[lreynolds]

I just took Reg and Aud and did terrible on them. I’m not sure if this just isn’t the right path for me or if I need to just reevaluate. I am using Becker and have used all the resources given to me even the exam final review. I failed Reg with a 29 so I changed my study habits and was very head strong and felt good about Audit then ended up with a 26. I just don’t understand and I need advice. Is the CPA just not for me?? Should I try a different review course?? I’m studying for BEC now but I just feel lost.

[Preksha]

@Jack_J Well, he went through the book again and again. Made Notes, and wrote down the differences between S Corp, C Corp and Partnerships. He must have rewritten his notes about 3 times to really hammer in the details. When he gave the exam earlier, he underestimated the frequency of the questions that were going to be asked in REG. He did not focus much on the Business Law, but for his retake, he did not leave a single chapter and made notes, did the MCQ’s and the SIM’s over and over to really understand the material. He used Becker.

AUD - 77
BEC - 85
FAR - 90
REG - 88

" All you need is the plan, the road map and the courage to press on to your destination"  - Earl Nightingale

[Sal]

whether you want to consider going the CPA route is up to you! but it's doable! with these scores I'm pretty sure you are beaten down and need motivation. I was there I first took FAR and got a 40 ! and than took REG and got a 42! at the point I realized it wasn't working so I had to change everything…. I changed my study habits, got off social media and organized a schedule for myself. This time I started with Audit ( Rogers). I watched all the lectures but rather than just writing notes all over my book or typing I kept it simple. I started creating an outline of each topic breaking down into categories and sub categories. I created a sheet with all my mnemonics and would look and start to memorize. I did all MCQ's in roger and got a score of 80 on each topic. I briefly read my college text book and looked all the documents ( bill of lading, invoices, confirmations, charts etc.) just to get
an idea came the test day seem prepared did well on MCQS however bombed the Sims. 🙁 too much time on MCQS and freaked out on Sims. Got a 58! yes a 58 ! ahhhh….. 🙁 This time I got the research questions down ( authoritative literature), I'm hammering the MCQS on ninja to a point my head would explode. I don't have certain amount of hours dedicated. I study as much as I can! each multiple choice I get wrong I pull my voice recorder and talk into in simple dumb terms not AICPA “legal language”. I'm finally trending a 80 on my Ninja MCQS and definitely have a better understanding of material. CPA exam is all about learning to learn. its not where you start from its how far you can go. I'm writing to you because Im in the same process. Im not fortunate enough to pull 80s , 90s etc. I don't consider my self to be smart at all but hey you gotta be a turtle in this race. you will get through don't quit! after doing all this I might just a 60 who knows…but Guess what I will reevaluate figure out a new strategy and get back to it. On that note test day is on April 15 back to studying Good luck!………

- SAL

[Small4]

I got a 29 my very first time taking an exam. I was fresh out of college and i thought my college experience from accounting and tax classes would translate. I realize now that NONE of the college materials matter since the CPA is actually tailored for people who truly focus on memorizing concepts (not answers) and doing tons of multiple choices but looking at every single answer (what's right and what's wrong). It took me a long time to adapt to learning “how” to pass.

I say, you should probably switch up your study habits. Maybe something that worked before isnt working for this particular exam. It doesnt mean the CPA is not for u, its just a different type of studying you have to approach. What worked best was to truly study concepts and do focus questions related to those concepts over and over until you actually feel in your gut that youre comfortable. Usually a low score means you think you know the material but the way its tested, it just is hard to get thru the questions and feel comfortable.

I say keep trying and you will stasrt to get closer. I got low scores too and i kept trying and trying so the great thing about these exams is you can keep taking them. Good luck!

AUD - 77
BEC - 75
FAR - 82
REG - 77

-Becker (do all mcq, period),
-Buy NINJA mcq (68% trend), and
-PRINT trouble topics.

-Also Used WTB mcq (68% trend).
-Do 40-50 SIMs and read answers/try to learn from solutions like its a book example.
-Lastly, when having trouble with same topic, go big picture and watch trouble lecture

BEC - 68,70,72,75 5/15
AUD - 78(expired), 77 8/15
REG - 29,58,65,77 1/16
FAR - 56,68,73 - retake October hopefully (last shot)

Been doing this since 2007 on and off...

[Author]

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