[lien]

Hi everyone. I just took FAR second time today and it was terrible. I got 61 in Dec 2019 and just retook it today after 5 days off from work. I feel so discouraged now. I did everything I could. I took notes, read the book again, watched the lectures again, practiced more questions and still couldn’t do well. I got my BA in another country and got my MBA in the US recently. My accounting knowledge isn’t strong compared to others and English is my second language. I scheduled to take AUD for the first time in Mar then will retake FAR again in April. I have plans and I won’t give up. But everything is so difficult for me and I don’t know what to do to improve my scores.

[Silent]

Remember, practice, practice, practice. Watching video's is not going to really help you in my opinion. What you need to get used to is the question and best way to get some stuff in to your head is by practicing it. Do as many MCQ as you can. Btw passing aud without being good at FAR is kind of hard.

[April94]

I agree with Silent. I passed FAR on my third try. My key to passing was hammering MCQs. By my third attempt, I had already gone through the Roger FAR MCQs too many times, so I bought the Wiley test bank and did as many MCQs from there as I could before test day. It helped a TON – I found the Wiley MCQs to be much harder than Roger's. Doing all those extra MCQs plus reading through my FAR textbook/taking notes (rather than watching videos again) made the biggest difference for me.

I also agree that it's better to get through FAR before moving onto the other exams. You'd be surprised at how may topics overlap with FAR in the other exams – just my 2 cents 🙂

[lien]

Thank you for your advice. I know AUD will be hard for me too. I've been studying FAR for months. If I continue studying only FAR until I can retake again in April, it will drag me down. I don't know what to do. When I was taking the exam, my brain was numb and couldn't think clearly 🙁

[lien]

I don't want to waste another month to wait for my score. I just finished my exam this afternoon and I don't know what to do next. I feel like I'm a loser if I keep working on FAR and not getting anywhere. I can't take FAR again until April.

[Silent]

@Lien

My advice is to walk away from FAR for 1-2 weeks, max 3. Seriously give you brain a bit of rest. Than come back and start doing MCQ, maybe buy ninja access and do those MCQ. The information that you really know, will still be in your head in few weeks. This way you will know what you really need to study and what you actually know.

[CPA2020]

I agree with Silent that 1-2 weeks break from FAR is the way to go. I also felt like I was losing my mind with studying for FAR first attempt. I ended up getting a 74 in December. I took a break during the holidays, and started my retake review a few weeks later in January. For my retake review, I am trying to keep a better study/life balance. I already work full-time, so two solid hours of studying after work is enough for me. It is NOT as bad as the first attempt. A review is really just that. My stress level is much better this time around. On the other hand, if you are feeling burnt out from FAR and really just need a shift to something different, AUD is a great choice. I took REG first and failed with a 71, then switched to AUD for a pass! I was really motivated and went back to REG for a pass later in the same quarter. You have 18 months to get it done. EVERYONE studies best differently, and mental strength through this process is SO important. If you know in your gut that you are dreading FAR and would benefit from a shift to AUD (I love AUD!) then go for it. Just be sure to go back to FAR after AUD. You really don't want to forget everything from FAR and start over with that exam. You could take AUD before March 10th, and then FAR in Q2. GOOD LUCK!

[lien]

@CPA2020
Thank you so much for your advice and motivation. I'm working on AUD now and will take it on Mar 10th. I will retake FAR and AUD again in the second quarter (if I have to). I enjoy studying AUD right now since it's not too much like FAR. However, it takes me so long to understand the concept and retain the information in my brain. Hopefully, I will find a more effective way to study for myself. I'm so scared of REG. I hope I can pass AUD and FAR in the same quarter then I will have more time for REG. Praying…….

[Author]

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