[SchruteBeet]

Hi guys, I found out this morning I failed FAR miserably on my first attempt. I have one more attempt before my BEC expires and I am not in the States currently so I will be flying elsewhere to take the exam which means any date I schedule for the test will pretty much be set in stone. I think there were a lot of things that contributed to my failure – I was in the middle of a huge move to a new country during the exam time, my time management was way off during the exam (I spent 2 hrs 45 mins on the MCQ) so I couldn’t finish the exam in time, I studied for way longer than I should’ve (4 months) and did not schedule enough time to review the old material frequently, and I did not get enough sleep the night before. I am planning on taking the exam in the last week of Feb. My current game plan is to utilize my Becker course material and go over the textbook, make summary sheets and hit the MCQ/flashcards. I was planning on adding Ninja Scout during my review period (mainly the MCQs). Any comments/feedback on this plan?

Another question is, I worked out an extension with Becker but it expires on Feb 16 do you think they will give me an extension if I tell them my exam is scheduled later in Feb?

[Jj]

Re-read the Becker book then only do ninja mcq for 2 weeks. 2 days of sims before the test date. I found this effective after not passing first time.

[SchruteBeet]

Thanks, @Jj. Appreciate your input!

[maverick87]

I got a 58 on my first attempt using only Roger. Roger expired so I purchased Ninja. I did around 3,500 mcq and studied half of the sims (printed them out to get a clear picture of them). I read some of the book over again, took a lot more notes from mcq, studied them a lot. Watched some lectures on troubled areas. Put in 150 hours for FAR retake. I feel like you need consistency. I studied for 3 hours M-F and 12 hours throughout the weekend. Last 1.5 weeks I hammered mcq. Averaged 25 hours per week, did 30 hours my last week. I would study for 6-7 weeks and no more than that because you start forgetting information. Study everything over again, that's what I did but I wouldn't spend so much time reading a whole chapter of the book or watch every lecture if I was getting mcq correct. I barely used the flash cards. I found doing mcq over and over again useful. I jumped from a 58 to a 75. Good luck.

[Ryno]

I'm in the same boat as you. I also took 4 months to study for FAR. I had some personal issues weighing on me and basically used this as an escape, which sounds great in theory but I did not absorb the information and didnt put enough effort in it. I used Roger but not the way that is recommended. I watched all the videos and read the book before looking at any TBS or MCQ. I felt that I basically had to relearn it as I was looking at the MCQ and TBS. Needless to say I did not pass. Im going to go back through the roger cram videos and use ninja MCQ and TBS every day, while reviewing ninja notes. Then try to take again sometime in February. If I fail again, I will probably start my Roger Review for FAR over again.

I felt the Roger TBS did not help me prepare. You've got to really understand what is being asked. With the Roger TBS you can wing it so to speak. I got 3 DRS sims and 2 other ones that had more than five tabs of information. I`ve been trying to “learn the test” so I going to have to force myself to try to understand the material better. I keep hearing to just grind away on MCQ and mix in some TBS.
I wish you the best. Those TBS are no joke.

[SchruteBeet]

@maverick87 Your experience gives me some hope! Thank you for sharing your study plan. I am planning around 6-7 weeks before the exam. I def agree on forgetting info past that period. Did it take you 1.5 weeks to finish all of Ninja MCQs or did you utilize most of those 6-7 weeks to go through them (I am assuming you did them more than once since you attempted 3500 MCQs)?

[SchruteBeet]

Thanks @Ryno. The TBS are very challenging indeed!

[Will]

I got a 74 and then a 76 on FAR.

Are you using the blueprints to study your sims (the analysis check box)?

https://www.aicpa.org/BecomeACPA/CPAExam/nextexam/DownloadableDocuments/2017-CPA-Exam-Blueprints.pdf

MCQs are practice/practice/practice. I feel like SIMS are better time spent than MCQ but you my strong point was on the MCQs and that's because I did those the most.

I see someone above did 3 hours a day and 12 hours on the weekend. That's insane. I studied 1/2 that amount. Obviously we all study and learn differently, but if you focus on the blueprints (which is what the AICPA wants you to do), then you don't need to be wasting time on certain sections.

Also, purchase audio lectures. I used Roger and Jeff. Both were great. Jeff has that clogged up nasal passage that makes him sound like his nose is pinched off and Roger is constantly burping from Mountain Dew, but both have great info and you can listen to them from your phone.

Try to do 2 SIMS and 30-45 MCQs a day. Focus hard on Gov't and NFP (12-20% of the exam); hit Consolidations more than you want; READ the blueprints! I wish you luck. You have the tools to pass, you just need to buckle down and churn this thing out.

[Anonymous]

I have officially started studying for my FAR retake today…So far, a bit disjointed efforts, but what I have done is just go through the Ninja testbank according to Becker modules if that makes sense. Today, I have done 120 MCQ in Ninja (mostly scoring in the 80s) and watched a lecture on Revenue Recognition in Becker since the whole guidance changed. I should be done with MCQ corresponding to chapters 1 and 2 by end of week and will re-read the book as needed. I am sure I will end up adjusting my strategy as I go, the key is to just keep studying….

[SchruteBeet]

@anyatver Congrats on the first step! We're in this together. I realized what worked for me during all other exams was making summary sheets of my own for each chapter so I am trying to get that done first. I've allotted my Sundays to go back to the prior chapters and doing a progress test so the material remains fresh. So good so far and I agree with you – the key is consistency and to just keep studying. Also, are you working full-time? I was trying to gauge how many Ninja MCQ's I will be able to get through if I am studying while working full-time.

[Anonymous]

I took FAR in May 2017 and got a 61. I retook the exam in December 2017 (took Audit in between and failed that too) and got a 60. I use Becker and Ninja. I'm not sure how to pass given i spent so much time studying. I know i struggle with simulations? Any advice? I was considering a tutor..has anyone tried that?

[Go.For.Broke]

@SchruteBeet I think that if you bear down and focus, you'll nail FAR at the end of FEB (two months should be enough for a retake, if you study smart). For my FAR retake, I did Becker lectures, flash cards (skimmed the chapters), MCQ/SIMS, and Ninja Notes. I'd certainly utilized Ninja MCQ and Ninja Audio as well, if you can. That should put you over the top.

I think Becker has changed their extension leeway recently, so you may have to pay. But it's probably worth it. Look into Becker final review as well. I used it for REG, and it was great.

Hope this is somewhat helpful!

[Author]

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