[Victoriaandroman]

Good evening everyone, I just took my first section of the CPA exam today and I am utterly speechless. I took FAR (postposed 2 x previously and new I wasnt ready but wanted to get the feel for when I take again in Jan/Feb. I used the Becker review materials and did about 7 out of 10 sections (I was doing well with the studying then had a parent diagnosed with stage 3 cancer about 5 weeks ago and my mind went bonkers, so to speak). I am also a single (and only) parent to a “highly spirited” 7 year old. I figured I would take the exam today, not pass, but at least be better prepared for my retake.

All I can say is that I am dumbfounded, not one of the SIMS even resembled any of the SIMS I did on Becker. I am very fearful now about the retake because given the complexity of the sims they provided I am not sure how to discern wtf is going on.

A little background about myself, I am an attorney (I passed the bar exam in nys on the first try) and reasonably educated. I tend to do better with the written word than mathematical concepts but I was doing ok on my MCQ’s and committed to memory the SIMS I did on the 7 out of 10 of the Becker topics.

Even if I had finished the entire Becker offering it would have not made a difference.

I contacted Becker, by the way their customer service is very underwhelming, they accused me of being hostile, I had witnesses in my home with me who said I was not. I then contacted Roger who said they had better lectures that will somehow assist with the SIMS and had revised SIMS in light of the 2016 revisions.

Any advice?

Thanks,

Victoria

[Ana]

So sorry to hear about your parent. FAR sims are definitely a challenge but right now no prep material will prep you for them. I have access to Becker, Ninja, and Roger. IMO Becker is the best. There's a thread on here about FAR Sims Blueprint, use that to prepare. It'll be hard but it's doable, so many people pass each time. Good luck.

[TommyTheCat]

i havent used becker for a long time so i feel i really cant comment on becker. I am a fan of roger tho, used him for the 3 sections i have taken and passed, and I took FAR on Monday and i felt like there were no surprises with the test versus my materials I studied. I think its all about what speaks/works with your learning style. Rogers lectures are the best out there, but Ive heard Becker has the widest breadth of content and a good test bank.

I am sorry for your parent and their diagnosis, sounds like you have a lot on your plate. Best wishes to you and your mom/dad.

[Author]

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