[jckund]

Becker CPA Review Mock Exam Score vs Actual CPA Exam Score

I figured since so many people ask, it’d be easier to have it all in one thread for reference. Good idea?

Calculating this by taking the average MCQ*60% and average sim*40%

 

 

[ronilbhatia]

Posting my scores here because this website helped calm my pre-test anxiety a lot. And just my tip to anyone taking these exams – all you need to do is MC questions. Lectures and SIMS are a huge waste of time IMO. Was able to get these scores with 2 weeks of study time while working!

FAR:

Becker 1: 78
Becker 2: 79

Actual: 87

BEC (MC Only):

Becker 1: 64
Becker 2: 65

Actual: 89

[75percentCPA]

I thought I would post here my Becker final scores vs actual. I would come look at this post before each test and it really made me feel better. I took an average for the testlets and multiplied it by what percentage the score was of the final score.

REG:
Exam 1: 74.6
Exam 2: 68.8

Actual: 83

FAR

Exam 1: 68.8
Exam 2: No time, didn't take

Actual: 79

AUD

I think I scored 69 and 73 on these. I can't calculate it anymore because my first 3 testlets say 0 now.

Actual : 84

BEC: Not counting the 15% for the written communication, so assuming 0

Exam 1: 64
Exam 2: 54

Actual: 83

I am not quite sure how I passed this one. I took the second the day before my exam. That is actually when I took most of the other ones as well. I was always behind.

When I walked out of FAR I had expected to see a fail for that as well.

I am really happy I got Becker because it helped me stay on track, even though I got behind most weeks. I just had to cut my review time down. If I had known about Ninja before I started this process, I might have done that instead.

Hope this helps some people out there. I know it helped me a lot with decreasing my stress levels before the exam.

[jms10101]

I meant to post mine before but I will do it now.

FAR Becker

Test 1. 69
Test 2. 72

Actual 77

AUD Becker

Test 1. 71
Test 2. 74

Actual 94

REG Becker

Test 1. 70
Test 2. 64

Actual 88

BEC Becker (MC Only)

Test 1. 82 (59/72 questions)
Test 2. 71 (51/72 questions)

Actual Unknown..will find out 12-16

[liontree]

Since I only took FAR so far…

FAR
Practice #1: 72.80% (MCQ & Sims) a week before the exam date
Practice #2: 75.20% (MCQ & Sims) a day before the exam date
Did better on Sims.

Actual: 86!
I used full 45 minutes for all 3 of MCQ testlets.
I got 2 research Qs on my sims though. I thought actual sims were easier than Becker.
Also did better on Sims.

[Anonymous]

FAR
Becker: 72
Actual: 78

AUD
Becker: 71
Actual: 81

REG
Becker: 64
Actual: 84

BEC
Becker: 51 MCQ only
Actual: 75

Thanks Becker!

[Lou]

FAR:
Becker 1: 92
Becker 2: 88

Actual: 94

AUD:
Becker 1: 87
Becker 2: 89

Actual: 91

BEC:
Becker 1: 87
Becker 2: 74

Actual: 91

REG:
Becker 1: 76
Becker 2: 76

Actual: 87

FAR- taken 8/11/16....now the wait begins
AUD- scheduled 9/8/16
BEC- scheduled 10/9/16
REG-scheduled 12/10/16

Live a few years like most people won't, to live the rest of your life like most people can't.

[So FAR So Good]

I'm a Becker Believer and will recommend them to anybody that has the ability to use their review course, even if just for one section that you might be struggling with. Follow the course outline perfectly and you will pass. I used very minimal Ninja MCQs as supplement (maybe 200 maximum for each of FAR, AUD and REG) and only Becker for BEC. I went up 13-20 points in total after every 2nd exam (which is arguably the most difficult of the two for each section). Also, with the exception of BEC, I tried to take the first final with one week to go and then take the second one on the day before each exam. For BEC, I took both in the same night, right before my exam.

FAR Final 1 = 79% (73% MCQ, 87% SIM)
FAR Final 2 = 78% (72% MCQ, 87% SIM)

FAR Actual = 91

AUD Final 1 = 73% (81% MCQ, 61% SIM)
AUD Final 2 = 73% (73% MCQ, 73% SIM)

AUD Actual = 91

REG Exam 1 – 71% (71% MCQ, 72% SIM)
REG Exam 2 – 66% (64% MCQ, 69% SIM)

REG Actual = 86

BEC Exam 1 – 87% (MCQ Only)
BEC Exam 2 – 65% (MCQ Only)

BEC Actual = 85

F - 91 (6/5/2016)
A - 7/30/2016
R - 10/8/2016
B - 12/10/2016

[waffle_house]

Reg

Review 1: 67%
Review 2: 69%

Actual 76

[Ag12thman]

@lblacker & @So FAR So Good —

Congratulations to both of you, first of all. Now, can both of you please pass along some of whatever it was that helped you get those high scores!?!?!?!

Seriously, @So FAR So Good – by “follow the course outline,” do you mean you recommend following the Becker suggested study protocol exactly as they prescribe?

FAR: July 2016

[waffle_house]

@Ag12thman I had a friend who told me this years ago after passing all exams the first try with Becker. Till this day I still do not know what he meant haha.

[So FAR So Good]

In the videos they mention a strategy, and it worked for me after following it. Tackle one sub-topic at a time from start to finish. Don't read/watch the entire chapter and then tackle MCQ and then never come back to it. Watch each sub-topic through once, take notes on it, answer MCQ for that sub-topic and take notes, and ONLY then move on to the next one once you've mastered that particular topic. Then, keep things fresh by taking progress tests each week on the materials you already studied.

I found that when I deviated from this and tried to hammer away lectures for 2-3 chapters at a time, I wasn't reinforcing concepts. Also, I simply could NOT go through everything once and then hammer away at MCQ for three-four weeks before the exam. It just wouldn't work. The slow-but-steady approach with frequent progress tests helped to reinforce and retain. It took me much longer than most people to go through the material and didn't leave me much “cram” time at the end of each window, but it helped to reinforce and retain info along the way.

F - 91 (6/5/2016)
A - 7/30/2016
R - 10/8/2016
B - 12/10/2016

[Lou]

@Ag12thman I pretty much echo what so FAR so good said. The way I tackled it is I would watch the lectures, just taking notes in the book. Then I'd go back and write down the book sub-topic by sub-topic. So if a Becker chapter was split into 5 sections, I'd write the notes for one section, then take the MCQ for that section before moving on. While I'm doing the MCQ I write down the answer choices to reinforce it, then I move onto the next sub-section.

After I've done all of that once, I go back and look at the book again and now instead of learning it I'm trying to understand it since I have a better framework. Then I do the MCQ again, writing down the important tidbits in my Becker book so when I hit review I have those tidbits immediatly ready to go. It's tedious but you actually understand it.

FAR- taken 8/11/16....now the wait begins
AUD- scheduled 9/8/16
BEC- scheduled 10/9/16
REG-scheduled 12/10/16

Live a few years like most people won't, to live the rest of your life like most people can't.

[Ag12thman]

@So Far So Good & @lblacker – I really appreciate you both for taking the time to post your study protocol in more depth. I have used Becker in the past (and failed), but not in the manner you both have described. First of all, I ran out of time and did not even finish the entire book/review before I had to sit for my exam. Secondly, I read an entire chapter at a time before going back and doing the MCQs for said (entire) chapter. I did not break the chapter down into sub-topics as you both are advocating, which seems much more manageable.

I’m going to give Becker another go (since I blew it and ran out of time to get through all the material last time) as I hop back into studying and am going to look at incorporating what you both have suggested into my plan. Do either of you have any other suggestions with regard to studying / preparing with Becker? For example, I’ve heard others say do not waste time watching the lectures and just read the book. Seems like you both might disagree with that, but just wondering about your exact thoughts on it and anything else you might feel to be important.

Thanks for all the advice!

FAR: July 2016

[ronilbhatia]

Hey Man. I know that I am neither of the individuals of whom you asked advice from but I am pretty passionate about this topic so I’m going to give it anyway. While I didn’t score quite as high as those two, I did get high scores (87 FAR, 88 REG, 88 AUD, 89 BEC) and I did it by studying just two weeks for each test WHILE working. I’m not trying to say that to show off, but rather to prove the point that I did it with a minimal amount of time and effort. At the end of the day, what you care about is passing not how high of a score you get.

I was able to get through these tests quickly by not watching a single lecture, and barely looking at the book. I am a firm believer that the best way to study is simply by taking multiple choice questions (not even SIMS). Don’t watch the lectures before, don’t look at the book just dive straight into the multiple choice questions. I would usually do 30-40 per section (or all of them if there are less than that amount in a section) and then move on. It will absolutely feel overwhelming to your brain when you do this and it is easy to get discouraged BUT this is what will cause your brain to learn the most. When you are attempting these problems without having just seen a lecture on it, or read about it it forces your brain to work and be very active in your studying. Thus, while you may get a lot of wrong answers your first time through (I would typically only get around 60% of multiple choice questions right my first time through), you’re brain will be constantly learning while you do this. In addition, you will naturally figure out which are the more important subjects to focus your studying on.

When I went to college I minored in Cognitive Science and I learned a lot about learning (lol). Most people use questions or tests to test their knowledge, rather than as an actual learning tool itself and this is why (in my opinion) most people have no idea how to actually study for tests. It has been proven through psychology, that you learn better by testing yourself rather than by reading, or taking notes. And it makes perfect sense. When you are watching a lecture, reading a book, or even taking notes you are very passively involved in the material. When you are answering questions, you’re brain plays a very active role, and like I said at times it can feel overwhelming but it is definitely the best way to study. Now, yes this can be a stressful method and like I said it can feel overwhelming especially because you are bound to get a lot of questions wrong the first time BUT THAT IS WHERE THE LEARNING HAPPENS. After you’ve been through all the sections, then you should take the first Becker practice test to see where you are at and how much more studying you need to do. The only time I really opened the book was for BEC & REG and it was the day before the test, just to cram some random shit into my head that I thought would be good to memorize (like COSO for example).

Anyway, I don’t want to take anything away from these guys as they certainly got exceptional scores. However, I am sure that most of our goal here is to pass this test in the most efficient manner possible and I am certain that this is the way. Just test yourself constantly, it’s as simple as that.
Another random tip is to vary study locations (I would study in the library, starbucks, at home, at work sometimes, in public transit on the way to work). The way the brain works memory/learning can be very context-dependent so if you do all your studying in one location your brain will associate that information with that location. By varying the location in which you study, it helps to generalize the information in your brain so that you can access it anywhere. Hope that helps :).

EDIT: The one thing I will say, for topics you have NO background in (like gov't accounting for me), just look at the chapter outline Becker gives before. Don't spend more than 30 mins on it though.

[Ag12thman]

@ronilbhatia –

Thanks very much for that very thorough post. Your explanations as to why the “MCQ-only” tactic works are very helpful within your post. I have actually seen others mention this method (or something very similar) in the past in this forum, but I have seen responses to such posts claim that they get tend to get overly frustrated and, basically, begin to freak out when they are getting 50% or more of the MCQs incorrect. At that point, they state that they feel like they do not know enough with regard to the concepts and then find themselves feeling like they need to go read and/or watch videos before continuing with any further MCQs. Do you suggest to simply ignore this feeling and simply press on in the MCQ testing of oneself? Also, what order did you go in for this study tactic? Did you proceed in the order as laid out in the Becker program or did you jump around and work random MCQs? Just curious as I work on my study plan.

Again, I sincerely appreciate your time and all the information you included in your very, very thorough and helpful post. Thank you, again.

FAR: July 2016

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