[kobebryant168]

Hey guys

I have started my CPA exam journey since Aug 2010 but so far I haven’t even passed one section, I skipped one window during tax season

I m a Becker student but so far my scores are as follows:

BEC, 73, 71 2010

FAR 70 2010

AUD 74 2011

Is it my personal failure or what? this is very frustrating and discouraging…especially working in an accounting firm that my boss always asks me about my score….and I always tell him that i m a few points off

Should I switch review course? I compared Becker and Rogers and found Rogers are much entertaining, by looking at the demos I feel like I m kinda regret to take Becker because it only asks me to circle that and that, highlight that and that..I’m so confused and don’t know what to do now….if i pass one section, just ONE, it will b a huge difference in my life bcoz that’s the main motivation…but so far…i m discouraged.

Any good advice? Greatly appreciated!

[Minimorty]

Ehh, I wouldnt call it a personal failure. You havent been at it THAT long and you have gotten close on all three you have taken. I wouldn't switch review courses yet. Maybe just supplement the materials with some NINJAs and maybe Wiley. They seem to be really good supplements for the Becker material. The good news is that you havent started your 18-month window yet. Just keep taking two tests per testing window and you will get it done. Again, you are not that far off.

[jomarie]

I agree with Minimorty. Don't give up yet. I've been sitting for the exams nonstop since May 2008 with only one test window off to have my daughter in May 2010 (I didn't want to take a chance to go into labor while I was sitting for the exam). I've only used Becker and passed REG, BEC, and FAR. Here I am now with only credited for BEC. This past quarter I've supplemented Jeff's NINJA notes and Wiley test bank along with Becker and I think I've been catching a lot more info than with just Becker. Don't give up!!

Started sitting in May 2002, on and off. But since 2008 I've been nonstop and my scores are....
AUD - 39, 48, 56, 65, 68, 73, 76!!! (Finally passed in Oct 2011!!!) Becker, NINJA, & Wiley
REG - 75 (Lost Credit) 72, 68, 73, 75 (Passed again in Aug 2011) Becker, NINJA, & Wiley
FAR - 65, 68, 75 (Lost Credit) 68, 73, 73, 80 (Passed again in May 2012) Roger, NINJA, & Wiley
BEC - 65, 68, 71, 72, 72, 71, 76 (Lost Credit)- 70, 76!!!! I AM DONE!!! - Roger, NINJA, & Wiley
After 10 long years of studying, I AM DONE!!!! Finally a Licensed CPA in the State of New York!!

[yankeeaccountant]

@kobebryant168,

Not a personal failure at all. I started in August of 2010 as well. I started using Becker because the firm I worked at got it at a discount. I have gotten pretty much the same scores as you. Are you a recent graduate?

For me, I graduated college in 1985–I know I am an old fogie. I started on my MBA but couldn't finish–my husband and I were just married and couldn't afford to pay for it. I started taking the 15 hours or so that I needed in accounting to sit for the exam a couple of years ago, then started Becker in July of 2010. My first exam was BEC. I got a 74. I was so encouraged. I was so glad I was in the ball park. But for me, the hard part was quality study time. Working full time didn't allow me the opportunity to get that. For some reason, I need an odd amount of repetition–don't want to blame it on the age–haha–I consider myself a poor test taker. Heck, my high school counselor told me that when he saw my ACT and SAT scores. He said, these scores aren't really indicative of your grades are they????

I decided to quit my job in February so that I could study full time and finish this thing. I know that most people work during this process. But for me, I knew I couldn't do it that way. It was becoming a strain to my family, which made things harder, so I knew I had to knock these out quickly. I passed my first two exams last window. Now I am studying for the last two this window.

Ok–why the full story? I wanted to demonstrate to you that I had to go back and be objective as to why I wasn't succeeding. I spoke to Jeff a couple of times and got some good ideas on how to alter my study time. I realized that supplementing with Yaeger was best for me because it was more teaching than review, which is what I needed. I had to take a long hard look at what I was doing and figure out how I can do it. I had confidence that I could, I just needed to figure out what “my way” was. Everybody has a different path to success, you just need to find yours.

You are so close in your scores, I would think about adding some new software to your mix. I would also look at notetaking, are you reading the book, are you using multiple test banks–these are some of the things I did that changed my outcome last window.

Best of luck to you…and keep the faith, you will succeed!!!!

[kobebryant168]

Thank you guys! you guys are lovely

Yea, this window I got the ninja notes from Jeff and have been doing lots of wiley questions for supplement…I m taking every possible advice to get this through. I m retaking AUD this sat and hopefully I can break down the I called it a “curse” lol

My frustration came from the fact that it has been a year and no achievement at all. Was wondering what the problem is but no, by stepping into this far of my career I can't afford to give up, no turning point. Thus I m looking for every possible solution to overcome this nightmare, and as mentioned, I m taking Wiley for supplement

I'm aging, so this is my big concern,

@yankeeaccountant, I finished college in 2010, thanks for sharing your story! I feel like i m not alone somehow, haha

So no need to switch review course eh based on what i have?

[yankeeaccountant]

@kobebryant

I wouldn't switch…I think there is alot of merit in Becker. I think I would supplement. Also keep in mind some freebies: cpareviewforfree and Gleim. I used Gleim for a free trial for BEC. I felt like I had memorized the answers on Becker since I had done them so many times, so I used the trial for a few days during my last week of review. I think it is helpful to use a different testbank. I was scoring in the 80-90 on Becker, which on appearance seemed great, but since I felt like I was memorizing, not so great. Also, Youtube has some great snippets of the different software for you to peruse to get a feel for what you like and also are some great study tools.

Best of luck!!!

[Anonymous]

@ Kobe

Here are my $.02 on your question . When I first got out of grad school I was working for a larger regional firm and found myself with next to no time to study so I bombed every exam I took for the first 3 years of my career. Then the economy tanked and I found myself working for a much smaller regional firm, but not as busy. I decided to suck it up and take a Becker live course and see what I could do (I also felt like I was in a much more supportive environment). I've been with this firm for 2 years now, also work a part-time job on the weekends and FINALLY had results on my scores. So, with all of that said, I took the question you pose to heart.

I think a lot of us who have worked on the exam consider switching review courses a little too frequently. Here is the thing, you are already familiar with how the Becker review course is structured. The other review courses out there are for the most part all respectable options. This is my question to you. Do you feel that Becker works well with how you study and learn? If so, I'd stick with it and maybe look at either their final review products or another method of instruction (self-study vs. online vs. live). My other question would be when they tell you to memorize something, do you want into the exam and truly have all of that memorized? Perhaps a look at your study habits would be a good option as well.

Keep your head up and what ever you do, do NOT give up! Because when you fight for this credential the way many of us on here have, it means that much more when you get that congradulatory letter in the mail and have that license in your hand. 🙂

Good luck to you!

[thechamp26]

Look at all your scores? You scored a 70 or over in each exam. You were a few questions away from posting here with 3 sections under your belt. I wouldn't blame Becker or switch review courses at all. This exam is all about putting in the time. How long did you study for each exam? Did you work EVERY problem like suggested? Did you read the answer to every problem? Did you leave time for review at the end?

It seems like a common trend on here that people have all these different review courses to help them pass the exam. The question is, do the people that have every review tool under the sun pass because every review tool has something different to offer OR do they pass because of all the extra time they spend going over the material?

[Author]

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