[Superdude3000]

Hello everyone,

So I’m in the process of studying AUD right now. I passed REG and BEC before the changes and I’m finishing up my undergrad this quarter (sitting early in WA). I’m scheduled to sit for AUD May 31st and so far I am halfway through chapter 4 in Rogers, I also use the Roger’s cram course about a month before my exams. So with REG and BEC I would usually get around 55-70% of the mcqs correct on my first run through, then improve to about 70-80% on my next run through (the ‘second’ run through is on Becker, not Rogers). When I started AUD I was shocked to see I was getting around 75-80% of the mcqs correct on my first go around. I figured the first couple chapters were just easy and I’d wait to get ahead of myself until I hit the internal control and audit evidence chapters since those two chapters alone make up around half of the textbook, but I’ve discovered that i’m still hitting on about 70-75% of the questions on my first go around even on those big chapters.

So my question… Did anybody else find Audit to be very logical and straightforward? REG and especially BEC were much more difficult to study in my opinion. They had many more rules and formulas whereas AUD just seems like a lot of common sense stuff. I’m trying not to get overconfident but I really thought AUD was going to give me the most trouble since it’s all conceptual, apparently not the case so far.

BTW – I have zero professional accounting experience, I am starting in assurance this fall (public obviously).

[Anonymous]

Don't underestimate AUD. Be careful with the wording in both the questions and the answers. One word can make a difference. I am finding what helps a lot in studying for these exams is pattern recognition. So yes, many of the MCQs can be answered with a bit of logic and pattern recognition without having to do extremely in depth studying of details and concepts.

I wouldn't underestimate any section though. Be sure to continue to prepare thoroughly.

[Superdude3000]

Thanks for the reply Brickell. I totally agree, I'm not backing off the studying one bit. I plan on using the same study plan that allowed me to pass the first two I attempted. I guess what through me off is people posting ‘OMG Audit is SOOO subjective! It's like for every question all the answers sound good!' I was expecting a lot of wishy washy answers but to me the correct answers really seem much more obvious in this section. Like all four options usually SOUND good, but only one really seems to POP off the page for me. And the explanations to the ones I get wrong have pretty much made total sense. IDK, imma assume I'm being too overconfident and just study hard as always!

[IwannabeaCPA2017]

I think 5/31 is a little too far out. But better to not rush. I have taken this exam multiple times and tax season still not over so I'm not getting back into studying yet, but I have it schedule for 5/20. 5 weeks should be more than enough for Audit imo. good luck studying!

I agree dont underestimate this Bit*h. I 4.0 Audit in college and I can't believe I'm struggling.. on the other hand, I 3.0 tax and I passed with a comfortable margin. Never know whats gonna be on the exam. I personally think having a strong Financial accounting foundation helps for AUD, which I lack of shown by my scores :/

[Anonymous]

Oh yeah, these exams are all a cinch. Nothing difficult or complex about any of them. Just study a couple weeks, go in, take it and pass, and (to quote Roger himself) “Boom! You're done!”
We learned all the stuff on these exams in school – why do people bitch about how hard they are? I don't get it.

[sulaiman]

I had the same experience with audit. I scored about 70-80 for most of the chapters in my first attempt but I have not been able to pass although I did not underestimate it. However, Audit clearly is the easiest among all four parts but looking to passing rate every quarter makes it the second hardest, so I am guessing the only explanation is that the AICPA look very closely in scoring audit comparing to the other three. Good luck

[Anonymous]

@crazyleon

I hope U are being sarcastic. These exams are not a “cinch” by any means. Many smart candidates fail these exams or take years to pass. Sure, a select few pass in 6 months or less, but they are the exception. There is a Reason the AICPA gives candidates 18 months to pass all exams. Because they are Not a “cinch!” And, these exams cover a decent amount of information that is not covered in school!

[Anonymous]

@cpa4928 I was totally being sarcastic LOL. I haven't even passed one section yet. I think OP was needlessly worrying about his performance, hence my sarcasm. If he knocked out two of them already with scores in the 80s or 90s and doesn't even have a bachelors degree in hand yet, he has nothing to worry about in the future.

[jivexturk3y]

@crazyleon LOL you totally had me bro

[Anonymous]

@jivexturk3y – :-> Good!! Some people really have that attitude about these exams though. They can't understand why any of us whine and bitch about them. Anyone who has seen my posts in the past likely knows that I have yet to take down any of the four beasts.

I am predicting a striking attitude shift over the next year or two or three with the new exam format. It's going to humble a lot more people.

[Anonymous]

@crazyleon

My bad! I thought you were being serious, so I wanted to reassure other readers that these exams are not easy! More than anything, these exams are time consuming, exhausting, and contain a lot of information that you must be able to recall and apply in a quick manner. Some chapters are relatively straight forward, while others may seem like a nightmare. I wouldn't say anything in these exams is rocket science, but some information is very, very technical and requires an analytical mind that can sort throughout reams of information in a highly stressful test environment. Goodluck everyone!

[Holly]

Nope, don't agree. It's like anything else – it's very individual. I personally found Audit to be the least logical for me.

BEC - 79
REG - 85
AUD - 5/27/16

[Char143]

I passed audit on my first attempt, and during my study sessions I would do MCQ and nail them. I found audit very straight forward and as far as the cpa exams go, it was the easiest by far for me.

Everything, even the way the mcq were worded, made sense to me. I didn't feel like the questions were trying to trick me at all.

Everyone is different though because I hear for BEC people pass with half a*s studying and I couldn't grasp the information quickly and it was the hardest one for me.

(I had zero audit experience btw)

AUD (2/16)-84
REG (05/16)-69 Retake (7/16)-79 (ty ninja MCQ)
BEC-TBD
FAR-9/8/16

[Anonymous]

aud has the highest fail rate – so more people fail aud over reg or far. a fair portion of questions are experience / intuition based, so that can make it tough for some people. that being said i do find that if you study hard for it – like what it would take to pass far and reg – you should be okay.

[Anonymous]

I think the area of audit that is the most confusing for most people including me is assertions. I still have yet to conquer that and it does require “critical thinking”.

I didn't know AUD has the lowest pass rate. I thought it was FAR!

[Wannafree]

OP , you are finding AUD straight forward and posting this thread that means you are on right track.Your apprehension and question is right why it seems so straight forward ?
My take: AUD is very deceptive , that's all I have to say.

[Author]

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