[jeff]

NINJA Study Notes, Flashcards, and Audio: https://www.another71.com/products-page/

Wiley Software: https://www.another71.com/wiley-cpa-software/

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

[rowingOC]

momo5 – p.s. my soccer team is called the momos =)

B - 11/10: 79
A - 10/10: 81
R - 2/11: 77
F - 5/11: 83 <--- DONE!!!!!!!!!!

[IwannaBaCPA]

@Momo5

I too took FAR yesterday and don't feel good about it…I suggest moving on to Audit which is what I am doing starting Monday…

You never know and for me, I need a different topic in my head or it may explode!

BEC: 79 - April 2011
FAR: 78 - May 2011
AUD: 81 - May 2012
REG: 79 - October 2012
Ethics: Passed - March 2013
I am finally DONE!

[magster]

Took the test yesterday 8am………….had a beer at ten minutes after noon; that should tell you how it went! Nothing could have prepared me for this test. Not only did I draw a blank on the most basic calcs that I know inside and out, but there were questions that I just don't know where they pulled them out of (if you know what I mean). The SIMS were brutal, nothing simple about it, all very comprehensive and tons a stuff to sort through. I know I did lousy on the MCQ, which is weird after over 1500 practice MCQs, because they seemed to stay short and to the point – not wordy at all – just stuff that I did not know. Not even an additional 3 month could have prepared me for this test. I might as well not even studied and just walk in and I bet the results would be the same. WOW- it is so frustrating. I know ppl sy if you think you did bad…….I just know I did bad, I looked up some stuff I guessed on, not the right guess. Well, guess next window I will fork out another $300 and take it 4th time. I have no luck gampling so why would I think I would get an ok test….I am not a dumb person. did really well in college, I spent the time studying (I mean quality time) and yet I cannot pass this monster. GRRRRRRRR

REG - Passed
FAR - Passed
BEC - Passed
AUD - 2-25-12 PASSED - DONE !!!!!!!! WOOHOO

*** One day I will get my life back.... maybe today is the day ***

[yankeeaccountant]

@magster, Iwannabeacpa, and momo5,

Yikes, needless to say I am nervous about walking into Prometrics on Monday for this exam!! Maybe I should have a beer before I go—carbs are brain food–nobody said that they couldn't be liquid!! haha. JK.

I have been working hard for this swipe, my third, for the last three weeks and am trying not to feel overwhelmed. I took the exam in February (73) and was ok on time, but I am worried about time since most people are saying the sims were brutal. How did you guys fare on time? The last time I sat for FAR I took advice from another person who said to do all the questions that are theory first, mark the calcs, then go back and do the calcs. It seemed to help me last time, because the first time I took it Oct 2010, I ran out of time on the sims.

UGH. I am not looking forward to this, but at the same time, I would like to do a brain dump–and get rid of all this FAR stuff in my head.

Any last words of advice? do more mcq's or would you recommend going over as many sims as possible?

Don't lose hope yet guys, you never know how it will shake out. I have read too many posts of people thinking they failed and then passed with an awesome score. I just wish that could be me !!! Keep the faith, and enjoy the long weekend before you have to start the next round of studying.

Best of luck to you all!!

[magster]

yankeeaccountant – please do not get worried about the test based on our experiences – for all you know you may get the awesome version that lets you fly through and pass without problems. I do appreciate your words of encouragement and in the back of my mind I have the glimps of hope….I have been dissappointed too many times in this journey that I rather not hope too much. I do not post my previous scores as part of my signature as I rather keep them in the past and not see them everytime I post (lol – sad huh?)

With that being said, I am not sure that doing sims will actually prep you for the sims – it will however make you stronger for the MCQ's as it re-inforces that topic. FAR is like they say a mile wide and an inch deep – there is no telling what they will have on the SIMS so there is no actual way to prep for it. If it was me, do some 20 questions mini tests – it was suggested to me and helped me stay somewhat sane in the wake of test-anticipation.

As for me, I started to study BEC today and hope that my brain will put FAR in storage just in case I need it again, but not clutter up the space I need to retain BEC.

Good luck to you and enjoy the weekend. As far as the beer before the test……as long as you don't have to take numerouse potty breaks it may not be a bad idea….lol.

REG - Passed
FAR - Passed
BEC - Passed
AUD - 2-25-12 PASSED - DONE !!!!!!!! WOOHOO

*** One day I will get my life back.... maybe today is the day ***

[yankeeaccountant]

@magster,

Thanks for the advice! Are you waiting on FAR for this window or did you take something else also? This is my last of third for this window–totally burnt. 🙁

As far as the signature line–totally agree with you. For me it would just reinforce the idea that I have been the bridesmaid (70-74 range) and never the bride. I quit my job in mid February just so that I could study full time and pass. For me, it was tough logistically to work full time and come home and study and studying effectively. I am not good piecemeal. I need long stretches of time to lock it into the brain. And my husband and family was not liking me being a ghost. Actually I am still not present, but they see me more than before. For me, I am waiting for that “first” passing score. Scratch that, I am really shooting for three wins. Funny at first the idea of quitting my job to study full time seemed like a sure win, but now that I am doing it, I can see it is no guarantee. UGH.

Still, we must persevere, sooooo let's hope we all did it this time. Good luck with studying for BEC. FYI, I used a free trial to Gleim to get a better feel on Corporate Governance. They have a nice study sheet on the subject that I thought was more detailed than Becker. You can do it!

I am gonna hit the gym, spin class, (of course my trusty friend will be with me: becker notecards on govt and nfp), then home to shower and hit the library…..just a few more days of this.

Have a great weekend.

[kb24]

You have to have a plan in place as far as time and stick to it. Decide how much time you want for the SIMs and work backwards from there. Set a time limit for each of the first 3 testlets allowing less time for the first one because it should be the easiest.

I was shooting for 1 1/2 hours with an ideal of 1 3/4 hours and a minimum of 1 1/4 hours. I ended up with just under 1 1/4 hours because I let myself linger too long on a MCQ in each of the last two testlets. I ended up getting them right (I think), but I shouldn't have spent the extra time. I did finish with a few minutes to spare, but I would have really liked a little more time for the SIMS.

I don't have any recommendation as to how to do the MCQ except to set a time limit/testlet and stick to it. However, I'd recommend that you quickly scan the SIMS and determine which one(s) will be the most difficult and leave it(them) to last. For me, this was part time management and part mental outlook. I knew I'd finish the maximum number of SIMS in the time I had allotted, and I wasn't fretting about the time I needed for the other problems when working the outrageously difficult one (versus the merely difficult ones) so I was able to better focus on it.

Good luck on Monday. At least you won't have to wait as long for your score.

FAR 4/1/11 - 89
AUD 4/15/11 - 85
REG 4/29/11 - 80
BEC 5/13/11 - 85

[magster]

I agree – time managment is essential. I had planned 45 per 30 questions and the remainder for the SIMS. I did pretty well staying within the alloted time; I do not believe more time would have helped me complete the SIMS any better (either I knew it or I did not). But it is important to give yourself enough time to think about it and give it your best effort – rushing thorugh is certainly not the way to do this.

If you prepare by consistently taking 20 MCQ in 30 minutes, staying within 45 minutes per 30 MCQ testlet will be a breeze – just don't get bogged down on individual questions. Answer with you best guess, mark it, move on, and come back to it if time permits. Don't sacrifice the SIMS for 1 or 2 MCQs. Just saying ….lol.

REG - Passed
FAR - Passed
BEC - Passed
AUD - 2-25-12 PASSED - DONE !!!!!!!! WOOHOO

*** One day I will get my life back.... maybe today is the day ***

[magster]

one more post to Yankeeaccountant…

I took AUD this window as well (4/2) so I am waiting on 2 scores. I am working full-time and I know what you mean by “peace-meal” studying. I can also relate with the husband not wanting a ghost….my hubby, while suppostive, would like to have his wife back. Preferably at the same weight she was before this CPA testing nightmare began lol. Good for you going to the gym – while I try to fit some exercise into the already packed day, the little bit workout I manage does not make up for the binge eating I go through when running on 6 hours of sleep, being over-extended at work, still trying to be some-what of a wife, and waiting for scores, and/or digesting failing scores. Needless to say that the last 18 months have done wonders to my body, my mind, my self-confidence, self-worth, and quality of life overall.

But I do know that in the end, I will be a CPA, will grow from this experience, be proud, successful, appreciate my husband and the support he gave me, appreciate all the friends I made and support I received along the way. The stress will be over, I can focus on living healthier with better food and more sleep and way less stress. I know I will get there, I know I can, I know I can, I know I can………lol

REG - Passed
FAR - Passed
BEC - Passed
AUD - 2-25-12 PASSED - DONE !!!!!!!! WOOHOO

*** One day I will get my life back.... maybe today is the day ***

[momo5]

I agree with the people here. You must manage your time. This was my first one and I did not manage my time well at all. Instead of wasting the extra time on a few multiple choice questions, I should have used that time on the simulations. Having said that, I will still say that those simulations were brutal. I used to finish the Becker ones in like 15 minutes, and used to do really well on them. The actual ones were horrible. Just hoping for the best.

Need advice from you all. “IwannaBaCPA” suggested that I move on to AUD. In the past, for those of you who have had to take a test again, do you all find it easy to recall all the information that you studied for? I just want to move on to AUD and hope for the best becuase I don't think I'll be able to just keep on studying for FAR. By the way, when will they be releasing the scores? Any idea?

Thanks.

[magster]

momo5 – the score should come out sometime towards the end of June. Once we get closer to the end of the window, Jeff will have a good indication when each section will be release. I saw in another post you asked how you will get your score if it is via email…well most of us go to the state website to see the scores. Not sure if there are still some states that only mail them…I'm in FL which is a NASBA state and that is where I go for my score…NASBA site. I believe you could sign up for some sort of email notification but I am uncertain as to the ins and outs of it.

As to your other question….should you move on to the next part….I always moved on simply because I did not waste time. Was that effective? Not sure but it made sense in my mind lol. I would hate to study another month just to find out that I passed. If you end up getting a failing score you would most likely want to review it all over again anyway. I always found that there are things I just did not “get” the first time around, or make more sense the second time.

Just my thoughts…I guess you would need to do what makes sense for you in regards to your time availability and so forth.

REG - Passed
FAR - Passed
BEC - Passed
AUD - 2-25-12 PASSED - DONE !!!!!!!! WOOHOO

*** One day I will get my life back.... maybe today is the day ***

[jbeans2009]

You can get email notification of scores for nasba states, but the email may come a couple days after the scores are available on nasba website.

[kb24]

They're supposed to begin releasing scores the 3rd week in June. They were very close to the end of March the last test window.so I figure it will be similar this time.

I haven't yet been in a position to take another exam, but I'd recommend you go ahead and study AUD. Even if you think you failed FAR, you aren't going to know for sure for a few more weeks. I'm assuming you're not into masochism so wouldn't you want to kick yourself if you spent more time studying for it when you didn't need to? If you prepare now and take AUD early in July, you'll still have time to study for and take FAR again next test window if you need to. Also, it will do your brain good to work on something different, and AUD is about as different as you can get from FAR. My calculator was almost permanently attached to my hand when I was doing FAR practice MCQ and SIMS, and I don't think I touched it once when studying AUD.

Good luck!

FAR 4/1/11 - 89
AUD 4/15/11 - 85
REG 4/29/11 - 80
BEC 5/13/11 - 85

[I3lackcell]

@momo 5 I feel for you on the Sims. My FAR test sims the 4 times I have taken it went Easy, Hard, Hard, Easy. My better score in MC was offset by worse sims the 2nd and 3rd test. I am pretty damn confident I passed this time finally.

BEC - 75(expired), 79
REG - 63, 54, 61, 69 (Gave up for a year. Finally decided to really study) 73, 78
FAR - 70, 71, 73, 83
AUD - 61, 72, 72, 76

[yankeeaccountant]

@kb24, magster, and momo5,

I appreciate all the info on the timing issue. My intention was to try and stick to 40-45 minutes a testlet and the remainder of the time for sims. I have to remind myself not to let myself get stuck on a question. I worked an exam on Wiley yesterday and was able to stay in the 40-45 range. I am going to do another exam today, Sat, and Sunday.

Magster–this is one crazy ride to say the least. I can say that life has changed since I started this endeavor. I too, was not paying attention to what I was eating, etc. But, my hubby and I started a diet together in October and have been working on shedding those pounds. So, cut to the chase, I “reward” myself my going to spin class with my notebook or notecards—it actually helps the time go by faster. The people in the class think I am a nut. But that is par for the course, right? I mean those guys at Jiffy Lube think I am crazy with my little blue cards I pour over while I am waiting for my car to be finished. I think they have seen me read, blue, yellow, and orange cards since August of 2010. YIKES. I hope this ends soon. For all of us. 🙂

And, yes, you will get there. To borrow an “Obama” phrase: Yes, YOU can.

Ok guys, lets think positive vibes, score time will be here soon enough. Passing scores this time!!!

Have a great weekend.

[Author]

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