[Anonymous]

Just wanted to make this post for anyone thinking they don’t have a shot because they didn’t go through the sims for one reason or another,

for all three parts, I didn’t practice sims and ended with passing grades. Granted they were not in the 90s, but still enough to pass.

My strategy was to review CPAExcel materials, do the MCQ after each section (did not watch lectures, just read book), and then use Jeff’s most given advice –> do MCQ religiously.

I’m not saying sims are useless, since they help you gain a better understanding. However, if you’re tight on time, forget the sims, and focus on MCQ !!

Good luck to all

[mla1169]

Mod I believe aftrr the hundreds of posts I've seen here over the last 3 years from people who haven't practiced a single sim yet somehow passed the exam (and not all by a slim margin either) safe to say the evidence is conclusive that one CAN pass without ever practicing SIMS. I agree with you that it's wise to practice as many SIMS as possible but the evidence is already out there for your “experiment”.

FAR- 77
AUD -49, 71, 84
REG -56,75!
BEC -75

Massachusetts CPA (non reporting) since 3/12.

[Rocky123]

“Sniping a 75, or even a score close to it, is more luck than actual intelligence.”

I disagree. Unless you have a strong background in the majority of the material in FAR (which, frankly, not many people do), a 75 is not luck. It is hard work. This test is about determination, etc., but I think there is a fair share of intelligence involved. An average joe is not going to get “lucky” on the CPA exam and get a 75.

The tallest oak in the forest was once just a little nut that held its ground.

AUD-PASS
BEC-PASS
REG-PASS
FAR-PASS

Rocky123, CPA

[Skynet]

Working a lot of the Sims helps reinforced the materials and concepts that I have studied especially for REG.

[EverybodyswaitingfortheCPA]

@M.O.D. – now you're just being facetious! 🙂

BEC - ✔ REG - ✔ AUD - ✔ FAR - ✔

Becker + NINJA MQCs for FAR

Licensed January 2015

[M.O.D.]

I agree about the luck factor. Sure you have to know a lot of material to pass, but the difference between knowing a subject that is on the test, say NFP and not knowing it could mean 2-5 points depending on how deeply it is tested.

So that 75 could have easily been a 72 if a subject you did not know came up, or vice versa, a subject you knew well did come up.

I knew many subjects, but did not know NFP well enough (I got a comparable on the report). The difference (one or two tough questions) could have meant 2-3 points.

And regarding Sims, I don't believe a word of it. Anyone who says they passed by a large margin without practicing Sims is just bragging. What about all those accounting problems in college, were they not Sims? In fact I remember the college exams being 90% Sims and 10% MCQs.

Someone will say that does not count as CPA test preparation? Don't even bother saying it.

BA Mathematics, UC Berkeley
Certificates in CPA and EA preparation, College of San Mateo
CMA I 420, II 470
FAR 91, AUD Feb 2015 (Gleim self-study)

[Hari Seldon]

As CarneAsada said, the sims are just an application of the concepts. If you understand the concepts, you really don't need to practice any SIMS or MCQ to prepare for the exam. Of course, doing both would be best, but with the simulations they can be in so many different forms that you may not end up getting anything close to what you practiced. Plus you have the research materials available to use if you need help with the conceptual part so it's not impossible to go in without practicing any sims and still do well. Practicing MCQ is more useful in my opinion, because your practice questions are going to resemble the exam more, as all of them will have the same element of a question and 4 possible answers to choose from.

I did not practice any sims for FAR or AUD, nor did I do half the MCQ for either, and I did fine. I understood the concepts fairly well given 2 years of work in an accounting department and another 10+ months as an auditor.

I didn't practice “sims” for BEC either but that's a different matter.

FAR - 90
REG - 90
BEC - 91
AUD - 99

[syoung123]

I think there are lots of people who have proved it's possible to pass without practicing SIMS (myself included for AUD, FAR, and BEC).

REG (July 2014) - Pass
AUD (Aug 2014) - Pass
FAR - (Nov 2014) - Pass
BEC - (Dec 2014) - Pass

Licensed Colorado CPA (February 2015)

DONE!!!!

[Skynet]

I think you also have to consider the risks and costs as well too. Taking the CPA exams requires a huge amount of resources both financial and nonfinancial such as time. Some candidates may not have such resources. Candidates not having the financial resources may not want to take the risks and will do all that is necessary to pass and it goes for candidates who may not have the time. No one wants to be taking the exams forever and if doing Sims helps increase their chances then they will put in he time and effort to give them the best chance of passing. If you think about the costs that candidates have dropped for he exams it's in the thousands of dollars.

[taxgeek83]

I'll go ahead and at least partially agree with the luck factor in the context that “luck” pertains to the test you get, not necessarily guessing the answers correctly. Even on the questions I was totally lost on I was able to make some degree of an educated guess. I just couldn't have told you for certain if I had the right answer or not. I'm with Rocky on this one:

“An average joe is not going to get “lucky” on the CPA exam and get a 75.”

Aside from that, I know full well that there were a couple of topics in my FAR materials that I did not understand going into test day, and that's probably what lead to my failing the exam the first time I took it. Everyone's exams are different (obviously), and I may have been able to pass a different one with no problem. Instead I got some new materials and put some more time into studying to make sure I was going to be ready to go on the second shot. Circling back to the SIM part – would I have passed it the first time had I practiced a few SIMs on those topics? Maybe. My educated guess says no….

[Herbieherb]

Another91.com for you guys

NEW YORK- DONE

[ScarletKnightCPA]

I don't know how much ‘luck' is involved in getting a 75. For 4 of my tests I did just multiple choice questions (nothing else including no sims) and scored just above 75 for 3 of them minus bec first try. The difference between my bec score and and other tests are probably attributed to the simulations as bec doesn't have simulations.

Now… for Regulation, I tried to first try something different, instead of purely grinding out mcq I decided to sit there and read the wiley regulation book cover from cover and do the practice questions as prompted in my reading took me 3 months… I failed with something like a 61. Second shot I went back to just mcq and I passed.

I did do something like 15,000 multiple choice questions however.

Far: 76 (Wiley Test Bank)
Aud: 77 (Wiley Test Bank)
Reg: 61, 76 (Wiley book, Wiley Test Bank)
Bec: 86 (Wiley Test Bank)

MBA in progress

[M.O.D.]

This thread is more and more entertaining with each post. It is also more and more absurd. 15,000 MCQs = 76?

I did 3000 MCQs for FAR and got a 91

But I also practiced Sims and rewrote notes

But I don't think the question is what we all did to pass? That is “water under the bridge.” The question is what everyone else should do.

Now that we passed at least one, we are expert accounting teachers, no?

BA Mathematics, UC Berkeley
Certificates in CPA and EA preparation, College of San Mateo
CMA I 420, II 470
FAR 91, AUD Feb 2015 (Gleim self-study)

[jeff]

“Hey kids, look – a deer!”

Jeff Elliott, CPA (KS) | Another71 | NINJA CPA | NINJA CMA | NINJA CPE

[EverybodyswaitingfortheCPA]

Oh nothing like a little comic relief for what seems to be a sore subject to some! 🙂

BEC - ✔ REG - ✔ AUD - ✔ FAR - ✔

Becker + NINJA MQCs for FAR

Licensed January 2015

[zoctoman]

I think it is important to study at least a couple simulations. Let's just compare these 2 scenarios.

1. Practice 3 or 4 simulations and get a feel for the format and what types of things will be tested on. Maybe get a few of the parts correct and build a little confidence. The parts you do bad on you can say “well i probably won't see them on the test anyways and now I have a good idea how sims work in general”

2. Don't practice any simulations and spend more time than it would take to practice 3 or 4 of them going online wondering if you can still pass the exam without practicing simulations. Meanwhile, as the test approaches and you know you haven't practiced any simulations you start to wonder if this is going to hurt you on the exam. You end up spending enough time to practice 10-15 simulations wondering if by not practicing simulations are you going to fail.

So….I recommend practicing a few simulations to get a feel for them and then spend less time worrying about if you will do worse on the test because you didn't practice them!!

Audit(11/5/13) - 89
Reg(5/16/14) - 86
FAR(7/18/14) - 82
BEC(11/14) - 85

[Author]

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