[Subie28]

I just need to vent a little bit.

I went into BEC with the thinking that it was the easiest (at least 2nd easiest) out off all of the sections. I’m 2 sections/chapters in using Becker and I think I would rather study for FAR and take the FAR exam 10 millions times before I would look at BEC again. This is ridiculous. I understand everything listening to the lectures but then I get to the multiple choice and I’m stumped. Some of the questions I don’t even understand after they show the explanation.

I’m just hoping it gets better as I go on through the sections, but so far my mind is blown. How can anyone think this is the easiest section? I did very well with cost and managerial accounting – completely understood all of that, but this seems like BEC is a beast of its own.

Fingers crossed the light bulb finally goes on or I’m going to need a miracle come exam day.

CPA as of April 2015!! Woot!

[Anonymous]

You'll get it just keep pounding the MCQs. T-Accounts are your best friend when trying to solve problems.

[spartanhockey]

I just relived your exact experience. I took FAR in July then just took BEC Friday. I was like yes, finally a break from FAR. I start to do some Becker MC and I'm just lie WTF is this? Where is the easy stuff that Ive always heard. Luckily, only the first 3 chapters are cost and the other 3 can still be tricky but at least its a lot easier to study for them. When I walked out of FAR I actually felt really good about it but feel like I could have passed or failed BEC. We”ll see

AUD - 5/2013 91
FAR - 7/2013 92
BEC - 8/2013 90
REG - 8/2013

[funtiks]

BEC is much easier than FAR……….

I'm studying for BEC right now and have no problem doing the MCQs. Relatively the same difficulty as FAR, but much less material

FAR - 76*, 73, 85
BEC - 69, 72, 78*, 80
AUD - 72, 71, 90
REG - 71, 74, 85

AFTER 3 YEARS I'M DONE!!!

[Anonymous]

I feel you on this Subie28. A lot of people told me BEC is the easiest as well. I believe a lot of people that took BEC say its hard before taking it and getting their results. After they pass it, they say its not so bad only because they find out they passed it and don't have to worry about it. Do not listen to those people that say any of the sections are easy. That's their opinion and our minds understand at a certain point in time unlike others. Some may understand it on the spot, while some others take time to get it click in their mind. You WILL eventually get it. It just takes time and patience. Literally, study as if your life depended on it.

[CPA Exam]

I agree with you that some parts of BEC are terrible. I couldn't learn COSO and ERM to save my life, and the difficult variances in cost accounting were just too hard for me. I also struggled a lot with the IT portion of BEC. Luckily, the rest of it is actually interesting information that for me at least, is fairly easy to understand.

Audit: 97
BEC: 92
REG: 89
FAR: (8/30/2013)

[evesocal]

They're all hard. I think you get a bit – just a bit – of a break on the BEC exam because of the written simulations. If you can write decently you should get credit for them. My Becker teacher told us the content of what you write does not matter so much as *how* you write: addressing the topic, having a beginning, middle and end to your essay, using paragraphs, punctuation, grammar, spelling that are all correct.

As you did well with cost accounting you'll get that part of it with BEC; it'll click, don't worry. Do the T accounts.

The economics and the COSO stuff – it's a lot of memorization. I don't really learn things visually so those graphs and charts in economics did not stick at all. I wrote it all down in my own words – as this goes up, this goes down, etc.

Best of luck to you.

B: 75
R: 80
A: 77
F: 81
Ethics: 84, 92 and done!
Licensed in California

[SeattleAccountant]

There are NO easy CPA sections, period. They are all hard/difficult each in its own way.

I'm currently reviewing BEC and while about 50% is like a joke, the rest 50% could prove disaster come the exam day depending on the luck of draw. Every section had highlighted weaknesses in my knowledge and required refinements to be made in regards to objectives and study methods to address them.

I'm not sure how many times I wanted to throw away my comp out of the window during current BEC review just b/c stuff covered in Becker lecture was not stuff tested in MCQ!

BUT, this had been the experience with all prior sections as well. Looks like have to toughen up and pull thru once more again.

Personally easy BEC topics are: econ (love it, bring it on baby), COSO/ERM, IT, corp gover, internal audit. Annoying/difficult topics: Manufacturing OH variances (the other ones are fine), process/project parts (just don't care for them) and some cost acct (majority OK).

Becker Class of Jan - Aug 2013: FARB DONE!!!!
CPA license pending 🙂

[kmaahs]

Each section, so far, seems to have its own personality, much like professors. You have to know how to handle and study for each one…

AUD – Old school prof. Everything has to be his way or the high way. Uses traditional chalkboard and lecture class format. He teaches the same class, exactly the same way year after year. It never changes. You memorize his lectures, verbatim, you will pass it. If you can't pass it, you can buy his old tests from your friends for 20 bucks a pop.

BEC – A cooky prof with big glasses, an overbite, and a ceaseless smile. He loves going off on tangents, doing his best to relate class material to your life, but doesn't usually succeed. His tests are random, and disjointed. Sometimes it doesn't even feel like you are taking a test for the right class… You fail most of his tests, but everyone, somehow, still gets an “A” after participation grades are considered.

FAR – A draconian nun who carries a pointer stick with her for unruly students. She plops a 600 page novel on your desk every Friday and expects a full book report on it every Monday morning. Anytime you think you just might find time to squeeze in some fun, she hits you with an essay, report, assignment, or quiz that will eat up the time you thought you had. She also occasionally smacks you with her ruler when you start getting too cocky about the material, just to show you whose boss.

REG – A polished lawyer who comes to class, everyday, impeccably dressed with coffee in hand. He seems entirely disinterested in teaching, and believes in such a thing as dumb questions. If you ask one of these questions, he will question your commitment to your life, your career, your education, your significant other, and God. He is clearly perturbed that his students are not as expert as he is, and surprised no one knows that equipment is depreciated via double declining balance on the 1040 when installed on an ancient Indian burial ground.

C.P.A.

[peetree]

I thoroughly enjoyed this!

Did you come up with this write-up? if so, bravo

FAR 02/21/13 - 95
REG 07/02/13 - 87
AUD 08/02/13 - 94
BEC 08/30/13 - 85
Ethics Exam - 90

Illinois candidate awaiting his license

Used Becker Self Study | Ninja Audio | Becker Flash Cards | Ninja Notes | Wiley Test Bank

[novatrek86]

Bec gave me the hardest time to study for and a lot of the questions on the test itself were different to what I had studied so far. I distinctly remember not liking studying bec. Personally, one of the worst.

[SeattleAccountant]

@kmaahs

Awesome read! Your story-telling abilities rock!!!

@Jeff

Please consider thread “Best of Another71”. I nominate kmaahs's post above for it.

Becker Class of Jan - Aug 2013: FARB DONE!!!!
CPA license pending 🙂

[stealthDC]

@SeattleAccountant

BEC was killer for me. Audit and REG were't that bad, but for some reason I never felt like I made progress in BEC. I think the ninja notes did help me for REG though and I started to study smarter and not harder (which for me meant spending less time on the video lectures and more time doing notes and questions). Best of luck!

AUD: 76
BEC: 76
REG: 78

[stealthDC]

@SeattleAccountant

BEC was killer for me. Audit and REG were't that bad, but for some reason I never felt like I made progress in BEC. I think the ninja notes did help me for REG though and I started to study smarter and not harder (which for me meant spending less time on the video lectures and more time doing notes and questions). Best of luck!

AUD: 76
BEC: 76
REG: 78

[xdesix]

I'm taking BEC on August 8th. Everything except Cost accounting I have a good grasp on. I just pray there won't be a lot of cost accounting stuff lol. I mean, I understand some of the cost accounting material.. but I just get totally lost when they get into Overhead allocation, etc. I just can't for the life of me pick that up. Multiple choice questions aren't helping much either. I just hope I don't do too poorly on those on the exam.

AUD: Passed
BEC: Passed
REG: Studying

[topharry123]

good luck xdesix, i'm in for BEC on August 8th as well! I feel you on cost accounting. I get most of it, but anything to do with overheads confuses me however much I read it and do questions. I get a lot of answers right, but then i'll get one wrong and question the whole process again. Hopefully we'll both get some nice cost accounting questions :).

FAR - 95
REG - 93
AUD - 91
BEC - 85

[Author]

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