[palmtop_taiga]

Hi all.

Extremely discouraged from failing AUD with a 74. If AUD is one of the easier ones and I failed on the first try, what will it take to pass FAR first try? I start work on September 30 at Big 4, and I really would like to pass FAR before that. My exam is scheduled for August 28 and I just started F7.

Anyone out there, please give the best advice you can for getting FAR down. How many hours a week to study, any supplemental materials? I will do whatever it takes.

Thanks in advance.

AUD 74, 82 (11/29/15)
FAR 68, 79 (11/9/15)
REG 75 (6/21/16)
BEC 75 (1/18/16)

[Anonymous]

AUD is not one of the easier ones. For staters there is no such thing as an “easy” CPA exam. Second AUD historically has the lowest passing rate of the four so you're not alone. Passing rates for AUD tend to be around 40 to 45% which is bad even by CPA exam standards. The key to AUD is to read the stupid question for comprehension. More than any other exam a single word will COMPLETELY determine what the correct answer is. Any time you read the answers and see two answers that both look correct, it's time to read the qustion again because I can guarantee you that there's a word in there which will determine which answer is actually correct. Beyond that it's language tricks and memorization. Finally you got a 74. That sucks. That really sucks. But it also shows that you were very close to passing and with a bit more prep work you can get over that hump. When you circle back to AUD treat it like a brand new exam and study accordingly and I bet you'll do fine.

FAR is another story completely. It's, by far, the most difficult to prepare for because there is so much material. But the actual exam isn't as hard as some others in my opinion (AUD and REG spring to mind). The phrase I heard used to describe FAR is that it's a mile wide but only an inch deep. There is a TON of potential topics that could be on your exam but they don't drill down too deeply into any of them. Once you've got a good idea of how the concept works, you're able to move on. Believe it or not, there really aren't all that many “trick” questions on the actual exam. All of my questions were relatively straight forward. If you knew the concept and how to apply it you could handle it.

Hope some of this helps.

[melody_pinaycpa]

@palmtop_taiga I passed FAR at first attempt.

I studied each chapter of the FAR Ninja Book, do MCQs for that chapter, study the next chapter, do MCQs for the previous chapter and new chapter..repeat this step until you reach the last chapter and you're already doing MCQs for all chapters..

FAR (Apr 2015) - 88
AUD (July 2015) - 86
BEC (Oct 2015) - 82
REG - 73, 70, retake Sept 2016

[Missy]

I passed FAR on my first try and it was my first exam!

Then proceeded to fail AUD twice……..so yes it is possible.

Licensed Massachusetts Non Reporting CPA since 2012
Finance/Admin/HR Manager

[Anonymous]

Learn from your study mistakes, make corrections, push harder and you can definitely pass FAR the first time. Each exam is independent, don't let the mind games get to you.

[palmtop_taiga]

Thank you, all of you. Thanks especially for the desperately needed tips and words of encouragement.

AUD 74, 82 (11/29/15)
FAR 68, 79 (11/9/15)
REG 75 (6/21/16)
BEC 75 (1/18/16)

[Author]

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