[DocJ]

I devoted 4 months of study. I spent virtually every free hour I had outside of work and other obligations, even developed an almost military lifestyle of waking up super early to study and then studying well into the evenings. I sacrificed nights out and time with friends and family, almost to the point of losing some of them. I answered thousands of MCQs, went through every Wiley lesson at least twice, and went through God knows how many flashcards, Investopedia articles, and Youtube vids from Edspira and Roger and Accouting Stuff. Bottom line, this – was – my – LIFE.

And yet it still wasn’t good enough. I want to try again…..but what in the holy HELL can I possibly do differently?

[CH89]

Sorry to hear FAR didn't go the way you had hoped. I know the feeling, I have failed a few exams myself, FAR being one of them. At this point, I would say be honest with yourself. You said you studied many hours, did thousands of MCQs, but was it quality time of studying? Was there a section or a topic you strongly disliked or didn't really want to review? Whenever I failed an exam, I would go back to an area that I knew I struggled with and just go through the material again and hammer out more MCQs with the intent of knowing WHY answers were right and gaining a better understanding. I would also suggest going over some simulations too. Yes they suck, but I feel they can really help put things into perspective a little bit better.
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For what's it worth, first time I took FAR I failed with a 51. I think I spent 3 months, if not more, studying for that section. My re-take, I spent about 8-10 weeks of getting through the material and hammering out MCQs and ended up passing with a 76. If there was hope for me passing, there is definitely hope for you passing on your retake. Use this failure as a learning experience, but most importantly, use it as a motivator or encouragement to pass it on your next go. Don't dwell on it too much, and enjoy the upcoming Holidays, then get back to the grind.

[Elaine]

I’m really sorry-I know the feeling.

Have you looked at your score report? Is there a section that you’ve been consistently weaker on? I would concentrate on those topics first but definitely review ALL the topics again- you never know what might show up. I used Roger at first and failed and started using ninja for my retake. I used a combination of both for my retake. I was weak on SIMS so I made sure to redo all the ones in Roger and ninja and wrote down all the MCQ I got wrong and why the correct answer was correct/important key ideas on getting it right. I think this was key since I thought I would remember everything the first time around but I obviously didn’t. I’m not a huge fan of doing a million MCQ and hoping some of it sticks. I rather understand the reasoning behind it and really understand the concepts (not saying you do this but lots of people do).

Good luck, you’ve got this! You’re almost there, you’ve passed the other 3 already.

[Journeyman]

DocJ, totally understand what you’re talking about. I took Far and failed with a 58. I studied for it and expected better than a 58, almost thought I would pass it. Key for me was to accept it and move on. I slowed down on the material, and went through it all again with a strategy of periodically going back and reviewing what I had already gone over. With Far, I found that one to be voluminous and that was what made it so hard – there is just so much! I thought I wasn’t going to be able to get through the exams… how the hell could I pass FAR after doing so bad? I put my emotions behind me and focused on learning the content again like it was the first time and to not rush it. Keep your head up, you are going to make this happen and you are going to be a CPA.

[Author]

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