[Smile1981]

Hi…..I am new to this forum and I am already loving it!!!. It’s great. I feel there are so many people out there who think like me and have the same questions as I do. Anyways without wasting much of anybody’s time let me tell you all I have scheduled my first CPA exam….BEC on august 22nd 2011. Yes time is running out. My question is has anybody taken this BEC test in 2011. What do you feel about BEC changes? anything in particular that is tested heavily? also I am curious to know about the formula in the BEC. Did anybody memorize them? I am finding it hard to memorize them. How do I study these formula…like standard deviation, hedging, probability…TVMF…etc..etc.What kind of questions are asked on it?

[KT5445]

Has anyone used the Gleim Test prep software download? I was thinking of buying it for BEC. Is it just a whole bunch of mc ?…If I'm looking at the right thing its $55 seems like it would be worth it its any good.

AUD- 5/31 87
REG- 7/1
BEC- 7/29
FAR- 8/31

[kb24]

@smile,

There really isn't a way to study for the WC. If you have a copy of Becker, the introduction has a good description of the format you should use. Their examples of good memos are too wordy and elaborate IMO, but I think they are trying to emphasize the things you need to do. The points I remember from it are:

1. Use good written communication form – introduction, body, conclusion

2. Reference the topic in your introduction – you can often use the wording from the question in shaping your topic sentence

3. Don't use acronyms until you've written out the full name with the acronym in parentheses after it at least once

4. Write in complete paragraphs – don't use bullet points

5. Answer the question – it doesn't matter if what you say is correct but it does need to be a direct response to the question asked

6. Address all the points raised in the question – my personal preference is to use a separate paragraph for each i.e. if it asks for three characteristics of something, I would use 3 paragraphs for the body

7. The questions can be on any business type topic not just BEC – don't freak out if it's a FAR or AUD topic that you have no idea about; just make your best guess and write in a way that directly answers the question

Good luck.

FAR 4/1/11 - 89
AUD 4/15/11 - 85
REG 4/29/11 - 80
BEC 5/13/11 - 85

[Smile1981]

@kb24 thanks a lot for your inputs. It means a lot because we (new ….brand new test takers :))) if there is any term like that look up to suggestions and advices from people like you.( passed cpa with flying colors)

thanks again

[Smile1981]

@KT5445

I just bought it yesterday and I think it's good. I am using wiley bec exam review which has lot of questions…..however I wanted to see how gleim was and my accounting professor (she is a cpa) also recommended gleim. They have 2299 questions in bec test prep software. Installing it is very simple. Just double check before buying whether you have all the system requirements to run the software smoothly. Honestly a lot of people recommend Becker but it is crazily expensive. If you are on a budget then I guess gleim is good. I like their answers as in the explanations for why an answer is wrong and why an answer is right. I think working on this is the key to passing the CPA exam.

I want to share something here….all my accounting teachers are CPA(s) and I asked them is there any trick to answer a question because I find CPA Exam questions very tricky :)….lol….but yes they are wordy. Aren't they? My auditing professor said you will never know 100% of the study material. So when you see a question on the exam it will be totally unseen before. None of these reviews or test banks cds have them. You have to know your study material well and make an intelligent guess by canceling out the wrong ones first. But again this is a method based on knowing your study material thoroughly and practice……practice and practice…..lots of it. Whatever study material you buy make sure it's updated according to the recent CSO(s). Also going through these CSO(s) will help a lot. Hope that helps.

[IwannaBaCPA]

I used Becker to practice the WC, but honestly I only practiced 1 or 2 for time management purposes and to practice the structure. I agree that Becker's answers are too wordy and technical. Clear and concise is the best way to go…

I forgot to mention that I used Becker, NINJA and cpareviewforfree which had a lot of decent questions that were very different from Becker's. I feel like the combination of all of this information is the reason I passed. I don't think someone should attempt to use every course out there or anything, but BEC has such a range of unrelated topics, using a few different sources of information couldn't hurt…

Best of luck! I know I am glad BEC is a distant memory 🙂

BEC: 79 - April 2011
FAR: 78 - May 2011
AUD: 81 - May 2012
REG: 79 - October 2012
Ethics: Passed - March 2013
I am finally DONE!

[Author]

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