exam schedule in mind whatever be the AUD score.

Thanks again, monikernc.

FAR - < than 75, 10/2013, 2/2015
BEC - < than 75, 10/2013
AUD - < than 75, 8/2015, 1/2016

~ Winners fail until they succeed. Losers quit when they fail. - Robert Kiyosaki
~ I survived because the fire inside burned brighter than the fire around me.
~ Something will grow from all you are going through. And it will be YOU.
~ Right now you may not be where you intend to be, but it's where you need to be in order to get where you want to go.

[monikernc]

you are welcome. i hope all goes well for you with FAR and AUD. do what you have to do to get them done!
good luck!

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

[sacpa]

Thanks, monikernc. Need that much.

FAR - < than 75, 10/2013, 2/2015
BEC - < than 75, 10/2013
AUD - < than 75, 8/2015, 1/2016

~ Winners fail until they succeed. Losers quit when they fail. - Robert Kiyosaki
~ I survived because the fire inside burned brighter than the fire around me.
~ Something will grow from all you are going through. And it will be YOU.
~ Right now you may not be where you intend to be, but it's where you need to be in order to get where you want to go.

[Author]

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