[Anonymous]

Hello everyone! I am taking FAR this upcoming Monday (2 days!!!!!), and I have completed all of the Becker MCQ (with the exception of some of the ridiculous optional ones) for the second round during my 2 review weeks. My original plan was to move on to the Wiley Test Bank to supplement my review, but all it seems to be doing is confusing me and shooting down my confidence; not because I don’t understand the concepts, but because the language and explanations are so different than that of Becker. However, my adjusted plan is to just do a few long Becker progress tests (~100 questions each) and do targeted practice sessions on my weak areas in Wiley before moving onto another Becker progress test. Has anyone gone through something similar? Does this sound like a good approach to my last two days of studying? Thank you in advance 🙂

[Anonymous]

That sounds like a good idea. I recently just took FAR using becker and supplementing with the ten point combo. Some after thoughts I have regarding the test is that I missed a few areas of knowledge I should have had that burned me test day. My advice to you is that go though each wiley section ( or becker) and do 20 MCQ test packs for each section shooting for 75%+. This will keep everything as fresh as possible going into test day. Maybe do 25 MCQs related to govt nfp as well. I think this strategy will set you up nicely for test day.

I am studying for AUD right now, and will be taking it on the 10th. What advice can you give to me in terms of study commitment. Obviously a 75 is my goal, and I have a VERY short period of time to cram. I was thinking emphasizing my efforts on chapter 3 & 4 in hopes to steal a pass from AICPA.

[Anonymous]

I used Wiley TB and feel like it prepared me well for FAR, but I'm sure Becker does, too. Personally, though, I don't like the 100 questions tests, because I feel like a score at the end isn't nearly as useful as seeing why I got something wrong as soon as I do it. So, if I was you, I'd re-do MCQs rather than doing the big tests. If you have a selection to re-do the ones you got wrong, that'd be best!

[Anonymous]

Thanks guys!

I have to agree. I took one 100 question progress test in Becker and quit after 60 because, not only was it draining all of my energy, but I hate how you have to wait until the end to see the correct answers in Becker. So I took both of your advice and I am hitting 20 question practice sessions in Wiley TB, and I think that this is a good approach for the next day and a half of “cramming.”

@dutkas, what (minimally) put me over the passing line for Audit was doing tons of MCQ in my final review. In particular, the Wiley TB was a tremendous tool for me once I realized I had all of the Becker questions memorized. As far as study concentration goes, I would focus heavily on areas in which Becker provides a summary chart at the end. I am not necessarily saying to memorize the charts word-for-word, but I definitely think that they hint at which concepts are heavily tested. (When you look at a chart, think of all of the potential questions that can be derived from it.) The goal of Audit preparation is to understand the concepts of different reports and procedures, but what will make you or break you is understanding the DIFFERENCES between these reports and procedures. On a separate note, I was completely overwhelmed by the flowcharts for transaction cycles,and pretty much ignored them. The only way I gained proficiency in transaction cycles (after much screaming and cursing) was doing as many practice questions as possible. Another weak area of mine that didn't prevent me from passing was government auditing (in the last chapter I believe), which I put less focus on because I was behind schedule. Overall, I would say that I was not a “master” of the material, but I understood the basic concepts and the necessary details well enough to get by. Since this was my first exam and I didn't read the forum until I was deep in my studies, I did not have a strong study plan. If I were you, I would stick to a solid plan, which you seem to already have, and you will have no trouble acing this one!!

Oh yeah, and I only did about 4 practice simulations just to get a “feel” for them.

[Author]

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