[Minimorty]

For purposes of the writing portion of BEC, are there really any differences between a memo and a letter? I know technically a memo is a little bit more direct, informal, and is usually used for internal purposes. A letter, on the other hand, is more thorough and formal and is generally used for external purposes. For exam purposes, should we basically treat them the same? Would your written response in a memo be any different than it would if it asked you to write a letter?

[RedRage00]

I didn't practice memos when I studied for BEC. I basically just read the memos in the Wiley book, looked at how they were formatted, etc, and did the same thing on the exam.

Texas CPA
Licensed, March 2012

[Soon2beCPA2011]

@ Minimorty

I think the best approach is to use a standard memo format that you could copy and paste into the 3 simulations. Simple intro, body, and conclusion. You'll find that your audience and perspective will vary (you might be a new staff auditor writing to a new client for one scenario and something completely different for another scenario). I wouldn't be informal, but I would be direct. Remember, content doesn't matter on the written communication…so as long as you structure your responses appropriately, you could fabricate the details (as long as its on topic).

Hope this helps…Good Luck on Friday 🙂

07/01/2011 REG - 81
07/08/2011 BEC - 85
07/12/2011 AUD - 91 [05/31/2011 - 71]
11/04/2011 FAR - 88 [08/22/2011 - 66]

[Minimorty]

@soon2beCPA – Thank you for the response. That is what I was thinking, but hoping someone would confirm it. While I agree that content isnt AS important as the structure and grammar, I believe it is taken into consideration. An on-topic, accurate response will generally get a couple extra points than an equally well written response that is not quite as accurate. This is my understanding. Good luck on the beast! Only one more to go!

[Soon2beCPA2011]

@Minimorty–Glad I could help. Thanks for the well wishes. Let's hope this is the last testing window for the both of us 😉

07/01/2011 REG - 81
07/08/2011 BEC - 85
07/12/2011 AUD - 91 [05/31/2011 - 71]
11/04/2011 FAR - 88 [08/22/2011 - 66]

[Author]

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