[trang328]

Hi guys,

I’m studying for the BEC …again. and this time it’s 2011 so there’s 3 written communication tasks? Has anyone take BEC 2011? And do you have any advice for this written parts? I hate writing and I’m ESL. But I think I can do ok for business memo.

I’m studying with Becker.

thank you.

[Gina]

@trang328, yes there are 3 WCs and one doesn't count. I've never been a fan of WCs, but if you understand the concepts in your study material then you should be fine on the exam. Although I struggled a bit, I thought the topics were broad and straightforward.

REG 68,67,83(7/2010); FAR 43,71,80(8/2010); AUD 85(11/2010); BEC 74,79(2/2011)
NYS CPA 5/2011
EA 2/2011

[steves]

I just took BEC yesterday. I looked over the WC the night before the test. I really didn't worry about these and they were pretty straight forward on the exam. If you are able to write clearly you should be fine.

[Anonymous]

Don't worry about whether the answers are correct. Just focus on writing a memo that sounds professional. Make sure you use correct grammar and punctuation. I took BEC already and didn't feel like I really knew the answers, yet scored above average on the writing content portion.

[Anonymous]

People have been mentioning Becker and that there is a specific format to really help master your writing skills. I do not have Becker 2011. Can anyone who has Becker provide any tips?

[TSM]

trang328 – I took BEC in Feb 2011… This is what I can tell you based on my experience. First, make sure you attempt all of it… Don't leave any of the communications blank… Personally, I was only familiar with one of the communications… The other two totally threw me off… I didn't even know what and how to write it because I had no clue on the answer… However, I wrote whatever came to my mind related to that topic and tried to make that the answer… and I know for a fact one of the answers was 100% wrong… The key is write something relevant to the question asked… it doesn't have to be correct. Make sure you read it over to eliminate grammatical and spelling errors….Good luck on your exam!

Texas: FAR 83 (8/25/10) | AUD 83 (11/22/10) | BEC 78 (2/26/11) | REG 90 (7/9/11)
End of a two-year long CPA exam journey!

[kb24]

Becker also says

–reference the topic in the intro – you can often get this straight from the question

–don't use abbreviations until you've written the full name once in order to get credit for the key words the grader is looking for

–don't use bullet points or table

–3-5 paragraphs – intro, body, conclusion

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

[Anonymous]

Two quick questions on the written parts:

(1) Are you supposed to address your response, as in:

Dear Mr. X:

(2) Are you supposed to sign your response, as in:

Sincerely,

Club Card

I've read through some full credit responses, but have not seen these questions addressed. Thanks!

[Thefacta]

Look, I took it last testing window and did not spend but 30 mins working on the WC portion. Like mentioned above, just write like a professional would. Address the person (most likely CFO), give your body paragraphs each with a good reason on the topic, then conclude by saying “..if there are any more questions, feel free to give me a call.”

Most of my topics were not even regarding BEC topics, so it's obvious the AICPA just wants to see your writing form.

REG - 81 (2/2)
BEC - 87 (2/28)
FAR - 76 (4/18)
AUD - 75 (5/20)

[kb24]

My understanding is that the the salutation and signature are already filled in. You just have to write the memo. However, I haven't actually taken the exam yet.

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

[lindjlny]

Does anybody know for certain if you have to address/sign in the written part of the exam. I'm using Becker and they have that part filled out-not sure if that applies to the exam as well. Also, for every written simulation in Becker you have to write a memo (does that apply to the exam as well). Any help would greatly appreciated!

[Jason_E]

hey,

I recently took BEC and used Roger CPA Review's course and was prepared so I suggest using that.

[kb24]

The address/signature are already present. The answer may or may not be a memo.

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

[Zizoty]

Wow kb24!!! How can you manage to study 4 sections in one window? Do you feel like you give yourself a decent amount of time to study or you just forcing it? I can barely squeeze in 2 sections in one window and i feel like I'm not giving myself enough time to prepare. I know some people do not have a full time job but its still a short period of time for all 4 sections. I'm not doubting you but I'm just curious on how you prepare for the exam. GL!!!

AUD - 83 Feb11
REG - 75 May11
BEC - 73 July11 84 Oct11
FAR - 63 Aug11 76 Feb12 I'M DONE!!!!!

[kb24]

I'm not crazy. Long story why, but I'd been delaying taking the test for quite a while. At the beginning of the year, though, I set myself a goal of taking the entire exam by the end of this test window. I wanted to take FAR in February, but it took a long time for me to get my NTS. By the time I did in mid-February, I couldn't get a test date that worked for me. This turned out to be a good thing because there's no way I could have passed FAR back then. I didn't want to give up on my goal, and decided to take all 4 in April and May. I didn't allow myself the entire two months because my husband had booked a trip beginning 5/15. He offered to change it, but I decided that extra time wasn't going to make a difference and scheduled the exams accordingly. I knew that I might fail, but I'd at least have gotten my feet wet and be better prepared to retake the exams. My initial schedule had me studying for FAR and AUD before the end of March, then REG and BEC in April/May with a few days allowed for review before each exam. It quickly became apparent that this wasn't realistic. I was studying several hours most days, but FAR still took me longer to prepare for than I'd expected. For each of the next three exams, I studied all day every day. It was tough, but my experience with FAR taught me what worked for me and what didn't so I was able to study much more efficiently. I didn't get overwhelmed by AUD, but did feel a little panicked the last couple of days before REG and BEC.

It was tough, but I have an obsessive streak and am able to focus for hours at a stretch. Also, I have a very supportive husband, am not currently working, and don't have young children. I don't know if I would have done it this way if I'd realized how hard it would be, but I'm glad I made the attempt. Now I'm just waiting on my scores to see how much of this I have to do again. I'm hoping none, but I'm pretty nervous about REG.

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

[lindjlny]

Thanks Kb24! And since you took BEC already do you have any suggestions for me. I'm not taking it until July 2 and I should be done with the material this Friday (plenty of time to review).

[Author]

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