[Anonymous]

I just finished reading a thread asking about Becker MCQs vs. the actual exam MCQs for FAR. The general consensus seems to be (and I’ve heard this before from friends) that MCQs are harder on Becker than the actual exam. That is a huge relief and confidence boost, considering I’ve been doing above average on the MCQs.

However, it seems like there is no real rhythm to the sims. Is it really that random? People say Becker sims are nothing like the real exam sims. Can anyone elaborate on this? Without divulging specific details about the exam, can someone please recommend what to concentrate my studies on for the sims? For example, are there a lot of journal entries, or are they more word-based? Considering the sims are 40% of the exam, I’m kind of freaking out reading people’s responses about the sims. My exam is on January 7th, so any last-minute help would be much appreciated.

 

 

[kctiger]

I too would be curious to know this. Should we even waste time on the Becker sims if they are not even relatively comparable to the real sims? I'm assuming the most you get out of it is the experience of actual exam situations and how to navigate the user interface? I am also under the impression the real sims go into a lot of journal entry detail. Is this correct?

[xytron]

From my FAR experience, the actual exam sims were harder than the becker ones. I had a couple that were so wordy, I started getting dizzy from reading so much. Some of the becker ones are hard, and I would recommend doing all of them. However, the point is to really understand the material presented. Honestly, if you know your stuff well, you don't even have to practice sims, since they were wildcards on the actual exams. But doing the becker sims will give you some practice as to what type of sims might come up, since some of mine on the actual exam were similar to becker. All in all, focus on doing multiple choices more than the sims. If you understand multiple choice questions thoroughly, you can apply it in doing your sims.

FAR - 76
AUD - 90
REG - 78
BEC - 80

PASSED!!!

Used Becker and NINJA notes.

[mrwills12]

You should still do the Becker sims because if nothing else it shows you how things may be tested on the actual exam. Also it will show you if you know the basic concepts of different topics. The sims are hard in the sense of the material that is covered in each one of them. They often throw abunch of info at you that may or may not be needed. That is what makes them hard/different from Becker. In Becker, most of the time only the info that is needed is given.

FAR - 88 (Jul 2012)
AUD - 85 (Oct 2012)
BEC - 82 (Nov 2012)
REG - 92 (Jan 2013) DONE!

Using Becker Self Study 2012

[Zaq]

Becker introduces you to the format. It's a VERY good learning tool. Study them.

However, the FAR Sims from my experience were scary. Realize that the testing center can take ANY topic whether it be Acquisitions, Inventory Valuations, Nonmonetary Exchanges, or even filling out Govt/NFP Cash Flow statements. It's hard to pin point so your best bet is to make sure you know how to solve these kind of problems thoroughly.

Do not memorize the answers to your multiple choice questions. Always know exactly how you reached an answer.

That's the best advice I can give.

FAR: 50, 76!
REG: 74... (ouch baby, very ouch), 76!
AUD: 65, 91!?
BEC: 80! Aaaand doneskies!

May 2012 to August 2013. Can't believe it's over.

[ImaCPA168]

If you have time I would definitely recommend practicing them. You will be much settled and less likely to be thrown for a loop if you practice some SIMs before taking the actual exam. Having some confidence at the exam (however small in amount) always helps!

It is true that the practice SIMs are less wordy and easier than the ones you will encounter on the actual test. And what you will get on the day of your exam in terms of topic is totally random. But it is still good to practice and I'm going to list reasons why IMO you should still practice them. So don't consider the Becker practice SIMs a waste of time.

1. You will be familiar with the potential variety of topics and formats

2. You will be familiar with how to attack the SIMs

3. Sometimes, you will get a harder version of a SIM that you've practiced, increasing your chances that you will approach it the right way and be able to answer it

4. You will have a chance to practice the research SIMs. They are easy points if you know how to do them and do them correctly. But can quickly eat up your precious minutes if you're stubbornly stuggling with it.

5. The practice SIMs will help you assess if you have any weakness when it comes to the SIMs. They are different than MCQs and you have to do them after 3 MCQ testlets when you are mentally exhausted. If you're doing poorly on the easier practice ones at home, then you know that you need more work–whether in the understanding of the topic, or just how to answer a SIM correctly. Sometimes not thoroughly reading the instructions and forgetting to put in negative signs, commas, and decimals, or entering answers in the wrong areas will do you in.

In addition to practicing the Becker SIMs (Wiley has acceptable SIMs as well), definitely use the AICPA practice exam website. Take the 4-5 MCQs and the 3-4 SIMs. I have gotten similar SIMs (and MCQs) on my exam that I practiced on the AICPA practice exam website. Of course the ones on the real exam were longer and more involved, but I smiled with confidence when I saw the familiar topics and formats. A couple of MCQs were word for word exactly the same.

Good luck!

B - 83 Done
A - 88 Done
R - 81 Done
F - 77 Done

Ethics - Done
Attest Hours - Done

Licensed-May 2013!

[higher_flyer]

From my point of view, the SIMS you end up with are so random that you can't really generalize from others' experiences. Literally five of the seven I got were on par with the easy-to-medium SIMS in Becker. More lengthy, but not more difficult at all. I was actually shocked how simple two of them were.

Just practice your Becker and/or Wiley and you'll be fine. As others have said, knowing the material is the primary key, and knowing how to attack the SIM format in general will help you move as quickly as possible through each.

The other key is not to panic about the SIMS, but to focus on getting through the MCQ's with adequate time to wade through each SIM. I would bet that few of them would be truly impossible if it weren't for the damn time limit ticking away.

And, yeah, Becker MCQ's were waaaaay harder than the actual exam. Thank god!

REG 95 Aug '12
FAR 95 Dec '12
AUD 99 Apr '13
BEC 94 Jul '13
CA PETH 94 Oct '13

[kctiger]

I have heard nightmares about FAR sims. I have also looked up the grading on the exam, but clarification would be great if you have it. For the sims, they are totally random and predetermined. Do they grade sims differently? I assume you get partial credit, correct? For instance, if you get one number wrong on the entire sim, they don't just automatically count the whole sim wrong, right? Also, I would think that if you run into a sim that is completely out of left field, odds are most people will have trouble with it. In this case, wouldn't the curve be impacted by that? In other words, if almost every person who got that sort of sim did poorly, I would think it shouldn't impact your score as much (assuming you did well on the other exam parts).

[ImaCPA168]

@kctiger

After taking all 4 sections, I feel that FAR was the most straight forward exam. No trickiness. No topics that came from left field. Of course on test day, there were questions that felt like they came from left field. But they didn't. The topics were just ones I chose to skip or didn't have time to cover adequately. FAR was a hard section because of the sheer amount of stuff to learn, but the exam questions were not tricky.

For SIMS, try to fill everything in. Even if you have no idea. Pick up the partial points where you can. Some of the SIMs are likely to be pretest. But don't bother yourself with trying to figure out which, I don't think you'll be able to. The only thing you can control is how well you are prepared and how well you perform on test day.

Practice SIMs at home. If you're doing well at home, chances are you'll be just fine come test day. Good luck!

B - 83 Done
A - 88 Done
R - 81 Done
F - 77 Done

Ethics - Done
Attest Hours - Done

Licensed-May 2013!

[Tina82]

Bump; good sim thread, maybe people have more input.

R - 74;88
A - 84
B - 74;89
F - no study = 67; May 15 = 87 & done

[Anonymous]

Pound JEs instead

[nashville79]

Great thread. Probably one of the most relevant threads out here. FAR is no joke.The MC are manageable, but SIMS – all over the board. Pretty hard to prep. Agree with dedigans – JEs are a better use of your time. Yes, it would be optimal to work every SIM out there, but that's not realistic for anyone with a life. My personal thought is to do as well as possible on the MC and survive the SIMS. Most of that comes down to time management. Allow yourself enough time to make good guesses when necessary and use the research tab as needed.

[NikkiSkupnjak]

I think the best way to prepare for the SIMS are:

1. Make your own flash cards with the journal entries and transactions you have trouble with. Organize them by your review chapters or subject areas.

2. When you are doing multiple choice, work the ENTIRE problem and write out the journal entries involved–even if the question is only asking you for a number. Then check your work afterwards. The SIMS are more like expanded multiple choice questions that ask you for more detail over a series of events that happen.

FAR 92
AUD 99
REG 94
BEC

Becker Self-Study, Wiley Test Bank

[Anonymous]

@NikkiSkupnjak 2nd point is very good advice.

My two easiest Becker sections to review for were classes where my professor just made us pound out JE's all class. You HAD to learn the material, there was no zombieing your way through class. No stupid lectures over Power Points. Just doing. The more you do, the more you learn.

[memmy29]

Yes! J/Es are killing me. I know the material well, but when it comes to the SIMS I freeze trying to recall the journal entries. Does anyone else have luck with memorizing J/Es via flashcards or another method?

AUD-84, REG-75, BEC-84, FAR-77

Licensed CPA

CIA Exam
Part 1 - Passed
Part 2 - Passed
Part 3 - Passed

[Author]

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