[wannabetxacctnt]

I’m taking BEC in 2 weeks and really struggling with some of the finance stuff, does anyone know how much the finance stuff will be weighted? There is NO way I’m going to be able to remember ALL those ratios…most of the other parts of the exam seem pretty doable (except for overhead variances) I used Wiley q’s in the past but I really HATE the CMA and CIA q’s, I’ve always felt that Wiley is a LOT harder than the actual CPA exam q’s.

I passed Reg and Aud with minimal studying,but now I think BEC will be the death of me…I hope I’m not the only one.

Aud 83

Reg 83

BEC 2/12

FAR 4/15

[whitesoxfancpa]

I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but the finance stuff is supposed to be fairly heavily weighted.

BEC was by far the toughest of the four sections for me.

But it's definitely doable.

Don't say you can't memorize the formulas. You can. In fact, you will. Write them all out, neatly, on a sheet (probably more like four or five sheets) of notebook paper. Study them every day, several times per day, until your exam. When I say study, I don't mean read the formulas. I mean write them out or cover them and say them in your head, then peek and see if you got it right. Do this over and over. You WILL memorize the formulas. When that happens, guess what? BEC becomes an absolute piece of cake. It's only tough during the studying. Once you learn it, it's a cakewalk.

Good luck and get started on those formulas.

AUD 96 FAR 95 REG 94 BEC 88

[wannabetxacctnt]

Thanks Whitesoxfancpa for the words of encouragement! I'm trying to spend my time ensuring that I am 100% comfortable with all other sections of BEC, before plunging back into formula madness…it's very frustrating spending time on 1 weak area because it gets you down about the entire exam as a whole. I do plan to start writing down the formulas like you mentioned…any other advice you have for me for this section would be appreciated!

Aud 83

Reg 83

BEC 2/12

FAR 4/15

[potatogun]

Better yet. Understand the formulas. That helps you memorize them and refigure them out.

Most of the finance area is present value based.

Also make sure you have a strong grasp on the cost accounting.

FAR 92 - AUD 91 - REG 94 - BEC 86

[wannabetxacctnt]

Thanks Whitesoxfancpa for the words of encouragement! I'm trying to spend my time ensuring that I am 100% comfortable with all other sections of BEC, before plunging back into formula madness…it's very frustrating spending time on 1 weak area because it gets you down about the entire exam as a whole. I do plan to start writing down the formulas like you mentioned…any other advice you have for me for this section would be appreciated!

Aud 83

Reg 83

BEC 2/12

FAR 4/15

[Anonymous]

wannabetxacctnt,

I know what you mean. BEC is far harder than I anticipated. Just because the book is thinner doesn't mean it is easier. I am writing formulas on a sheet of paper and also using my FAR ratio flashcards. Whitesox is right on: I try to recite the formulas in my head. Try it just out of the blue to test yourself, like while you are cooking dinner.

Potatogun is right too about knowing how to apply them. Make sure you do a variety of questions so you know what the call of the question is and how you can answer it. I am not doing this enough myself; I feel like I am not ready at ALL!

[wannabetxacctnt]

Hey CPAwannabe,

Are you doing the Wiley q's for BEC? I am really struggling with some of them…they ask for the most obscure things at time which my textbook and lecture don't cover (am using Roger).I've used the Wiley book and cd for questions for aud and reg and found Wiley to be a LOT harder than the actual CPA exam…do you feel the same way?

As discouraged as I am working through Wiley…I know that if I'm able to get around 80% of the Wiley q's…I should be able to pass BEC.

I am trying to write and recite the formulas like you mentioned..and I'm fairly comfortable with most of them..definitely need to practice some of the hard core finance ones though…good luck with your studying!

Aud 83

Reg 83

BEC 2/12

FAR 4/15

[Anonymous]

Yes, I think the Wiley questions are really hard. Most review questions are on the difficult side to prepare us for the worst. Some of the ones on my 2010 Wiley cd are just ridiculous. These last 19 days, I'm going to focus on practicing mcq and knowing the formulas. I'm not getting hung up on the super hard CMA questions.

I really don't think we will be given CMA type questions where we have to figure 3 different formulas out to get the answer. BEC is adaptive now so who knows what they may throw at us.

[Anonymous]

Thank goodness I passed BEC before it became adaptive. My biggest struggle right now is AUD my last section.

[pshustler]

Word of advice…you are prob going to walk out thinking you failed because a lot of the stuff you dont recognize. Just remember to narrow down the answers and make an educated guess on those. Otherwise, just do tons of practice problems and try and get the variance stuff down if possible

BEC - 86
AUD - 94
REG - 88
FAR - 89

[jdiiorio]

Hi everyone,

I am taking BEC in 2 weeks from this Friday. I am a little bit worried because at first it seemed like it would be easier than FAR or AUD, but the financial valuation stuff and the flexible budget stuff is killing me. Any suggestions on how to tackle these two parts?

At first when I started studying I was very positive, but since I failed AUD, every time I don't get the multiple choice for BEC above 75 or 80 %I feel like I am going to fail it as well. It's so discouraging! I feel like no matter how hard I study I won't be prepared enough (this happened with AUD) and I won't have enough time to go through all the MCQs during the exam. I am using Becker and some of these questions take 2.5 – 3 minutes. It takes like 1 minutes to read them!

ILLINOIS CANDIDATE
FAR - Passed
BEC - Passed
AUD - Passed

[wannabetxacctnt]

Don't worry Jdiiorio!

You're going to pass for sure..all the practice q's are designed to make you feel awful and question your abilities. I am also in the same boat as you, I doubt the q's on the actual exam will be that hard. If you passed Far on your first shot there is no reason why you won't be able to pass BEC..keep studying and don't lose hope!

Aud 83

Reg 83

BEC 2/12

FAR 4/15

[jdiiorio]

Thanks for the encouragement wannabetxactnt!

After I went to sleep last night I felt better. I have two weeks left so that should be enough time to nail down these problems.

I have been reading more posts and it sounds like most people are having enough time to complete the exam?

I considered moving my exam to Feb 28. However I do have to move out the weekend between the 25th – 28th bc I am going on a 3-4 month assignment to the UK for work (and becker is coming with me haha). So I am wondering if that would just make it worse and more stressful. Maybe I should just get it out of the way. Any suggestions on whether moving the exam is a good idea or not?

ILLINOIS CANDIDATE
FAR - Passed
BEC - Passed
AUD - Passed

[wannabetxacctnt]

Hey Jdiiorio,

Don't move the exam, it'll just drag your misery out! You've already put in some solid time, you might as well put in the last couple of weeks and go full steam with it! It's like running a marathon and you're getting closer to the finish line, don't stall and get hydrated, just push through it will be SO worth it! besides, it sounds like you'll have a lot going on anyway, might as well finish it per schedule and save yourself 30 bucks of rescheduling fee:)

Moving to UK sounds fun, not so sure how much you'll have taking Becker with you though-lol!

Aud 83

Reg 83

BEC 2/12

FAR 4/15

[jdiiorio]

lol! yea I think I will just do that! Thanks for your advice. I will probs be posting from the UK either on REG or AUD. I am still deciding which one to tackle next.

ILLINOIS CANDIDATE
FAR - Passed
BEC - Passed
AUD - Passed

[Author]

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