[Anonymous]

So the day of judgment is finally here. I will be taking my very first part of the CPA exam next Friday and I wanted you guys’ input about my preparation. I’ve been using Becker and have about 180hrs total of studying. I can still reschedule today or tomorrow so I decided to try my first Final Exam and see how I was doing. Here is what I got:

Testlet #1 80%

Testlet #2 70%

Testlet #3 76%

Testlet #4 (Sim) Average of 57% and missed the Research tab

Testlet #5 (Sim) Average of 68% and got the Research tab

I will be doing Becker’s Final Review for the next week as well as practicing more MC questions. Do you guys think I’m good to go or should I reschedule for a later date?

[AARON]

Yes, they are. Keep working MC. MC is what's going to make or break you on this exam. Rock the MC, expect insane SIMs, write a good com, and try to get the res, and you're gonna pass.

? AUD - 87 (8/12/09)
? REG - 77 (1/15/10
? BEC - 77 (1/6/09 - Expired) / 79 (11/18/10)
? FAR - 75 (2/11/11)

[Anonymous]

Thanks for the advice. I'll just study MC like crazy and work on my Sim skills then. Are you using Becker?

[tx cpa to be]

Those look pretty similar to mine if not alot better…I think I was averaging 70's on both of my final exams (Becker). Pretty much by the time I took the exam, I felt like I knew enough material to pass. Maybe that's how you know you will pass, is if you feel that way. The last couple of days before the exam, I wrote about about 15-20 flashcards with formulas/definitions that I have been having trouble memorizing the whole time I was studying and looked through those a few times.

This is how I felt before going into the exam – during the exam it felt weird because certain questions were like “yes, I know this one!” but most of them were like “ok, I think this is the right answer, I have to choose one before I run out of time”. Simulations were horrible….ugh I don't even want to think about it. I was also really worried about the written communication part, but then it came to me that I could use the research tab to look up technical stuff. I actually copied and pasted stuff (well re-wrote it, you can't copy/paste) straight from the law…so they ended up being a breeze for me. I feel like the hardest part of this exam is being able to manage your time and not flip out during the 4 hour process.

Good luck! I'm sure you'll do great! And if not, just remember it's not the end of the world – you can always study a couple of more weeks with a cram course or something and get those few extra points. (you will not have to worry about that, that's just what I tell myself to make me feel better) 🙂

FAR 2/19/10 - 84 / BEC 4/18/10 / REG -TBD / AUD-TBD

[Anonymous]

The Becker homework and practice exams have been harder than my actual exam for all three sections I've taken and passed so far. I've been scoring about 15-20 points higher on the actual exam than what I scored on the practice final exams.

It sounds like you are pretty well prepared. Go in knowing you are going to have some curve balls thrown at you. Don't let them demotivate or fluster you.

Good luck.

[Anonymous]

Thanks for the input guys. I've been freaking out a little these past couple weeks so it's good to hear I'm not too far off course.

[tmccarron]

@Elfear:

I would encourage you to do 100 question simulated exams. I found the sample tests to be a good experience in knowing the format of the exam, however, the simulated exams within Becker will really show you where you are weak. I would do the 100 question simulations to find your weakest chapters, redo all of the MCQ's. Proceed to take another 100Q simulation and see where you stand. This was so effective for me, I hope it is the same for you. I wish I found this method when I started in March 2009

[Anonymous]

Thanks for the advice tmccarron. Would you recommend doing the 100 question simulations over the Final Review?

[Author]

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