54 ON FIRST FAR :( NEED ADVICE

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  • August 23, 2016 at 7:55 pm #818655
    Anonymous
    Inactive

    I got a 54 on FAR…. so depressed right now this was my first CPA exam ever on July 26th :

    I’m not mad at anybody but myself : First section, first time Used Becker Self Study did all MC and optional, I did have trouble on EPS and leases and bonds so I will review that more throughouly

    Started studying May 9th – Becker Took test- July 26 Self Study meaning I watched all videos myself and highlighted and went through all MC questions and Sims I’ll be honest with a few things 1) I always trended at 30-40% 2) the day before I was reviewing which I Probably should not have done 3) On the sims there was only 1 question – The research which I was sure I had got right

    I KNOW I HAVE TO STUDY FROM SCRATCH BUT HOW SHOULD I PROCEED? SHOULD I USE BECKER AGAIN? I HAVE BEC SCHEDULED OCTOBER 25TH. I AM SCARED B/C I KNOW FAR IS CHANGING IN APRIL MAKING IT MORE HARD. SO SHOULD I GO BACK TO FAR AFTER BEC? SHOULD I PRACTICE JUST MULTIPLE CHOICE AND DRILL DOWN ON CONCEPTS? SHOULD I BUY ANOTHER SOURCE?

Viewing 7 replies - 1 through 7 (of 7 total)
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  • August 23, 2016 at 7:59 pm #818664
    Anonymous
    Inactive

    NOTE : ON EVERY SECTION I WAS “WEAKER” ON SCORE REPORT

    August 23, 2016 at 8:11 pm #818679
    klmrr2
    Participant

    I'm taking FAR for the first time tomorrow. Any advice would help if you have it 🙂

    But from what I've read on here and what I've incorporated in my studies, writing out the notes is key. Not just highlighting, but getting a college ruled notebook and going through the book. I would only do a section a day and do the MCQ the same day, I added to my notes while doing this to apply them to problems. After that, I rewrote the notes as if I was sending them to my boss (made them neat and concise). I wanted to rewrite them again, but ran out of time.

    Throughout this summer, I took BEC, AUD and REG and failed all 3, FAR is the first that I've employed the handwritten note technique and I hope it works for me as much as it has for other on this forum.

    Also, BEC is changing the most from what I've heard. From what I've heard, sticking with an exam until you pass is a good way to go. However, if you think you can pass BEC in that time, I would say do it!

    August 23, 2016 at 8:15 pm #818685
    Finally_a_CPA
    Participant

    dtbcpa24: I'm really sorry to hear that. I've been there and I know there is not much anyone can say to make you feel better. FAR was my first exam and I ran out of time big time so I didnt pass. I started studying for BEC afterwards; however, when I got my FAR score back and knew for sure I hadn't passed, I decided to go back to studying FAR even though I had already been studying for BEC for a couple of weeks. It definitely paid off since I just found out today I passed FAR. I don't know how into BEC you are but I would suggest you go back to studying FAR. There is just so much info so it would probably be best for you to study it now since it is somewhat fresh rather than having to go back to it in the future.
    After I failed the first time, I did nothing but multiple choice questions for three weeks. I wouldn't say you necessarily need to use another course..I'm using Roger CPA and continued using ever my first fail.

    August 23, 2016 at 8:22 pm #818691
    Finally_a_CPA
    Participant

    klmrr2: I think it really just depends on how you learn. I only watched videos and never read. I used to highlight as I went along although it was useless since I never went back to review the highlighted text. I didn't bother taking notes because I also knew I would never go back to them.

    I've also heard of people who said they couldn't have done it without taking notes. Think about college; were you a note taker who actually reviewed notes? If so, you should def take notes. If you are just like me and never go back to your notes, then I say don't waste your time taking notes.

    August 23, 2016 at 8:55 pm #818748
    mamatoimm
    Participant

    It sounds like you did not have a strong enough grasp on the topics. In my experience writing the notes, even if you don't review them, helps you retain the information. After each section try to do all of the MCQ and TBS associated with that section. I use Roger, but I assume Becker is similar. I used Ninja for MCQ and TBS, which I think made a significant difference in my ability. Also, have a day every few sections where you just do MCQs and TBSs with all of the sections you've covered. Repetition is key.

    FAR - 71, retake 8/2/15
    BEC - October 2015
    AUD - November 2015
    REG - January 2016

    August 23, 2016 at 9:15 pm #818781
    mtaylo24
    Participant

    It seems as though FAR killed everyone this window. I've never seen so many 50s on a score release. I got a 52. Just keep at it, I can't recommend a course of action because I'm still need to figure out my own. I know for certain that I did not master my course, can you say the same? Sorry for your score, I'm not going to say that you didn't work hard, because I know you did. We just have to go harder. This is exam is crazy.

    AUD - 1st - 60 (12/12), 61 (2/13), 61 (8/13), 78! (11/15)
    REG - 55 (2/16) 69 (5/16) Retake(8/16)
    BEC - 71(5/16) Retake (9/16)
    FAR - (8/16)

    August 23, 2016 at 9:32 pm #818820
    Valar Dohaeris
    Participant

    Today, I found out I got an 83 on FAR (I'm actually going to get drunk after I submit this post), and here's what worked for me and my take:

    I spent 3 straight weeks studying anywhere from 4-10 hours per day. Thus, FAR was my life. My TV didn't go on once in 3 weeks, and I am a TV junkie. I used Becker and each chapter took me about 2-3 days.

    When I took FAR on 7/25/16, I swear each Becker chapter equated to 10% of the FAR exam. Everything was fair game. FAR was actually a difficult test.

    What I did was I started with governmental and not-for-profit accounting chapters (8 and 9). This was the most foreign material for me as I never took these courses during my MAcc. Then, I went back through chapter 1-7 and 10. What I did EVERY day was I took a 20 question progress test for each chapter I had studied. If I was on chapter 3, I would be sure to take a 20 question test for each chapters 8, 9, 1, and 2 before and after finishing chapter 3. I left myself 2 full days for a final review and cumulative progress tests.

    The only tweak I would've made is I would've done Becker chapter 10 after 8 and 9. Becker chapter 10 is some meaty stuff with the longest lectures and a potpourri of key material (some of the more exotic material like hedging instruments and the IFRS/GAAP review is excellent).

    If I was you, I'd stick with Becker. No need to watch the lectures. Re-do all your homework. I would do the chapters in this order: 8, 9, 10, 1-7. I would do progress tests by chapter after you complete the homework of each chapter and when you wake up each morning.

    BEC - 85
    AUD - 81
    REG - 84
    FAR - 7/24/16

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