[Never say never]

Hi, Fellow CPA candidates

I have been studying since beginning of this year and until now I failed these darn exams five in a row.. feeling really dejected and desperate now.

AUD 56, 65

REG 70, 70

BEC 73

I really need some advice from those who were able to bump up a few points to cross the 75 pt hurdle. I feel really lost

and don’t know what I am doing wrong or what’s lacking in terms of studying materials.

I have been using Ninja Ten Point Combo and other free materials..

Would you recommend getting Wiley Books and Test Bank for added materials to study?

Wouldn’t Ninja MCQ and WTB overlap somewhat and worth the money of getting WTB at this point?

Any other helpful advice would be greatly appreciated in advance. Thanks!

[Anonymous]

your are close, just re-take the last one you took,

go over the material again, you will pass the next one,

73, 70 is very close, just focus more on understanding

the material

[soyanks]

Review the score report for your failed exams. It will tell you how you did (MCQ vs SIMs, specific topics, etc)

If you are doing fine on MCQs but if you are doing terribly on SIMs, this may explain your past scores. Vice versa, if specific topics are dragging you down, you should focus on those topics.

FAR - 86
REG - 85
BEC - 90
AUD - 84

[EverybodyswaitingfortheCPA]

@Never say never – Don't lose hope, you can and will do it! It took my 11 tries, and believe me, I thought I'd never be done. I only passsed BEC on my first try, and the others were 3rd times-a-charmers, except for FAR, lol. Many people have had success with NINJA materials, and I think you should be alright with it.

As far as studying, what are your current habits? Only you know what works for you- as far as how you learn and what is most effective. I think the general feeling is that one should try to:

1) Be consistent in studying and plan accordingly.

-It's often hard, but we do sacrifice alot to study. Keep the end result in mind. Establish a schedule and stick to it; (seriously, any downtime, get your face in a book/ eat lunch in 15 minutes and use the other 45 to study/ get up an extra hour earlier to study/ etc. – the information will stick!) It's not an absolute value as if you study 1,000 hours that doesn't mean you will pass, but it sure can't hurt.

2) Study to understand/ learn rather than it being just a motion.

-I used Becker to study for the majority of my exams (supplemented last FAR attempt w/ NINJA MCQs), and I watched the videos, highlighted, did the MCQs, etc….but I wasn't studying to understand or learn the material, I was just trying to get through it. The exams aren't something a person simply just gets through. It takes time, effort, and dedication. Working to truly understand the concepts behind the questions allows your to apply your knowledge to that question as well as others; don't forget the power of knowing/ understanding why a question is wrong as well.

I think the above 2 items are must-haves. As far as recommendations, I'd say jumping from one material to the next may confuse a person, but can be used as a supplement if done effectively. Work MCQs and learn to understand why a question is right and why it is wrong. Understanding journal entries can be more powerful than working through SIMs as you never know what you'll get on test day (partial luck). I started reading and taking notes on questions I got wrong when going through MCQs so I could hit the material I lacked in. Don't forget to reward yourself or take breaks either; the exams are tough and the studying is even worse. Little rewards along the way help reinforce positive behavior (good boy/ girl for studying, yah!).

Take it all in moderation. You can and will get there! Until now, I never realized that I passed BEC, then failed 7 times before passing the last 3. As another NINJA member stated, you only fail if you give up! Good luck!

BEC - ✔ REG - ✔ AUD - ✔ FAR - ✔

Becker + NINJA MQCs for FAR

Licensed January 2015

[univegabw]

So I was in the same boat almost exactly. I took AUD and failed miserably and then Failed BEC twice in a row with almost the exact same score. I decided to take BEC again right away and studied for 30 days doing just non stop MCQs and reading what I was getting wrong. I didn't take notes or anything just kept hammering home, but I went section by section rather than all at once. I would Do the first section all 200 MCQs or so then move on to the next one and after that start over with the ones I missed in the same matter. Then the last 2-3 days before the test I finally would do all the ones I missed as a group together.

Hope that helps. I got a 75 doing it that way. I'm a believer in the Ninja MCQs over Wiley.

A- 53, 55
B- Passed!
F- Not Yet Taken
R- 1/17/2015

[Skynet]

@ Never say never – I have failed more times than that. I am at this process since 2008, on and off. There were always something coming up whether not using good study materials, not studying enough, or not having the funds anymore to be able to take the exams. I was able to finally get my first Pass just a few weeks ago using Gleim. Right now you are very close looking at your scores. You may have to just slow down look at your score report to see where you were probably weak at then work on those weak areas. When I failed BEC, I failed miserably, but I knew what my weak areas were and worked on them till i finally was able to nail it which was how I was able to finally get my first pass. You may also consider the type of materials you are using. Before I was using BISK books but they were horrible. I then was using Wiley's books alone but they were like reading dictionaries and encyclopedias. I decided to just pay for a full review course and chose Gleim and it helped me with my first pass.

[Anonymous]

Looks like you failed two in a row to me. Different exams don't count.

Pick one or two and stick with them until you knock 'em out, then move on the the next ones.

If I had to do it all over again, I'd try to get one in at the beginning of a window and one in towards the end and repeat until all are completed.

[Martin]

Never say never, Who told you that you had to take all 3 exams almost at the same time? The good thing about what you did is that you have covered 3 of the 4 exams. You have a (60% to 70%) understanding of what is included on each subject.Based on your score, it seems that Audit is the hardest for you, so this point forward only study Audit and nothing else until you pass it. All those neurons only have to worry about Audit, and I wouldnt be surprised, if you pass all 3 parts in the next 6 months.

Through God all things can happen!

“You never fail until you stop trying.”
― Albert Einstein
When I was young, I used to admire intelligent people;as I grow older, I admire kind people.
“Just keep swimming, just keep swimming.”

FAR= 72-84
Audit= 73-82
BEC= 74-75
Reg=77

[Anonymous]

Nobody told me I had to take them in any particular fashion. I'm just the type that goes hard or goes home. You are correct though, after getting three finished it feels a lot better. I am certainly sweating out this score release. I don't particularly feel like studying any more CPA material at this point. I have a few other certs to knock out (CFF, ABV, & CFE).

Never say never-

If it helps AUD & BEC definitely have the least amount of material. If you do try to squeeze two exams into a testing window, these may be your best bet. FAR should take a solid 8-12 weeks to properly prepare for it. I think 6-8 should be enough for REG.

However you decide to proceed, best of luck to you.

[Never say never]

Wow Thanks so much for words of wisdom and encouragement!!!

I was really looking for some kind of direction on what to do next and your advice really helped me map out a more effective

strategy going forward.

@ EverybodyswaitingfortheCPA

I am glad you survived after taking 11 of them and lived to tell about your experience!! I will definitely keep in mind the

studying habits you suggested. That was really helpful. I have short attention span and often find myself digressing and

thinking about what goes on in my daily life.

@ Skynet

Congrats on your first pass!! I too wished to get my first pass before this year passes and I am still mad at myself for not

being able to do just that. I am also interested in looking at Gleim as additional source of material to study and trying

them out could be an option for me.

@ billbrasskey, Martin

Perhaps I was trying to study multiple subjects and cram too much information into my brain . I think I will take first

testing window of 2015 to knock down AUDt and BEC and Keep at it until I pass both.

[CPA soon]

1) read the chapter (don't take notes)

2) do questions in test bank for the chapter

3) take notes on your ninja notes while working questions

4) repeat for all chapters

5) review your ninja notes which will include all the details you wrote

6) take the exam

FAR - 71, 68, 74, (8/31/14) 78 ✔
REG - 67, 71, 71, (10/18/14) 78 ✔
BEC - (11/29/14) 86 ✔
AUD - 73, (4/4/15) 86 ✔

I can't believe this is over! 2 years and 3 months..

[Anonymous]

Save 2 weeks for review – Go through MCQs nonstop.

1. I used Becker (Reviewed the summary, then finished all MCQ once)

2. Then I reviewed with Ninja MCQs – aimed for 250 a day mixed questions daily (100 at a time then 50)

3. After a while, I got repeats so I started focusing on brand new questions.

4. Review Ninja Notes during your down time- awesome little study guide

5. Work on sims (save at least a few days)

After doing so many random MCQs, it started to click and get easier. You get use to the different questions just like the exam and not mainly focusing on an certain topic. The exam felt a lot less SURPRISING after this.

That's how I learn best IMO.

Also, allocate your time on the exam. I save about 1 1/2 hours+ for sims.

[Author]

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