3 weeks and counting…

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  • August 7, 2015 at 7:31 pm #195958
    palmtop_taiga
    Participant

    Until I sit for FAR. In desperate need of study tips. I failed AUD with a 74, and am determined to turn this around for FAR.

    I have been reviewing the homework, lectures and SIMs. I use Becker and will soon purchase NINJA. When I get questions wrong, I find the area in the book that would have prevented me from getting it wrong and make notes on a word document.

    Is there anything else I can do?

    Any and all advice welcome.

    AUD 74, 82 (11/29/15)
    FAR 68, 79 (11/9/15)
    REG 75 (6/21/16)
    BEC 75 (1/18/16)

Viewing 11 replies - 1 through 11 (of 11 total)
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  • August 8, 2015 at 12:26 am #686547
    golfball7773
    Participant

    How do you learn? I learn by doing and making mistakes – AKA pounding the MCQ's.

    Others learn by rewriting or listening or a combo

    I would start pounding the MCQ's

    FAR: 63, 55, 62
    REG: 65, 77*
    AUD: Fail, 64, 71
    BEC: 72, 74, 81

    *expired

    August 8, 2015 at 3:14 pm #686548
    palmtop_taiga
    Participant

    Thanks for your response. I did pound the MCQ for audit and still failed, so I was looking to get more tips for that extra point.

    AUD 74, 82 (11/29/15)
    FAR 68, 79 (11/9/15)
    REG 75 (6/21/16)
    BEC 75 (1/18/16)

    August 8, 2015 at 9:41 pm #686549
    hassan985
    Participant

    I got a 74 on Reg, I am taking BEC on the 28. I tried pounding out the mcq for reg as well but I plan on doing more sims and trying to read the material more this time around So i don't make a 74 again.

    August 9, 2015 at 2:45 pm #686550
    palmtop_taiga
    Participant

    @hassan, I plan to do the same. I'm still pounding MCQ, but also want to do SIMs.

    AUD 74, 82 (11/29/15)
    FAR 68, 79 (11/9/15)
    REG 75 (6/21/16)
    BEC 75 (1/18/16)

    August 9, 2015 at 2:49 pm #686551
    UM1868
    Member

    For the sims, use the guidance even for all questions. It will help

    Bec-76 (7/14)
    Aud-81 (8/14)
    Reg-82 (7/15)
    Far- 82 (10/15)

    Moral of the story, don't do your CPA while working in Big 4 Public Accounting.

    August 9, 2015 at 6:52 pm #686552
    tom411
    Participant

    If you have the time, I would suggest re-reading as much of the book as possible. I'm not sure how it is for Becker, but with CPAExcel there's a lot of information in the book that isn't in the MCQ's and vice versa.

    August 10, 2015 at 10:15 pm #686553
    palmtop_taiga
    Participant

    @UM1868 Okay, I will do that. I won't go back into the SIMs until I feel like I have the core concepts down.

    @tom Becker seems a bit different, there's a ton of MCQ and I have been reading the book but it just seems that, at least for FAR, people seem to suggest trying to have a solid general knowledge about all the topics rather than a deep understanding of any particular area.

    I still have to get through f9 and f10 this week, and then I have two weeks of solid review as I work 20 hours a week. So I want to make sure my time is spent very wisely. I tend to learn well through the MCQ and rereading whatever areas I seem weakest in. It's just nerve-wracking that I still feel so clueless three weeks from the exam. I felt way better about Audit and still failed.

    AUD 74, 82 (11/29/15)
    FAR 68, 79 (11/9/15)
    REG 75 (6/21/16)
    BEC 75 (1/18/16)

    August 10, 2015 at 11:32 pm #686554
    spikesrd
    Participant

    I agree completely with @tom411. Reading the book is an integral part of preparing for the exam. MCQ's are vastly important and provide the most bang for your buck as far as study time goes, but if I had compare the two methods using an analogy, I'd say that passing a section the CPA exam is like building a wall; with the MCQs being the bricks and the reading material being the mortar that keeps the bricks in place. The bricks, stacked correctly, will resemble a wall until the first strong storm comes along and knocks them over. Can't have a wall without the mortar. Can't be fully prepared for the exam unless you pick up some type of literature to supplement the MCQs. I definitely couldn't imagine anyone going the MCQ-only route with software other than Ninja, though.

    “The reward for work well-done is more work.”

    BEC - 05/26/2015 77
    AUD - 07/27/2015 88
    FAR - 08/31/2015 80
    REG - 11/30/2015 73, 04/18/2016 80 Done!!!

    August 10, 2015 at 11:37 pm #686555
    palmtop_taiga
    Participant

    @spikes I definitely have been reading the book, I'm just worried about time. I am a very slow reader and I have trouble sitting down and reading. By about five pages in, I'm already fading out. I feel like I need to be more engaged. What I have been doing is, for every MCQ I get wrong, I find the place in the book where it's talked about and read until I understand it clearly before moving on. And I will be buying NINJA mcq this week as a supplement. Has this worked for anyone?

    AUD 74, 82 (11/29/15)
    FAR 68, 79 (11/9/15)
    REG 75 (6/21/16)
    BEC 75 (1/18/16)

    August 11, 2015 at 3:01 am #686556
    tom411
    Participant

    @palmtop It might help to read a few pages, then do some MCQ's, and keep switching back and forth to stay engaged. Also it depends on what type of learner you are – I can read for hours on end but can't sit through a 5 minute lecture without losing focus. If you're more of an auditory learner you could always try something like NINJA audio.

    @spikes Love the analogy!

    August 11, 2015 at 7:05 am #686557
    Hermit
    Member

    I agree with Tom411, just don't spend too much time on the sims though. I took FAR twice before I passed it. First time I spent most of my time on MCQ and no time on SIMS. The second time I spent more time on SIMS than MCQ and got the same score. Third time I asked friends, and they said you won't feel prepared for SIMS unless you got those MCQs down! I spent most of the time on MCQs and only went over the SIMS twice unless it was a weak area and worked through it 3-4 times, switching back and forth reading and doing more problems as tom411 mentioned. I also used Wiley testbank for additional MCQ/SIMS. (personally I thought Wiley SIMs was more closely related to the SIMS on the exam than Becker. while Becker is stronger with MCQs.)

    FAR 72, 72, 80

    BEC waiting for score

    REG 8/28

    AUD 10/24

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