[Anonymous]

I’m taking FAR – my first section – on January 7th. I am using Becker and studied all 10 chapters, along with MCQs and Sims for each chapter. I started my final review yesterday after taking a couple days off for the holidays. What I’ve found is that I have retained a shell of the material I studied originally. I really don’t know where to start my review, so I have kind of just been reviewing the material in the book and made a “summary notes” for each chapter to try to pound the information into my head again while creating a quick reference guide for main topics.

Does anyone have advice on best practices? I have heard that doing endless MCQs is the way to go, but I feel like I am burning out already and don’t want to waste time on MCQs I already know. I am considering only re-doing the MCQs I got incorrect the first time around.

Any help/guidance would be appreciated. I am nearing the point of stress overload.

[mla1169]

I'd find new MCQ's (cpareviewforfree.com or the AICPA released 2011 or 2012 questions which you can google) and try Jeff's NINJA notes which are better than the cliff notes version for brushing up. Good luck on FAR, it was my first section too!

FAR- 77
AUD -49, 71, 84
REG -56,75!
BEC -75

Massachusetts CPA (non reporting) since 3/12.

[spongfunk]

Work as many multiple choice questions as you can. Take the Becker final exams (you will do terrible on them but that's ok, they don't accurately represent what you will get on the exam), and do lots and lots of progress tests. If you have 10 minutes after lunch one day…take a progress test. 15 minutes before bed…take a progress test. You get the idea. Even if you only take progress tests in 5 or 10 question chunks every little bit helps.

At the end you will still feel like you don't remember a fraction of what you should for the exam but that's ok. You don't have to remember everything…just enough, and you'll be surprised at what sneaks back into your brain on exam day. Good Luck!!!

FAR: 85
AUD: 80
REG: 78
BEC: 82

[Anonymous]

Spongfunk,

that makes me feel a lot better. I keep trying to tell myself it's virtually impossible for any individual to retain all this information, so I can't worry about that. I actually thought it would be a good idea to take one of the Becker Final Exams before I started my final review to see where I was at, but after the first testlet I realized I didn't remember most of the little details necessary to do well. Oddly enough, I got a 24/30 (80%) on that testlet, so maybe I should have kept going. I tried not to review the questions so that I can take it again when the time is right, without remembering correct answers.

I have exactly 10 days left until exam day. I don't think it's possible to do all the MCQs all over again and do both Final exams, so I'm going to try to focus MCQs on major topics that I don't already know well (Leases, Bonds, Pensions, Deferred Taxes, Gov't & NFP). I won't focus as much on the easy chapters so that I can save time. Does this seem like a decent plan? I know I should have started my review sooner, but unfortunately the holidays came at the worst possible time and my next semester of grad school starts on the night of exam day so I wanted to squeeze the exam in before the semester began.

[jeff]

Free FAR ninja notes chapter (govt accounting) … Hope it helps

https://www.another71.com/cpa-exam-study-plan/

Jeff Elliott, CPA (KS) | Another71 | NINJA CPA | NINJA CMA | NINJA CPE

[Anonymous]

Any advice for someone who literally forgot what feels like everything and has the exa, Jan 4?

Even as I read and reread the book now at work, it feels like its going in one ear and out the other.

I have taken off from work Jan 1-3 to study. I never want to study for this exam again in my entire life, I would rather starve myself for a week than study for FAR. No, I'm not even over exaggerating.

[Noct]

@DavidB1990

First, take 10 slow, deep breaths. Then determine which chapter you consider your weakest. Work practice MCQ for it, and make sure you understand why you got each one right/wrong. Then move on to your next weakest section and repeat. Take frequent short breaks like 10 min every hour you study. In your final week of review, go back and rework the MCQ you got wrong on your first time through. You'll be amazed how many of them you get right this time!

FAR - 79 - 07/2012
AUD - 65, 78 - 11/2012
BEC - 76 - 11/2012
REG - 78 - 01/2013
ETH - 98 - 01/2013

Material: Wiley books

[SeePeeAyy]

1) Do the final exam

2) Note which sections you are the weakest on

3) Go to those sections and read once over and then drill MCQ till you want to puke

4) Do the final exam

5) Repeat 2-3.

[Da Bears]

Just do all the MCQ you can handle, making notes of areas you struggled on. Day before exam look at those specific areas and check out recently released questions and practice some SIMS.

FAR- 8/14/12 91
AUD- 10/16/12 88
BEC- 11/07/12 92
REG- 01/05/13 86
NIU CPA Review

[Author]

Replies