[livealittle]

brief history – started studying 4/2014. had a car accident 4/28/14, put me out a little over 2 months with a concussion and physical therapy. I work at a fairly high-octane CPA firm as well.

passed BEC and AUD first time
passed REG the 2nd time
BEC expired and retook it and passed the first time after expiration

Took FAR a total of 4 times. 1 of those the computer flipped out on me and I am not convinced they “recovered all 4 testlets which had been opened and it will be graded with normal scoring”. if we don’t count that test at all, I’m

11/2015 62
1/2016 62
5/2016 72
9/2016 70

I was trending 74% on MCQ for the May 2016 attempt and 80% on MCQ for the Sep 2016 attempt.

I am currently trending 79% on MCQ. I took off every Monday in Nov to study, plus we have some Thanksgiving holiday time for study as well.

My results on the back say

score of 72 – Weaker in everything except specific transactions (27-33%) and Simulations which is comparable

score of 70 – Weaker in everything except specific transactions which is comparable and Not for Profit (8-12%) which is stronger

I have made flashcards this time which I have never used before. I think they are helping as far as lists of things, like Personal FS have 1)statement of financial condition and 2)statement of changes in net worth

I’m using Becker and have for all. I got Ninja notes for FAR as well and have been reading them over and over.

to complicate things, I’ve just been diagnosed with MS. I still haven’t seen an MS specialist. The referral was faxed to them on 10/26 and 11/03, but I still haven’t gotten an appointment with the MS specialist. Currently, my symptoms are more annoying rather than interfering with my daily life.

please from those who have passed, what do I focus on? is this possible? do I even stand a chance? should I give up? I’m so close… help me please

BEC - 8/8/16
REG - 66, 77
AUD - 81
FAR - 9/8/16

[hasy]

You can't move it to the END of the window? Seeing as if you've studied before, you have a CHANCE. But with any exam that I've restudied, I've always started from scratch but I BUILT on the knowledge that I've retained.

Hmm, FAR is the one test I would prize reviewing your notes more than MCQs. But right now is do or die. I would grab NINJA mcqs and start hashing 180 questions per day. Take notes on EVERYTHING and see why you got it wrong, and change it to HOW you can get it right the next time. Remember, journal entries for every MCQs and I would do at least half of the SIMs.

There's really nothing to lose. Have fun.

Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet. Only through experience of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened, ambition inspired, and success achieved - Helen Keller

-

BEC 80 (10/23/15)
FAR 72 (4/2/15); 83 (7/11/16)
REG 52 (4/28/15)
AUD (9/9/16)

Roger + NINJA MCQ + WTB

[livealittle]

@hasy

I lose REG on 11/30 if I don't pass FAR on 11/28. plus my husband is having hip replacement surgery on 11/30, so moving it to Dec 10 or a day or 2 earlier isn't a net gain in my book.

Journal Entry for every MCQ? haven't heard this tip before. any calculation MCQ, make sure I know what the journal entry looks like. some MCQ won'ts have a JE – ?? about qualitative characteristics and such.

BEC - 8/8/16
REG - 66, 77
AUD - 81
FAR - 9/8/16

[hasy]

So test disclosures aside, the chances of you getting a JOURNAL ENTRY sim is VERY likely. I hear and see people getting it. So learning journal entries is a positive, not a time-waster. But it's preference, I do know of one person on this forum that has disputed me that journal entries aren't useful.

But up to you.

Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet. Only through experience of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened, ambition inspired, and success achieved - Helen Keller

-

BEC 80 (10/23/15)
FAR 72 (4/2/15); 83 (7/11/16)
REG 52 (4/28/15)
AUD (9/9/16)

Roger + NINJA MCQ + WTB

[Anonymous]

For remaining two weeks, print out any and all mcqs you know you have trouble with. Constantly work each and every mcqs and be able to do them w/o getting wrong in the end. This method always worked for me.

[livealittle]

@ actioncpa – I did a lot of that for BEC. I haven't done as much for FAR. maybe that's where I went wrong?

@hasy – I see a LOT of value in journal entries. and everyone knows everything is fair game on an exam, so why people freak out if you say, “know your journal entries for the exam” I don't understand. It's not like you said “I had a problem that was _____ and _____ and the answer choices were ___- and ___ and ___ and ___and ___”

I mean if you are studying for the CPA exam, surely by now you know basic level 1 accounting of JE recording an expense is to debit the expense and credit the bank/cash or AP.

BEC - 8/8/16
REG - 66, 77
AUD - 81
FAR - 9/8/16

[ninjacpa_hck]

Definitely understand the J.E. The whole concept of the FAR exam is to test your understanding of Financial Accounting, since there are slight opportunities to test J.E. in the MCQs, Examiner are likely to have J.E. sims, which is the case in my personal experiences. Knowing the J.E. also help you solidify the concept.

[Jdn9201]

I'm sorry to hear about your health issues and time constraints. I thought I'd post about my experience in case you can take anything from it to help you. First of all, I think you need to take a step back and a deep breath, and realize that yes you do have a shot! I passed FAR in Feb 2016 after studying for 3 weeks, and I think alot of people don't pass because they attack it the wrong way and psyche themselves out to be honest with you. The fact that there is SO much material is actually a blessing because it's physically impossible for them to test you on everything. It's also impossible for you to remember everything. I'm not sure which areas you feel comfortable and which ones you don't, but if you haven't already, prioritize your remaining study time on the COSO outline. I used it as basically my bible in determining whether or not I moved on versus spending more time on a topic. There were some topics in the <5% range that I covered just enough to be able to narrow down an MCQ to 2 answers, and that was it. Also, when doing the MCQ's – focus on quality and not quantity. People say do MCQ's till your eyes bleed but I'm not sure how helpful that is if you don't understand WHY an answer was correct or incorrect and can't apply those concepts to similar questions that are worded differently. I did Roger, and I wound up running out of time and didn't even finish all of his questions and I was ok with that. And finally, study the authoritative literature. My memory is kind of fuzzy on my exam, but I know it bailed me out of at least 2 off the wall SIMS that I didn't know much about. There are so many hidden points but you have to know how to use the AL to find them. Good luck and just remember that you can do this!

BEC - 88 8/29/15
REG - 82 11/14/15
AUD - 83 1/8/16
FAR - 80 2/29/16

[Author]

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