[smoothiezguy]

Hi all,

I took the BEC yesterday. Talk about squeezing it in last minute, there was a major hang up with my application that was submitted on January 6 and as a result I didn’t receive my NTS until last Monday. Fortunately, there was an open spot the very last day of the month at a testing center a state away. That’s fine, I’ll drive a couple hours one way so that I can have an extra weekend to study.

Anyway, as far as the test went. I’d say it went okay. My consumption time ended up being as follows:

Testlet 1 – 25 minutes

Testlet 2 – 35 minutes

Testlet 3 – 49 minutes

Testlet 4 – 71 minutes

The first three testlets got progressively harder (as evidenced by my time on them). The third testlet had a couple questions that really ate the time due to calculations. I kept arriving at answers which weren’t even an option (*facepalm*)! Anyway, I finally got it sorted – just hoping I got ’em right. 😉

As far as all the questions were concerned, nothing was out of left field. I wasn’t surprised by any of them. Nor were there any that were relating to something I had never encountered before. I guess in this regard though I am a bit advantaged having already taken the CMA. I would say overall that the Ninja MCQ were harder than the actual exam questions.

I was blessed to have about the best WC topics possible. That was the part of the exam I was worried about most because I don’t feel like I do very well coming up with stuff to say under pressure. Plus, based on the practice simulations in Ninja MCQ, there were certain areas that I could have received which would have been really tough. However, the ones I got were pretty good. I would have loved to have an additional hour for those, but even still was able to complete all three in time, albeit far from perfectly.

Now to wait and see if I passed or not… This was my first CPA exam, just hoping the next three won’t be too big of bears.

As to my prep, I used the Wiley CPA Excel Book read over the course of the last year (the last half was read in the last two months). I do NOT recommend this, but due to life circumstances, that is what I had. However, as I mentioned earlier, I took both CMA exams last year, which definitely is a much more through dive into many of the BEC concepts.

And then the last two weeks I did 2000 questions in Ninja MCQ, which was hugely beneficial. Even though there were many of the same questions in Ninja as in the Wiley test bank, the Ninja software is MUCH more insightful, user friendly, and useful than Wiley’s. Highly recommend Ninja MCQ!

CMA - 430
BEC - 83
FAR - ?
AUD -
REG -

[Parisa]

@CPA Hopefull, what sort of questions did you guess on?

FAR - 1/25/2016 - 78
BEC - 2/27/2016 - 68
AUD - TBD
REG - TBD

[Parisa]

@MaLoTu OK thanks, then maybe I will just wait until scores release before starting the next section.

FAR - 1/25/2016 - 78
BEC - 2/27/2016 - 68
AUD - TBD
REG - TBD

[Parisa]

@MaLoTu OK thanks, then maybe I will just wait until scores release before starting the next section.

FAR - 1/25/2016 - 78
BEC - 2/27/2016 - 68
AUD - TBD
REG - TBD

[hannahFletcher16]

Hello All! I am looking for some advice/motivation PLEASE!

I took BEC in November and failed. Got a 65. I honestly thought I passed so this is a huge bummer. I am currently using Becker. I plan to re take BEC in April. I looked around and noticed that scores jumped a bit by adding the Ninja MPQ, so I went ahead and bought them.

I am looking for study advice! How should I go about re studying so I can feel confident that I will pass the next time around??BEC is very all over the place, some areas I feel confident, others not so much.

But I feel like I am in a rut, I take the time to sit and study but I never walk away feeling accomplished. Usually I am half way falling asleep, and have to re read the question a few times.

Anyways, I cannot waste anymore time or money and would love to hear what works for you guys!

THANKS!!

[smoothiezguy]

@User2701 – Here are my answers to your questions regarding the CMA:

“How are the exams?” Tough. At least the ones I got were much harder than the BEC exam I just took. There is a lot of info that the tester benefits to have memorized for the CMA exams. GLEIM is pretty good about emphasizing those things.

“How long does it take to study? Approx hours?” Roughly 100 hours per part. If you're like me and work full time, that means it takes a bit longer than someone who has lots of time to study. I went through the whole review course and then reread the entire book again in the last couple weeks before the test, as well as drilling through thousands of MCQs.

“I know it depends on person to person, still… Is CMA difficulty level equal to CPA?” I would say they are roughly similar in difficulty level.

“Does the exam have negative marking?” Fortunately, no. You only get points for correct answers, and you can receive partial points on the written part.

“Each part we have to score 360/500 right ?” Yes

“What is the relevant work exp needed to certify for CMA? I have a 5yrs exp in banking industry.” Here's what IMA says: Candidates for the CMA must complete two continuous years of professional experience in management accounting or financial management. This requirement may be completed prior to or within seven years of passing the CMA Examination. Professional experience is expected to be gained in full-time employment. However, continuous part-time positions of 20 hours per week meeting the definition of qualified experience will count toward this requirement at a rate of one year of experience for every two years of part-time employment.
Qualifying experience is obtained in positions that require regularly made judgments employing the principles of management accounting and financial management. For example, such employment includes financial analysis; budget preparation; management information systems analysis; management accounting and auditing in government, finance, or industry; management consulting; auditing in public accounting; and full-time college level teaching.
Employment requiring the occasional application of management accounting principles such as in computer operations, sales and marketing, manufacturing, engineering, personnel, and general management will not satisfy this requirement. Similarly, trainee, internship, clerical, or non-technical positions do not provide appropriate experience to fulfill this requirement.

CMA - 430
BEC - 83
FAR - ?
AUD -
REG -

[smoothiezguy]

@fatimaparisa – Don't wait until March 9 to start studying for your next section. Just jump right into the next one.

@hannahFletcher16 – Don't give up! First of all, if you are half falling asleep every time you study, try to fix that problem at the root. That means, get more sleep at night. Especially try to get more hours of sleep before midnight. I know that sounds crazy, but the hours you get before midnight are worth double those you get after midnight. If I am having drowsiness while I study, I find it's not very efficient studying. Aside from getting enough sleep, I also find that getting exercise every day really helps me to be more alert and mentally responsive when it comes time to study.
If you do those things you will notice incredible improvement. On top of that, do lots of those Ninja MCQs and don't just memorize the answers – know WHY the answer is what it is. I like to imagine I am explaining every answer to someone sitting next to me, and why the correct answer is correct.

CMA - 430
BEC - 83
FAR - ?
AUD -
REG -

[mitchmatch]

@ hannafletcher, when you got the 65, were you using Beckers, or are you only now using Beckers?

FAR-76 First attempt.
AUD-79 First attempt.
REG-79 First attempt.
BEC-79 First attempt.

Done!

BECKERS

[Parisa]

@smoothiezguy – yeah I think I'm gonna do that! thanks!

FAR - 1/25/2016 - 78
BEC - 2/27/2016 - 68
AUD - TBD
REG - TBD

[hannahFletcher16]

@smoothiezguy-Thank you for that advice! I do notice if I workout I feel more energized, I need to just make it more of a regular habit. I also need to start doing more Ninja MPC, it just takes me so long to finish a simple set of 30 so I easily get discouraged. But I like that so many people are more confident on the test after using them. I am definitly going to start explaining things out loud to myself. That has got to help! THANKS!

@mitchmatch- Yes I was only using Becker the first time around. Now I am just adding in Ninja MPC. I honestly feel like I have wasted more time this time around though, like it is hard for me to start over and re learn. But I am really trying to watch the videos and do the homework after. Then practice everything Ive learned up to my current point at least once a week. I need to do it more. What is your study method when first approaching the material?

Thanks guys!

[smoothiezguy]

Hey guys, found out today that I passed BEC!!!! Yay. Got a score of 83.

CMA - 430
BEC - 83
FAR - ?
AUD -
REG -

[hannahFletcher16]

Smoothiezguy- Congrats! Im jealous, I'm going to re take bec in april. What were your ninja scores? how many hours did you put in on ninja? Im using becker as well but I am just trying to use my time wisely. I would love your latest advice. thanks!

Also, did you use the MPQ or the Custom + sims most of your time?

[Popodopolis]

Hannah,

I recently passed BEC on my first attempt. I scored a 78, I found the test to be almost ridiculously easy so I was actually a little surprised that I only scored a 78. But I'm pretty sure I bombed the writing portion as I thought I had 3 1/2 hours and I only had 25ish minutes to complete all 3 writing portions and the first one took me 15 by itself, and the first one was probably “just ok.” I'm sure the 2nd two were garbage.

With that said, this is how I studied. First I bought Becker flash cards and memorized every one of them. I went through them each section at a time. Each section took a couple of days to get down plus a few more days at the end review to really nail down.

Then I bought NINJA flashcards….they weren't very thorough, but they do help a little in that they cover some of the items that Becker doesn't.

Last, I did NINJA MCQ.

To supplement, I had the Becker book I bought on ebay for a few bucks. But I only used it for reference when I felt like I needed a more thorough explanation of a concept. I also did research online regarding COSO ERM and IT concepts, because I wanted to make sure I really understood it, rather than just memorizing. Understanding it also helps memorization imo.

The NINJA MCQ was vital to understanding how questions would be asked and how to calculate cost formulas. I believe this exam expects you to come in already knowing basic functions such as asset turnover, quick ratio, etc. Knowing those was probably the difference in me passing vs not passing.

It sounds like a lot, but it was really only about 2 weeks of hardcore study and about another 2 weeks of half-ass study. One thing I don't like about Becker is I didn't feel like it was enough, in and of itself, to pass. Had I only used Becker materials, I have no doubt I would've failed. Had I only used NINJA MCQ, I believe I would've just started memorizing correct answers rather than understanding concepts.

So for me, I needed both MCQ and Becker flashcards/text book. I don't like instructional videos and bear in mind, I specifically chose this method of study because that is how I learn. I don't learn things from visual instruction as I tend to zone out from boredom very quickly. I have to get in on the ground level and do it myself.

BEC - 78 PASS 2/26/2016

[jessica8926]

@Popodopolis: I am retaking BEC in April and wanted to focus more on COSO and IT as those were heavily tested for me last time and I realized I did not study those areas enough. I plan on going through those Becker sections again and memorizing them word for word, however I saw that you did some additional research online for these two areas. Could you provide me with maybe some of the links or materials you looked at so I can supplement Becker?

I ask because there were a lot of IT questions on my test that Becker did not cover or at least did not cover in enough detail!

AUD - 69, 77
REG - 74, 81
FAR - 75!
BEC - 71, 82

IL candidate!

Finally done (5/24/16)!! Yahooooooo!

[Popodopolis]

These are the COSO ERM pdf's I used. The first is a simple overview. The 2nd is much more detailed and is over 100 pages. I used the 2nd one more, but I definitely skimmed through. I just went through and tried to understand the function of each principle and how it contributed to the main goal. As I mentioned, I feel like that greatly helps in memorization because each principle logically flows to the next and understanding the flow of a process and how it works is easier to remember than simple memorizing IOERRCIM and 5 or 6 sub-topics for each principle.

https://www.coso.org/documents/coso_erm_executivesummary.pdf

https://www.macs.hw.ac.uk/~andrewc/erm2/reading/ERM%20-%20COSO%20Application%20Techniques.pdf

I don't remember what COSIT pdf I used, but all material I found within the first few pages of google searches.

With that said, I am taking REG next. Any advice or tips on the REG exam? The simulations have got me pretty worried. The way some people have posted, it seems like you can know tax and bus law inside and out and still get screwed by the SIMs.

BEC - 78 PASS 2/26/2016

[jessica8926]

Unfortunately, I think I did so well because I had a good test and I really took to Tax well. It was easy for me to memorize and comprehend. The SIMS definitely scared me the first time I took it and got a 74. I know I utilized the AL for ALL of my SIMS, so I would highly recommend you know how to easily navigate that!

I thought Becker did a good job on the MCQs and SIMS so I hammered away at both. Good luck!

AUD - 69, 77
REG - 74, 81
FAR - 75!
BEC - 71, 82

IL candidate!

Finally done (5/24/16)!! Yahooooooo!

[Author]

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