[pk314]

I recently just graduated from undergrad with a degree in Accounting this past May and will be starting full time at my firm in October so I just started studying for my first part, FAR. I’m using Becker materials and I only just got done with F2 yesterday and I’m already feeling overwhelmed and doing horribly on the HW problems. I go through the lecture and highlight and then reread the chapter and write my own separate notes. I’m overwhelmed because there are just so many different little rules and I feel that the MCQs on the HW are so tricky that I don’t even know how to start answering some of them. Any advice would be much appreciated!

Thanks in advance!

[thebigguy1992]

my advice would be to ditch becker if you have the money, and purchase the ninja book, ninja notes, and most importantly ninja MCQ. if you had to pick one out of the three, pick ninja MCQ. they are a lot better than becker.

[nolan7120]

I felt the exact same way going through F2. Non-monetary transactions drove me nuts!!!! Becker over prepares you with the amount of mcq's they assign which makes it seem almost impossible to keep track of everything. I switched to just doing the assigned problems from Yaeger in the Wiley books (they trim the fat) and after taking FAR today, I can tell you without a doubt that I was much better off with my changed course of study. If I failed it was because I only gave myself 5 weeks to prepare for FAR. There's a learning curve all us noobs must go through with finding the appropriate path for studying which definitely put a damper in the first two weeks.

It sounds like you're wasting too much time with reading and watching the lectures. Do one or the other. I'd watch the lectures, and then do the mcq's and SIMS, and use the book for reference. Make your own flashcards too hitting on the most important topics that you're sure you'll get tested on. Also, put the highlighter down. Gearty does enough highlighting for you. Also google topics you're not familiar with and look at various sources. I found some great tips and tricks from this website, especially regarding deferred taxes and the SOCF's.

When you're doing the mcq's, write out all the answers by hand and the reason why you were or weren't correct. And the main key to passing is repetition. You might not feel comfortable the 1st time you go through the material, or even the 2nd time. But eventually it'll start to sink in and you'll find yourself explaining diluted EPS or capital leases to your friends who could give two sh**s.

When I first started, I was all over the place. I was writing the questions on random pieces of paper on whatever blank space I could find. This was a terrible approach. My work area looked liked someone took a huge pile of papers and just tossed them in the air. Studying for FAR requires very strong organization. The more organized you and your notes are, the better off you'll be.

ETA: One comment on the NINJA materials… I can't speak about the book or the mcq's, but I wasn't a fan of the ninja notes, which was my only purchase. I found myself using them for cross reference material numerous times and they never seemed to help or clarify things. They're very basic and will only help reinforce the surface material. You'd probably be better off writing your own condensed notes or flashcards based on what you glean from your material.

FAR (6/9/16) - 81

[MaLoTu]

FAR is overwhelming. The best thing you can do it just continue. F2 is one of the harder chapters. For me F2 began to click more when I got through F7 which is cash flows. Once you get through the book go back through the material again. I used NINJA MCQ and I felt like it was also a good supplement, but I am sure that it is a good material with the book like bigguy suggested.

[Anonymous]

I understand that you are just starting your journey but I would try to stay calm and not let the material overwhelm you. No matter what course or books you use, you still need to study and be proficient in every subject in order to succeed.

With that being said…Becker is not the best in my opinion. I think Wiley and definitely NINJA materials are much better. Special NINJA MCQ. However, every person is different.

————–

Btw, Hi MaLoTu! Hope all is well!

[Anonymous]

becker is phenomenal.so is NINA MCQ. ihave had success with both.

here's my advice:SKIP THE LECTURES!

just read the highlighted e-book that becker has in their online portal. it includes all the stuff from the lectures AND its like reading the book. its the best of both worlds and will cut your study time by half. that way you will have more time for MCQ hammering.

[pk314]

Wow, thank you everyone for the advice!

@thebigguy1992, unfortunately Becker is my only option as it is paid for by my firm and I'm currently not working, but I did purchase the NINJA MCQs for FAR, hopefully they help me as much as they've helped others on here!

@nolan7120, nonmonetary transactions and especially matching and recognition of revenue/expenses is where I'm having the most trouble! I think I am wasting time going through the lectures too, I may skip it for F3 and see how it goes. I will definitely take your advice into my studying, thanks! Since I'm not working I usually spend the whole day studying with minor breaks and I feel the 6 weeks I have allotted for the exam (with this being the first week) may not be enough for me to really grasp the material. Good luck getting your scores and with the rest of the parts if you are not already done!

My studying schedule is basically:

Day 1: Go over chapter, watch lecture, reread and take notes
Day 2: Do HW problems for the chapter
Day 3: Go over the next chapter, watch lecture, reread and take notes
Day 4: Do HW problems for the chapter
Day 5 & 6: Do progress test, practice problems for both chapters

[nolan7120]

In regards to your schedule, by all means do whatever works for you. If you're giving yourself 6 weeks then you'll have to use your time very wisely and don't want to spend too much time going over the material on the first run through. If you do, you'll find yourself finishing F10 with one week or less left to review. Not good. You want at least 2 weeks.You're in the exact same position I was a little over 5 weeks ago on 5/1.

I'd avoid going over the chapter first and just watch the lecture while taking your own notes. Don't take too many notes though on the first time through, as it's way too easy to record more material then you need. I'd hit on the more important parts with your note-taking. That's hard with Becker because it seems like everything they're throwing at you is super important, but it's not. Then do the homework and SIMS. Do this section by section, not chapter by chapter. As you're going through the mcq's and SIMS, fine tune your notes with what you're learning. Try to get a decent grasp on the material the first time through but don't do too much because you'll forget a majority of what you learned by the time you go back through it the 2nd time.

The 2nd time around is when things should become ingrained in your memory. This is when you want to start making your own flashcards, basically further condensing your notes. And on the 2nd time through, just redo mcq's and SIMS and don't look at the material unless you need it for reference obviously. Then give yourself a few days for practice tests. Good luck!

FAR (6/9/16) - 81

[Anonymous]

nolan how did you do on FAR? when do you take it? u give good advice in these threads

[Sang]

I just want to offer a different opinion.
It might not work for everyone, or on all exams.

I took FAR two weeks ago, and it was my first exam. I was stressed out just like you, because FAR had so much information, and I felt that I wasn’t able to remember everything. After taking the exam, my perspective changed.

FAR has a ton of information, but the exam cannot test you on everything. I felt that had I spent more time mastering certain topics, I would have done better on the exam. So this time around, I will review everything, but I will focus more time trying to master certain topics.

Roger CPA review says that Government and Not-for-Profit make up about 20% of the exam.
Roger CPA review says that IFRS makes up about 10% of the exam.
These topics can make up 30% of the exam. These percentages can vary for different people.
I plan to spend more time studying these topics than anything else.

If you look at the Ninja MCQs, some topics have more questions than others. I assume these topics are usually covered more than others. So I plan to spend more time on topics that have more questions in the Ninja MCQs.

There was a thread made recently that listed some of the more important topics to study for on the FAR exam.

https://www.another71.com/cpa-exam-forum/topic/you-know-youll-pass-far-if-you

FAR: (05/24/16) | (07/15/16) | (10/22/16)
AUD: (09/07/16) | (11/29/16) |
BEC: TBD
REG: TBD
Using Roger CPA Review + Ninja (MCQs, Notes, Audio)

[nolan7120]

@ Eesti

I took FAR yesterday and will get back my results on the 21st. My guess for my score would be between a 65-80. I felt decent on the mcq's as they seemed more so to scratch the surface. Regarding the SIMS, that's where I felt things went awry. The research question was simple, as were two of the SIMS. Two were a little more difficult but I felt I was able to do decent on them (hopefully). One was on the more difficult side with how it was worded (did my best), and one looked damn near impossible. That one I didn't get to, and am praying that it was a pretest question. Regardless, I knew what my weaknesses were going into the exam and sure enough, I got hit hard on a few of them. More time and I would've better prepared.

I painted myself into a corner with my tests and that wasn't a wise move. I paid for all 4 in early March and have until 9/6 to take them. I didn't start studying until 5/1 (paid a bunch in rescheduling fees too) and there was a major learning curve that I went through on how to study which took a few weeks to get down. AUD is scheduled for 7/8, REG for 8/6, and BEC for 9/3. I'm writing off AUD and pushing that to the back of the bus to ease my schedule.

Starting Monday, I'm going to start restudying for FAR and act like I failed. I'm going to hit the SIMS extra hard, because I definitely didn't give them a good enough focus the 1st time around. I do feel that the Wiley books under prepare you for the SIMS. The ones I saw on the exam seemed more representative of what Becker provides. So, I'm going to redo all the MCQ's (the ones that Yaeger assigns with their trim the fat approach) from the Wiley book and all the SIMS from Becker. The general consensus or majority opinion from what I've been able to gather is that if you fail a section, ESPECIALLY FAR, is to go right back to it. So if I find out I passed FAR on the 21st, I'm going to push REG up a week to give myself 5 weeks per test. If I failed FAR, I'm taking it immediately at the beginning of July.

I can say that writing out my own flashcards was probably the most beneficial thing that I did. But you want to get a decent grasp on the material first, so that way what you're jotting down will be pure gold.

FAR (6/9/16) - 81

[Anonymous]

so you are using yaeger, becker, and wiley? i have hard time juggling ninja and the becker book. make sure that these mutliple prep packages and the different order/style they are arranging the topics in aren't doing more harm than good.

[nolan7120]

I'm using only two sources; the Wiley books (and doing Phil's recommended problems) along with Becker to supplement. I didn't choose this path outright; this path found me based upon my purchases along with trial and error. Yaeger uses the Wiley books which was provided when I signed up for their course awhile back. Their lectures didn't mesh well with me. Not that I gave them much of a chance…. I think I watched maybe 3 tops before deciding to mix it up. I've heard wonderful things about Cindy, but she talks way too fast for me. Someone posted something about her method of using fake cash JE's (sounded like a good idea) to get through the SOCF's which I'm going to toy with when I go back to the material next week.

Many of the questions I've come across using Becker are the same as the ones out of the Wiley books. I hear you on the juggling of the material but it's not as bad as it seems. Took a little bit of getting used to but I'm very happy with my adaptation. If I had just stuck with Becker, I wouldn't have been ready to take FAR. Not that I was ready when I took it to begin with lol… One more week of study time would've made a huge difference. Everything that Becker goes over in their lectures are also in the Wiley books.

I would watch the Becker lectures, and then just find the appropriate section in Wiley and just do what Yaeger recommended. Everyone learns differently. I found that the best approach for me was to teach myself and not rely on someone else to convey the material. Although bits and pieces of the lectures are helpful here and there. All comes down to cost/benefit…

FAR (6/9/16) - 81

[pk314]

@nolan7120, wow thank you for all the helpful advice. Good luck with the rest and hopefully you passed FAR the first time!

[Author]

Replies