[kevinmalone]

I. Hate. FAR.

I took FAR today right before the holiday tomorrow. I had studied for three months and felt great going into the exam. I felt good about the first testlet. The second testlet was harder but I still feel like I only had to guess on only 5 of them which I feel like was decent. Then I got to the SIMS…..

Every single one of my sims was straight from Satan himself. Every single one had multiple tabs of supporting documentation and they were extremely involved. I got two sims in the third testlet, three in the fourth, and three in the fifth. Out of the eight sims I feel like I only really nailed the research one and another short one. The rest of them were so involved and full of convoluted nonsense out of left field I’m pretty sure I am fu****

The odd part is I have felt like I have failed every other section I have taken but I ended up passing them. FAR was different though. I genuinely feel like I failed and am already preparing my mind to reschedule and take it in November.

I’m just wondering if anyone else had a similar experience? Unfortunately nobody knows if they have passed the new FAR exam yet so even if I were looking for some consolation….. Not going to be able to find it!

[QueenCPA]

My experience today was quite sadening.

First test let of MCQ's was ok; knew some and didn't know some, but overall, doable.

Then came second test let with crazy and tough MCQ questions, marked over 10 out of the 33 and had to guess to move on.

But I made sure I managed my time well. Completed the MCQ's and still had 2 hours 45 mins.

Then came test let 3, first Sim test let, with the research and an easy sim and I had hope of a pass!

That hope quickly vanished when I saw test let 4, second sim test let and test let 5, third sim test let. The 6 sims were mostly guesses.

Do I have a chance any chance? Probably not 🙁

[Anonymous]

I just took FAR today…what a disaster. I certain section that according to the blueprint claimed would be the most lightly tested section, made up a good part of my MCQS. The hot topics according to my study materials (becker/roger/ninja) were barely on my exam. The SIMS were just unbearable…. time wise. I had never had an issue with time on any of my prior exams, but FAR was a different story. My first testlet of 2 sims each had 8 and 10 exhibits. I barley made it through all of the exhibits, and had to rush through since I knew I still had 6 sims left. I basically didn't even finish my last SIM, I am hoping that was the pretest. If I didn't pass this exam (which I think I did not) I lose BEC which is more than discouraging. The score holds and exam changes have really killed me over the last year and the NYS Board is not accommodating the score holds. Hoping to find out good news in 11 weeks….

BEC-78 (expires 9/30)
REG- 71,73,76
AUD- 77
FAR-?

[rubberducky]

@Danielle,

How were the MCQs in regard to the length and detail of questions? I'm using Becker and Ninja as well, and I find that some of these questions are insanely detailed and there's no way to do them in 1-2 minutes. I've heard they're more straightforward on the exam, did you feel that way?

And if it makes you feel better you “only” have to wait 9 weeks to get your score (Sep. 11th)!

[nahlij]

@rubberducky ,

I just took FAR last friday, and don't worry about the whole “length of the question” thing because the MCQ will not be your worry. Even though Becker's MCQ are long, that doesn't mean info in that question isn't valuable for another question. You still need to understand everything that is going on. I used Becker and I tried to understand every question they gave me, and in return I destroyed the MCQ on the Exam. The Sims is what will be the hardest part…coming from someone who studied their butt off. I had 2 hours to do the Sims, and still didn't have time to do it all sufficiently. I had to end up writing stuff in to try and get some kind of credit, but the Sims will either make or break me for passing…

[Anonymous]

I took FAR yesterday.. I made my Math and I think I should go away with 77 to 80 ( I hope ..!!). I already failed one few months ago.

First, you need to know all the concepts .. in the last two days before the exam ,go through all the concepts (flashcards will do , or your own notes if have good ones) make it simple .. do not go into complex calculations .. it is late to do that !.

For SIMS .. do not rely on those you worked on in the course providers materials, websites .. etc. Those are out of date !! Maybe they will renovate ..in the next few months ! ..

Make sure that you spend sometime on the SIMS questions in the sample exam on the AICPA website. I think that they saw how we screwed up with the new exam format last quarter , so they have refreshed the questions to make them like what you will see on the actual exam !!.. look at it practice it .. it will become something you know how to deal with..!

So most of the MC questions are about the bullet points you have in your notes which you should know .. not much details ..I had worked out and spent time on many complicated questions in the course materials .. I think I saw MAX two to three similar to those on the actual exam. So do you need to know the computations and practice some of them .. YES you need that but do not forget the basic concepts and definitions ..

Are you going to see many DRS questions in the SIMS part ? YES .. that is the trend from now on ..I got 5 out of 8 .

Get ready for that .. do not get Panic when you a see a SIM question carrying 8 documents to look at. BUT you have to spend sometime practicing before you set for the Exam. So focus on the few DRS questions available for you .. The key is : how much time do you need to answer the questions.. Timing is essential .. because if you spend excessive time on MC (like I always do !) then you might fail to attempt the last one or two SIM questions ! .. So make sure that you do not spend more than 1 hour 45 minutes on the MC.

(edited for content)

YES CPA exam was much easier in the past .. today AICPA is another mood .. so be prepared for that.

Good Luck to everyone,
cheers!

[Anonymous]

Do you guys recommend studying the day of the exam? My first FAR is this Thursday at 11am. I am debating whether it is a good idea to quickly do 1 or 2 sets of 30-MCQ and read over the notes again. What would you guys do? Any suggestions?

[kmgentil]

I've never studied the day of an exam. The test is 4 hours long, studying in the morning will just fatigue you. If you don't know it by test day you won't know it at all.

[FastFalcon]

Okay THANK YOU people who have mentioned how nightmarish the FAR sims were this quarter!! I have 2 years of audit experience and have studied diligently for FAR 4 times. I thought I nailed the MCQs and then got to these sims and I almost walked out of the testing room. My experience was that all 8 (other than the research) were EXTREMELY involved, lots of support items to sift through and lots of stuff that didn't make sense. I also took in Q1 and Q2 and this quarter was another animal entirely. SO disappointed in the AICPA and test poor questions. Test the rules not the ambiguity and volume we would never have to rush through in the real world.

Lord help us come score release!

[To0ld2Pass]

Took FAR today, this was my first exam. The first testlet wasn't bad at all the second testlet was harder for “me” to answer but I don't think it would have qualified as a harder testlet so I do not know if I got the harder one because it did ask some simple ones in there too. I only had 1 SIM that I had extreme trouble with but I know I at least got part of it right. Finished exam with 30 minutes to spare(not sure if that's good or bad either) and did not leave feeling completely defeated. 🙂 For anyone who hasn't taken it yet I can definitely say I am GLAD I took the practice exam off AICPA. Good Luck everyone! I ran into other CPA candidates there and they all told me they passed FAR on first try… no pressure!

[Anonymous]

Finally found someone who has the same experience as me!
For me, the first testlet was pretty straightforward and the second testlet was definitely harder and required more calculation but Iike @To0ld2Pass said, there were a few easy ones in there so I'm not sure if it's considered the “difficult” testlet or the “moderate”. I had to make educated guesses on some of those… As for SIMs, there were one that was on a topic that I had studied for but had absolutely no idea how to do because of the overwhelming information in the documents so I just rushed through that one and moved on hoping that it was only a pre-test SIM. The rest were okay, nothing too crazy. Can't say I got them all right, but perhaps the majority of them… (*fingers crossed*) Guess we'll find out soon lol. Best of luck to you all, we're all in this together 🙂 Can't wait to be done with FAR, it's a beast for sure…

[Summie]

Just took this exam yesterday and i am super bummed. It did not go how I expected. The MCQs were straight forward. Material was stuff covered in the review books. The ones i found “tough” were because i recalled studying the concept but was fuzzy on the details.

The simulations were from a whoooole different world. I didnt do every practice becker simulation. But I did all of the FAR mock exams and all the sims that came with that. The real sims were infinitely harder than the ones in Beckers mock exams. I had a panic attack after reading the first sim on my exam. It had too many documents and I couldnt figure out what they wanted me to pull (or how). I started freaking out that “im not going to pass. All this studying was for nothing. Whats the point of even trying now… youre going to fail.” The next question was the research question… I was already freaking out from the first sim so I freaked again when I couldnt find the answer to the research question. Spent so much time on that testlet that I ran out of time for the last testlet… even though two of the questions on there were one that had concepts I was familiar with and could have figured out. Easy points that I lost.

All that freaking out cost me on the sims. I wish there was a way to sign up for a retake soon instead of waiting 2 months. I dont even want to see my failing score. I just want to retake. The material is still so fresh in my mind that I want another two weeks to lock some things down and then attempt again. Sadly I wont be able to test again till jan.

My takeaway from this is that you REALLY need to know concepts inside and out so you can effectively utilize your time on the SIMS. figure out what they are asking and then scan the documents looking for that info. Spend time locking down concepts (through MCQs or notes) and then take a few practice tests so you feel comfortable seeing sims and not freaking out like I did. But the key to prepping for them is to KNOW the concepts inside and out.

[KJ]

@Summie I had same experience as you when I took FAR on 10/01. I was so engrossed in doing MCQ's that I don't even recall which testlet was easy or medium or hard. I did not practice any SIMS except one on AICPA sample test just a day before my exam. I freaked out as well when I saw the first SIM with multiple documents to review. If I fail I know all I am doing is MCQs and SIMS for re-test. I think doing MCQs clear the concept more than just reading or watching videos, at least for me. I did complete all SIMS with just less than 2 minutes to spare. I hope everyone who gave FAR this quarter gets comparable so we all can pass lol..not asking for much…

FAR - August 2016
AUD - September 2016
REG - October 2016
BEC - November 2016

Remember: "Everything should be made as simple as possible, but not simpler." - Albert Einstein

[Adeel_q1987]

In my experience, MCQ's are just about practice and you can narrow it down to the correct answer just by knowing the concepts….mastery is not a requirement.

Now Simulations, that is another beast and requires you study all the chapters and understanding how that applies in real world. This is what makes you earn your CPA……. Just take a deep breath when you feel like the Simulations are not making sense and start breaking down what they are actually asking. Little by little chip away at the information and it will all come together. Remember your goal is 75, make sure you have a game plan……STUDY STUDY STUDY…..friends and family later.

[Painted_Jeans]

@KJ and @summie you guys need to calm yourself, its over. you stressing over nothing, honestly. the worst thing that can happen is that you have to take it again! nobody has cancer and dying 🙂 the sucky part that you gotta wait till 11th to fins out but you both probably passed and if you didnt you will the next time around because you learned from the experience. Dont rely on your knowledge for the second time if you do have to take it. i've heard that exams are totally different for retakers. now go get a beer lol

[Author]

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