[jeff]

We have a lot of “I took __ today threads” so to consolidate, here is the official thread.

Please – Not even a hint of exam disclosure per AICPA rules.

Links to other Exam Experience Threads:

AUD

BEC

REG

[Ash]

I took FAR today for the 3rd time. As per usual not sure how to feel. First set of MCQ I felt decent about and guess only maybe 6. The rest of the questions I found fairly easy. However after thinking about some of the questions while in another section I am sure I got a few more than the 6 incorrect. Second set MCQ were harder however I am not sure if it was because it actually got harder or it was just on more subjects I had a harder time with while studying. First set of sims were not the worst I actually really like the DRS, however the other question I am not sure I did that well on. I had to pee real bad though so I was trying to rush through it. After a quick break the second set of SIMs were again not too bad. I felt ok with all of them but not super sure I did every part right. Last set of Sims I think I did the best on. I finished with 25 min left (usually I have over an hour left which worries me). I thought I had a decent overview of all the information and there was maybe only 10 MCQ I completely guessed on.

Now for the 1st time since October 2015 I have nothing to study for. Waiting till sept 19 for both REG and FAR. However I will be on a trip abroad so I am not sure when I will actually check. Best of luck to you all. I hope this third try was truly the charm.

AUD- 72, 71, TBD (now i am pissed no more messing around)
BEC-8/29/16
REG-10/10/16
FAR-70 retest-11/28/16

[Claryrd77]

I took FAR today. It was nerved wrecking because the test was scheduled for 1:30 pm but a Prometrics employee called and said I had to be there by 11:00 am. They had issues with the system.

The test was really long! I got the regular research question and one more that required me to do a research before I could answer it.
The other 6 sims had other documents for review. It was crazy going back and forth.

I finished the test but could not review anything. I am praying for a pass.
Gook luck everyone!

AUD- 8/1/2015 - PASSED - A LOT OF PRAYERS AND STUDY TIME. Used Gleim and Ninja notes and flashcards
FAR- November 2015
REG- January 2016
BEC-

[Anonymous]

Now that the scores have been released, I can't help sharing my exam experience!
I took FAR on September 10th. A week before the exam I was reviewing the last 2 and a half chapters of Becker every other day, and oh boy, that was the smartest decision I made during the review – the mcqs were loaded with those topics.
I attempted to follow the recommended time breakdown per testlet so that I have 1.5/2.5 hours for mcqs/sims. However, I spent about 10 min more in each testlet so by the last testlet I was really running out of time and the sims were quite long. I was just hitting keys in the last sim on consolidations without much reflection and submitted the whole exam within 10 seconds before end of time.
Overall I felt Becker prepared me really well; in fact the sims in the mock test (I only had time to take one test) were surprisingly close to the sims in the actual exam. The sims in the exam were by no means easy; they were quite difficult but nothing unseen in Becker; so if you allocate adequate time to sims, you should be in good shape.
After the exam I felt quite satisfied, hoping for anything from 80 to 85, as I got 77 in Becker mock test. 93 came as a complete surprise, I sure made some good guesses on difficult mcqs and sims 🙂
Good luck everyone, keep working and absolutely do not forget to learn NFP/Gov't topics!

[Anonymous]

Am I the only one who thought FAR was the easiest?

[Lentilcounter]

I took FAR today. I gave myself 45 minutes for each MCQ testlet and 2.5 hours to do the sims. I gave myself 30 minutes for the first 2 sims, and 1 hour for each testlet of 3 sims. I actually finished the entire test with 30 minutes to spare.

MCQ = Very reflective of NINJA MCQ. Becker and Wiley MCQ are definitely harder. I flagged a couple questions in both testlets that I didn't know. I don't think they were left field pre-test questions. I just think with some more polish in my studying, I could have answered them.

Simulations = No surprises here. If you follow the blueprints and that FAR thread I created with Ana's help, this is what you will see on the test day.

I could not identify the pretest questions in this exam. Not sure if that is a good thing or bad thing. There was one SIM where I know I got something wrong because I couldn't get something to balance. However, I chose to suck it up and move on. I hate that you can't see all the SIMs at once. I would have definitely came back to that SIM with the 30 minutes I had left at the end. Finally, I would be surprised if I didn't pass or at a minimum my score didn't break the 70s.

BEC = 72 (6/08/16)
FAR = ?
REG = ?
AUD = ?

[Anonymous]

@lentilcounter What material did you use for SIMS. I know Ninja and Wiley are not that user friendly but Becker is very close to real, again I am only talking in terms of user friendly interface and not questioning their content. Good luck and hope you cross the 75 mark this time.

[Katie]

@eltoromodesto

https://www.another71.com/cpa-exam-forum/topic/potential-far-simulation-topics-straight-from-the-aicpa/page/1/

This is the thread he was referring to.

[Ana]

Info from taking the exam today:
Timing – mcqs about 42 minutes each, 1st sim testlet approx 35, 2nd sim testlet (with research question) approx 35, 3rd testlet 1.15 hours. I did the exam as slow as I could, checked my answers and used the AL throughout the sims which I've never done for FAR before. I'm really happy with my time on this test.

MCQ – probably the hardest set of questions I've gotten in all 4 attempts. They were longer and more detailed. I was really nervous (crapping my pants) that the 2nd testlet would get easier bc I might not have done as well and thankfully it felt just as hard if not harder than the 1st set. Questions from all over the place, random stuff, you have to know everything and the nuances. I got strong on MCQ last time and this was harder. I checked a few answers when I got to my car and got some right and some wrong on those I had narrowed down. These mcq were more in line with Becker than Ninja for me this time around. I was trending about high 80s in Becker and Ninja. But I've done waaaaaaay more questions in Becker than Ninja. MCQ topics totally different than mcq in Q3.

Sims – sample test is HIGHLY recommended, got a sim from last FAR attempt too, 2 topics that weren't on the blueprint, and overall sims are challenging. I think I did better on the SIMS this time than last time but maybe little worse on MCQ this than last time. Since I took FAR in Q3, I was expecting how hard the SIMS would be and it didn't shock me this time. Like I mentioned above, I used the AL throughout the SIMS to try to pick up points and confirm what I was thinking. Practice the blueprint and it should help a ton.

If I'm missing anything let me know. I wish I could give you guys all the details but you know I can't.

[Anonymous]

Just left Prometric, feel like I got hit by a truck. A lot of ups and downs, only surprise is that I had 3 DRS. Which sucks because I'm sure one of them is pretested (I think that is ok to say, please edit if not), not one of the harder ones. My confidence is not high leaving. Meh, I guess we'll just wait and see.

[l447020623]

@Ana Can you please tell me where can i find the blueprint practice exam that you recommended?

[Ana]

blueprint:
https://www.another71.com/cpa-exam-forum/topic/potential-far-simulation-topics-straight-from-the-aicpa/

[Jen-J]

Mine was yesterday. I had requested the scratch paper and pencil, which I am glad I did. The headphones only drowned out the static part of the sound dampening system, leaving the part that sounded rather like beluga whales in the distance, so I made do without them. I was glad to have brought lip balm (they let me access it on my break).

I finished the MCQ sections in 40 minutes and 30 minutes. My first SIM section was 25 minutes. The last 2 together were about 2 hours, I didn't note the breaking time between the two (finished with 23 minutes to go).

I used the authoritative literature a few times for help, and I could have used it on a few more questions but I didn't think of it.

Overall I felt like Becker and Becker Final Review really prepared me for the exam, and the exam was easier than I was expecting. I know there's things I got wrong, but nothing felt like it was completely out of the blue.

[Sonny]

@Jen J. I'm also preparing for FAR using Becker. Is there any advice or study tips you can share especially on how Becker prepared you for the SIMS?

[Jen-J]

Sonny, I did all the SIMS in both Becker and Becker Final Review. My study schedule was read the annotated book, then watch lectures (I would sometimes read only a few pages before going to the lecture, whatever kept me alert or how the topics flowed, so I would switch back and forth). I then did the Skills Practice. I did the Simulations at the end of every chapter. I am not sure how many hours I spent, but I was on the schedule with 1 chapter a week and I'm sure I spent more than the 10-15 hours a week they say it should take for that pace. I did 10 weeks of Becker, 2 of Final Review while rereading particularly complex chapters, and 1 week of reading some parts of the book not covered in the Final Review and doing the Final Review SIMS. (I also answered questions at cpareivewforfree.com) I did some of the progress tests, but I found after a while that I was just memorizing Becker questions and it wasn't all that useful.

[Katie]

I took both of Becker’s mock exams. One last week without any review and got a 70, and one today with one week of review and got an 83. Does anyone know how indicative these are of the actual exam? One week of review left…

[Author]

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