[Anonymous]

I don’t know how this possibly could have happened but I got a 55 as my score for the FAR exam. It’s my first section and I figured I’d take the hardest first. I studied over 2 months using Roger review and Wiley test bank. I was even an accounting major in college and got above a 3.5 GPA when I graduated. Could it have been the fact that I took too long too study, maybe just bad luck, I did feel like the sims killed me …. ? I feel so discouraged and don’t understand how I received this score especially when everyone says if you study you will pass. Any helpful advice on where to start to tackle the exam over again ? I purchased a cram course from roger on the same section. I even took 8 practice exams with the Wiley software and consistently got a score from 65-75 (sigh, sorry for the rant …) Any tips ?

[CPA soon]

FAR is a beast, just go through the material again and keep pushing. If you feel your studying is inefficient, change things up. Video lectures and audio help.

FAR - 71, 68, 74, (8/31/14) 78 ✔
REG - 67, 71, 71, (10/18/14) 78 ✔
BEC - (11/29/14) 86 ✔
AUD - 73, (4/4/15) 86 ✔

I can't believe this is over! 2 years and 3 months..

[CPA soon]

FAR is a beast, just go through the material again and keep pushing. If you feel your studying is inefficient, change things up. Video lectures and audio help.

FAR - 71, 68, 74, (8/31/14) 78 ✔
REG - 67, 71, 71, (10/18/14) 78 ✔
BEC - (11/29/14) 86 ✔
AUD - 73, (4/4/15) 86 ✔

I can't believe this is over! 2 years and 3 months..

[Kimboroni]

I haven't taken FAR yet, but I've seen how much material there is, and it's a LOT.

It sounds like you studied about the right amount– I've heard 6-8 weeks is good, or else you start forgetting everything from the early part of your studying. (I assume you studied many hours each week, and not just on the weekends, etc.)

It's likely that you understand the material but not how to take the test effectively. Practice tests aren't a great idea, except for time management practice. It's better to do short quizzes with the help turned on so that you can learn why each wrong answer is wrong and why the right answer is right.

Did you take notes, re-write notes, etc.? Capitalizing on the mind-body connection from the physical act of note taking really helps. You have to process it more thoroughly when you write it down.

Make sure you read each question carefully. Is there a “not”…watch out for “always” or “never”… Before you even look at the choices, make sure you understand what the broad topic is and what they're asking, and then come up with a likely answer. Then look at the choices and pick the closest one.

Don't rely on the “I was a good student in college” comfort level. Most of us were. This test is like no other. It takes preparation like no other.

I agree with getting the hardest tests out of the way first, so re-tackle FAR and make sure you are using your study time effectively. Answering their questions and how they are worded takes lots of practice.

Maybe try some of the NINJA materials to supplement and get some fresh materials. There is a free study plan here, and that might help you focus. There are lots of good study and test taking tips here, too.

You can do this.

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. 🙂

[Kimboroni]

I haven't taken FAR yet, but I've seen how much material there is, and it's a LOT.

It sounds like you studied about the right amount– I've heard 6-8 weeks is good, or else you start forgetting everything from the early part of your studying. (I assume you studied many hours each week, and not just on the weekends, etc.)

It's likely that you understand the material but not how to take the test effectively. Practice tests aren't a great idea, except for time management practice. It's better to do short quizzes with the help turned on so that you can learn why each wrong answer is wrong and why the right answer is right.

Did you take notes, re-write notes, etc.? Capitalizing on the mind-body connection from the physical act of note taking really helps. You have to process it more thoroughly when you write it down.

Make sure you read each question carefully. Is there a “not”…watch out for “always” or “never”… Before you even look at the choices, make sure you understand what the broad topic is and what they're asking, and then come up with a likely answer. Then look at the choices and pick the closest one.

Don't rely on the “I was a good student in college” comfort level. Most of us were. This test is like no other. It takes preparation like no other.

I agree with getting the hardest tests out of the way first, so re-tackle FAR and make sure you are using your study time effectively. Answering their questions and how they are worded takes lots of practice.

Maybe try some of the NINJA materials to supplement and get some fresh materials. There is a free study plan here, and that might help you focus. There are lots of good study and test taking tips here, too.

You can do this.

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. 🙂

[rvcpa]

what was your score report like? use it to get better.

[rvcpa]

what was your score report like? use it to get better.

[CPA soon]

My assumption is weaker than average in every topic which is basically no help. Needless to say the evaluation never helped me in self assessment and retaking a section.

FAR - 71, 68, 74, (8/31/14) 78 ✔
REG - 67, 71, 71, (10/18/14) 78 ✔
BEC - (11/29/14) 86 ✔
AUD - 73, (4/4/15) 86 ✔

I can't believe this is over! 2 years and 3 months..

[CPA soon]

My assumption is weaker than average in every topic which is basically no help. Needless to say the evaluation never helped me in self assessment and retaking a section.

FAR - 71, 68, 74, (8/31/14) 78 ✔
REG - 67, 71, 71, (10/18/14) 78 ✔
BEC - (11/29/14) 86 ✔
AUD - 73, (4/4/15) 86 ✔

I can't believe this is over! 2 years and 3 months..

[Anonymous]

I took the easiest one (for me) first so that I could learn how to study for these massive exams. It really took my third test to nail down the best way for me to tackle these. It's a completely different animal than any regular school course, including master's program courses. Don't beat yourself up about this score. Try a different learning style on a couple of your weak sections and find out what works best for you. You probably shouldn't consider a section mastered until you are scoring at least 85% consecutively on the MCQ and you definitely have to practice SIMS, JEs, and calculations over and over over.

[Anonymous]

I took the easiest one (for me) first so that I could learn how to study for these massive exams. It really took my third test to nail down the best way for me to tackle these. It's a completely different animal than any regular school course, including master's program courses. Don't beat yourself up about this score. Try a different learning style on a couple of your weak sections and find out what works best for you. You probably shouldn't consider a section mastered until you are scoring at least 85% consecutively on the MCQ and you definitely have to practice SIMS, JEs, and calculations over and over over.

[Study Monk]

I put in so many hours on FAR. My best guess is 250 hours. A lot of that was ineffective studying. I think 180 hours of that was with my head in my book. I took FAR in the same window as you and would be surprised if more than 5 percent of the questions were not reflected, in some way or another, in Becker's test bank.

It's very important, in my limited experience, to nail the multiple choice down. You should be shooting for 90% in your test bank, because the SIMs are designed to destroy people. What helped me was doing web searches on how people learn, and then applying those principles into my study routine. The hierarchy of learning goes..

Reading is better than doing nothing

Note taking is better than just reading

Going over flash cards is better than note taking

Multiple Choice/Sims is better than flashcards

I spoke to an ancient wise man who sent me on a mushroom induced journey through an ancient forest to find the key to passing the CPA exam. A talking spider monkey told me to throw the last of my drinking water in the dirt to find what I was looking for. So I followed his instructions and the following message appeared in the soil:

"Do 5000 multiple choice questions for each section"

[Study Monk]

I put in so many hours on FAR. My best guess is 250 hours. A lot of that was ineffective studying. I think 180 hours of that was with my head in my book. I took FAR in the same window as you and would be surprised if more than 5 percent of the questions were not reflected, in some way or another, in Becker's test bank.

It's very important, in my limited experience, to nail the multiple choice down. You should be shooting for 90% in your test bank, because the SIMs are designed to destroy people. What helped me was doing web searches on how people learn, and then applying those principles into my study routine. The hierarchy of learning goes..

Reading is better than doing nothing

Note taking is better than just reading

Going over flash cards is better than note taking

Multiple Choice/Sims is better than flashcards

I spoke to an ancient wise man who sent me on a mushroom induced journey through an ancient forest to find the key to passing the CPA exam. A talking spider monkey told me to throw the last of my drinking water in the dirt to find what I was looking for. So I followed his instructions and the following message appeared in the soil:

"Do 5000 multiple choice questions for each section"

[Anonymous]

Sorry about the 55, but it's not the lowest score I've heard. Here is my advice, take it to heart or take it with a grain of salt:

1. Find out HOW you learn. The CPA exam is nothing like a college class, as I'm sure you found out… like the rest of us… the hard way. You don't prepare for them in the same way. If you could review notes and work a few problems in college to get an A on an exam, that's great… for college. I found out that I had to hear things to learn them. It's sort of like the words to a song, hear it a couple of times and know the chorus. Hear it 1500 times a day and know ever beat, every note and every line. Thank God for the Ninja audio or I wouldn't have those three letters after my name today. Here's a link to a free site that will evaluate how you learn and help you find the most effective method of studying.

https://www.learning-styles-online.com/inventory/

2. Be careful not to memorize the answers to the questions in the test bank. It's easier to do than you think and it gives you a false sense of security. The %'s are nice to look at, especially when they are in the 80-90% range. But a 95% average on the Wiley Test Bank may lead to a 73 on the exam. How do I know that? Because I did that! I had to ditch the online test bank and go back to the books and basically start over. I built this massive spreadsheet that had all of the answers in hidden columns and a formula to tell me if my answer was right or not. It took forever to set up but it worked.

3. Don't get discouraged. Having a score or two below 75 just means you are normal… like most of us… just a setting on the washing machine!

[Anonymous]

Sorry about the 55, but it's not the lowest score I've heard. Here is my advice, take it to heart or take it with a grain of salt:

1. Find out HOW you learn. The CPA exam is nothing like a college class, as I'm sure you found out… like the rest of us… the hard way. You don't prepare for them in the same way. If you could review notes and work a few problems in college to get an A on an exam, that's great… for college. I found out that I had to hear things to learn them. It's sort of like the words to a song, hear it a couple of times and know the chorus. Hear it 1500 times a day and know ever beat, every note and every line. Thank God for the Ninja audio or I wouldn't have those three letters after my name today. Here's a link to a free site that will evaluate how you learn and help you find the most effective method of studying.

https://www.learning-styles-online.com/inventory/

2. Be careful not to memorize the answers to the questions in the test bank. It's easier to do than you think and it gives you a false sense of security. The %'s are nice to look at, especially when they are in the 80-90% range. But a 95% average on the Wiley Test Bank may lead to a 73 on the exam. How do I know that? Because I did that! I had to ditch the online test bank and go back to the books and basically start over. I built this massive spreadsheet that had all of the answers in hidden columns and a formula to tell me if my answer was right or not. It took forever to set up but it worked.

3. Don't get discouraged. Having a score or two below 75 just means you are normal… like most of us… just a setting on the washing machine!

[Author]

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