[debitcash]

So, every other BEC post I’ve read (and I’ve read quite a few between hear and reddit), states that the BEC writing portion is nothing that one should worry about and/or dedicate that much time for during your study. They add that if you are a decent writer, which I am (I think so), then you will fly through safe and sound.

Well, regarding above, can anybody share their honest to god input (without incriminating yourself) your feelings about the writing section? Should I study for them? Should I actually do all of them (Between Becker and Ninja)? Some of them? Any of them?

I never really study for Sims or do any because I feel as if the ones provided do not meet the difficulty/obscurity that you see exam day. What I do is simply scroll through them just seeing what type of “formatting” a question might be, mostly getting familiar with input type and scroll type. Please excuse me for not being able to provide examples as I do not want to leak any information.

Would that suffice for BEC?

Next, can I expect the Sims in the review courses to mimic the ones on exam day? “Write a memo/letter/email to so and so and talk about this and that and why?”

Timing…

I have also read many posts where individuals ran out of time or came very close to — how is the best way for me to manage my time. Three hour exam, I plan to spend two hours on the MCQs and an hour on the Sims. Not one for breaks so I doubt I will be leaving my chair. My concern really stems from being bogged down by the computation heavy MCQs. Just reading the question and actually trying to understand what they want and what information isn’t relative takes a minute or two. I plan to use the same plan I used for FAR, do all the conceptual questions first, then go back to the computational questions that I “know” and then do the rest in the allotted time.

Wow, thanks for reading, spread some ideas and up your karma!

FAR:75!
AUD:69, 63, 73, TBD
BEC:76!
REG:71, TBD

BECKER + NINJA PRODUCTS

keep your cool

[Biff-1955-Tannen]

BEC I wouldn't plan on computational heavy questions like in the review courses.

Learn the proper formatting for WC and you will be fine. If you learn the content for the MC, you'll be fine for WC content.

I would say between 45-60min for WC. Honestly even 30min and you'd probably still be fine

AUD 93 Jan 16
BEC 83 Feb 16
FAR 83 Apr 16
REG 84 May 16

99% Ninja MCQ only

[waffle_house]

Copy & past the question they give you. Rewrite it by adding key words and using proper grammar. It's not hard at all. Also, 3 paragraphs.

[Jdn9201]

If you spend anymore than a day's worth of studying (4-8 hours) on the WC, you're spending too much time. You gain so many of your points just by rewriting what they are asking in the introduction and in the conclusion. BEC was my first exam, but I think I remember doing maybe 10 WC's just to get the feel for them. You do need 3 paragraphs, but the middle paragraph is going to be the only one that really has any technical knowledge related to the question. I can't remember the timing that I used for the exams, but an hour should be plenty of time for the WC's. I would also say don't be afraid of taking breaks as long as you are ahead of schedule on time. I took a break between the 3rd testlet and the SIMs and still finished with an hour to spare. Good luck!

BEC - 88 8/29/15
REG - 82 11/14/15
AUD - 83 1/8/16
FAR - 80 2/29/16

[Anonymous]

Very helpful post. Thanks for the sharing guys.

[AccountantPinkHair]

I agree with @jdn9201 you shouldn't spend more than 4-6 hours studying for the WC section. Restate the question in your own words in the intro paragraph, properly spell words, correctly construct a sentence, use accounting jargon and you'll be just fine. I followed this method last time I took BEC I didn't pass (71) BUT I did score “Stronger” on the WC portion.

I left 45 min for the WC and I got through writing all of them but was only able to proof read 2 of them and was able to quickly scan the third one.

AUD - 72, 81
FAR - 71, 78
REG - 60, 78
BEC - 60, 71, 71

IF I FALL, I WILL GET BACK UP. IF I AM BEATEN, I WILL RETURN.

[Anonymous]

completely disagree with everybody here. 4-8 HOURS??? on WC??

please, i highly urge, to not spend more than an hour's worth (listen to becker's lecture and that will suffice) and i would definitely not practice anything. i spent 30 min on WC. studying 4-8 hours is absurd for this portion.

the BEC exam is MUCH HIGHLY weeighted towards the MCQ's than the other 3. MCQ are 85% of the grade. you can run out of time completely not even get to the essay part and still pass with flying colors. i would spend MOST of your time on the multiple choice (both in preparation and on actual test day) i can't stress this enough. unless english is a second language to you and you struggle to write/type quickly, nobody should spend more than an hour preparing for this portion!

as far as on the 3 hour/ 180min test, simple math says 180mins x 15% of score = 27min should be devoted to WC.

tahts right 27 MINUTES only – 9 min per memo.

[jeff]

The AICPA flagged this thread…too much info divulged…deleting in 3…2…1…

Jeff Elliott, CPA (KS) | Another71 | NINJA CPA | NINJA CMA | NINJA CPE

[Author]

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