[Anonymous]

1st full week of studying for my retake. I jumped right into Ninja MCQ, and about half way done. My average score is 78-the topics I am weak on are no surpise. I started to re-write my own notes today, but that was so de-motivating, I didn’t get very far. Tomorrow I need to re-write my notes (they are disjointed from my first test, I want to re-write them by topic in a new notebook). I really need to re-read my Becker book on acquisitions, equity method, and non-monetary exchanges so far. My plan is to get through the rest of the Ninja MCQ by end of next week, and re-write the rest of my notes. I then plan on printing out Ninja notes (didn’t utilize last time) and then jump into SIMS, while re-doing the missed MCQ in Ninja and continue re-reading the book. How are others approaching their re-take?

[Anonymous]

@Amor-congrats!
@big4beancounter-you killed it! It's all downhill from here!
@tncincy-I believe the blueprints work with any program. If you do Ninja SIMS you can still see which ones to focus on based on the “analysis” type topics…

[Anonymous]

I have not taken any parts yet. My first part will be FAR on 04/16. I am thinking I will assume that I will not pass it. What is my next option? Should I just contact NASBA now and pay fees for retaking it in Q3? The deadline to take FAR is 04/16 for me that is why I need to pay again. I wish I could find out the score earlier than end of June, but I just can't risk moving on to next section and find out I failed ha.

[Tncincy]

Thanks anyatver – I am just going to study. I keep going back and forth trying to find something comfortable I guess to keep from wasting time. And then, I'm wasting time trying to figure this out. So, I have the blue prints, my Ninja materials,and Sims topic by topic. I'll use the topics and subtopics or whatever to nail this down. I'm getting tired again, because I don't feel like I'm getting anywhere. 🙁
I am taking Far in April and will pass!!! (that's to me..lol) So what the score lease is not until June! I'll take the next test then! – Rant over, back to work and reading this book 🙁

It begins with a 75
Been here too long as a cheerleader....ready to pass

[Anonymous]

@Von-why are you assuming you won't pass? You have almost a month to make sure you do! don't give up! (it's inevitable to feel this way, I have been there…)

@Tncincy-you can do it, you can do it, you will do it! I know how much this whole thing sucks-don't give up!

[loveandbeloved]

Ugh, I just find out I failed FAR again with 66. I scored a 64 in Dec only going through half the material. I moved onto REG after I quit my job in Jan cause my NTS and BEC score were expiring, so I only had 4 weeks to study and failed that miserably in February. Then I only had 3 weeks to jump back into FAR, and I still was unable to get through all the material, as well as review it.

For some reason, Gleim didn't want to reset my review course after I failed. They said, “It's not recommended to start over. Just jump back in where you left off, and follow the systems instructions.” I obviously disagreed with their statement as I passed BEC and AUD in their old system and always started my progress over. Since they refused to reset my progress, I still attempted to start over using their Test Bank, not the actual review course as it was very distracting to me seeing I was half way done when I truly knew I was no where near done. Especially since I had just “wasted” a month studying for REG that I probably should have just used to study FAR. So trying to restudy was very inefficient. I just got off the phone with Gleim, and I finally got them to reset my progress. So I can finally start from the beginning like I want to. (Not that I want to start over, but it's what I should do for a retake).

Anyways, I know it's my fault I failed, and I'm not trying to make excuses here. I clearly didn't give myself enough time to study the material (or review it) due to the pressure of my NTS and BEC score expiring. I don't want to lose my AUD score in Nov, so I really want to take 2 sections per quarter. Also, I don't work right now, so I want to take (and pass) two exams in Q2, since I will have to start working in Q3. I want to take FAR and BEC in Q2 as those sections are the most difficult for me, and I want to get them out of the way before I have to start working. I just need to find an efficient study plan. I just need to accept the fact I need to start over, read the book from the beginning, follow the review system, and manage my time better. I also can't rush sitting for my next exam either. But I definitely won't procrastinate on studying, especially if I want to take FAR and BEC by June 10th.

[loveandbeloved]

@Von – Don't go into the exam believing you won't pass. Give it your best shot! Also, don't waste the remainder of Q2 waiting on FAR – you will go crazy. You can very easily use the remainder of Q2 and sit for BEC or AUD. BEC has a lot of similar topics that are on FAR (well, so do AUD and REG…), and AUD doesn't require many calculations – it's primarily conceptual. So you can take, and probably pass, BEC or AUD in Q2. I feel the chances of passing BEC or AUD will be higher than passing FAR, and if you can get one pass under your belt, that will be better than having none. But hey, what happens if you pass two! I've never passed two in one window, so that would be awesome! I believe you shared in other posts that you aren't working either. We gotta use our time more wisely. It's pretty ridiculous that people with full-time jobs, kids, and spouses are passing this exam at a higher rate than we are.

[Tncincy]

@lovedandbeloved: You got it right. absolutely ridiculous but hey this is what it takes to become a CPA, simply study and study everything. Unless you're a genius already, or there's some study secret we just don't know about.

It begins with a 75
Been here too long as a cheerleader....ready to pass

[msquared17]

Congrats to all that passed.

@tncincy – You got this! I know exactly how you feel. I spent two days trying to find the “perfect” final reiew plan so that I don't waste time. Guess what??? I wasted two days. LOLI've done 3 progress tests for chapters 1 and 2 in increments of 10. Making sure I fully understand the the answers. The plan is to get through chapters 4 -8 tonight. Then I will start doing progress tests on ALL chapters using Ninja. This weekend (or before) I will move on to sims. Heck I might try a sim tonight. I don't know. My point is, there is no perfect plan. I'm going to do a little everything until I'm comfortable with the material. We just have to do it.

[loveandbeloved]

@tncincy – Are you not working right now either? I'm definitely not a genius, lol, my struggle is time management and the lack of support, so I definitely feel like I'm missing some secret sauce. I'm hoping I can study more effectively this next time around, especially since it will be the last chance I have to study and not work.

[Tncincy]

@lovedandbeloved: Yes I am working, full time. So I am between reading, listening to audio, writing notes. Just trying to find a rhythm.

@msquared17: Just do it is my plan is to dive in tonight and finish reading and get started on those mcq's. I guess the first section of the ninja book is boring, but the next section on Accounting and Reporting don't seem too bad. Gettin it done.

It begins with a 75
Been here too long as a cheerleader....ready to pass

[msquared17]

@loveandbeloved – sorry about your test. You seem to have the right attitude. Focus and determination 🙂

@tncincy – glad to hear its getting better.

So far I'm doing ok on my short progress test scoring 60 -80%. Not bad for not having reviewed some of this stuff in weeks. I just realized that during my first round, I attempted only one of the sims in F1. No wonder I failed. Lol. Trying to get the energy to do one Sim tonight before calling it quits.

[msquared17]

Hey Guys! I hope everyone is still on track for their April retake. I haven't done much over the last 2 days. Today I'm going to focus on Ninja mcq's and maybe 1 sim. Using Becker, I would guess on the questions I don't know. Sometimes I would mark the question and copy it into OneNote to review later. Ninja makes it easier to identify those questions. My new approach to mcq's is not to guess at any questions and mark them as “don't know”. I'm sure from there I will have to take more notes and make sure I really know the answers. Sounds like a no brainer 🙂

I hope everyone is still making progress.

[Tncincy]

Checking in as well. Business is slow today so I have plenty of time to focus. Hope everyone is making progress.

It begins with a 75
Been here too long as a cheerleader....ready to pass

[msquared17]

So ready to throw in the towel with FAR. The information is not sticking and I don't know what else to do. I could push the date back a few weeks and keep studying. Or I could take a week off and start REG. IDK if I just haven't figured out how to retain the information, too distracted while studying, or if I'm just burned out with FAR. I started last summer and although, I feel like I know more than I did for the first exam, I still have a ways to go. I'm not feeling this right now. Maybe if I move on to a different section and actually pass an exam, it would boost my confidence. I don't have a good feeling about this right now.

[Anonymous]

@msquared17 – do not give up! I know how you feel right now. When I got to F8 in Becker, I started forgetting earlier chapters I learned so I had to go back and re-learn them. Also, I didn't feel 100% confident before walking into the prometric test center. Everyone on this forum will attest to the point that FAR is a beast because of its sheer amount of material one has to learn. It's perfectly normal to feel overwhelmed and not feel ready because it's supposed to make you feel that way. Don't let it get to you. If you don't understand certain concepts, do not try to spend a lot of time on it (if you're under strict time deadline) – just try to understand the basic concept and move onto the next one. The chance of you getting tested on that certain topic is very slim given the fact there are so many topics.

If you feel really burnt out or must, just take a day of break, recharge, and tackle it again. Just think about why you decided to study and take FAR first. Remind yourself. Don't give up. You got this!

[Author]

Replies