[Anonymous]

After the last score release, it seemed like the only people posting their scores were people passing and passing BIG! That is fantastic to all those who passed but I just wanted to give a shout-out to those of us that are struggling.

In the last few weeks I have been getting personal e-mails from people who don’t post on here and/or are ashamed of their scores. Please don’t be intimidated by all these awesome testers. You are not alone! I felt like a total idiot after I got my FAR score and thought, “Where are the people who didn’t pass?” and “What is wrong with me?”

Please don’t feel this way. If I read “I didn’t finish my simulations and guessed on half the questions and got a 91” again, I will scream. Some people are just great at this. Not that they didn’t work hard and earn it, because I know they did. They deserve it. It does not come easily for me and no matter how much hope I get when I read these comments, I have learned that we are all different when it comes to sections of this exam. I was devasted when I got my scores because of all the people saying they “definitely failed” then scored high. I actually thought I knew enough to pass.

How many times have you overanalyzed your testlet difficulty? Don’t! I have been driving myself crazy with that. Take each section, each question, one at at time and do your best. If that isn’t good enough, try something else. Don’t be ashamed. This forum started because of Jeff’s struggles. If you are having issues, please share them. I have gotten the best advice from people posting on here who failed numerous times and then succeeded. Ewww. I hate the word, “fail”. To quote Trevor’s signature line: “-You did not FAIL, you simply did not pass… failing means you gave up, and giving up is not even an option!”. Love that!

[NJCPA2B]

I would have preferred to pass all 4 parts on my first try…..but in reality, I struggled to pass and didn't give up even after failing REG and AUD 2x back to back….I don't know how I passed FAR and BEC on the first try; I think luck has a big part to play with these exams……

BEC=77, FAR=78, REG=73,74,80, AUD=70,69, 84 DONE!

[MPoni123]

Ideally, EVERYBODY would wanna pass on their first try. That's what makes the CPA exam so difficult…most of the people don't do it! I think luck + preparation = passing score.

AUD - 84; REG - 90; BEC - 79; FAR - 75; ALL DONE!!

[Anonymous]

Florida_Candidate, I know exactly what you are talking about – I think I'm guilty of writing one of those annoying “Guessed two teslests and left sims blank (except for the written part) and passed FARE” posts.

I think, in this case (besides preparation), half of it was indeed test taking skills – educated guesses as you said. The other half – luck. Because I do believe that the exam is curved/ compared to other candidates taking it that day with you…

Anyways, it took me three attempts to take REG, so I know how it feels not to pass.

I wish everyone lots of motivation and energy to keep trying and passing.

[NJCPA2B]

A junior accoutant in my firm passed the 4 exams last year and scored a 99 in REG, however, he struggled to actually prepare a complex 1120S (many schedules) for a client, he kept on coming to me with questions and help…….

You could be a great test taker, but it doesn't mean you have experience and really know how to actually do the work of an Accountant/CPA….it takes time to gain experience!

BEC=77, FAR=78, REG=73,74,80, AUD=70,69, 84 DONE!

[financeguy]

One of the things I have posted about several times when it comes to the FAR exam and so many people saying they had to guess a lot, and felt like they failed yet still passed, etc. I am definitely one of those people. However, this is how I looked at it:

I knew how much time and effort I put into studying the thing. It is one thing to not prepare for an exam and going into it and guessing on half of it (I did that plenty in college). In those cases, I was not surprised that I had to guess, as I had not prepared. However, after prepping so much for FAR, I knew that it had to be that extremely difficult for >90% of the people taking the exam. FAR is a ton of material and I think you need the right mindset preparing for these exams and going into them. Some people seem as if they are trying to nail everything down, which I think is a mistake. I have gone into EVERY exam shooting for a 75. 99 never crosses my mind. I absolutely hate studying, and the joy of a 99 would never outweigh my hatred for studying, and so I shoot for the lowest possible passing grade. It is an opportunity cost thing. I know, when studying that I am not going to know everything. There is some things for each exam that I damn near flat out skip. Don't get too caught up on everything. If you spend 20 hours alone just studying pensions…that just simply is not worth it. You can't do that. You need to allocate your time appropriately and take what you can get. Recgonize and realize your strengths and weaknesses. On the exam when I come accross a question that I know is my weak area…I don't mess around…I narrow it down as quickly as possible and make an educated guess. I don't sit there and worry about missing a question. I know damn well that I am going to miss questions, and that is totally fine with me, because I know that it is 100% possible to pass when you miss several questions.

AUD - 81, BEC - 74, 80, FAR - 82, REG - 81
Done!

[Anonymous]

WOW! I didn't expect such a response to this post. There are so many valid points on here. I totally agree that to pass this thing requires not only hard work, but a perfect alignment of the stars. I guessed a lot on REG and cried when I left yet amazingly, I passed it. Luck has a part in this.

My main point was to let people know that this forum is for everyone, no matter what your score. For a while there I thought I was the only one posting that wasn't a member of Mensa. The numbers are not important, passing is. There is a wonderful network of support on here and we are all anonymous so post whatever you feel. Had it not been for this forum, I would have given up by now. Don't give up!

[Anonymous]

For the most part, I agree with what previous posters have said. Not only is the exam itself difficult, but the process seems to be designed to test your perseverance and patience. I compare it to sorority rush–mind games are played to specifically weed out who has the mental fortitude, and I think it sucks. We ALL have the *experience* of this process in common and, I would think, come here for the support that only someone who has lived/is living through it could provide. My heart aches for those who have put so much time into preparing for a section to not pass…CPAWannaBe, I was rooting so hard for you last time because I know how tough it is to get through this, let alone with kids and a family. This exam has been THE most difficult thing I have ever faced, which is saying A LOT considering that I have had two kids and cancer, and I am thankful there is a place I can come for support.

I do, however, want to offer a counterpoint to the “you studied x number of points too hard” as a general argument. The fact is, we are supposed to go into each section with ZERO knowledge of the exam other than the content outline, and I approach each exam accordingly. Does that mean I read every.single.page of the Becker book or watch those clowns over and over again? No. But, the element of surprise does force me to remain diligent and make sure I'm as prepared as I can be for each section while still maintaining my sanity. I do have to make some tough choices with my time, but I don't sacrifice everything for this test. I have two little boys and work full-time and would NEVER think to study any more than the absolute minimum that *I* felt was necessary to pass. If there were a magic number of hours to assure a 75, you can bet your ass that's all I would study. My rambling point being that, while I'm sure there are some people who DO study for CPA domination, just because someone has performed well doesn't mean that he/she “overstudied” or is trying to one-up the next person.

[Florida_Candidate]

I love all you guys……….. seriously. Hearing everyone else's points just makes me realize what a wonderful community this is, no matter how difference our opinions we're all just here to support each other and you can totally see that in this thread. Seriously this is the only place I can go that understand the stress I'm going through 🙁

Keep up the amazing work guys!

FAR-91 (7/29)
AUD-99 (8/23)
BEC-90 (10/1)
REG-99 (11/3)

[MPoni123]

Florida_Candidate – did you change your 91 score on FAR to “PASS??” If so, why?! You should be proud of your score…I think the whole “I guessed through most of the exam and didn't finish the SIMs and still passed” line is what upsets some of the candidates just because I think it gives others false expectations! lol 🙂

Anyway, rock the 91!!

AUD - 84; REG - 90; BEC - 79; FAR - 75; ALL DONE!!

[NYcpaKGB]

I have to say I am new to this forum and it is the most encouraging thing to read all the posts from everyone. None of my friends are going for their CPA, heck – barely any actually graduated college to be honest. They do not know the time and dedication it takes to actually become a CPA – or what it means to pass this test. Sure, some of them wish me good luck, but when test day comes they have no idea the anxiety and preparation that went into my 3-4 hours of exam time. To find a website like this where people are all on the same track towards a common goal is very inspiring. Whether or not you pass or fail on your first, second, third, etc. time there are others just like you on this website. I took FAR in July and REG in August – when I found out my FAR score of a 78 at 12:10am and woke my father up to tell him the good news his response was, wow you JUST passed how cone you couldn't score higher? I'm thinking in my head of course, “just passed? I got a 78! that left me with a 75, 76, 77, and 78! I did not ‘just pass' I PASSED.” The numbers do not matter, the number of times you tested do not matter – the only thing that matters is if you keep trying and putting in your best effort. I tried my hardest and if my hardest was only a 78, that's the best I could have done. I studied for hours upon hours and devoted my entire summer to the two parts of the CPA. That was the best I could do. So to everyone out there do not feel discouraged or let down by the exam – feel inspired and remember what your goal is. I promise there will be a light at the end of the (long or short for some) tunnel.

FAR 78%
REG 8/25... waiting
BEC 10/16
AUD 11/27

[Anonymous]

NYcpaKGB,

A 78 would be perfection to me.

Florida_Candidate,

If I got a 91, I would have it tattooed on my butt. Put that score back up here!

AU1222,

If I got a 97, I would put it on my face!

[financeguy]

One thing I would just like to add, that while passing all of the exam on the first try is definitely a great accomplishment, I think it is very admirable for those who fail multiple times and continue on and pass the exam.

I think continuing to study and not give up really showcases a lot of great qualities in a person, such as persistence, ambition, work ethic, etc.

I think a majority of people give up on most everything in life when they don't succeed the first time, or they have very big obstacles to overcome. I read a lot about very successful people, and one thing in common w/ all of them is that they failed many, many times at things in life. What really separates them from many others is the will to succeed and not give up.

AUD - 81, BEC - 74, 80, FAR - 82, REG - 81
Done!

[Anonymous]

I'll bump this up because there is some awesome advice in this thread.

[yankeeaccountant]

Allyson,

Thanks for the bump…I just took the last 20 minutes or so to read the whole thread. Alot of great advice and alot I could totally emphathize with. All in all a good read.

Glad I read this before the day started, it was like getting an adjustment at the chiropractor!

[Anonymous]

Thanks Allyson!!

I just skimmed through this but will hopefully read through it more after work.

[Author]

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