[jtb_cpa2011]

I have recently been introduced to the site and I am hoping to find a support group because it seems as though I am surrounded by people who take the exams and pass them first shot no problem and its honestly difficult! I study study study and I am not getting the results I want, my friends have finished some in as quick as 2 months all four parts and finished…me I have taken all 4 failed them! That was not part of my plan!

I guess what I really want out of this website is too find a support group to help keep me motivated! I know I have what it takes to get these exams passed but maybe sharing my horror stories will motivate me more!

BEC – 69, May 2012

AUD – 47

REG – 53, 59

FAR – 47

My scores are clearly not good, I do work full-time, but I study every night after work and dedicate my weekends to Becker.

BEC – (2 months studying)

AUD – (1 month studying)

REG – (4 months studying)

FAR – (2.5 months studying)

Does anyone have any inspirational stories to share to help keep me motivate and to not get discouraged by watching everyone around me PASS PASS PASS with me sharing that disappointing news of I failed…again!

My Atrocious Roster of Scores!

BEC - 69, 68, 66, 63, 67
AUD - 43
REG - 53, 58
FAR - 44, 50, 59, 62

[Anonymous]

First – You haven't failed. The only way to fail is to quit!

Second – How are you studying? Which review course? How many hours a day?

Give us some more info and we can all try to help.

[jtb_cpa2011]

I use Becker Review – I did the online class it was all self study – I have considered live classes but from speaking with people they go to class and watch the videos that I could easily be watching on my own at home. So I am not sure I want to splurge on a live course.

Hours of studying hmmm I guess this would be an estimate

BEC – 150

FAR – 180

REG – 225

AUD – 90

I know I haven't failed and I am not giving up! This is seriously the biggest challenge I have ever faced and it seems to require giving up my life! which is hard!

My Atrocious Roster of Scores!

BEC - 69, 68, 66, 63, 67
AUD - 43
REG - 53, 58
FAR - 44, 50, 59, 62

[Anonymous]

Here is some text from a post from a fellow member Keeptrying who just recently finished her last exam! Her story is probably the most motivating of all:

Heck yes!! 24 tests taken…. and the results as follows….

REG-80, 77, 77

BEC-67, 68, 71, 67, 71, 74, 71, 74, 72, 77

FAR- 72, 65,67, 53, 75 (truth be known the 53 was with 4 hours of studying)

AUD-58, 62, 72, 74, 74, 75

Don't let anyone tell you that you can't do it…don't let anyone make this journey seem pointless. Don't give up on yourself. Don't fear failure…because with each of those failing scores I learned something about myself. You have to want this as much as you want to breathe. I watched this video before I went in on test day…and I repeated to myself throughout the exam “I'm going to show you how great I am!!”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=OSYtQy9EqTA

REG-80, 77, 77

BEC-67, 68, 71, 67, 71, 74, 71, 74, 72, 77

FAR- 72, 65,67, 53, 75 (truth be known the 53 was with 4 hours of studying)

AUD-58, 62, 72, 74, 74, 75

took 5 years but I'm DONE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

She is definitely an inspiration for those of us who keep battling this exam!

[NYCpat]

@jtb_cpa2011

I'd echo the others, only a failure if you give up…this is a great site for exactly this reason: people who are able to pass on the first try (good for them) are not good teachers/advisors.

People who have experienced setbacks in their lives are the best teachers, not those who have not faced adversity.

Scroll through the posts and you'll see that your struggles are not unique or an outlier, many people found themselves in your shoes and were able to get on the right track and pass.

Clearly though, as you noted, your scores are lacking, so you definitely need to examine your study materials, study plan and execution of said plan and make some changes.

BEC - 82
AUD - 65; retake Feb 2013
FAR - April 2013
REG - July 2013?

[jenuno01]

Welcome to this site! You will definitely find some very supportive people on here! Can you tell us a little more about your studying habits? Not saying you do anything wrong, but judging by your scores, it seems like you are quite aways from a passing score. A lot of us have been on this site for awhile and have picked up some valueable studying techniques/ general advice that we'd be willing to share with you!

Class of 2012

[Anonymous]

One technique you need to do is when you work the mcq's read the right answer explanation and ALL the wrong answer explanations for every question. There is a lot of info in those explanations that will help drive home the theory. Understand why you got the answer right or wrong. All those wrong answer explanations hold a lot of little facts that you don't get in the videos or book. Great to make flash cards or keep a notebook and jot notes from.

[jtb_cpa2011]

Typically when I start a new section – I go chapter by Chapter – Read the Chapter first – then watch the videos – then work the MC, take notes during the lectures and typically go over these notes on my morning commute and evening commute to and from work. I make flashcards and have the Becker ones and go over these typically before I go to bed in the evening and work through more of them on the weekends.

I am at work 9 hours a day and try to get at the least 2-3 hours in when I get home and then spend most of my Saturday wrapping up things from the Chapter, take a half day/day to wind down on Sunday and start up again Monday with the next chapter

The MC takes me forever – especially for FAR and Reg.

Thanks for the encouragement everyone! It is comforting knowing others are in my position! I will take a look at that video!

My Atrocious Roster of Scores!

BEC - 69, 68, 66, 63, 67
AUD - 43
REG - 53, 58
FAR - 44, 50, 59, 62

[jtb_cpa2011]

Also – had to take a Jan-March off due to my work schedule almost doubling and barely having time for anything! 15-16 hour days make little time for CPA.

My Atrocious Roster of Scores!

BEC - 69, 68, 66, 63, 67
AUD - 43
REG - 53, 58
FAR - 44, 50, 59, 62

[nolifecpa]

WELCOME TO THE CLUB!!!!

1) don't be discouraged…we all understand your pain, we're going through it as well so your with good company!

2) concentrate on 1 or 2 exam at a time, don't move on until you pass

3) give it all you got 1 more time and if you still don't pass then it may be time to switch materials. it can be that becker is just not for you. i tried becker home study and live class as well and kept “not passing” (don't want to say the f word)

4) keep going, if i would have quit after not passing 12 times i wouldn't have passed on my 13th

“It does not matter how slowly you go so long as you do not stop” -confucious

REG-65,71,74,73,70,74,79
BEC-60's,60's,69,71,76*,78
FAR-67,66,65,79
AUD-54,60's,65,83*,69,80
*expired

DONE

[Anonymous]

I have met A LOT of CPAs whether it be in school, in internships, or in my neighborhood. Only 1 admitted that he failed a couple of times. The rest all said they passed all 4 parts in one shot. If I were to apply some statistical sampling here, then that would mean that over 95% of people pass all 4 exams in one shot. It wasn’t until I discovered these forums where I finally realized how normal it was to struggle through these tests and to keep taking them over and over and not giving up until you pass.

Here is an approximation of how many hours I studied for each section:

FAR- 400 hours

AUD- 180 hours

BEC- 150 hours

REG- 600+ hours

Many people can pull off passing grades like mine (or better) with a lot less study time than that. But I did what I had to do because I wanted to pass badly. If you want the CPA license badly, then don’t give up. You need to be determined to do whatever it takes to pass. In my case, that meant studying over 1,300 hours, lol.

[jomarie]

Look at my signature below. QUITTING IS NOT AN OPTION!!!

Started sitting in May 2002, on and off. But since 2008 I've been nonstop and my scores are....
AUD - 39, 48, 56, 65, 68, 73, 76!!! (Finally passed in Oct 2011!!!) Becker, NINJA, & Wiley
REG - 75 (Lost Credit) 72, 68, 73, 75 (Passed again in Aug 2011) Becker, NINJA, & Wiley
FAR - 65, 68, 75 (Lost Credit) 68, 73, 73, 80 (Passed again in May 2012) Roger, NINJA, & Wiley
BEC - 65, 68, 71, 72, 72, 71, 76 (Lost Credit)- 70, 76!!!! I AM DONE!!! - Roger, NINJA, & Wiley
After 10 long years of studying, I AM DONE!!!! Finally a Licensed CPA in the State of New York!!

[Anonymous]

@jtb

I am glad you found this site. It truly is a great weapon for any Ninja 😉 First I would encourage you to buy the Ninja Notes. I take my own notes during the Becker Lecture but I am telling you, the Ninja Notes will really help pull it all together.

I also agree with the other posters, take the sections 2 at a time. That way you can study for one while you wait for the results of another. At least until you get your first 2 under your belt.

I have had a couple people help me very much on fine tuning my study habits. I was focusing on quantity versus quality. I never even realized that. You may want to really look into what you are doing.

I see by your signature you are taking BEC next. Again, GET THE NINJA NOTES! I am telling you they are a life saver, especially for BEC. I wouldn't focus too much on the lectures for BEC especially with that one dude that just highlights the entire page…I think he does the economics part. He is a goober.

Looks like BEC may be your strong suit so don't get the impression that if you pass BEC you can use the same studying technique for the other parts. That is a huge misunderstanding I had going in. I passed AUD and BEC with relative ease and tried to “study” the same way for FAR and REG and failed miserably. Every test is different for every person. Change up what you are doing. If you study the same way for every single test and fail over and over yet somehow expect a different result, then you would be classified as insane.

We are all here to support. Sometimes you may not like what you are told but it is coming from experienced minds. You can do this. Keep your chin up!

[jtb_cpa2011]

Thanks to all for the support and encouragement! I will take what everyone has said and do my best to follow through with those things and I will look into buying the Ninja Notes!

jomarie – 30 times! what an inspiration! Keep going strong!!

My Atrocious Roster of Scores!

BEC - 69, 68, 66, 63, 67
AUD - 43
REG - 53, 58
FAR - 44, 50, 59, 62

[unDeR]

Your scores indicate that you may just be going through the motions. Getting study material is only the first step. You have to invest time and energy into breaking it down piecemeal into digestible pieces. You cannot fool yourself into thinking you know the material simply by memorizing answers. You have to understand what makes a particular answer correct and why the others are wrong, and you have to be able to commit to memory those explanations. And while I agree that this forum is a good resource, try not to let it become a study deterrent. Good luck!

Texas-licensed CPA

[Author]

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