[MustPass1988]

Hey everyone- I’m retaking BEC this coming Friday…I took it a month ago and got a 73 🙁 🙁 :(. Anyways, I am looking for tips on the written communication portion of the exam. I thought I did well on this section but apparently I was “comparable”. I had an introduction, at least 2-3 paragraphs in the middle to explain what I was talking about and a conclusion. I ran out of time on the last one so it wasn’t as detailed…I’m not sure if that was what led to my comparable score or not. Anyways, any suggestions for doing well on this part?

AUD: PASSED [81]; Expired, retaking August 23rd
BEC: PASSED [83]; Expired, retaking July 11th
REG: PASSED [83]
FAR: FAILED [64]; Retaking May 23rd

[Sherrid]

I took BEC last window (for the fourth time) after getting a 74 in the prior window. And I passed….finally. I was concerned about the written communication- I was totally unprepared for one of the topics- I seriously had no clue as to the subject matter. I had listened to Becker's lecture and did exactly what Tim said. My memo was well written, no spelling errors, correct punctuation and on topic. By on topic I mean I included the “key words” in my sentences, so I did address the topic but what I wrote was garbage. So in my opinion they most likely scanned my essay and gave me a passing grade because I addressed the topic. If you're using Becker listen to the lecture!!! It worked for me. Good luck to you…if I can pass so can you.

[rknight21]

^^ sherrid is correct.writing 2-3 paragraph in the middle isn't as helpful as having the keywords in the letter. Wiley breaks down the grading pretty good in their WC sims. Two simple grammatical errors can be the difference between 0 & the 7.5 points… OP I believe I followed the same structure you mention except I only had one middle paragraph…I even had complimentary closings.. I really thought I would Fail for adding that part.

Also very important.. in every conclusion say that you are not an expert in this area but you will research further and schedule a meeting for us to follow-up (or something to that effect)

[KasiaS]

Leave plenty of time to write the WCs. They're not difficult, but you definitely will need time to organize your thoughts and to proofread your work.

Make sure to stay on point (key words Sherrid mentioned) when writing your responses. The software that grades these looks for language used in the question itself to see if you're on point. Also, use proper grammar and be careful with your spelling (ex. there vs their). Avoid abbreviations (even US GAAP should be written out) and do not use contractions or lists (numbered or bulleted).

Finally, the best advise I got was to be as pompous as possible when writing your responses. I used obnoxiously big words and pulled out just about any related accounting term I could to scoop up points.

FAR 88 (07/15/11)
BEC 83 (08/31/11)
AUD 81 (10/15/11)
REG 83 (11/26/11)

Used NIU Correspondence CPA Review

[RedRage00]

I agree with Kasia…..it just sounds like you ran out of time. I used a ton of accounting terms in my essays LOL Focus in on those key words.

Texas CPA
Licensed, March 2012

[barelystayingsane]

I'm gonna resurrect this thread… I've been doing the Becker WC sims, and it takes me about 25 minutes total to do all three WC (without proof-reading).

Each of my memos is about four paragraphs (two-sentence intro paragraph, two middle paragraphs: one shorter at about 2-5 sentences and one longer at about 6 sentences, and a final one-sentence “If you have any further questions…” paragraph).

I'm allocating myself 45 minutes for this section, and I would imagine proof-reading wouldn't take me more than 10 minutes. That leaves me with 10 minutes left after everything. Should I use that time to try to add more? Or is this enough? I feel like I'm adequately answering the questions with what I've written.

[jkpoker1]

How did you run out of time? You should make sure to allocate 45 minutes to one hour to the writing section. However, I really wouldn't worry about the writing. Its honestly probably the easiest section of BEC. If you studied well for the MC, you should be able to BS an answer and just make sure you use language in the question. When I took my exam, I had two simple questions (won't go into detail what they were) and had one semi-difficult one (again won't go into detail, but I def bs'ed it massively….. I was hoping this question was a pre-test but honestly I imagine it wasn't since the other 2 questions related to a similar topic).

I also wouldn't worry about spelling something wrong. If you graduated from college, you should be fine lol. The software shows misspelling which also makes it much easier if you are questioning something you spelled. Good luck btw. I just got a 74 on BEC after studying for only 20 hours (Honestly, I thought it was a pretty easy exam). Just make sure you finish all of the writings and realize that there are a fair amount of pre-tests on the exam.

Quest to be a CPA

BEC-74 (7/13),
REG- ?? (8/13)
AUD-TBA
FAR-TBA

[Anonymous]

@barelystayingsane In business writing, extra “fluff” isn't a positive, so I'd use that time to refine rather than to add more. If there's something useful, sure add it, but if it's just adding word count (like college…), skip it. If the questions are answered accurately and properly proofread, that's what they're after! Take the last couple minutes to breath deep, and maybe even close the exam early. 🙂 It sounds like you're in good shape to do well on the written portion! 🙂

[Author]

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