[MSim]

I’m using Becker and the spreadsheet they have available on it is not as good as Excel so I don’t even bother with it. But, one of the instructors just mentioned that on the ACTUAL exam, they let you use the REAL Excel program. Is this true? If so, was it helpful for you?

I love Excel so if we are able to use it on the exam, I might get used to using it while I study.

[sherry123and]

Yes you can now use MS Excel in the exam. Its quite useful and easy to use as compared to old version spreadsheet .

[Anonymous]

I agree with the person above, having excel was a game changer and so much easier. I took FAR with the old spreadsheet, and the others with Excel. It was much easier with Excel because you're already familiar with the formulas and functionality.

[Anonymous]

I didn't open it once. I could see it wasting a lot of time. I'd be careful not getting too caught up in it. It's definitely not necessary to pass.

[HDCPA]

I wish I would have tried out the excel sooner. If you use Excel in your day to day as much as I do, its much easier than the calculator and the scratch laminate. The laminate paper is terrible, and excel is a game changer IMO. That being said, I only used excel in BEC (when I realized it was the actual excel) and I still passed FAR and AUD without.

[Mark]

Yep, Excel is available for use in all 5 testlets and it works very well. I'm much more comfortable using Excel than a traditional calculator so I haven't used the calculator once in the two exams I've taken.

[SuperAccountingGod]

Yes. I did like 95% of my calculations on excel. I barely had to use the laminated sheet they give you.

[MSim]

wow thanks so much guys for the confirmation! I will definitely check it out if it works for me or not! Hopefully it does, because I also do not like having to use the laminate. Especially when the ink dries out in the middle of your exam and you can barely see anything.

[Rainbow Butterfly]

Yes the real Excel is in CPA exams. I found it sooooo useful! I used it too take notes on rather than the note pad they give you in the testing center. If you are already good at excel, keep practicing by using the real thing! if you are not good at excel, learn and it can save you a lot of time in the task based simulations!

[Cheeks Malone]

I agree with everything in this post: yes Excel is functional and useful, if you use it regularly. Do not get caught up trying to use workpaper formatting because no one is reviewing you on this document, just be able to keep your information organized within your spreadsheet.

One big side note: if you are good with keyboard sort-cuts in Excel (i.e. “Alt”, “h”, “k” to use Comma Style number formatting), many do not work and are disabled. I don't know if this is unique to my testing center's computers, but I'd imagine the functionality has been removed from all testing computers. You will need to use the mouse and ribbon to trigger some commands.

I use keyboard short-cuts almost exclusively in Excel, so this took me a moment to get used to and made the calculator more practical for some calculations. However, amortization tables became much, much easier using Excel. Be able to adjust on the fly and know which tool is best for you to use on each question.

Good luck!

[Anonymous]

I liked using the spreadsheet, especially for amortization of leases/bonds/etc. for multiple periods or similar calculations for TBSs. For the MPQs normally the calculator was enough I'm with you. I hated using the writing board, don't think I used more than 1/2 of a side on any of the tests.

[krstnam]

Second what cheeks said, not all of the hot keys work, copy and paste does though, which I found super helpful – you can actually copy directly from the SIM.
My dislike is that the ribbon doesn't park. When you are on the file menu, the ribbon drops down and covers the first couple rows, quick fix just start on row 5 or so.

It's a huge lifesaver IMHO. For one SIM I had, if I didn't have Excel, I would have taken me at least an extra 10 minutes – I can verify those numbers 100% because one of the questions I got back in May of last year and I was so traumatized, I remembered how long it took me to struggle through it. It'll boil down to how well you use excel. I'm in excel daily and love it. Other people who aren't super excel savvy may not find it useful. It was useful for at least 4 sims.
I think the AICPA sample tests let you try out their version of Excel.
Good luck!

[Anonymous]

I requested pencil and paper for all of the tests in lieu of the laminated sheets. I found this to be a lot more useful than excel. To clarify, I am excel savvy and use it daily. Excel really isn't necessary for any of the MCQs. Calculator is more than enough. I did all my calculations in thousands to minimize input and I found that to be one of the most helpful, time savings things I did in preparation and during the test.

[Iceman]

Yes, Excel was great. You can even copy in some of the tables in the SIMS and run calculations and subtotals on the columns.

One thing to be careful of though is that one time some of the numbers came over as text and did not add up until I retyped the numbers.

[Author]

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