HELP! I feel like Becker is not working… - Page 2

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    Topic
  • #184091
    alinute
    Participant

    Ok so I have been studying since September, 2013 with Becker and I have not passed any sections yet. I was extremely nervous about the CPA exam so I started out with BEC (since it’s a smaller section and I thought if I passed I would be pumped up for other parts). I sat for BEC in October and later found out that I got a 74, which was crushing! I have put so much time and effort into studying! I regrouped and started studying again for BEC, I bought Wiley Test Bank, NINJA audio and notes (which I thought were great), and redid all the questions and lectures in Becker. I had scheduled my retake to January 6th, 2014 and in the meantime I have scheduled FAR February 28th, 2014. BEC January 6th ended up getting canceled because of the Arctic Freeze in Chicago, so I rescheduled to January 13th. I sat for that exam, walked out feeling like I passed for sure this time.. Later found out that I got a 71! How is that even possible to get a lower score than the first time after I added in so much more material and redid Becker? I was so angry, I felt like I just got kicked in the face! So now since I had already scheduled FAR, I have been studying for it and I seriously feel like Becker is just not “sticking”. I can watch the lecture and after watching it I cannot remember anything that was covered in the lecture and the MCQ are a disaster to go through because most of the time I don’t learn anything from lecture. So needless to say I felt like I wasn’t ready for FAR and rescheduled to April 1st (NTS expires April 2nd), now I have another month to make sure I understand the material. I work full time, I come home exhausted, I study for 3 hours each night and 6 to 8 hours on each weekend day. I literally don’t do anything else other than work and study (I feel guilty even working out or going to dinner with a friend). I have all the motivation in the world to pass this exam, but i am starting to feel like Becker is just not doing it for me. I watched Roger CPA on youtube and it seems like those lectures are interesting and the couple videos I watched seemed to “stick”! Am I just panicking too much? I am so confused and not sure what to do. I am planning on taking FAR April 1st, BEC end of April and I think I might take AUD end of May. I feel like I have wasted so much time studying and I really cannot fail again, it’s so crushing! Please help and give me your thoughts, maybe some had a similar experience?

     
    “becker-cpa-review”/
     

    BEC:74,71,80
    FAR:57
    AUD:61
    REG:

    Switched from Becker to Roger in April.

Viewing 15 replies - 16 through 30 (of 44 total)
  • Author
    Replies
  • #524019
    F15hy
    Member

    Ok, how about you set a timer? Everrrryyyy liiiiike 15 or 20 min, you pause your video and summarize what you just heard in no more than 5 sentences. If nothing else, at least you are writing something down. And what I did when I rewrote my NINJA notes was, I would read 1-2 sentences and try to re-write those couple sentences w/o looking back at the notes. That way I was required to use more brain power than if I were to be just mindlessly copying them.

    CA Candidate

    B-79 (4th Attempt, finally killed you Nov 2013)
    A-81 (3rd Attempt, Feb 2014) AND I AM DONE!!!!!
    R-80 (1st Attempt, Feb 2013)
    F-77 (2nd attempt, Jan 2014)

    Becker, Becker Final Review, NINJA 10-Point Combo
    ($M.O.B$)

    CA Ethics-92%

    #524021
    alinute
    Participant

    Good point! I will try that out! Thank you for your help! I was feeling so discouraged about the whole review course. I keep trying new things but in reality I just need to stick to a study method. Initially I would type everything up on my tablet, retype questions that I got wrong and I used that method for a while, but I realized I never actually go back and reread them, I feel so rushed to get through the material as fast as possible to have enough time to review and do as much MCQs as possible. So now I bought legal pads and I am pretty much rewriting all MCQs that I get wrong. For FAR 1 and 2 I pretty much already filled up the whole legal pad.

    BEC:74,71,80
    FAR:57
    AUD:61
    REG:

    Switched from Becker to Roger in April.

    #523981
    alinute
    Participant

    Good point! I will try that out! Thank you for your help! I was feeling so discouraged about the whole review course. I keep trying new things but in reality I just need to stick to a study method. Initially I would type everything up on my tablet, retype questions that I got wrong and I used that method for a while, but I realized I never actually go back and reread them, I feel so rushed to get through the material as fast as possible to have enough time to review and do as much MCQs as possible. So now I bought legal pads and I am pretty much rewriting all MCQs that I get wrong. For FAR 1 and 2 I pretty much already filled up the whole legal pad.

    BEC:74,71,80
    FAR:57
    AUD:61
    REG:

    Switched from Becker to Roger in April.

    #524023
    F15hy
    Member

    Just take your time and breathe. It takes a little while to figure out how to use your study materials. Don't be discouraged, just take it as a learning experience. You're going to do great, you just have to figure out what works for you. I passed my first exam in Feb 2013 and didn't pass another until November 2013, with multiple attempts in between. Once I figured out how I needed to study for ME, it was boom, boom, boom, and you're done! Good luck 🙂 Let me know if you have any other questions I can help with.

    CA Candidate

    B-79 (4th Attempt, finally killed you Nov 2013)
    A-81 (3rd Attempt, Feb 2014) AND I AM DONE!!!!!
    R-80 (1st Attempt, Feb 2013)
    F-77 (2nd attempt, Jan 2014)

    Becker, Becker Final Review, NINJA 10-Point Combo
    ($M.O.B$)

    CA Ethics-92%

    #523983
    F15hy
    Member

    Just take your time and breathe. It takes a little while to figure out how to use your study materials. Don't be discouraged, just take it as a learning experience. You're going to do great, you just have to figure out what works for you. I passed my first exam in Feb 2013 and didn't pass another until November 2013, with multiple attempts in between. Once I figured out how I needed to study for ME, it was boom, boom, boom, and you're done! Good luck 🙂 Let me know if you have any other questions I can help with.

    CA Candidate

    B-79 (4th Attempt, finally killed you Nov 2013)
    A-81 (3rd Attempt, Feb 2014) AND I AM DONE!!!!!
    R-80 (1st Attempt, Feb 2013)
    F-77 (2nd attempt, Jan 2014)

    Becker, Becker Final Review, NINJA 10-Point Combo
    ($M.O.B$)

    CA Ethics-92%

    #524025
    alinute
    Participant

    impska- Thank you for your thoughts! i think you're right, in school I liked my teachers that wrote out a bunch of examples on the whiteboard and that helped me grasp concepts. What review course are you taking?

    BEC:74,71,80
    FAR:57
    AUD:61
    REG:

    Switched from Becker to Roger in April.

    #523985
    alinute
    Participant

    impska- Thank you for your thoughts! i think you're right, in school I liked my teachers that wrote out a bunch of examples on the whiteboard and that helped me grasp concepts. What review course are you taking?

    BEC:74,71,80
    FAR:57
    AUD:61
    REG:

    Switched from Becker to Roger in April.

    #524027
    RachelP
    Member

    @alinute I did just take REG. I'm pretty much “starting from scratch” with this second round as I didn't necessarily study the first time around… I had a LOT of life issues going on at the time, and let that get to my motivation. Luckily for me, I've always had to STUDY to be able to make grades in school (like, since kindergarten) and so I know how I need to study. I also went to a pretty challenging high school, and did more in those four years than I've done in the last 7! ha!

    "Don't worry, beeeeee happy!"

    Unhappy with job, long distance boyfriend, not much studying:
    FAR- 66 [08/28/12] AUD- 61 [10/04/12] REG- 59 [11/28/12] BEC- 63 [01/11/13]
    Year off (from exams): Got new job, got married, moved, etc
    ✓ AUD- 79!!! 01/10/14 FIRST PASS!! WOOOO!!!
    ✓ REG- 73 02/27/14, 81 10/27/14
    ✓ FAR- 83 5/16/14
    ✓ BEC- 80 7/24/14
    ✓ Education ✓ Experience
    Ethics Exam

    #523987
    RachelP
    Member

    @alinute I did just take REG. I'm pretty much “starting from scratch” with this second round as I didn't necessarily study the first time around… I had a LOT of life issues going on at the time, and let that get to my motivation. Luckily for me, I've always had to STUDY to be able to make grades in school (like, since kindergarten) and so I know how I need to study. I also went to a pretty challenging high school, and did more in those four years than I've done in the last 7! ha!

    "Don't worry, beeeeee happy!"

    Unhappy with job, long distance boyfriend, not much studying:
    FAR- 66 [08/28/12] AUD- 61 [10/04/12] REG- 59 [11/28/12] BEC- 63 [01/11/13]
    Year off (from exams): Got new job, got married, moved, etc
    ✓ AUD- 79!!! 01/10/14 FIRST PASS!! WOOOO!!!
    ✓ REG- 73 02/27/14, 81 10/27/14
    ✓ FAR- 83 5/16/14
    ✓ BEC- 80 7/24/14
    ✓ Education ✓ Experience
    Ethics Exam

    #524029
    impska
    Member

    I am using Becker self-study only. It works for me because I learn best by reading. I watch the lectures first and take casual notes in my book. Then I read the chapter and take real handwritten notes. Then I do the MCQs. After I'm done with all of the chapters, I do progress tests. I write a list of “Tips and Reminders” based on the progress tests.

    I also write my own flash cards. I make my husband quiz me with them, because it's a good memory tool for me to state things out loud. I'll remember just about anything that I explain to someone else.

    I took a communications class where a lecturer recommended practicing presentations out loud. It worked so well for me that I started using it as a study tool. My cats have had a full-on education regarding Business Law. But it works – I got a 94 on REG.

    REG - 94
    BEC - 92
    FAR - 92
    AUD - 99

    #523988
    impska
    Member

    I am using Becker self-study only. It works for me because I learn best by reading. I watch the lectures first and take casual notes in my book. Then I read the chapter and take real handwritten notes. Then I do the MCQs. After I'm done with all of the chapters, I do progress tests. I write a list of “Tips and Reminders” based on the progress tests.

    I also write my own flash cards. I make my husband quiz me with them, because it's a good memory tool for me to state things out loud. I'll remember just about anything that I explain to someone else.

    I took a communications class where a lecturer recommended practicing presentations out loud. It worked so well for me that I started using it as a study tool. My cats have had a full-on education regarding Business Law. But it works – I got a 94 on REG.

    REG - 94
    BEC - 92
    FAR - 92
    AUD - 99

    #524031
    Study Monk
    Member

    There's a formula that I used to help me pass FAR. I took the recommended amount of time to pass the exam and multiplied it by 1.5. Well not really, but the concept still holds. I basically spent 250 hours on FAR and 160 hours on AUD.

    These exams are weird in that the people who don't “over study” probably end up spending the same amount of time, due to retakes, as the people who over study the first time. I walked in to both of my exams feeling like I owned the material, and in both cases I was humbled within 45 minutes. I did the homework problems in Becker until I was scoring 90% only to score a 77 on the FAR exam.

    It's important to be true with yourself and find out what the right amount of time for you is to pass these exams. I have seen dozen's of posts talking about preparing for AUD in less than 80 hours, but I knew after 80 hours/120hours/140 hours I needed more time. I don't really think about whether its because I have been out of school for 7 years, or that I was working in retail for the past 5 years, or the intelligence implications. I just study until I feel like I almost know everything and then take the exam.

    I pushed back FAR 3 times and as a result ended up passing it on my first try. My suggestion is to basically give yourself more time to go through these exams and take your time to find out what works best for you. It's like the story of the turtle and the hare. Many people will rush through these exams in hopes of trying to finish quicker only to see the people who took their time finish earlier.

    No one regrets the hours they spent over studying when they see a passing score.

    I spoke to an ancient wise man who sent me on a mushroom induced journey through an ancient forest to find the key to passing the CPA exam. A talking spider monkey told me to throw the last of my drinking water in the dirt to find what I was looking for. So I followed his instructions and the following message appeared in the soil:

    "Do 5000 multiple choice questions for each section"

    #523989
    Study Monk
    Member

    There's a formula that I used to help me pass FAR. I took the recommended amount of time to pass the exam and multiplied it by 1.5. Well not really, but the concept still holds. I basically spent 250 hours on FAR and 160 hours on AUD.

    These exams are weird in that the people who don't “over study” probably end up spending the same amount of time, due to retakes, as the people who over study the first time. I walked in to both of my exams feeling like I owned the material, and in both cases I was humbled within 45 minutes. I did the homework problems in Becker until I was scoring 90% only to score a 77 on the FAR exam.

    It's important to be true with yourself and find out what the right amount of time for you is to pass these exams. I have seen dozen's of posts talking about preparing for AUD in less than 80 hours, but I knew after 80 hours/120hours/140 hours I needed more time. I don't really think about whether its because I have been out of school for 7 years, or that I was working in retail for the past 5 years, or the intelligence implications. I just study until I feel like I almost know everything and then take the exam.

    I pushed back FAR 3 times and as a result ended up passing it on my first try. My suggestion is to basically give yourself more time to go through these exams and take your time to find out what works best for you. It's like the story of the turtle and the hare. Many people will rush through these exams in hopes of trying to finish quicker only to see the people who took their time finish earlier.

    No one regrets the hours they spent over studying when they see a passing score.

    I spoke to an ancient wise man who sent me on a mushroom induced journey through an ancient forest to find the key to passing the CPA exam. A talking spider monkey told me to throw the last of my drinking water in the dirt to find what I was looking for. So I followed his instructions and the following message appeared in the soil:

    "Do 5000 multiple choice questions for each section"

    #524033
    alinute
    Participant

    Thank you guys for taking the time reply. It has been a difficult process, especially since I don't really have anyone to really talk to about my struggles with the CPA, so I love these forums because I can relate to a lot of people. I have always been a straight A student, graduating with honors and I cannot believe this test is giving me so much trouble. I did notice that I am more of a visual learner so I am still considering making the switch to Roger CPA, reading the Becker books really bores me and my mind just floats away to other things. (I was a campus ambassador for Becker and I got the course for free, so I wouldn't feel TOO bad about switching to something else). So maybe Roger CPA review will help me focus more since he is so energetic and I like the fact that he writes on the board, because I feel like that photographically sticks into my brain.

    Good luck everyone with your exams!

    BEC:74,71,80
    FAR:57
    AUD:61
    REG:

    Switched from Becker to Roger in April.

    #523991
    alinute
    Participant

    Thank you guys for taking the time reply. It has been a difficult process, especially since I don't really have anyone to really talk to about my struggles with the CPA, so I love these forums because I can relate to a lot of people. I have always been a straight A student, graduating with honors and I cannot believe this test is giving me so much trouble. I did notice that I am more of a visual learner so I am still considering making the switch to Roger CPA, reading the Becker books really bores me and my mind just floats away to other things. (I was a campus ambassador for Becker and I got the course for free, so I wouldn't feel TOO bad about switching to something else). So maybe Roger CPA review will help me focus more since he is so energetic and I like the fact that he writes on the board, because I feel like that photographically sticks into my brain.

    Good luck everyone with your exams!

    BEC:74,71,80
    FAR:57
    AUD:61
    REG:

    Switched from Becker to Roger in April.

Viewing 15 replies - 16 through 30 (of 44 total)
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