[Wannafree]

Hi all those who took AFR in Oct,
Can you please share your exam experiences ,kinda curfew on forum .Curious how the things are in general ?

[Ne’O]

Brandon wrote, “Took it on tuesday after getting a 74 first attempt and studying probably another 250+ hours..”

That is me too. I took it after 1.5 passes through all the material and a fair bit of the Wiley test bank.
Then fled Irma, came back, got power after 10 days, cleaned up, made wind damage house repairs, and got my “ooh, you just missed it”.
So another 10 weeks living in the library. About 15 hours there per week, and about 8 hours per weekend at home = about +225 hours for me.

Did I pass? Well, I'll discuss exam in the next post.

Newbie CPA Candidate

[Me!]

Sat for FAR today. Hoping it's the last time!

But I am going to continue to study as I have one more chance before I lose a section…

MCQ's seemed fair but didn't cover all areas but not focused on an area either. SIM's anybody's guess, I feel that there were items that were not covered in prep software as extensively as the exam tested.

Good luck everyone! Hope you all get at least a 75 on the 19th!

[Ne’O]

EXAM:

Test center was fine. Staff was polite, and with it. No busted AC or heat issues. No jackhammers going at the construction site nearby.

Like Brandon, this was my second stab at the horrible beast that FAR has become for me. Including Wiley, Becker, and Ninja testing plus AICPA released questions, I have over 400 hours in on this one. When I left the library Thursday night around 7:30pm, the desk ladies all gave me a little salute. I think they are tired or seeing me 4 days a week for the last 6 months, paused only for 2 weeks by Irma and the loss of power in the area.

AND I left the test very tired and a little angry

.
I know about 70% of the material so stone cold by now that you could blindfold me and ask to recite it as you read the book.
Nerves get you as you hit the first few MC, but then ease up as you get into the stride of it. Many of the MC I faced had little hooks or tricks in them that dealt with knowing exceptions to rules.

(removed by request of AICPA)

I was much much better prepared for this exam, but not sure if I passed.
The way I feel about the SIMS, a little angry that I might have failed again after being 400 hours in.
I have a lot of respect for the design of these exams, but this is the first where I had serious issue with the exam itself.

Newbie CPA Candidate

[PTBP2018]

I took FAR for the first time yesterday. I felt pretty prepared walking in, but after I got to the SIMS, I feel like I have a lot of work to do. It's not that I didn't know the material…it's that the Multiple Choice took me so long. I felt good about the multiple choice. I think they did get harder. I just…I didn't have enough time for the Sims. I am a super detail oriented person, and I like to calculate my answers, then do it again to make certain that my figure is accurate. That really cost me a lot of time. I felt horrible leaving the testing center. In fact, I felt much worse than any of my attempts. Many tears. I tried so hard. I am going to continue studying and I will work on my pace. I feel so defeated.

[MatthewS]

@yackemo17 Do not cry about this, I pretty much had the same exact experience a couple weeks ago and everyone else I spoke to said the same thing. Did the MC questions, second testlet seemed a little more difficult and once I got to the sims, I got irritated. It was not that the sims were not answerable, it was the fact that I needed more time, especially with this whole going back and forth to other tabs. You're not the only one in this situation right now. Overall, I was very disappointed with this, I have passed all the parts once but unfortunately I didn't “pass in time” which is why I had to retake FAR. Who knows? Maybe you ended up doing well and could wake up to a passing grade on score release day. Best of luck!

[PTBP2018]

@MatthewS Thank you. I really appreciate it. Knowing that I am not the only one really does help. I felt fairly decent after the last three exams that I passed. This was just…so frustrating. I knew my stuff so well. I am trying to decide if I keep studying or if I take a short break. Decisions decisions.
Best of luck to you! Fingers crossed for that passing score!

[cottonkandi]

@MatthewS Did those people who experienced the same situation as us pass?

[CPA to be]

Hi guys,
Took FAR on 12/9. Did anyone else see a SIM that told you to use the Authoritative Literature to find the JE answer to the SIM? This was NOT a research question, it was a regular SIM. I don't typically study the SIMs with my review course..so does anyone know if these types of SIMs are covered in any review course? If not, is it safe to guess that this is a pretest SIM?
Seems pretty weird. I also got a similar SIM when I took REG. Again, asked me to use the Authoritative Literature to find the answer and was NOT a research question.

[ThomasHallberg]

I had one of those on 12:8 for FAR. No idea if it is pre test.

[Ne’O]

I was trying to resist checking the books on one of the Sims. I'd convinced myself that it had been a bit of a trick question.
Instead, it seems I mentally flipped who had responsibility for something. Thus I'm now quite sure I gutterballed that whole SIM.
It wasn't that bad of a question, and I could have worked through it had I not dyslexia flipped it.

That might have been the difference between pass/fail. I'd found the instructions confusing on the last sim and run out of time on it.
That would be 2 sims under the bus, and I can't imagine I 100% aced the others or did so well on MC to overcome that.
I'm old enough I've been through a lot of the trench warfare of life, but I have to say I am amazed at myself how demoralizing I've found FAR to on my family and me.

Good luck to the rest of you.
It is going to suck to get that Fail before Christmas, and the wife knows I get the info before then. No putting that one away until after the holidays.
Put on the game face and just get ready to hit the library again, but I'd rather eat broken glass than tell her I failed again.
Librarians are politely tired of seeing me, but really it is worst for the family.

Ne'O

Newbie CPA Candidate

[PTBP2018]

@Ne'O All hope is not loss. I was just saying in another thread…how balancing work, family, and the CPA is a really tough thing. So many responsibilities. For me, I have missed the last 2 Christmas's & Thanksgivings with the extended family – due to studying. My parents are getting older, and it's not the best feeling, but they are beyond supportive. I feel worst for my little family and my husband – who never see me leave my home office much. It's a big sacrifice regardless of your age. I think that the eventual passing score will be that much sweeter when we finish. Having a million things on your plate while studying – makes you a super human! I didn't feel great about FAR either. I was so prepared…but I just didn't have enough time.

If you pass, it will be a wonderful holiday gift. If not, then just focus on getting as fast as you can at those MC questions. That's what I plan to do. Family will understand, even though all of this is hard for them too. When your kids see you studying so hard, it has a lasting impact. My dad worked on his MBA for 9 years, and I can still remember kneeling next to the bed with my grandma, praying for him to pass his final exams! He was inspiring, and you are too! You've got this!

[Earla Riopel (NYCARE)]

Took Q4 FAR on December 07, 2017. My exam was fair game as to MCQs and SIMs contents, except for one(1) SIM that likely requires at least 1-2hrs to even a day to do it well. I used Ninja Sniper package, pdf 2014 Becker textbook, and older AICPA released MCQs. Also, I visited the AICPA site for the Sample Tests. Good thing I did.

My Q4 FAR exam was a situation of whoever can do the 65%+ MCQs as fast as 1-1.5hr, had the great chance of doing the SIMs well. Sadly, it wasn't me.

Though it took me 2hrs+ to do the MCQs, I felt good about most of my answers. But I know, my MCQs still need at least 30-35% to pass. With 68 minutes left for Testlest #4 and #5, it's pretty tight.

I am just hoping that the one(1) of the SIMs that needed 1-2hr hour or a day to do it well, was a pre-test. Also, the DRS that I was having technical difficulty, was counted for the total score.

My 2017 Q4 FAR, was more like another punishment, for a slow number cruncher like me. Because of the time-constraint, I finished my SIMs without that feeling that I did well for the SIMs Testlets #3, #4 & #5, like the MCQs two(2) testlets.

As always, I am praying for a ‘pass'.

P.S. Related link: https://www.another71.com/cpa-exam-forum/topic/far-q4-2017-exam-experience/

[MatthewS]

@yackemo17 thanks I appreciate it and it was very frustrating. I hope we passed. @cottonkandi my buddy who had the same feeling about his exam took it in September and told me he had that same exact experience but he passed with a good score, I think mid 80’s. Try to keep some faith about it. Best of luck to everyone here!

[workstudyrepeat]

I took FAR Q2 and in NOv. I had 40 seconds remaining when i took it in Q2 and got a 70 and i didnt feel like i passed when i left the test facility. The second time around, i put in a solid 300+hours and had a little over an hour remaining on the test when i finished. It honestly felt like a blur and i felt good about it-so this probably means i failed :*(

[Ne’O]

Yackemo17,

Thank you for your kind words, most sincerely.
Usually when I vent, it is on a punching n kicking bag far from people.
This time around it kinda had to be with people would understand.

I'm pretty tired though. It has been 8 years for me from when I started.
It is hard to swallow that one coin flip decision on how I interpret a something is going matter that significantly my family and to those that I employ.

I'm not much one for Hope, and will quietly start studying again tomorrow for at least a 3rd go.
If I actually pass, the dozen librarians where I study-camp each deserve a Christmas present. I'll have to figure out something they all will appreciate.
Again, thank you.

Ne'O

Newbie CPA Candidate

[Author]

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