[Topo30]

Et al,

I am sooooo bummed and frustrated!! Why? I just found out I Failed AUD for the 4th time. My scores were 60, 65, 65 and 69, respectively. Been at this for WAY too long. two years to be exact. Not sure how much longer I can take defeat!!

I do not know what to do!! I study, do MCQs, rinse and repeat. I go over and over the ‘weak’ areas. I am starting to think that the review course I purchased may not be for me! Prepping with Becker 2014 materials. $3,500 down the drain.

In addition, I am embarrassed to tell friends and family that I neglected them for weeks ie., missing parties, etc., to only fail and fail time, and time again, let alone tell the wife! More importantly, I CANNOT bear the look on my 4 year old son’s face to only find out that Dad gave it all come test day, to only once again FAIL the CPA Exam, after promising the little one I would make up for lost time.

What a way to kick-off the Memorial Day weekend! Close ones were not only looking forward towards paying homage to our nations heroes, but to also celebrate my own ‘personal’ triumph.

Suggestions, thoughts, opinions.

-Real name: Jimmy Haney

AUD-FAILED X5
FAR-FAILED X1
BEC-FAILED
REG-FAILED

[acamp]

Hey Jimmy, maybe its time to move onto another section? AUD was my nemesis also, but BEC was a total walk in the park, studied two weeks lol. Maybe you'll have better luck with the others, can use them to build confidence and give AUD another shot down the road?

Keep on it. If nothing else it signals to your family that you're not a quitter.

Ninja + Wiley Test Bank: [FAR - 81] [REG - 76] [BEC - 88] [AUD - 73](doh!)

Becker Videos: [AUD - 82]

California CPA

[acamp]

Hey Jimmy, maybe its time to move onto another section? AUD was my nemesis also, but BEC was a total walk in the park, studied two weeks lol. Maybe you'll have better luck with the others, can use them to build confidence and give AUD another shot down the road?

Keep on it. If nothing else it signals to your family that you're not a quitter.

Ninja + Wiley Test Bank: [FAR - 81] [REG - 76] [BEC - 88] [AUD - 73](doh!)

Becker Videos: [AUD - 82]

California CPA

[Jordan23cc]

First of all, I want to say sorry for yet another defeat. However, you are not DEFEATED. I passed all four first try by doing the following: (I used Becker)

Watch the lectures and write the notes they tell you. I didn't do all of the highlighting but I underlined the stuff I though was most important. Then if you are a reading learner, re-read the chapter. Then tackle the homework. I would go through and do every section whether you got a 50, 60, or 70. I made a lot of low grades on hw. Don't immediately redo the section because you're more likely to memoriZe questions rather than understand. Don't stop until you get a 100 on the hw. Once you done with all the sections. Rewrite everyone of those damn notes! I'm talking J/E formulas definitions everything! Then study your handwritten notes. I chose to do that because 12 pages of notebook paper is less daunting than a textbook. For your final review, take the first practice exam without looking over your notes or peeking during the exam. I used this to gauge where k stood. Then review your notes and do all of you MCQ hw again and again. About a few days before, take the second practice exam. If you score well then great! If not, keep hammering the MCQ!!!

This was my strategy for every exam, and my scores are below. You need to realize you're wife and son are there for you and love you! I'm sure they support you 100% and are not disappointed in you. They are disappointed because they miss you. My wife was a rock during this time. Keep your head up!! You only truly fail if you give up. If the CPA is your dream, then take it!!!!

F - 2/15/2014 - 85
B - 2/26/2014 - 88
R - 4/1/2014 - 83
A - 4/21/2014 - 95

Licensed CPA in TX

I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

[Jordan23cc]

First of all, I want to say sorry for yet another defeat. However, you are not DEFEATED. I passed all four first try by doing the following: (I used Becker)

Watch the lectures and write the notes they tell you. I didn't do all of the highlighting but I underlined the stuff I though was most important. Then if you are a reading learner, re-read the chapter. Then tackle the homework. I would go through and do every section whether you got a 50, 60, or 70. I made a lot of low grades on hw. Don't immediately redo the section because you're more likely to memoriZe questions rather than understand. Don't stop until you get a 100 on the hw. Once you done with all the sections. Rewrite everyone of those damn notes! I'm talking J/E formulas definitions everything! Then study your handwritten notes. I chose to do that because 12 pages of notebook paper is less daunting than a textbook. For your final review, take the first practice exam without looking over your notes or peeking during the exam. I used this to gauge where k stood. Then review your notes and do all of you MCQ hw again and again. About a few days before, take the second practice exam. If you score well then great! If not, keep hammering the MCQ!!!

This was my strategy for every exam, and my scores are below. You need to realize you're wife and son are there for you and love you! I'm sure they support you 100% and are not disappointed in you. They are disappointed because they miss you. My wife was a rock during this time. Keep your head up!! You only truly fail if you give up. If the CPA is your dream, then take it!!!!

F - 2/15/2014 - 85
B - 2/26/2014 - 88
R - 4/1/2014 - 83
A - 4/21/2014 - 95

Licensed CPA in TX

I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

[scarletknight91]

you need to re-evaluate your study plan and how effectively you study. having a family and presumable a full time job on the side is already putting you at a major disadvantage. the issue with these exams is that yes there is some/alot of memorization needed to pass but also at the same time you need to understand the flow of the material. you need to understand why youre studying what your studying and not just regurgitate mindlessly come exam day

for instance, im helping a friend of mine who i think used the approach youve taken where he has tried very hard to memorize as much material as he could without actually understanding why and the substance behind what he was staring at.

for auditing in particular, you should know transaction cycles by heart along with the various assertions that mgt makes and the auditors test BY HEART. you should be able at the dinner table to explain the each transaction in full and explain not only what you memorized but why its important. know what each manager does what he does and each assertion exists and how the auditors test that assertion and WHY they test that assertion in that particular way.

i firmly believe that most who fail these exams is A) not enough time or effective studying B) not actually understanding the material and relying on memory

passing these exams is possible and most likely your study plan of attack needs major readjusting

try understanding the material rather than mindlessly doing as many mc questions as possible. for audit (i received a 99) i actually didnt do as many problems as possible i learned and understood each transaction cycles each assertion each test and why us auditors were doing what we were doing. hopefully this helps best of luck and have a good memorial weekend

FAR: PASSED
REG: PASSED
AUD: PASSED
BEC: PASSED

DONE

[scarletknight91]

you need to re-evaluate your study plan and how effectively you study. having a family and presumable a full time job on the side is already putting you at a major disadvantage. the issue with these exams is that yes there is some/alot of memorization needed to pass but also at the same time you need to understand the flow of the material. you need to understand why youre studying what your studying and not just regurgitate mindlessly come exam day

for instance, im helping a friend of mine who i think used the approach youve taken where he has tried very hard to memorize as much material as he could without actually understanding why and the substance behind what he was staring at.

for auditing in particular, you should know transaction cycles by heart along with the various assertions that mgt makes and the auditors test BY HEART. you should be able at the dinner table to explain the each transaction in full and explain not only what you memorized but why its important. know what each manager does what he does and each assertion exists and how the auditors test that assertion and WHY they test that assertion in that particular way.

i firmly believe that most who fail these exams is A) not enough time or effective studying B) not actually understanding the material and relying on memory

passing these exams is possible and most likely your study plan of attack needs major readjusting

try understanding the material rather than mindlessly doing as many mc questions as possible. for audit (i received a 99) i actually didnt do as many problems as possible i learned and understood each transaction cycles each assertion each test and why us auditors were doing what we were doing. hopefully this helps best of luck and have a good memorial weekend

FAR: PASSED
REG: PASSED
AUD: PASSED
BEC: PASSED

DONE

[mena je twa]

Jimmy,

Trust me on this. you will eventually pass. i failed multiple, multiple times with 74's and i never gave up.

There were a lot of thanksgiving, 4th of july etc where i sacrificed a lot, broke up relations with all the ladies, gave up a bit of drinking, but at the end of the day i was victorious.

Sit down with your wife, have a 1 on 1 with her, explain her the importance of this certification, tell her if it was that easy everyone and their dog would be a CPA. Make her realize, take her on your team and your 4yr old too… and let them know that once this is over, we as a family will be set for life. Dialogue is very important, you need to take with your wife this weekend.

On the approach of how to tackle exams, you are so close to in audit, get it out of the way, if you go back after 6 months, you might forget.But if you feel comfortable, go ahead and try other section. But i would stick to it and get it out of the way. Its not like you are scoring in 40's or 50's in audit, some more prep and you should see a 75.

i wish you luck, and reach out to me if you have questions.

Licensed CPA, Texas - 2012

[mena je twa]

Jimmy,

Trust me on this. you will eventually pass. i failed multiple, multiple times with 74's and i never gave up.

There were a lot of thanksgiving, 4th of july etc where i sacrificed a lot, broke up relations with all the ladies, gave up a bit of drinking, but at the end of the day i was victorious.

Sit down with your wife, have a 1 on 1 with her, explain her the importance of this certification, tell her if it was that easy everyone and their dog would be a CPA. Make her realize, take her on your team and your 4yr old too… and let them know that once this is over, we as a family will be set for life. Dialogue is very important, you need to take with your wife this weekend.

On the approach of how to tackle exams, you are so close to in audit, get it out of the way, if you go back after 6 months, you might forget.But if you feel comfortable, go ahead and try other section. But i would stick to it and get it out of the way. Its not like you are scoring in 40's or 50's in audit, some more prep and you should see a 75.

i wish you luck, and reach out to me if you have questions.

Licensed CPA, Texas - 2012

[Quinacridone]

Jimmy, I think Auditing is hard for anyone who doesn't work in the field. There is a lot of nuances in this area that I can imagine would not easily be picked up by someone without a working knowledge basis. It can be done though.

Could you talk more about where you think your weak areas are? Someone here may have a way to explain something so that it makes more sense then the Becker way. The AUD thread at the top of the forum is also a good resource as you will be surrounded by others who are studying the same material. Force yourself to answer the posted questions or at least search for the answer – that helps solidify your knowledge.

I had only Becker when I did AUD (however, I work as an internal auditor, so the concepts in Becker did make a lot of sense to me). When I sat for BEC, though, I started using some of the Ninja material. Jeff has a way of explaining concepts so that they make sense – neither oversimplified, but not so concept based as Beckers. I would imagine that his Ninja MCQs for Audit would be as good as the BEC ones so I highly recommend them ($47). Do those MCQs till you can't see straight. And copy every MCQ you get wrong into a word document and go over those at least every other day (that is what worked for me for all of my tests).

Another suggestion I have for AUD is to log onto the AICPA website and start going through the authoritative literature. You'll find that some of the Becker's material is taken word from word from the AICPA website. Reading directly there is another way of drilling the information in.

I'm sorry you had a fail on this test. Hoping you can keep your eyes set on the prize! I know you can do this!

REG - Nov 4, 2013: 88
FAR - Feb 27, 2014: 86
AUD - April 5, 2014: 91
BEC - May 6, 2014: 83

Florida CPA 24 July 2014
(Done in seven months - thank you Jesus!!)

[Quinacridone]

Jimmy, I think Auditing is hard for anyone who doesn't work in the field. There is a lot of nuances in this area that I can imagine would not easily be picked up by someone without a working knowledge basis. It can be done though.

Could you talk more about where you think your weak areas are? Someone here may have a way to explain something so that it makes more sense then the Becker way. The AUD thread at the top of the forum is also a good resource as you will be surrounded by others who are studying the same material. Force yourself to answer the posted questions or at least search for the answer – that helps solidify your knowledge.

I had only Becker when I did AUD (however, I work as an internal auditor, so the concepts in Becker did make a lot of sense to me). When I sat for BEC, though, I started using some of the Ninja material. Jeff has a way of explaining concepts so that they make sense – neither oversimplified, but not so concept based as Beckers. I would imagine that his Ninja MCQs for Audit would be as good as the BEC ones so I highly recommend them ($47). Do those MCQs till you can't see straight. And copy every MCQ you get wrong into a word document and go over those at least every other day (that is what worked for me for all of my tests).

Another suggestion I have for AUD is to log onto the AICPA website and start going through the authoritative literature. You'll find that some of the Becker's material is taken word from word from the AICPA website. Reading directly there is another way of drilling the information in.

I'm sorry you had a fail on this test. Hoping you can keep your eyes set on the prize! I know you can do this!

REG - Nov 4, 2013: 88
FAR - Feb 27, 2014: 86
AUD - April 5, 2014: 91
BEC - May 6, 2014: 83

Florida CPA 24 July 2014
(Done in seven months - thank you Jesus!!)

[scarletknight91]

Quinacridone, congrats on finishing and thank you for motivating me (even know you probably didnt know that haha)

FAR: PASSED
REG: PASSED
AUD: PASSED
BEC: PASSED

DONE

[scarletknight91]

Quinacridone, congrats on finishing and thank you for motivating me (even know you probably didnt know that haha)

FAR: PASSED
REG: PASSED
AUD: PASSED
BEC: PASSED

DONE

[Anonymous]

Jimmy,

Sorry about your frustration. I will be taking this exam this Tuesday for the first time and I already know I will pass. I just have to show up and go through the motions. I do not work in auditing and I think the material is a joke. I am currently getting around 80% of the MCQs correct WITHOUT having to read the book or watch the lectures.

Similar to you, I am using Becker.

The difference in our approach is identified below.

Your approach is completely wrong. I am basing this statement on the fact that you have failed four times.

Per your post, you are over studying.

You have a negative mental attitude; you need to exude confidence. For instance, for my last exam, I ran into lady in the elevator and she asked me about my preparation. I told her that work has kept me really busy and I have had very little time to study and I had to cram for the past few days. She responded by saying that she was sorry to hear that. I told don't be, “I'm a professional test taker, and I have passed every exam I've ever taken.”

Don't work hard, work smart. Working smart will always trump working hard. I also have a family and my work is very demanding. As such, I have to be extremely efficient with my time.

My advice is as follows:

Stop, take a breather and stay positive. Go have that beer. Schedule some time to hang out with your family and friends. This is very important because they will provide you with additional mental support which in turn can help reduce your stress level.

AUD is more of an English/logic test than anything. Read up on some GMAT/LSAT reading comprehension/critical reasoning strategies and it will definitely help you.

Don't worry about the technical. Either you memorized the material or you didn't.

Read each question quickly on the first pass and attempt to pick out the key words. With some practice, these words will jump right out at you. For many of the questions, I don't even need to read the stem to eliminate a one or more answer choices or to pick out the correct answer. Then pick an answer. Your first inclination is most likely correct. Then go back through and reread the question to confirm your answer. If you don't know it, mark something and move on. Revisit it if time permits.

Hopefully these tips will help you. Feel free to reach out to me at nu959 at yahoo dot com if you have any other questions. My exam is next week so I may be slow in responding.

Caveat: Every person studies differently, find an approach that works for you.

[Anonymous]

Jimmy,

Sorry about your frustration. I will be taking this exam this Tuesday for the first time and I already know I will pass. I just have to show up and go through the motions. I do not work in auditing and I think the material is a joke. I am currently getting around 80% of the MCQs correct WITHOUT having to read the book or watch the lectures.

Similar to you, I am using Becker.

The difference in our approach is identified below.

Your approach is completely wrong. I am basing this statement on the fact that you have failed four times.

Per your post, you are over studying.

You have a negative mental attitude; you need to exude confidence. For instance, for my last exam, I ran into lady in the elevator and she asked me about my preparation. I told her that work has kept me really busy and I have had very little time to study and I had to cram for the past few days. She responded by saying that she was sorry to hear that. I told don't be, “I'm a professional test taker, and I have passed every exam I've ever taken.”

Don't work hard, work smart. Working smart will always trump working hard. I also have a family and my work is very demanding. As such, I have to be extremely efficient with my time.

My advice is as follows:

Stop, take a breather and stay positive. Go have that beer. Schedule some time to hang out with your family and friends. This is very important because they will provide you with additional mental support which in turn can help reduce your stress level.

AUD is more of an English/logic test than anything. Read up on some GMAT/LSAT reading comprehension/critical reasoning strategies and it will definitely help you.

Don't worry about the technical. Either you memorized the material or you didn't.

Read each question quickly on the first pass and attempt to pick out the key words. With some practice, these words will jump right out at you. For many of the questions, I don't even need to read the stem to eliminate a one or more answer choices or to pick out the correct answer. Then pick an answer. Your first inclination is most likely correct. Then go back through and reread the question to confirm your answer. If you don't know it, mark something and move on. Revisit it if time permits.

Hopefully these tips will help you. Feel free to reach out to me at nu959 at yahoo dot com if you have any other questions. My exam is next week so I may be slow in responding.

Caveat: Every person studies differently, find an approach that works for you.

[Anonymous]

Topo: Just remember that your family loves you no matter what. They see the dedication you put into this, they understand how difficult it is. Just do it for them! Good luck.

[Author]

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