[iamstrong]

Hello. I’m retaking FAR. I feel Becker is good for the concepts but the Ninja are really specific. I have 2 1/2 weeks for review. Are we just doing question after question? I really want to pass!

[MaLoTu]

I have a similar question. I have been using Becker and want to implement NINJA for my final review … I found it hard to do with BEC because I couldn't figure out how to focus on certain areas. Is there an option to work within a specific topic?

To your original question, Rglicher, I think a lot of people just do random sets until they hit the review phase, but once again I am not totally sure!

[CPA788]

@Rgleicher – Have you already purchased the NINJA MCQ? I am retaking FAR in the next window and was curious to hear how you felt by adding the NINJA to Becker. I feel like Becker is very good but I need just a little extra push.

BEC - 74, 77
FAR - 72, 71 (retake 7/29)
REG - 69
AUD - Q4 '16

CA Candidate

[iamstrong]

I'm finding some of the ninja are much harder than Becker, some are the same. Also, some Ninja topics were barely even talked about in Becker. People say great things about Ninja.

I'm hearing so many different things about review. I think Becker's questions are good with really good explanations. I'd rather keep doing questions than re-read the book? While I was studying I wrote things down in notebooks that I read before I go to sleep but all I keep hearing is the importance of doing questions.

[CPA788]

I can't grasp it when people who say the only way to pass is doing 2000+ MCQs to pass. Granted I haven't done that for FAR and I haven't passed, but I didn't do that many to pass BEC, nor do/did I have the capacity to. I do tend to just put back as many as I can and make sure I do the SIMS once (at least) as they tend to test your knowledge a little differently than MCQ. That is what I suggest – don't bother with the book unless you know that is a technique that sticks for you. I think there is definitely benefit to writing down questions you get wrong so you really learn the concept. I've gone through millions of pens it seems like so far.

I am getting overly familiar with the Becker FAR MCQs and need to get some new questions in my bank so I will prob give NINJA a try – thank you for the insight.

BEC - 74, 77
FAR - 72, 71 (retake 7/29)
REG - 69
AUD - Q4 '16

CA Candidate

[iamstrong]

I agree. I think it is quality over quantity? So, I'm going to follow becker and redo all the questions from the HW- but i'll just do the ones that I “marked” Have you used Becker? Did you do the optional questions for each chapter?

[Knight4CPA]

The people (like myself) who do over 2,000 questions learn through their failures on the MCQ software. Failing to success just like Thomas Edison!

AUD: 70, 80✔ (Expires 1/18/2017 - / Ninja MCQ / CPAExcel MCQ)
REG: 61, 70, 75✔ (Expires 2017 - Ninja MCQ / CPAExcel MCQ)
BEC: 78✔(Expires 5/17/2017 - Ninja MCQ / Becker Flashcards / NinjaNotes)
FAR: 57 (just to get trigger time I scheduled 1 week after REG) Retake 5/13/16

[CPA788]

@Rgleicher Yes, I've been using Becker every step of the way thus far. I do the optional questions during my review phase. I can barely squeeze out a chapter per week (while working full time) so I skip the optional ones first then go back. I also use the marking function and go back and do all of those ones again/few times. Then I'll do the review/progress tests as much as possible.

I'm going on my 3rd FAR attempt (after I take REG next week) so I'm kind of burnt out on the Becker material and am looking to mix it up a bit. Waiting on the green screens to process my app in Sacramento so I can schedule – I will never get over how archaic the process is for paying and scheduling a test as a non-first timer.

@Knight4CPA – Not sure what you mean by you learn by failures on the MCQ software? Isn't that what we are all doing who use a review course online? I take the time to research the answer and make sure I learn as I go, and with that approach I would never get 2000+ mcqs done? Do you not do the same?

BEC - 74, 77
FAR - 72, 71 (retake 7/29)
REG - 69
AUD - Q4 '16

CA Candidate

[bhunt815]

I used both Becker and Minja MCQ's for FAR and made an 84 my first attempt in April. I came away from that experience thinking that I didn't need both since so many of the questions are exactly the same. So, I used Becker only for Auditing, which I took in early May. I answered hundreds and hundreds of Becker MCQ's and wrote down down every miss for study notes (i must have had over 40 pages by the end). 80 was a low score on the MCQ's in the week before the test. I was surprised by how many questions on the Audit test were barely even touched in the Becker review. For example, the test featured the details of Governance and Audit Committee on maybe 6 or 8 questions. I can't remember a single question from the Becker review on those things. I might have passed, but I don't feel as confident as I should considering the amount of work I put in.

All that to say, I will likely spring for the Ninja MCQ's for BEC, which i take in early June.

FAR 04/11/2016 - 84
AUD 05/12/2016 - 79
BEC 07/06/2016 - 81
REG 08/29/2016

[iamstrong]

Thanks everyone. Honestly- there are so many questions in Becker. So i'm in the review stage going through the HW again. I also work full time so I have no idea how people are doing 100 MCQs a night? I just hope I can finish reviewing the HW, take the progress exam and then progress tests? I have no idea why Becker has a schedule of 6 weeks for FAR?

[Nessie]

@bhunt815, I felt the exact same way for AUD. I scored in the mid-high 80s for the Becker final exam and got a mere 80 on the actual CPA exam. I feel I only passed because I was given very easy SIMS. I also did not recognize much on the actual CPA exam, which was weird because I took both the review and final review with Becker.

@Rgleicher, I have been studying FAR (with Becker) since the beginning of MARCH! I am in grad school part time and I can barely do a chapter a week. Im just skimming chapter 10 at this point with a June 10th exam scheduled. I feel like a failure for spending so much time on this and can barely remember anything from March. I'm so done with Tim Gearty

REG Aug 20/15: 88
AUD: Feb 29/16: 80
FAR: Jun 10/16: 80
BEC?

Becker self-study, Becker Final Review & NINJA MCQS

[iamstrong]

It's nice to hear this from someone else. I'm just super overwhelmed. There is so much material and just when you feel confident in one area, you go on to another and feel like crap.

[iamstrong]

[CPA788]

@Nessie – I spent minimal time on F10 as well. Granted I have failed twice, but it was not due to F10. I don't think I saw even 2 questions on that chapter.

@Rgleicher – keep doin what you're doin. You guys are going to pass this window and I will be jealous! Keep at it!

BEC - 74, 77
FAR - 72, 71 (retake 7/29)
REG - 69
AUD - Q4 '16

CA Candidate

[iamstrong]

Well, FAR in 6 days. I'm doing NINJA now. Some of the questions are just like Becker. Some cover topics Becker never even mentioned. I only hear good things with NINJA so that is what I'll do until the exam. It's a little upsetting to see what I've forgotten but I'm here to review.

[Author]

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