[Ninja03]

I took FAR as my first section of CPA three weeks ago and I got 74 on that. I went through all the materials in Becker and did all the mcqs and simulations. Before the exam, I went through all the flashcards again and re-did all the mcqs that I did wrong.

Now I am preparing for the BEC test that’s coming in three weeks. However, this 74 really made me think what should I do now? Is there anything wrong with my study method? How can I improve from it?

Please, ninjas, any advice is welcomed! All ears!

[bigcore20]

Honestly a 74 in Q4 means you probably got adjusted by the AICPA. A lot of internal sources saying they do this yearly. They adjust the passing scores in Q4 in order to get a more “appropriate” passing rate for the year. This is why Q4 scores are an incredible 5-6% lower than in Q3 – EVERY single year. Your actual score was most likely between a 75 and a 79. I've discussed this with two people in my network who have ties with the AICPA and attend their CPA exam meetings.

Having said that, it seems like you didn't truly understand the material. Going through all of the materials doesn't mean anything. Hell I've seen people do only half of the material and get high 80s on FAR. It's about knowing the concept and being able to apply it to any question. This takes 1) natural ability (genetics) and 2) a strong grasp of the material that you obtain through studying properly.

You can pass though, you're pretty much there. Was it a bad roll on the sims perhaps? And by bad roll I mean topics that you didn't know? You may have also rushed the MCQ. Need more info to assess your situation

[.]

Sounds like you did not do enough MCQs. How many MCQs (not including repeats) did you do in total? Did you use Ninja MCQs? Doing all the Ninja MCQs at least once before the exam helps tremendously. It is through practice that the knowledge cements into your head.

FAR - June 2016 - 88
REG - July 2016 - 89
AUD - Aug 2016 - review phase currently
BEC - Sep 2016 -

Wiley CPA Excel & Ninja MCQ

[Ninja03]

@bigcore20 Thank you so much for replying! On the exam, I thought all the mcqs are okay and guessed a couple conceptual questions. I really had a hard time figuring out the simulation questions. There were three questions that I absolutely had no clue and took a wild guess. However, I did complete all the questions.

[Ninja03]

@circadian malfunction Thanks for asking! I roughly completed 1000+ mcqs in becker. The only material I used is Becker. Did you pass FAR on your first shot? What was your study method/time commitment/professional background?

[.]

Yes, I passed on the first try. I did probably over 4000 MCQs and about 260 simulations. I wasn't working and studied for 8 weeks. 8 weeks was probably overkill but it was my first exam and I didn't know any better.

1000 MCQs doesn't sound like nearly enough practice.

FAR - June 2016 - 88
REG - July 2016 - 89
AUD - Aug 2016 - review phase currently
BEC - Sep 2016 -

Wiley CPA Excel & Ninja MCQ

[Ninja03]

@circadian malfunction How did you practice simulation? Did you find the actual mcqs on CPA similar to the ninja ones or it is very different? Because I found a lot of FAR questions in Becker were very focused on nitty gritty details but the actual test were more high-level questions.

Does ninja mcqs have 4000+ questions or you also got other materials?

How did you prepare for it after you went through all the materials?

[bigcore20]

@Ninja03 There's more than 1000 mcqs in becker right? I mean there's at least 100 per section (I'd say more like 200 average per section?). Make sure you do all the mcqs.

As for the actual exam, sounds like you were a victim of sims, as I thought. I'm going to bet your mcq was stronger for most if not all sections, and your sims are going to be weaker when you get your score report. Take note on those 3 sims. Were they concepts that you should have known? Or were they just absolutely ridiculous?

Often times the sims are what kills passing scores, because it takes raw knowledge. Mcqs are easier because you use recall memory by being able to see answer choices, etc.

[Anonymous]

74 is close. But as Jeff would say- you're not 1 point off, your 75 points off. See his 38-page book “The CPA Exam Survival Guide”. Just keep grinding- that is my best advice.

[Jdn9201]

To the OP, I'm sorry you made a 74. That can really play with your mind if you let it. Regarding your studying – I'm going to take a different approach. How is the quality of your preparation when you are doing MCQ's? Are you looking at the answer explanations to understand why an answer is correct or incorrect? Do you think about how the question could be asked in a different way? I get people learn differently and sometimes it takes more repetition for something to stick, but you have to be careful you are really focusing on each question rather than focusing on hitting a high number of them, especially if you are repeating a high number of questions. Quantity doesn't really mean much if the quality of your studying isn't there. I used only Roger for FAR, and I did not get to every question in the MCQ bank. I do agree with the others that you have to think that you are starting over rather than just studying to get 1 more point. Good luck!

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

[.]

The Ninja MCQs were shorter and less convoluted than the CPAExcel ones, so yes, they were more like the actual exam. There are about 1800 MCQs in Ninja. I also did probably 2200 in CPAExcel. I only did new questions, no repeats. CPAExcel was for the initial learning and Ninja I used as review.

I would do the reading in CPAExcel then the MCQs/Sims for the sections. Once I was all done with CPAExcel, I only did Ninja as review for around 2 weeks. I got a little sick of reading and FAR was soooo much material, so only with FAR, did I break it up a little bit. After I was done with about 70% of CPAExcel, including government/NFP, I did the Ninja MCQs for those topics.

Then I went back and finished off the other 30% of CPAExcel and then did Ninja once I was done with that. I also skipped around a bit and decided to do Government/NFP before “Specific Transactions”. I wanted to be sure I got government down pat since everyone on the forum said it was all over the exam.

FAR - June 2016 - 88
REG - July 2016 - 89
AUD - Aug 2016 - review phase currently
BEC - Sep 2016 -

Wiley CPA Excel & Ninja MCQ

[letsrun4it]

I did 5000+ MCQ for FAR and got a 76. Work harder if you want to ensure passing these exams. I don't recommend leaving FAR until you have it passed tbh.

BEC: 85
REG: 74, 78
AUD: 86
FAR: October?

[Author]

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