[Anonymous]

hi!

i have read a lot of retake advise posts and try to take what I can from there but am hoping someone has run into a similar situation and can offer their perspective. Becker is my study materials, I have memorized every question now and feel it is almost useless to start over with this again.

1st attempt- 63- first exam sitting ever…i was not sure what to expect…i was still developing study habits years after college

2nd attempt- 71 – went through the entire material again (including videos) and put more effort into this one

3rd attempt 65- supplemented with ninja notes which i disliked and they were not for me (not blaming my score on this)- put in a ton of studying hours

4th attempt 74- put a ton of hours in re-reading the book and making my own notes, did a ton of MC

5th attempt – 70 – similar to above, and re-wrote my notes, i felt like i was understanding the material and understood why i was getting questions wrong…however, i took the exam very sick and was unable to reschedule

my heart was really in it the last 2 tests and my study ethic was solid…the common theme is the GOD DAMN SIMS (4/5 last tests STRONGER in MC/Weaker in SIMS)…i knock the research one out <5 minutes easily every time and then get very detailed remaining sims…i am not sure why i am so retarded with these and any help offered would be greatly appreciated!

thanks for reading this slop,

d

AUD-86

[Anonymous]

Wyzant has very affordable tutors. I consulted a tutor to get my study skills in line, that when I started passing. I only met with her 4 times. $30 each.

Things I learned:

1)Handwritten flashcards

2)Cover the answers.

3) If you get one wrong find 3 more similar problems.

[Anonymous]

You'll get it.

There is an element of luck with these things too. It sounds like you got shafted the last couple times around.

It's a test of knowledge for the lucky ones. It's a test of fortitude for the rest of us.

[Anonymous]

Don't give up!!! There is a bit of luck that comes into play when it comes to these exams. Take a step back breath and go at it again!! You got this!

[TiffaNiffaNi]

How much do you use the AL tab on the SIMS? For REG and AUD, my experience was that the SIMS were mostly testing your ability to use AL. Yes, your knowledge comes into play, but personally, I relied very heavily on the AL–and again, I believe that was the point of the exercise.

FAR: 7/17/14- 79
AUD: 8/20/14- 91
REG: 10/1/14- 88
BEC: 11/10/14- 85

Becker Self-Study

[Anonymous]

thank you everyone for your responses!

cfo-notcpa- no wyzant available near me for reg

tiffaniffani- i used the AL tab very heavily on the last two attempts – i could be reading it incorrectly- for example if there was a question on trusts/estates i would use the AL to research about the situation- you are right on AUD though i was able to find some verbatim in the AL just not with REG so far : (

[Kimboroni]

You said you are studying a ton and doing a ton of MCQs, but what does that mean exactly?

How many weeks?

About how many hours per week?

Are you studying every day?

How many MCQs and how many sims did you practice?

When you get to test day, how much time are you leaving to work on the sims? A big part is time management– not getting caught up on a few MCQs that eat up your time for sims. You really need like 1:30 to 1:45 for sims on REG.

AUD 84 (1/9/14-Wiley books/TB + free materials)
FAR 83 (5/21/14-the above + NINJA 10 Pt Combo Lite)
REG 84 (7/9/14-Wiley books/TB + NINJA Audio/FC/Notes)
BEC 76 (10/5/14-Wiley books/TB + NINJA Audio/FC)

Disclaimer: My ninja avatar is not meant to imply that I have any affiliation with this site other than being a forum member. That's a pic of a T-shirt that my daughter gave me for my birthday. 🙂

[Anonymous]

thanks kimboroni,

to try to answer your questions without too much wording…it will take me a while to look the dates of the prior 3 exams but here were the last two:

8/31-74 (4th attempt)- 3 hours minimum (weekdays) 5-7 hours weekends for 5-6 weeks. i have done every mc/sim a minimum of 5 times

10/16- similar to above (studied from whenever i failed to the 15th, maybe 30 days) but i was very sick while taking the exam…i kept thinking i was going to get better and never did so i could not reschedule- i dont want to blame it on being sick, tax/blaw is clearly not my strength hah

thinking about taking a break from the REG material and tackle another test first

[Anonymous]

Since NINJA is pretty affordable perhaps purchase it for REG? Since you've likely memorized Becker a new to you test bank might help.

[Anonymous]

I used a TON of handwritten flashcards for REG and I also used Becker flashcards along with the Ninja Audio. These really helped reinforce the main concepts for me.

[Anonymous]

Maybe you are memorizing the study questions as opposed to understanding the application of the theory? If Sims are a constant struggle it may indicate that you aren't able to apply what you have learned outside of having an MCQ.

And definitely change up your study material for next time. You're too familiar with what you have which means you will anticipate what Becker will tell you instead of being challenged.

I would also closely consider moving on. Once you pass your first one that clock starts ticking. If REG and you aren't the best of friends you should maybe make sure that's the first one you pass (that's what I did). However, if you're “too close to the project” it may be best to try your skills at another one.

I am so sorry you are having to go through this. Hang in there…you can do this!!

[Anonymous]

Dude, I did the same as you the first time I took REG and relied solely on Becker and ended up with 68 (first fail after 3 successful attempts at the other sections). So what I did is that I got the WileyCPA book and purchased the Ninja MCQ/Audio/notes combo and rewrote the WileyBook on things I didn't understand first time around (e.g. corporate/partnership basis etc) and then I went thru the Ninja notes to make sure I am also incorporating Jeff's understanding into mine. I then moved to Ninja MCQ and did more than 2000 of them. I also did ALL WTB questions once and again one more time for the Qs I got wrong the first time. My score went from 68 >>>>> 84

After I finished studying and restudying, I could swear my notebook felt heavier from all that Ink i poured into it writing ALL the things I didn't understand or needed to know.

Do the above and you'll pass.

GL

[Kimboroni]

It does sound like you have likely memorized the answers and need a new test bank.

To my way of thinking, you don't want to pass the other 3 and then lose them all due to still struggling with REG, so this is the one you want to get under your belt. …but if you haven't passed FAR, you might want to tackle that one. I don't know how you feel about JEs and T accounts.

It sounds like you need to figure out a more effective way of studying for you, since doing the same questions 5 times isn't getting you there. Also, you are studying a good amount of time each week, but maybe need to a tack another week or two to the total study time. Even if it is a retake, you still need to allocate an appropriate amount of time as if you are taking it the first time.

In case this would be helpful to try a new approach, here is what I do on MCQs (I use Wiley, not Becker, which may make a difference in how well it works):

I do one question at a time (rather than doing a bunch and then looking up the answers). If I don't know how to go about it, I don't guess– I look it up. I use my resources and think through it to come up with the best answer. Then I look to see if I got the right answer on that one question. If not, I figure out why– did I misread it, miscalculate, etc. Then I work through it again to make sure I understand why the right answer is right and the others are wrong. Only then do I go on to the next question. I don't generally repeat questions, although I might do some of them a second time. Never more than that, as it doesn't really gain anything.

Do you practice sims? A lot of people say you don't need to, but I firmly believe in practicing sims also. I'm not going to walk into an exam not having practiced something that represents 40% of the score.

You are very close. Give it a good 6-7 weeks with some new study materials and you should be able to nail it.

AUD 84 (1/9/14-Wiley books/TB + free materials)
FAR 83 (5/21/14-the above + NINJA 10 Pt Combo Lite)
REG 84 (7/9/14-Wiley books/TB + NINJA Audio/FC/Notes)
BEC 76 (10/5/14-Wiley books/TB + NINJA Audio/FC)

Disclaimer: My ninja avatar is not meant to imply that I have any affiliation with this site other than being a forum member. That's a pic of a T-shirt that my daughter gave me for my birthday. 🙂

[Panda Love]

I took Reg 5 times as well and today i found out i finally pass. I was having the same problem as you of being so close to passing but simulations would always kill me. What i did the last time was to re write the questions i got wrong and that somehow helped me. I do know if you do this but whenever i would go to the sims and i didn't know any of them i would freak out immediately specially if i didn't know the first one so i would ran out of time and would end up leaving some sims unanswered. i know so stupid of me right?? Well this last time i took the exam, i answered them even if i didn't know the answer. I typed a buch of “0”s and i think that helped me with my simulations. As silly as it sounds but i score stronger in sims this time around and honestly there was one sim i had no idea what to do. Obviously, this is not the right way to go about this exam but i'm just giving you a tip that helped me. As others said you probably already memorized the answers so try to work on a different set to test if you really know the concept or not.

Good luck and don't give up, you can do this!!!

[Kimboroni]

That's a simple but great tip! 0 is bound to be correct on enough answers that it's better to get that input there than nothing, and it could be just enough to get you a pass if you're borderline.

AUD 84 (1/9/14-Wiley books/TB + free materials)
FAR 83 (5/21/14-the above + NINJA 10 Pt Combo Lite)
REG 84 (7/9/14-Wiley books/TB + NINJA Audio/FC/Notes)
BEC 76 (10/5/14-Wiley books/TB + NINJA Audio/FC)

Disclaimer: My ninja avatar is not meant to imply that I have any affiliation with this site other than being a forum member. That's a pic of a T-shirt that my daughter gave me for my birthday. 🙂

[jbisdamon]

I have to agree about reg sims. They are insane. At least mine were. I found out that I passed the first time, but barely (75 lol). I seriously thought I made 50-60 because the sims were so bad for me. All I can say is to keep being motivated and really hammer anything you aren't GREAT at. You probably know a lot of the material already, so I'd focus on building on your knowledge and solidifying the fuzzy parts. Practice and Practice and eventually it'll all come together. The biggest thing is to mentally be in the game and not be defeated IMO.

BEC - 76 7/22/14
AUD - 84 8/30/14
REG - 75 10/16/14
FAR - 87 11/24/14

[Author]

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