[Anonymous]

So I just took FAR yesterday… what a beast. The questions got more difficult as I went along so I guess thats a good sign. But some I felt like i’ve never seen before. I used strictly Becker to study. For example, I had an authoritative literature simulation, but then I also had a simulation where I was to do a few journal entries for a airliner. I was instructed to use the authoritative literature for as a key.

Has anyone else had a question like this? I gave myself enough time to do the simulations so I found what I was looking for, but I just thought it was odd since I never practiced a question like it before.

[EZ_Sims_4_me_Pls]

we aren't allowed to talk about the questions we saw…

[Anonymous]

You can talk in general terms about the questions you had. For instance, I had a SIM on FAR that was about consolidations/business combinations. I didn't answer it, because I ran out of time.
The other SIMs I had were on a mixed bag of topics. I can't even remember what they were all on, they involved securities and dividends and depreciation and so forth. Anyway, it sounds like you passed, but yeah, you can't get into specifics about the questions on the exam. That is an AICPA regulation and we all had to agree to it. The research question I had on FAR was probably the only SIM I got completely right that was actually scored. I had one big SIM that I know I got correct and I'm sure it was the one that wasn't counted. If it had been, I may have passed.

[Anonymous]

I'm hoping so. I guess I will find out on March 8th.

I was going to say… I didn't think that post was violating the agreement with the AICPA.

[Anonymous]

I took FAR on Monday and the MCQs were way hard. I used both Becker and Ninja MCQs and still didn't feel all that comfortable. On the other hand, the sims were fairly straightforward.

[slackergurl]

I took it yesterday as well and the sims were brutal. I had three on fairly obscure topics and another on my personal weakest topic. I got the research one and I think I got the other two, but I can only guess on the four difficult ones.

On the other hand, my MC's were not awful. Second testlet definitely got more difficult and the third was a little easier than the second, but more difficult than the first.

[Anonymous]

The consolidations/business combo SIM I had on FAR was absolutely horrid. I took one look at it and just said “forget it.” There was another one having to do with stockholders equity and it was also a monstrosity. I'm sure I missed 75% of it. The others were easier and very do-able. The MCQ was the reason I failed though. I was just out to lunch on everything except the really basic stuff and govt/nonprofit, which I did OK on (according to the report) because I spent a ton of time studying them. Looking forward to the retake though, which will have fewer MCQ.

[Cruzer]

This sounds horrible. Seems like examiners could hit you on any given area that is complex. Definitely still think the most complex newest standard SIMS are the pretest ones (makes most sense). Still don't understand why they love govt and NFP as not that many of us work in that sector. I guess they just want to make sure we take it seriously since GASB is so much more stricter than FASB. I think you either nail the MCQ's and do avg on SIMS or do avg on MCQ's and knock the SIMS out of the park to pass this damn thing and get a 75.

[Anonymous]

@Cruzer – I think that's the way it's been for a long time now, “do well on MCQ and average/below average on SIMs and get 75” or “bad MCQ and great on SIMs”. That's going to change, with the new scoring weights (fewer MCQ, more SIMs) and *supposedly* the kinds of questions being asked. I just wish they'd make the SIMs less complex. Give me more of them, fine, but don't make them so tricky that I have to skip some or not spend enough time on them because you made them so dauntingly complex.

[Iceman6]

I feel the same way. Every time I passed I knew I killed it on the SIMs. All my fails can probably be attributed to having 2-3 insane SIMs I ended up bombing. (Score report showing weaker) and only doing ok on the MCQ

I did have a SIM on FAR about leases that made me want to curl up into a ball and cry for my mom. Praying it was a pretest

[Cruzer]

I am dreading to death the FAR Sims and only 4 days away from the exam. Spent 3 hours taking my own notes/making my own charts from 2 SIMS yesterday. Does anyone know how to calm your nerves when the SIMS seem so overwhelming when practicing?

[Wannafree]

@cpastoolie ,did you find JE in AL ? how much time u had for SIM ? Did you feel SIMs were manageable in 1 hour 30 minutes?

[ItsAccrualWorld94]

I took FAR 2/24 and get my score tomorrow night… to say I am freaking out is an understatement. My MCQ test lets got increasingly harder to the point that the 3rd was impossible, but I think overall that is a good thing that they got harder. The problem is my sims were absolutely ridiculous! Of the 7, I knew 3 of them (including the research), one of them I made an educated guess on and the other 3 were complete shots in the dark. They covered governmental and an EPS calculation that overall left me feeling completely defeated. Has anyone else felt this way and then passed?? I am so nervous for tomorrow night….

[Anonymous]

I had an SIM on EPS and it was so lengthy that I basically couldn't do it. Of the SIMs I had, there were two that were just absolutely ridiculous and that was one of them….you and I may have gotten the same question. I was hoping either that one or the other one I got, on consolidations, would be the pre-tested one but I'm guessing based on my score of 62 that both were graded.

[Author]

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