[TerriSilva]

hi guys are any of you studying for FAR right now with Wiley? I’m taking the exam on December 1st…wondering how much time I truly need. I just past BEC with 80 but missed AUD by 2 points! 73…grrrrrr.

I want to make damn sure I pass FAR so that I only have to retake REG and AUD. What do you all think about supplementing with Ninja Scout for the retakes?

[Defo]

I just passed FAR with only Wiley, but only you are going to be able to know how much time YOU are going to need. I spent 2 months studying at night 8pm-11 or 12 and 5+ hours on Sat and Sunday. Probably easily over 200 hours of study time, and i felt under prepared on test day.

I would recommend using the wiley exam planner if you arent already. It sets up a daily goal of lessons to complete to keep you on track for test day. Set your planner test day a week earlier than actual test day to allow big review of everything.

[TerriSilva]

yes I am using the exam planner…I set it up with just under 3 months to study (I'm in the second week of study) and just wondered if that was too much time. Thanks!

[Defo]

I don't think 3 months is too much time at all. I am not even sure I agree with a theory of too much study time. More time spent should equal a better score. Just make sure you are retesting and reviewing old material as you move along the course.

[for_3_letters]

@TerriSilva

I will be beginning my studies for FAR tomorrow with Wiley and plan to test on Dec 9th. Though I wish I had a bit more time the consensus has been that a minimum of 8 weeks and max of 12. This also comes with a disclosure to go back and review if going upwards of the 12 weeks as you could forget some of the material. This will be my first stab at FAR so I'm hoping that 10 weeks will be enough, being they call it the “Beast”.

Did you feel like the simulated exam was comparable to your score with BEC?

[1skibum]

I’m a week in studying for FAR with Wiley. I’m planing on taking the exam at the end of November so it has me scheduled for about 4 hours of study a day. What I don’t get done during the week I pick up on the weekend. I just took the 1st assessment and got an 80, then got 75 on the Sims. Not sure if I should go back or not though. Good luck!

[CS]

I did Wiley for FAR which I took this past August as my first CPA test, and passed with an 81. Not the best score but I'll take it. I felt prepared going in, but underestimated the time it would take to complete the SIMs. I'd say I knew 95%+ of the material on the test, and only my lack of time management is what led to me not completing the simulations. I walked out, called my wfe laughing at how poorly I did and how I'll be more prepared on my retake because I was sure I failed. I gave myself 2 hours for the sims, because I had been practicing Gleim's simulations for the week or so prior and doing well, completing 7-8 in much less time, but to be honest, the exam's actual simulations had a lot more documentation which caught me off guard.

Defo makes a good point, and you should set your exam date on your planner a week before, because I set it to my actual test date, and you'll see that a week out from the test is the last lesson, and of course the last lessons are Government and NFP (another tip, Government/NFP is not that difficult if you put the time in and get the basics down, but it may be better for you to put those lessons earlier). Just make sure you're continiously reviewing prior week's lessons as you progress through your schedule.

1skibum, if you're hitting 75-80, I'd say keep it moving, and you can save missed questions for review. I regret not doing that, as it would have saved me time.

[for_3_letters]

@SBNY2K17

How many weeks did you prepare for FAR? How were you scoring on the simulated exams? Trying to see the simulated exam comparison to actual exam score.

[CS]

@for_3_letters

My total prep time was 13 weeks. Was it too long? Honestly, I think so. Reason being is that there were simple concepts I learned in the first 2 – 3 weeks (of the 12 weeks of lectures) which I had forgotten by Week 11 or so. One mistake I made was that I didn't start doing progress reviews (MCQs for previously completed sections) until about Week 6 or 7 I think. Regardless, during Week 12 and Week 13, I found myself going back to the beginning lectures for simple points and almost re-learning them. I think that can be solved if you do constant progress/review sessions throughout, but at the end of it, it still felt long.

Regarding simulated exams, I didn't do any. I followed Jeff's advice, as well as others here and online in general, and felt 4 hours (for each simulated exam) was better spent reviewing, so sorry I have no input as to that. Regarding CPA exam scoring, people have numerous theories on how it's scored, but after receiving my result, I have no idea. My wife was annoyed when I attributed my score to some good luck, because she saw how much I studied and listened to my sorrows when I left the test center, but in all honesty, if certain concepts I wasn't as familiar with were tested, especially in the SIMs, I may not have passed, that's just how it is.

I would follow Defo's advice, and put your exam date a week ahead of the actual on the study planner and follow that. It was a little frustrating studying NFP/Governmental while reviewing in the very last stages. Also, might be a good idea to put NFP/Governmental earlier in your session (although if you have 2 full weeks after your final lectures it's probably more manageable).

My main tip for FAR, *time management*. I think the general advice of leaving 2 and a half hours for SIMs is solid. Some people may have been comfortable with 2, but that can also depend on the SIMs and documents you get. I would say 90 min on multiple choice (max) and rest for SIMs.

[Anonymous]

I used FAR for each section and have to say it does a good job of preparing you. My study plan was watch all the videos, then start hammering multiple choice. I went back and read the lectures on anything that was still giving me problems, only after I hammered multiple choice questions in that area. I feel like I learned most by doing multiple choice questions, getting them wrong or right, and knowing the exact reason why. The only notes I took was mnemonics as I felt it was more important to do more multiple choice instead of wasting time reading and writing notes that may or may not be on the exam.

It is never a bad idea to supplement with Ninja. I used the audio everyday on my commute and it did a fantastic job of hammering home many concepts.

Was scoring 60 – 75 consistently on 30 multiple choice question blocks on Wiley multiple choice questions.

[Bourne]

I'm using Wiley now and my routine is as follows:

Wake up at 5 am – get a solid 1.5h of studying
Study during lunch ~ 1 hour
Study after work ~2-3 hours
Weekend days ~4-5 hours

When I take the exam I'll have studied just under 8 weeks. I watch each lesson's video and take notes (I can stay more engaged watching the videos as opposed to reading) and then complete the typical end of lesson assessment questions and move on in order to stay on track.

Like the above, I have the Wiley end date set to 2 1/2 weeks before my exam, in which I will be hammering away at MCQ's and SIMS until test day (as well as read and write the Ninja notes). I kind of regret not going back after each couple of lessons to review some things, but with only a week left of the review course it's kind of pointless now.

While I know I haven't retained near as much as I'd like to and don't feel close to being ready, I'm banking on the MCQ's coming in handy in the last two weeks. I feel that ending the Wiley learning early is essential and then just work on all of the MCQ's.

This is my first CPA exam so while my technique isn't tried and true, hopefully it'll give you some insight.

[Author]

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