[Icannotgiveup]

Hello Everyone,

I have my audit exam on Monday. I made tons of notes, now I’m reviewing them, doing MCQs & simulations to prep.

I have accepted the fact that I will not remember everything the way I’d like to…

My heart is beating faster than normal and I am trying to review everything by Sunday afternoon so I can be well rested for this long exam. Any test taking tips would be helpful?

Thanks!

A – 2/2/15

B – 2/27/15

R – 4/20/15

F – 7/24/15

A - 2/2/15 - 76: PASSED
B - 7/20/15 - 74, 73
R - 7/24/15 - patiently waiting for 8/25 score release
F - sometime in October

[mla1169]

Best tip for AUD is leave yourself plenty of time for sims. You can use the authoritative literature on every single one of them and even if you're stuck between two thoughts on how to answer one, you can find guidance in the AL.

FAR- 77
AUD -49, 71, 84
REG -56,75!
BEC -75

Massachusetts CPA (non reporting) since 3/12.

[Icannotgiveup]

Thanks mla1169 I will use the AL as much as possible. I need all the help possible

A - 2/2/15 - 76: PASSED
B - 7/20/15 - 74, 73
R - 7/24/15 - patiently waiting for 8/25 score release
F - sometime in October

[lilbro2]

@Icannotgiveup as mla1169 said leave yourself time to for sims. I took mine Jan 19th, went in for test shaking because it was my first test. I did not use Auth Lit because i did not know that I can find some sims word for word or else closer to them. I only used Auth Lit for research question. I had only one research question and I nailed it. I went through the question fast but not quite fast as most people would. I had 90 minutes left for sims. I wish I could have used the Auth Lit.

Tip: Do the sims what you know spending 3 minutes each with out Auth Lit and then go back to each and everyone and look them up in the Auth Lit. In case you did not have time, you will not be in rush to blindly guess on them.

Caution: DON'T trap yourself into whether or not the testlets got harder or easier. It will take away your concentration and destroy your attention to the questions.

Good luck and you will do great.

AUD-01/19/15- PASSED! FIRST TRY
REG-05/28/15- PASSED! FIRST TRY
BEC-07/11/15- Scheduled
FAR-08/31/15- Not Scheduled

ALLAH HELP ME PASS THESE AWEFUL TESTS.

Quitting is NOT in my dictionary. I will rise one day as a proud CPA...

[Anonymous]

In FAR or REG you may be pressed for time. In AUD, not so much, use that to your advantage. Also, try to relax and stay calm. This is easier said than done but it'll make a big difference on test day.

Last but not least – do not give up during the exam. Even if you “feel” that the test is getting away from you, DO NOT throw in the towel but do your best until the end. There is a plenty of evidence out there (from test takers) that suggests that your gut feeling can be totally wrong when it comes to CPA scoring. I was 90% sure that I failed my first CPA attempt and in fact wanted to quit half way thru it. Decided to push forward and got 81. You just never know.

[mt3130]

Just relax. Many people build these exams up in their minds to be these beastly things. If you just worry about one question at a time, the exam will be over before you know it.

When you make a choice, be confident in your reasoning to get there, and don't second guess yourself. Also, for simulations, take your time and read all the information, including supplemental information such as formulas and related authoritative literature. Literally everything you need to answer all the simulations correctly is at your disposal, even if you don't particularly know much about the topic.

I finished REG, FAR, and AUD with an hour and half left, so time shouldn't be an issue if you just trust your preparation and stay focused on the question on your screen. These exams defeat people's confidence, and make them second guess their training. Don't let that happen to you, and you'll be fine.

One thing that I found helpful when working on simulations is to look through them all to see if theres a couple you know very well, or can knock out quickly. This will build your confidence, and seemingly make the “harder” simulations feel easier.

REG - 90 (08/2014) - Study Time = 6 days
FAR - 89 (10/2014) - Study Time = 9 days
BEC - 83 (11/2014) - Study Time = 4 days
AUD - 89 (01/2015) - Study Time = 2 days

Final score released - 2/4/15
Application mailed - 2/5/15
Licensed CPA - 2/12/15

[Anonymous]

Mt3130-great scores. What material are you using and what's your study strategy?

[Hari Seldon]

You pretty much can look up almost every answer to the SIMS in the authoritative literature, so I wouldn't practice them. Personally I didn't practice any SIMS other than REG, as they can take so many forms you will be lucky to get one that is like something you practice, and they are very time consuming.

Practice multiple choice questions, and practice reading the questions and the answers thoroughly. So much of the AUD questions hinge on one word or two. When it comes time to take the exam, also read every question thoroughly. As there are no calculations involved, you can slowly and carefully read each question and still finish with plenty of time. You are not going to spend 5-10 minutes on any AUD question calculating multiple steps like you could on one of the other three.

FAR - 90
REG - 90
BEC - 91
AUD - 99

[mt3130]

I second Hari Seldon's opinion. I have not practiced simulations for any of the four parts. I just did MCQs and read the explanations after answering a question. Everything you need to pass the exam is in those explanations/definitions given after answering a multiple choice question.

Hari has fantastic scores, and appeared study in much the same way as I did. This method was significantly more efficient for me to learn and retain the information. My scores were achieved after 6 (REG), 9 (FAR), 4 (BEC), and 2 (AUD) days of studying using only MCQs.

I used Becker for REG, FAR, and BEC, and I used Ninja MCQ for AUD. For what its worth, I found Ninja to be just as informative as Becker, and I actually found Ninja's questions more difficult than Becker's. The value proposition offered by the Ninja system is incredible.

REG - 90 (08/2014) - Study Time = 6 days
FAR - 89 (10/2014) - Study Time = 9 days
BEC - 83 (11/2014) - Study Time = 4 days
AUD - 89 (01/2015) - Study Time = 2 days

Final score released - 2/4/15
Application mailed - 2/5/15
Licensed CPA - 2/12/15

[Icannotgiveup]

Thanks for all the tips shared and the words of encouragement given. I intent to put all your suggestions into action, all I need is a 75 passing score 🙂

Cheers!

A - 2/2/15 - 76: PASSED
B - 7/20/15 - 74, 73
R - 7/24/15 - patiently waiting for 8/25 score release
F - sometime in October

[Anonymous]

Hari – I don't understand how you can look up the answers in the AL for the sims. The sims give situations where you have to pick answers that best fit the situation. How can the AL help with this? And one of them is a JE question in which I don't see how you can ‘look up' how to do the particuliar JE in the AL. What am I missing?

[Author]

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