[thetoddgreen]

Hey again,

As I am studying BEC, I have noticed most of my incorrect answers are careless… which are more than I would like to admit. However, I just now noticed something that stuck out.

The question was asking about GDP and the answers we are similar. C) said “[…] all final goods produced […]” while A), B), and D) said “”[…] all final goods and services produced […]”. C) should have been eliminated for that reason alone, even though the rest of the answer sounded better than the others.

My questions is: Is this a common theme? Little things like that causing the downfall of someone if they don’t catch them easily? If so, any tips on fixing my ways?

[Anonymous]

I don't think the exam writers are trying to deceive you. However, they will test your knowledge on the subject.
If you know the content, you will most likely pass the exam.
I know it can be frustrating when all the answer choices appear very similar, but I don't think this is that common – just move on.
Just focus and continue to study hard and you will do great.

[Anonymous]

I had the same issue with BEC. Most of my incorrect answers were due to misreading the question or the answers.

I truly don't have a good answer for you but BEC MCQs tend to take shorter time than the 1:15 budgeted time per question. I read the questions and answers one more time during my own study before moving on. It helped develop some better reading skills over the time. Still though, in the actual exam, I reviewed the entire testlet and caught 2 to 4 questions that I misread.

Hope these help. BEC is actually a fun section if you keep it under control. Don't worry about the MCQs asking for stuff that are not in review materials. The actual exam is pretty straightforward and honest as long as you know the main concepts in my opinion.

Good luck!

[mckan514w]

I have had major problems with this and what I have ended up doing is taking the time to read the question then physically write out- what I thought the question is asking and what I thought the answer should be based on my knowledge about the topic. This helped me in two different ways 1. it helped me slow down, really read the question and think about what they were looking for and 2. it helped me identify really easily what I did and did not know.

So with the example you gave I would write out- the question wants to know what GDP is… Answer: GDP is the production of all goods and services produced domestically over a period of time includes foreign company products produced domestically does not include domestic company produced internationally. Then I would look at the answers and see which one matched up with what I had written.

In the end this really helped me tremendously on exam day to slow down and keep my careless mistakes to a minimum. GOOD LUCK!!!!

and they ask me why I drink...

FAR- 61-next time I'll ask for lube instead of a calculator
REG-75- Never been so happy to see such a low grade
BEC- 8/11
AUD- 9/2

[thetoddgreen]

Thank you for the information, and tips! This is will be my first attempt at any CPA sections, so I am overthinking like crazy…

This helps 🙂

[Missy]

Very common theme.

One tip I got at the end of my cpa exam journey but was very helpful, is when you read the answer choices start from the bottom and read up. Somehow you're more likely to read it more completely that way amd are less likely to skip over nuances. Just try it a couple of times it feels unnatural and forced but does make you slow down a bit.

Licensed Massachusetts Non Reporting CPA since 2012
Finance/Admin/HR Manager

[thetoddgreen]

I have actually done that on accident a few times and wondered to myself “Hmmm… what if this would help me get more answers right” haha

[waffle_house]

I always tell myself this when I get easy questions wrong.

RTFQ (Read The F***ing Question)

[mckan514w]

I do that too @waffle_house so much so that my husband will parrot it back to me if I do something “stupid” ha ha ha…

and they ask me why I drink...

FAR- 61-next time I'll ask for lube instead of a calculator
REG-75- Never been so happy to see such a low grade
BEC- 8/11
AUD- 9/2

[RE2PECT]

I usually read the last sentence first if there are numbers involved. That way I know what to look for and can get through the questions easier.

Another thing I noticed after doing thousands and thousands of mcq's is that if the answer includes words like “must” “only” or “always” then there's a good chance that isn't the correct answer.

FAR: 75 Roger & Ninja (notes/flashcards/audio/MCQ)
AUD: 73, 81
BEC: 71, retake 8/29
REG:

[Author]

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