[Penguin Lord]

Hey, quick question…

I’m studying for Reg, after having spent this summer studying for and taking the other 3. (Failed Far and Aud, just passed Bec.)

Compared to all the other tests, and their study material, I feel like Reg is making no sense. Granted, I’m only on R2 of Becker’s material, but I just am getting nothing from it. I feel like it’s one random fact with an arbitrary number associated with it, then on to the next paragraph and another unrelated fact.

Will it start tying together? I’m worried, because I only have about 3 weeks left till my test and I don’t feel like I have time to waste.

Thanks for any input..

[Anonymous]

This was exactly how I felt. You cannot make sense out of individual taxation, you just have to open your arms and welcome it as it is. Individual taxation is a test of memory and application, but trust me when I say that after R2, there isn't anything worse. Just keep in mind that taxes almost always favors government over individuals, and the more you make, the less deductions you get.

[SkiBum1990]

Yikes, test in 3 weeks and only on R2? There is so much material to cover and that may not be enough time.. can you push your test back? — I'm on my 2nd round through the REG material for BECKER (Just R1-R5; currently ending round 2 of R3) — Things are finally starting to click. R3-R4 on Corporate and Partnership tax has a lot of rules and concepts to remember just like individual… it does not get any easier (until R5-R8 non tax). Doing a lot of MCQ helps grasps understanding. Best of Luck!

"The mind can only absorb as much as the seat can take"

B - 79
A - 68, __ (got bumped from Aug 4 release to Aug 23-THANKS AICPA)
R - Oct
F - Nov (HA! 1 month to study working full-time; love NTS rules)

[Penguin Lord]

Yes only 3 weeks, but those 3 weeks are devoted entirely to studying, just as my whole summer has been. I quit my job and moved in with my brothers in preparation for this summer of awfulness.

[SkiBum1990]

ah, smart move… I'm working full-time, and boy is it tough to juggle…contemplated quitting my job too! lol good lord.

"The mind can only absorb as much as the seat can take"

B - 79
A - 68, __ (got bumped from Aug 4 release to Aug 23-THANKS AICPA)
R - Oct
F - Nov (HA! 1 month to study working full-time; love NTS rules)

[sancasuki]

When I was reading the textbook (CPAExcel), I just tried to get the gist of it. The IRC is all over the place with zillions of little exceptions and annoying rules. I don't know about Becker but CPAExcel did not provide many examples. The explanations were good but it was hard to really understand without examples. Basically doing the MCQs taught me how it all works or at least how to answer CPA questions.

I've taken one individual taxation class (online) so that part wasn't too bad. The class, of course, did a much better job of teaching it than CPAExcel. In my online class, we filled out all the tax forms manually, no software allowed. That really helps to see how the numbers flow through the forms and how one form is connected to another form. When you are just reading about the IRC in a textbook, it just seems like a whole bunch of random rules/calculations.

Partnerships wasn't too bad. Corporate tax, I just found really bizarre and I kept confusing partnership rules with corporate rules.

[Valar Dohaeris]

Individual taxation is what it is… You learn the various inputs of the 1040. It doesn't “come together” other than you're learning the main topics in taxation (individual, corporate, property, partnership, estate/gift).

BEC - 85
AUD - 81
REG - 84
FAR - 7/24/16

[njvath]

I am studying REG too and it is so so so awful! I'm also studying with Becker and I dont feel like the Taxation chapters are organized well at all, not in comparison to FAR, BEC or AUD (although, IMHO I think AUD is lacking in some areas too). I am definitely struggling to grasp and remember things in chapters 1-4.

I am nearing the end of chapter 5 and Pete seems to explain things well (and the material flows more naturally/logically, etc) than Tim 🙁

Make tons of flashcards to try and drill the concepts! Good luck!

FAR - 76
AUD - 74, 74
BEC - 83
REG - TBD

[jpowell31]

it comes together when you start to do questions but I'd suggest doing all tax sections before doing questions as some questions may seem like they come out of nowhere because they aren't covered until later. I hate tax so can't say it all just makes sense but of course it gets better the more you spend time on it.

[Author]

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