[Anonymous]

Hi All,

I’m currently feeling hopeless about this monster of an exam. I have honestly never failed anything in my life, but am unable to pass this exam. I have taken BEC and Audit both three times each; managing to fail within points. I truly put in the time/effort required to “pass”, but I’m seeing no results.

Prep wise, I’m using Becker. It’s ok for Audit, aside from the SIMS which I also supplemented with Wiley CPA Excel. I went through 140 SIMs, and literally did not have one which was similar on the exam the last time I took it. I also keep getting this one SIM in AUD that is a FAR topic…I’ve tried to gather information about it everywhere, with no avail. It can be interpreted many ways, and I need to see an example to understand the rationale. My SIMs are what is killing me on the Audit exam, and I have bad luck with these, so of course I’m getting the “bad” SIMS…

As for BEC, I truly feel as though Becker is absolutely horrible to use in preparation for this. I feel like I am blindsided every time I have taken this exam with questions/topics I have never seen before. The last time I took this exam in the May window, I literally had at least 6-10 calculations in EACH testlet. I’m never one to blame the prep, or a teacher for example, but I seriously get 80’s or 90’s on all my homework/practice exams in Becker, yet fail the exams. Is there any way to prepare more effectively for this? I also purchased the NINJA MCQ, which helped a little, but this was my lowest score yet.

On a side note, how would one figure out what number would represent the risk-free rate using the CAPM pricing model when it is not provided? In everything I have ever seen on this, it is given…but I had come across this question, and all that was provided was the market rate, and beta. I obviously tried to plug in the numbers provided as the answer, but the final result was not given either…So, I’m confused as to how this would be figured out with neither the risk-free rate, or the solution is provided to back track. I’ve also researched this as well, and it’s nearly impossible to calculate the risk-free rate, not to mention extremely dangerous when done in practice.

I apologize for the lengthy post, but I am completely at my wits end with these two exams. It’s one thing to not put in the time and fail, but I feel it’s unfair when I get to an exam and am given questions I have NEVER seen before, with merely a sentence or two mentioned in the Becker prep with very general information about the topic. Any advice/recommendations would be much appreciated and extremely helpful. Oh, and my Becker also ran up, and although I am using a friends, I think that is terrible considering all the “promises” were met on my end. Pleas help.

-Hopeless

[Skynet]

One thing you have to understand about the Review Course and the actual Exam itself is that they are totally different.

The Review course is there to show you how to solve the problems in the exam and not give you the same exact problems.

You have to take what you have studied and learn and apply it to the question they give you. I had the same situation with AUD where I had a Sim that was FAR related. I was a little shocked, but I took a deep breath, relaxed, and think back what I had learned in FAR, then applied it to the Sim. Sometimes, you just have to take a deep breath and reset. If you are close to passing, you just need to refine your understanding of the materials.

BEC is a totally different animal. You have to know the formulas and how to perform multiple steps to get the correct answer. That means, you will often have to work backwards. I had to do problems over and over again in order to be able to memorize the formulas and be able to apply them.

When you are working the Sims, make sure you are also understanding the materials in the Sims too. Working the Sims is a way of reinforcing what you have learned rather than just working all mcq's and believe me it had helped me alot.

The thing that sucks about the exam is that there will be questions that will have 4 similar answers. Unfortunately, you have to be able to tell the different between the 4 because one word will make the whole difference whether it is right or wrong.

[Anonymous]

Your post is too long, please post summary of your questions.

[Anonymous]

These exams are a beast. I feel like this process has taken longer than getting my actual degree. I attempted this before years ago, but what I realized is I didn't really attempt it, I was kidding myself. This time, I am really trying.

AUD totally broke me down, I have failed that exam more times than I want to admit, I realized for my situation I was not thinking as an Auditor when studying and testing. And I missed all of those little words that totally change an answer from correct to incorrect. The last time I took it, I slowed down and focused on the “major areas” in full detail and then knew enough about everything else. Finally passed.

FAR I had to use 3 different review courses before I found a good combo. I used Becker for the book/mcq and Roger Cram videos to learn the big processes more in depth (leases, bonds, cash flow, etc.) I could not pass it with Becker alone.

Good luck, you can do it. You just need to tweak it a bit! Don't give up!

[Anonymous]

Thanks Skynet, appreciate the response. I think I also need to relax with this exam. I understand the prep is to be used as a guide, but I panic and get really bad test anxiety (blank out) when I am given something I have seen nothing on. Guess my flight mechanism trumps my fight…I am also having difficulty with what you mentioned about that one word making all the difference. I feel like with BEC, the formulas are just guides as well; not really working in every problem given, due to what is being asked in each, and most times until the very end. Do you have any tips regarding how to differentiate how you work problems/apply formulas to better adapt? Cost is a sensitive subject for almost every accountant I feel, and at times I am often very confused as to arrive at an answer by using a set formula (ie: joint cost allocation). Thanks!

[Anonymous]

Thanks 2ndgoround, I agree I need to tweak my plan and appreciate your feedback.

[Skynet]

Unfortunately, the only way I learned was through repetition. You don't know how many practice tests I have created before i finally got the hang of it. Also, I wrote out all the formulas and took it everywhere I went and look at it when I had some spare time.

[MaLoTu]

I may be a little off base here, but it sounds like you could be having trouble because you are memorizing the questions and not actually applying what you have learned. It is an easy trap to fall into.

I don't think you can blame not being ready for the formula problems on Becker because 2 of the chapters are dedicated to formulas (practically), and they pop up in almost all the chapters.

REG was the first test that I passed. I feel that mixing up the questions helped (using different sites, not just Becker) and also really working through the questions, like Synet suggested. I physically wrote out everything I was doing and I talked myself through it.

[PleaseDontDeleteThanks]

I'm studying for BEC now using Becker and Ninja MCQ + audio. Ninja kicks Becker's butt on MCQ (90% vs. 70's%)…but it may be because I've memorized the Becker questions at this point.

You said “I truly put in the time/effort required to “pass”, but I'm seeing no results.” I think you should prove to yourself how hard you are studying. You need to log your study time in Excel. Try this format for the date without quotation:

Beginning date/time “7/1/2015 4:48:00 PM”

Ending date/time “7/1/2015 6:00:00 PM”

Then, take your ending =(end cell-beginning cell)*24

It's simple, but it might work.

FAR 72, 89
BEC 80
REG 90
AUD 79

[Missy]

A change in technique can go a long way as well. I passed FAR and BEC on my first attempt, and REG on my 2nd without ever writing notes. AUD was my nemesis.

When I took the ninja notes and copied them word for word three times over (10 pages per day, so it took ~9 days to rewrite them one time, 30 days to do it three times over) I increased my score from a 71 to an 82.

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

[Zuly]

I was feeling terribly discouraged when I started studying for BEC with Roger because I understood everything when he went over the material but when I went to apply it to the MCQs I was at a loss. Most lecturers go over the material at a high level and use examples but don't really use the actual AICPA questions to teach from. However, when I did some research I found that Yaegar does this very well. They use the Wiley book and work tons of questions from the book so now when I go tackle the questions I know what I'm doing. Cindy is really great, especially for all the formulas and computation…goes through all the steps, shows you tips on how to read the MCQs and work them out. It's been a real life saver. Not sure if you can afford a new program but if you are at your wits end I'd look into that. They even have demos on their site you can check out.

FAR - (11/01/14) 71 (02/07/15) 79
AUD - (04/30/15) 86
BEC - (07/21/15) 73 (10/01/15) 75
REG - (11/30/15) 55 (05/19/16) 74

[Anonymous]

Overall, I just think your expectations of how difficult these exams are are not in line with reality.

First, you have to disabuse yourself of the notion that your exams have been unfairly difficult. You hear a lot of people complaining that they got particularly brutal Sims or a lot of wordy, complex MCQs and just didn't have time to go over everything thoroughly. That happens. But it doesn't happen 3 times in a row on 2 different exam sections.

Also, 6 to 10 calculations in each testlet of the BEC exam is not uncommon. I took BEC in April. I had a ton of calculations on my exam. I've heard others report that as many as 40% of their exam questions were calculations, which would be 9 or 10 out of 24 questions in each testlet. BEC is largely a math exam. You have to be prepared for that. Repetition is key.

I would also suggest that if you are legitimately scoring in the 80s and 90s on your practice tests and failing the real tests, it's because you have memorized a lot of the correct answers without realizing it or because you are relying too much on the book, notes, etc., while answering the questions, so you are not really learning how to work through them under exam-like conditions (i.e. where you wouldn't have a book or notes available).

It is also entirely possible that Becker isn't the best fit for your learning style. I personally think Becker will work for anyone who can afford it and is willing to use it properly. But maybe it really is time for you to try something else.

[Ag12thman]

CaseyTX, I see that you used Becker and was wondering if you could please share with us how you used it. I am using Becker as well (working on FAR), but am unsure of the method I'm using – mainly the one Becker advocates in their software. Did you maybe more of a NINJA study routine instead? Just curious. Thanks.

FAR: July 2016

[Anonymous]

FAR was my first exam, and, not knowing what to expect, I read every page of the text and watched every minute of every lecture. I only did about half of the homework questions. I spent most of my practice time doing progress tests (not the full-length practice exams … just the progress tests at the end of each section of the software). I also used NINJA MCQ, audio, and flashcards pretty extensively. I bought the flashcards and final review for Becker, but I did not use those much at all.

For REG, I followed pretty much the same procedure as for FAR.

For AUD, I just kind of coasted. I hated the material, knew I had done well on the previous tests, and thought I could get by with just reading the book. Didn't watch the lectures, didn't practice many questions, didn't really use the NINJA products at all for this one. My score pretty much reflects that. I don't recommend taking it quite so easy because I did quite poorly on the MCQ sections of the exam. I nailed the Sims, and that's the only reason I passed.

For BEC, I really, really needed to pass it on the first try for career reasons, so I buckled down and hit it really hard. Listened to nearly all the lectures, read and re-read the text, and did so many MCQs I wanted to shove a piece of barbed wire through my ears and floss my brain. I used NINJA MCQs and flashcards as well.

My honest assessment is that a solid text like Becker plus loads of MCQs are the way to pass. Becker and NINJA are a good pair here because although you will see some of the same questions in each system, NINJA presents a lot of questions and formats you will not see in Becker, so it's unlikely that you will get to the point of memorizing every question (but if you do, then you are almost certainly way overprepared for the exam). I really liked the NINJA audio because I could listen to it while commuting, working out, etc., and it really reinforces the concepts. And the NINJA flashcard system for phone/tablet is great because it's not just question/answer; you can indicate your own perceived level of mastery of each question, and it will keep pounding away at the questions you haven't mastered while asking the ones you have mastered less often.

[Ag12thman]

CaseyTX, that's good stuff – thanks for posting all of that and giving your input.

You stated this:

“And the NINJA flashcard system for phone/tablet is great because it's not just question/answer; you can indicate your own perceived level of mastery of each question, and it will keep pounding away at the questions you haven't mastered while asking the ones you have mastered less often.”

So, I am not sure I quite follow what you mean. Do the NINJA flashcards ask questions, basically? I have not used phone/tablet type flashcards before, so that may be a dumb question. Sorry in advance if it is.

So, just to make sure I follow – you basically read the texts, watched videos (for some sections and not for others), and worked multiple choice questions like your life depended on them, basically? You did not take any notes and/or rewrite any notes?

Thanks again.

FAR: July 2016

[ragepsn29]

Hi Dam8,

I did not passed my first section until my fifth time. I changed my study materials around to see which one is working for me. When I passed BEC, I only used Ninja Book and Wiley MCQ Bank. You can probably switch Wiley MCQ Bank with Ninja MCQ. Ninja Book did really help me a lot. When I read the book, I also took notes. After I finished with the book, I made flashcards of important concepts and formulas from my notes.

About your question regarding market risk-free rate, it can be calculated. I had similar question on my last BEC exam. You need to understand what Beta is. What does Beta represent.

AUD - 65, 72, 70, 74, 81
FAR - 66, 71, 76
REG - 69
BEC - 80

[Author]

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