[FlyguyFocus]

So, after 7 years of “not really” studying, I finally made the decision that this was something I really wanted. I didn’t just want it for me, I wanted it for my family and my new son, born just a few months ago.

My approach: studied since mid March for 10-15 hours and took BEC on May 28. I just found out I got a 67.

The positives:

– this was the first time I really studied. I woke up early, studied at lunch and took whatever free time I did have to study.

– my family was incredible in both supporting me and helping me find the time to study.

– unlike previous times, I am not letting this time set me back. As soon as I found out, I went and studied for an hour before work.

My questions:

– now what? I used Roger CPA and supplemented with ninja MCQ. I had an average of 67% but trended at 77%.

– should I rewatch all the lectures? Should I buy more materials?

I want to take the test again near mid to end July.

Please help with suggestions as I am willing to do what it takes to beat this test.

BEC - 67, Mid-July retake
FAR -
AUD -
REG -

[Ajaz0810]

Yep I know the feeling. It took me a year to pass far and 3 attempts. I thought I could study an hour or 2 a day for 6 months and pass. I failed with a 62. I studied harder then failed with a 66. At that time I came to the realization that I had to study harder. I just wasn't studying enough or when I sat down to study I would check Facebook or browse the web in between doing mcqs. I just had to study harder and my guess would be that you would too. Like Jeff says if you're the studying 20 hours a week you aren't studying. You can do it

FAR 62, 66, 78
AUD 66, 55, 74, 72
BEC 79
REG

[Missy]

I think your problem is 10-15 hours per week of studying. I'm sure there are some people who can pull that off but most people get 20-25 hours per week in.

What made a huge difference for me was writing notes. Doing the MCQ gave me a basis but putting pen to paper drove it in.

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

[FlyguyFocus]

@mla and everyone else:

Do you suggest I restart and do all of the lectures again? Also, do you think I should reset my ninja stats and go at it again?

It's interesting because as I took the exam, i know there were areas I still needed improvement on and guessed on a few calc questions.

I studied approximately 100 hours…. I am thinking if I study the next month and a half and re-take in July…i can get over the hump.

what are your thoughts?

BEC - 67, Mid-July retake
FAR -
AUD -
REG -

[Martin]

I think your problem is that you should be studying at least 15 hrs just on a weekend, and not the whole week. With 15 hrs on a weekend, and another 15 hrs during weekdays, you should be able to pass. You are not giving your brain the chance to even recall information by studying just 10 to 15 hrs per week.

Through God all things can happen!

“You never fail until you stop trying.”
― Albert Einstein
When I was young, I used to admire intelligent people;as I grow older, I admire kind people.
“Just keep swimming, just keep swimming.”

FAR= 72-84
Audit= 73-82
BEC= 74-75
Reg=77

[Missy]

The theory that most people seem to have around here is that short term memory plays a bigger role than long term memory in this exam. Optimal seems to be about 6-8 weeks studying 25 hours a week. My personal opinion is that anything you studied more than 8 weeks ago falls out of your brain 😉 so 15 weeks of 10 hours per week is not the equivalent of 6 weeks x 25 hours.

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

[fuzyfro89]

You need to learn how you learn… as an individual. It's easy to try and get advice from other people, but that isn't necessarily going to work for you.

Are you a visual learner? Practical learner? Do you learn when listening to an instructor or do you learn better by reading/taking notes on your own? Do you learn by doing problems and reading carefully through the detailed answer key?

Personally, I listened to lectures (Becker) to get the overview of things. I didn't really learn anything until I put pencil to paper and did lots of multiple choice questions. Didn't really matter if I scored horribly on practice sets… as I would study the answers and learn as I went along… and re-read sections in the books that I was still confused about.

What works best for you? You need to experiment to find that out. Don't make the mistake of thinking “studying harder” = “studying longer”. That's not always the case.

[tcheney3]

There isn't a set amount of hours per week it takes to pass the exam. The correct amount of hours is the amount it takes for YOU to pass. I personally studied about 10-15 a week and have passed all 3 I have taken comfortably, but if that isn't enough for you then bump it to 25. Also, I would make sure to get a wide variety of MCQ's so you don't have the ability to memorize the questions.

BEC - 82
REG - 86
FAR - 85
AUD - 84 and I'm out!!!!!
Ethics - 95
In Skynet's Honor:
Act I: Shutdown Skynet and prevent Judgment Day.
Act II: Add a comma and three letters to my title.
Act III: Time Travel and marry a young Denise Richards (and prevent subsequent plastic surgery),return to present.
Act IV: Serve as Successor to Elon Musk as CEO of Tesla.
Act V: Ensure Judgment Day has been stopped. Utopia achieved.

[nolifecpa]

couldn't agree more with @fuzyfro89, you have to know how you learn best. it took me 7 years to figure out by trial and error what worked for me. it was never about putting in the time, think I would put in at least 35 hrs/week. once you figure out what works for you, you will start passing. bad part is it may take some time to figure out

also, restudy as if you are studying for the first time, start from page 1

REG-65,71,74,73,70,74,79
BEC-60's,60's,69,71,76*,78
FAR-67,66,65,79
AUD-54,60's,65,83*,69,80
*expired

DONE

[Tuffy11111]

Listen to Jeff. Remember that when you're starting over to study for a retake, you need to completely start over. Use the NINJA plan, it'll really help you. Read the NINJA notes 5x through, do 2000+ MCQs, and write the entire NINJA notes the week before the exam.

BEC - 83 7/25
REG - 76 5/2/15
AUD - Hopefully before MY Audit...7/5?
FAR - 83 5/2/16

[FlyguyFocus]

Appreciate all the support and guidance…

I re-started today with page 1, lecture one. Although I feel like I am starting ahead of the curve, I am ready to start fresh. As far as time I study, I will do my best to bump it up. As I know everyone situation is different, it is all about finding the time in our daily routines. With a relatively newborn, and a busy job, I will try to bump that 10-15 hours up in the next month to closer to 20. I will find the time, even if it means waking up 30 min earlier than I already am, with less days off. This could go a long way.

As far as planning, I think mid–July is a good target — does everyone agree? I have probably taken the CPA exam about 15 times, and over 90% i probably scored under 65. This is the first REAL time I studied and got a 67. I once got a 70 about two years ago, but I think it was luck more than anything. I'm confident that if i continue to study, put the time and stay at it, I can pass. For me, it's all about getting one under my belt. Once I get one passed, i think it will really go a long way for me.

When taking the exam, i definitely felt areas that I wasn't comfortable in or needed more help. This was the true barometer for me that I needed more work, and I still got a 67.

As always, I know I can always count on all of you for your guidance, support and honesty…

i really do appreciate it and I will keep going until I am a CPA. That's a promise.

BEC - 67, Mid-July retake
FAR -
AUD -
REG -

[FlyguyFocus]

@mla definitely intersted in your thoughts on the above post as well as anyone else who can provide guidance or support

U r all the best!

BEC - 67, Mid-July retake
FAR -
AUD -
REG -

[Justanotherdude]

You got it cat daddy. I've been drug behind the wagon like you, but sooner or later horses tire out. Don't forget to take a piece of the day to take care of yourself, whether it be exercise, quiet time, or whatever it is that makes things right and let's you leave the pressure cooker of passing a section. It's a downright beating, and I think most folks here would agree. So look at it as a chance to learn new concepts, and apply them to your day job. This way, your outlook on “studying” has an injection of vigor. Remember, if you had only played baseball, being successful 3 out of 10 times has you batting .300; and that ain't bad. But you gotta step up to the plate to play the game first. Good luck to you, in all aspects. We all got your back here

[FlyguyFocus]

Thanks just!

Mla?

BEC - 67, Mid-July retake
FAR -
AUD -
REG -

[Vern -No what I mean]

I'd suggest staying the course on your study plan and not taking the test until your passing multiple practice exams. Everyone learns differently and a lot of people here seem to get caught up on the exact review course they use. In my opinion, the review course doesn't seem to matter that much. we get caught up in average scores and trending scores, and excel schedules tracking our progress, and everything else procedural about studying. The reality is to make your study time effective and learn to tune out the distractors.

The secret sauce is to break down the chapters into managable sections, then to constantly review while progressing to the next. Stay motivated and focused and understand why you missed the MCQ's. Don't under study the SIMS and be prepared for whatever the exam throws at you.

You also have to be confident. Stand in the mirror everyday and repeat out loud “I can pass the CPA exam!” over and over until you start to laugh at yourself. Raise your hands like you just won the race of your life! You need the self confidence and can boost it with this trick. Once you pass the first, the confidence will continue to build and soon you will be waiting for your last score! If you believe…. you can achieve..

AUD - 90
FAR - 71, 76
REG - 75
BEC - 76 (bubble sucks)

Becker + Ninja MCQ's

[Missy]

I think most people grossly underestimate how much time they can study. I am an extreme on the other side but I worked (between 2 jobs) over 60 hours per week, had 2 kids, was taking 2 classes per semester for my masters, and did girl scouts with my daughter.

I got 25 or so hours per week of studying. Did weeknights from approx 10p-midnight (Couldn't stay up later, had to be up at 6am), 3 hours in the morning on Saturday and Sunday then 2 hours at night. Also listened to audio driving to work, while I was doing laundry, gardening, etc.

I definately burned the candle at both ends, and was certainly not in my 20s. Its not the best to sacrifice sleep but in the short term, its not a very big deal. Took my first exam 10/23/10 and my last one 10/17/11, so even with 3 failed exams I was still done in under a year.

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

[Author]

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