[SweetCPA]

I just got my score today 39. I am so shocked.. I thought I did pretty good especially with MC questions and research questions the rest I was just guessing. This was my first exam but I never thought I would score this low. I worked only with Wiley Book and did all the released questions also.I didn’t practice sims.. but uhhhhhhhhhh I am so embarrassed to even tell my parents

[Kimboroni]

It could be that Wiley isn't the right exam prep for you. But I was also thinking the same thing as brainfarts, that you were a little TOO confident and rushed through the MCQs, not reading them carefully enough to pick up a key word here or there.

And then it does sound like the SIMs were an issue. I definitely recommend practicing those. Even if none of the practice SIMs resemble the ones on the real exam, I think it still gets you in the right frame of mind for understanding what kind of format the SIMs are in and how you have to process the info differently than for an MCQ.

AUD 84 (1/9/14-Wiley books/TB + free materials)
FAR 83 (5/21/14-the above + NINJA 10 Pt Combo Lite)
REG 84 (7/9/14-Wiley books/TB + NINJA Audio/FC/Notes)
BEC 76 (10/5/14-Wiley books/TB + NINJA Audio/FC)

Disclaimer: My ninja avatar is not meant to imply that I have any affiliation with this site other than being a forum member. That's a pic of a T-shirt that my daughter gave me for my birthday. 🙂

[Anonymous]

My advice is to evuate your understanding of the material and test taking strategies. A low score could mean you struggled on the mc and dug yourself a big hole with the adaptive difficulty. If you take the test the wrong way (ie time management, guessing, nerves) then it doesn't matter how much you studied.

Some people say final exams are pointless but in your case it could help a lot. Try your best to simulate the test environent and just practice.

Also ditch the print out questions. It helps when you've practiced them in the same computer format with the same digital calculator as the real exam. You don't want any suprises on exam day.

[SweetCPA]

Thank you guys all

[kiester]

@SweetCPA

My REG score came out today and I'm too scared to see it. It would be fail #3 (out of 3 taken). I’m a wuss! Lol

I really do think if you switched your study material and moved to another exam you will realize how much you learned from studying for FAR. Remember it is the “beast” of all the exams. I'll be here for support along the way!

AUD 83 2/16
BEC 76 9/16
FAR 77 7/15
REG 72 6/16, retake 85 12/16
Licensed CPA 1/19/17!

AUD (10/14) 62 (2/16) 83
BEC
FAR (8/14)71 (1/24/15)77
REG (5/14) 69

[katerina2665]

SweetCPA,

a word of encouragement. I was off work for 3 months studying for FAR, did Becker over maybe 3 times and 1000+Qs, 10 days prior exam was studying like 10+ hours a day, everyone was cheering for me like crazy, i ddnt have enough time, ddnt finish like 3 sims, and got 51. I was feeling very down, thinking most of people work, have busy season, families, and here i am, all time in the world in my hands and 51! The email said i did weaker on ALL sections.To make matters worse, everyone around me was passing left and right. I was ashamed to tell my score to anyone.

So, i took it again, and what do you know, 72! Blah. But, the email said I was weaker only in SIMS, all other comparable or better. Believe me, when i was studying for the 3rd time i was really tired and just wanted to cry.

And finally, today, i got 3rd score for my FAR and it is 75.

Believe me, never stop, just go. Just do it again and again. I see people here passing same exam 5 times, and finish, and become CPAs and i dnt know if i could do that. I personally think it all comes to luck on the SIMS. If SIMS suck, well, the result will probably suck too… Cheer up! We can do it!

NYS CPA since December, 2016

[teeteenounouche]

I agree with everyone else SweetCPA, don't be embarrassed…you had the will and guts to go for it when so many others haven't. You can regroup and attack it again in July. Don't lie about your score, stand in your truth and you will succeed. Just don't share the details when speaking with your family. Tell them when you have passed all sections, trust me it will save you from a lot of stress.

Florida:
AUD: 73, 81! Thank you Lord!
BEC: 73, 77! Thank you Lord! and WTB
REG: 71, 82! Thank you Lord! and A71
FAR: 72, 78! Thank you God and my Mommy in Heaven!

CPA Excel, Ninja Notes & Audio, Wiley Test Bank, CPAreviewforfree

[Guti]

Wrong thread!

FAR-84
AUD-
REG-
BEC-

[katerina2665]

maybe the best advice i can give aside from studying is not to tell anyone when is your exam, did you receive your score, did you pass or fail, i was really annoyed first time when i went for my first FAR exam (51) and told everyone i have an exam, including our building superintendent and the guy from our deli, cause i was so excited and proud of myself. And then, when i failed, i had to tell that to many many people cause they all were asking over and over again, relieving that embarrassing moment countless times.

Now, i share my results only with my close girlfriend who is a CPA and who helped me a lot through this journey, she is always the first to know (before my BF and my mother!) and she actually knows what am i going through 🙂

NYS CPA since December, 2016

[KFu]

@SweetCPA and everyone else… This whole site is about the journey that we all have taken and are taking to become CPAs. Countless stories of people who started the process of taking the CPA exam and saw differing levels of success and failure.

I'm motivated by the stories here of people who got knocked down, but got back up, worked hard, and passed the test. I didn't pass AUD with a 61 in Jan. Retook it and got a 86 in May. As I've read here so often, you only fail if you quit trying.

BEC: 79! (Nov 2013)
FAR: 66 (Jan 2012), Rematch July 2014
AUD: 61 (Jan 2014), 86 (May 2014)
REG: TBD

[Anonymous]

I'm in the same position you are SweetCPA. Recent college grad taking the summer off to just study the CPA exam and pass them. I just got my score and i got a 86. The difference between me and you is that i didn't just study 8-4. I studied 8-until i went to sleep, i didn't do anything else besides workout. No friends, no bars, no girls. I dedicated my life to passing the CPA. I was your typical college football player on a full-ride being a jock and living the party life. I graduated lowest accounting GPA in my class, but being a CPA is something i truly wanted. If this is something that you want you must find the drive and passion into dedicating your life into this, especially if your not working.

[Anonymous]

86 on FAR

[SweetCPA]

@eliasm6 Congrats 86. Thats great. I really dont know if should I got to Wiley book… How did you do it… How did you improve your score?only Becker?

[Anonymous]

@sweetcp thank you. I only used becker, i think the biggest thing is you can do is the MC over and over and over again. When your going through it before you answer it you should explain to your self why is this the right answer every time before you answer the question, also why the wrong answers are wrong and if they could apply to anything else in the accounting world or if its just a flat out wrong answer and applies to nothing else. Every question i do i give myself reasons why that is right or why that answer cannot be right. Take it one chapter at a time, go back in the book read sections your having trouble with. Practicing sims are not super important but it helps you get an idea of what you could get on the test, you should practice research questions as those are free points. Also think about your future in 10 or 20 years where do you want to be in your career. If being a CPA is what you truly want there is no easy way to pass the CPA exams, there is no substitute for hard work. It seems daunting the amount of time to put in but putting in 4 or 5 months of hard work now is nothing compared to a 40 year career. Put all the distractions to the side like friends, partying, video games, whatever it is you do they will still be there when you finish the CPA exams. My motivation is becoming a CPA, proving people wrong as to what i can achieve with my life, having a good career with all the monetary rewards it comes with. That is my motivation. You just need to find your motivation that will drive you past these exams.

[Anonymous]

I used Rogers for my first go round with FAR and I thought I was ready and failed with a 64. I had done 2000 MCQs and was getting good scores on them. I was really upset and actually decided I was done with the CPA Exam until a year later when I changed my mind. I'm taking FAR in three hours and I feel much more prepared (we'll see soon how prepared I really am). It all just comes down to the way you learn; I tried Wiley and it didnt work for me but for whatever reason, Becker works for me. The lectures are long and boring and people say that they dont get any benefit from listening to them, but I do. FAR, out of all the sections, is the one section that if they just change a word or two, completely changes the answer. For example, if they ask for the carrying value of inventory under IFRS but you didnt read it through well enough to see IFRS, and calculated it using the GAAP method, then you would get the answer wrong. I have a really hard time reading The questions that ask for a half year of depreciation or the bond carrying value after a year and a half, I get wrong all the time because I am horrible at reading questions through all the way.

[teeteenounouche]

amanda_1988, read the last question first for $ answer choices (tip from Roger). It helped me pick up my speed and focus.

Florida:
AUD: 73, 81! Thank you Lord!
BEC: 73, 77! Thank you Lord! and WTB
REG: 71, 82! Thank you Lord! and A71
FAR: 72, 78! Thank you God and my Mommy in Heaven!

CPA Excel, Ninja Notes & Audio, Wiley Test Bank, CPAreviewforfree

[Author]

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