[Kimberly]

Hi all,

Congrats to those that did well this past quarter! I took two exams, and passed one, so I am going to happily take that and try to move forward once again on this long, discouraging journey.

That being said, I would like some advice on FAR for going forward.

I took FAR in Q3 and Q4. I had done Wiley the whole way through the first time. It took WAY too long and I stretched it out over 3 months and I don’t think it was effective for me. I had supplemented with Ninja. I got a 63. I retook in beginning/middle of Q4 after reviewing notes/audio/mcqs/videos from Ninja and targeting areas I knew I wasn’t as strong in, and I felt I did that. I didn’t necessarily think I passed for sure, but I thought I did stronger and would see a significant improvement. 64. So barely a notch better.

I do not want to re-do Wiley because I didn’t like it for FAR – even though I have liked it for the other exams. And I do not know if Ninja is enough for me to get over this hump with FAR.

Any thoughts/experiences on what would be best for the monster of FAR? Obviously I didn’t want to buy a new program because I already have Wiley and bought Ninja for all, but I feel I must try a very different avenue with FAR because I’m not coming close. I have two exams passed, and 9 months to knock out the remaining two.

I feel I have to try to take 2 a quarter to give myself the best shot since I only have 3 windows left. Anyone disagree with that approach? I hope it won’t come down to the wire, but that would be 2 x 3 and 6 chances if needed. I don’t feel I have the luxury to stretch it out with a ticking clock.

Any thoughts on what worked best for FAR for your opinion, preferably post 2017 changes??

Thank you!!

[itooshallpass]

I used Roger and the smallest Ninja package for FAR. It worked out well for me! Roger is really good at breaking things down into concise pieces that you can remember and apply. His videos are great, but the book is slightly sub-par I'd say because of how some of the info is organized, and a fair amount of typos. I also can't speak to the 2018 FAR version, but I know they have updated. I believe you can purchase just the materials you need for a particular section. He also has detailed study planners for how much time you have, but you have to factor in your own time for comprehensive review. For me it paired really well with Ninja and I'm glad I used both. The ninja sims are a really good complement to Roger.

I also gave Surgent a try starting out, which is quite a bit less expensive. It uses a focused approach based on your assessed weaknesses (you start out with a series of quizzes), which didn't work for me because I needed the bigger picture. But it might work for you since you have already studied so much, and they have a deep discount for candidates who've failed using a different course. Good luck to you! 🙂

[atrain531]

I would look into Roger Cram. Helped me get over the FAR hump! I would also suggest hammering out one a quarter, when you get closer to the end of 9 months, then maybe consider doing 2 a quarter. For now, focus on passing FAR.

[Kimberly]

@itooshallpass

– Thank you very much for your thoughts. I have heard good things about Roger. It is just expensive, and I do not know if the ‘failed with prior' will work for my purchasing only one section of it. Does anyone know? Did you like the SIMS on Roger?

@atrain531 – Thank you as well! I see you made some jumps in FAR. Do you think the CRAM is comprehensive enough though?

So you'd take only FAR in Q1, hope for the best, and double up the next 2 quarters? It only scares me because I haven't taken REG in over a year and don't know how I will do there as well, and then limit myself to two changes.

Truly appreciate the time guys.

Any other thoughts from recent FAR passes?

[itooshallpass]

@Kimberly the Roger sims were pretty close to the Exam, but I'd say many were a bit harder. With a lot of topics I felt like they were so difficult I would just give up. I used Ninja as a supplement and thought their Sims were great practice! 🙂

[rlarivee01]

I bought Roger in August and the website has been migrated to the 2018 materials, and I've been receiving emails about discounts on new books.

For you Roger users, do the pages shown with the lectures align with the book? As in, if you have access to lectures, you have access to the entire book? I've already spent enough on review courses and I'd like to just pass with what I have now.

[itooshallpass]

@rlarivee01 The pages shown next to the video, when you watch the lecture, do make up the entire textbook. They also said we would have access to pdfs of the updated pages to print out and add to our books, but I don't know where to find those.

[rlarivee01]

Thanks. I like your user name!

Do you think Roger's IPQ are enough to pass the test? They seem a bit more basic than Ninja and navigation is harder, but I could just be more used to Ninja.

And what's the deal with needing NASBA access to do the simulations?

[Anonymous]

Roger's Cram book got me over the hump for my second try at FAR. I would recommend that you read the cram book literally cover to cover while doing the questions at the back of each question. That would absolutely give you enough options to pass. I also found that doing cumulative exams throughout the process was necessary because there is so much material it would be easy to forget the beginning topics by the time you're at the end!

[Javilon]

I also used the Roger CPA review course. I don't have much to compare it to, but the lectures are about as engaging as you can be given the material. I really enjoyed them. I found his videos and MCQ's to be effective enough that I did not supplement with additional materials. It might be worth considering the FAR Cram course from Roger, if not the full FAR course.

[rlarivee01]

I didn't buy the cram course. I don't know if I can afford it at this point, considering I have four exams to register for. Is it that much more useful than the full course?

[itooshallpass]

@rlarivee01 I definitely think Roger's IPQs are adequate, but I really liked having Ninja in addition to it. You only need to go through NASBA to access authoritative literature to practice Research simulations, not regular TBS. I think Ninja gives you all the literature you need to practice with, but not Roger.

[Author]

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