[UConn_CPA]

I know doing tons of MCQs is essential for success. I have the Wiley testbank, and as a newbie, the sheer number of questions is a bit intimidating.

1. Will I have enough time to work through all of them between now and January 18?

2. What was your strategy for tackling “nonstop” MCQs?

REG - 78
BEC - 79
FAR - 71, 78
AUD - 67, 85

--------------------
*Wiley books & test bank
*Roger books & videos
*NINJA audio
*NINJA MCQ
*Study Blue for flashcards

[acamp]

I would make my own testlets, so 30 MCQs each. I usually did single topic testlets to better gauge where I needed the most work. This can also help quantify your timeline, ie: say there are 15 topics to make 15 testlets, doing 3 testlets a day (WITH REVIEW) can have you through them in 5 days. From start over again with the topics that didnt go so well.

Ninja + Wiley Test Bank: [FAR - 81] [REG - 76] [BEC - 88] [AUD - 73](doh!)

Becker Videos: [AUD - 82]

California CPA

[William_777]

I'm also pretty new, but I did Regs last month. I do not know about the Wiley Test Bank, as I am in Becker, but I assume they are similar.

Here's some suggestions I know so far.

First, when I go through the MCQ's, I do not expect to get a lot of it right. So my approach is like – I just try to be myself – think like a normal person who knows nothing about accounting might respond to the questions… I try not stress over it at all… Whether I get the question right or wrong, I ALWAYS read the explanations Becker offers, so, if I get it right, then I make sure I got it right for the right reason…

Second, I keep a running journal of my weaknesses, so I can review them and strengthen areas I need to more… also, if you can spot patterns (repeated questions), then I'd make note of those…

Third, I try not to get stuck on any particular topics… You cannot predict what they will give you on the test, so, unless you get some inspiration to venture out into a specific area of study, then it's probably better to take a general approach, lest ye overcompensate…

Fourth, I run through the question sets over and over… Becker autogrades the count, and I've noticed my scores will drastically increase using the methods above… My scores seem to increase about 30% around each session…

Fifth, if you absolutely have to guess, then go for B or C.. Seriously, A & D are the answers 20% of the time each, and B & C are the answers 30% of the time each… So, if you know the answer is not C or D, then you stand a slightly better shot at guessing B than A…

Sixth, keep pace… I find there are three phases to review questions… 1.) Reading the Problem, 2.) Selecting the answer, and 3.) Understanding the explanation… If you give yourself 6 mins per question, then you have 2 mins at each phase… This should be plenty… Far more than Becker recommends, but Becker only recommends 100 hours of study time, whereas I would about triple that… You have to do the math there to see what's right for you…

Seventh, lastly, my Practice Test score almost mirrored the real grade to the T, so benchmark your work… Make sure you pass a hurdle rate prior to buying/scheduling your seat…

Good luck,

$.02

wm

[g_freeman]

I am a proponent of doing mass amounts of MC questions after you've tackled the overarching concepts. Here's the key to that: DON'T GET FRUSTRATED. Once you get frustrated, you lose your focus and progress. Stick to tackling what you get wrong and understanding why you got it wrong.

Remember, when you get a MC wrong in the test bank, you're not taking the exam! Better to get it wrong here than on the exam! Work through them, read the explanations, and stay positive.

FAR - 94
AUD - 99
REG - 88
BEC - TBD

[FearTheBeard]

@g_freeman

Morgan Freeman, you're spot on, as usual. Solid advice from a wise sage. You know what it is.

[samdiegoCPA]

I also use the Wiley test bank online and do practice tests in sets of 30. It's easier to focus then doing like 100 at a time. My first exam, I did not write notes about the questions I got wrong, but I will be this time. I will also be doing progress tests after each chapter (I use Roger) which I did not do the first time. (I failed FAR a few wks ago)

@William has great points that I will utilize as well!

AUD: 84
REG: 84
BEC: 79
FAR: 83

[Anonymous]

Understanding why I answered one correctly or incorrectly. This is the single greatest thing I learned from this forum. I would have always made a point to understand why I got something wrong. However, without advice from the forum I would not have spent the time to understand why I got one right and would instead assume I know the topic.

[Noct]

So far I've passed 3 sections, and the only study aid I've used is the Wiley books. I don't read the book or work any practice sims. I just do the MCQ over and over until I get 85% on each module. Each time, I review the answer explanation or the reading material to make sure I understand why I got questions wrong then I move on to my next weakest section.

I find this to be a highly efficient method of study because I automatically spend more time on my weaker areas. I would say that I spend about 40 hours of study time per section (I tried AUD on 20 hours and failed). As you can tell from my signature, I could probably bump up my scores if I devoted another 10-20 hours, but all I need is a 75 and my time is valuable.

Now, one might think that the test bank would work well for my strategy, afterall it's just a ton of MCQ right?

Wrong. The test bank has too much material in my opinion. My method relies upon the repetition of seeing the same questions over and over, so I prefer the books.

There are only so many ways they can ask the same question.

Some might criticize my lack of practice sims, but the fact is that the concepts in the sims are covered in the MCQ, and I find working MCQ to be more time efficient. Besides, you have access to the authoritative literature for the sim portion of the actual exam. So if you burn through the MCQ quickly, you will have plenty of time to lookup info to answer the sims.

FAR - 79 - 07/2012
AUD - 65, 78 - 11/2012
BEC - 76 - 11/2012
REG - 78 - 01/2013
ETH - 98 - 01/2013

Material: Wiley books

[UConn_CPA]

Thanks to everyone for this great advice!

@William_777 – thanks for such a detailed outline!

REG - 78
BEC - 79
FAR - 71, 78
AUD - 67, 85

--------------------
*Wiley books & test bank
*Roger books & videos
*NINJA audio
*NINJA MCQ
*Study Blue for flashcards

[Author]

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