[Not a Quitter]

I’ve got my exam next Thursday and have done over 3,000 multiple choice questions and studied them thoroughly. I have procrastinated practicing any simulations until now and I think that may have been a huge mistake. I am now freaking out and feel like I know nothing. I worry that if I spend time now trying to study sims that make me freak out then I may be wasting my last few precious days of studying. Thoughts?

FAR- 85 I'm DONE!
BEC- 75
REG- 60,60,75
AUD- 74,74,83

CPAExcel used for BEC, AUD, REG
Exam Matrix used for FAR plus NINJA Blitz, cpareviewforfree and a little CPAExcel

[msgolds]

Honestly, the main advantage you get out of doing practice simulations is becoming familiar with the format of questions they can throw at you… and especially of navigating the authoritative literature. As far as content goes, you either know it or you don't. If you're comfortable with MCQ's you should be fine content-wise.

But I would do some practice sims over the next week just to become familiar of the formats to expect. My advice for the sims… the authoritative literature is your best friend. If you forget how to do a particular journal entry for instance, you can very often find help in the codification. It saved my butt on FAR, but I had gotten very adept at navigating it by then.

BEC - 90 PASSED
FAR - 84 PASSED
AUD - 93 PASSED
REG - 84 PASSED

I DID IT!!!!

Using Becker Self-Study

"If we were put here to carry a great weight, then the very things we hate are here to build those muscles."

[RandomAlt]

@msgolds

That is good advice. I'm wondering, what did you use to become “adept” at navigating the codification? Did you just use Becker's version, or did you get the free 6 month subscription from the AICPA?

I only ask because I am using CPAexcel, and find the codification in the SIMs very limited, with a lot of functions missing (such as search within).

FAR - [10/07/2013 --> 66] [07/07/2014 --> 86]
BEC - [08/31/2014 --> 86]
AUD - [11/24/2014 --> 88]
REG - [02/14/2015 --> 92]

[Anonymous]

I would do some- it ties the material together well. Some of the sims are things like the consolidating entries for the workpaper and things you wouldnt see on the multiple choice. At least do 3-4 of them

[Not a Quitter]

Thanks MsGolds. I would like some tips on how to become adept as well. For my other exams I tried finding help in the AL on journal entries but that never worked for me!

@RandomAlt- I have CPAExcel and they do have the search within feature!

FAR- 85 I'm DONE!
BEC- 75
REG- 60,60,75
AUD- 74,74,83

CPAExcel used for BEC, AUD, REG
Exam Matrix used for FAR plus NINJA Blitz, cpareviewforfree and a little CPAExcel

[RandomAlt]

@NotaQuitter. Has that changed recently? I feel like that wasn't available when I tried the SIMs during my first FAR attempt

FAR - [10/07/2013 --> 66] [07/07/2014 --> 86]
BEC - [08/31/2014 --> 86]
AUD - [11/24/2014 --> 88]
REG - [02/14/2015 --> 92]

[Not a Quitter]

No, I've been using CPAExcel for almost two years now and it's always been available to me. I'm not very good at using it though…haha

FAR- 85 I'm DONE!
BEC- 75
REG- 60,60,75
AUD- 74,74,83

CPAExcel used for BEC, AUD, REG
Exam Matrix used for FAR plus NINJA Blitz, cpareviewforfree and a little CPAExcel

[msgolds]

I just played around with the AL in Becker… the exam uses the exact same format.

It becomes easy when you know where to start (e.g., whether you're dealing with Revenue Recognition, Expenses, Receivables, etc). From there you just narrow down to what's relevant. It just comes with practice.

BEC - 90 PASSED
FAR - 84 PASSED
AUD - 93 PASSED
REG - 84 PASSED

I DID IT!!!!

Using Becker Self-Study

"If we were put here to carry a great weight, then the very things we hate are here to build those muscles."

[msgolds]

I just played around with the AL in Becker… the exam uses the exact same format.

It becomes easy when you know where to start (e.g., whether you're dealing with Revenue Recognition, Expenses, Receivables, etc). From there you just narrow down to what's relevant. It just comes with practice.

BEC - 90 PASSED
FAR - 84 PASSED
AUD - 93 PASSED
REG - 84 PASSED

I DID IT!!!!

Using Becker Self-Study

"If we were put here to carry a great weight, then the very things we hate are here to build those muscles."

[jennibfox]

This is my focus for Sunday. I am gong to practice the sims with codification. I will be doing non-stop MCQ until my test next Friday!

FAR - JULY 2014 - PASSED
BEC - MAY 2015 - PASSED
REG - AUG 2015 - PASSED
AUD - AUG 31 2015

[Jordan23cc]

I didn't really practice any of the sims for any section of the exam, and I was able to pass all four first try. I did a ton of MCQ!! Hindsight may have not been a good idea, but I think a firm grasp of the MCQ topics goes a long way. I used Becker by the way.

F - 2/15/2014 - 85
B - 2/26/2014 - 88
R - 4/1/2014 - 83
A - 4/21/2014 - 95

Licensed CPA in TX

I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

[Jordan23cc]

Also, I would highly recommend doing authoritative literature sims just familiarize yourself with the codification. I did a few of those just to get familiar with the layout/functionality.

F - 2/15/2014 - 85
B - 2/26/2014 - 88
R - 4/1/2014 - 83
A - 4/21/2014 - 95

Licensed CPA in TX

I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

[karri2008]

Just took FAR yesterday, I use Becker, I did almost all the homework SIMs on Becker and did well, but at the exam I had two SIMs with a weird format that is not on Becker, and couldn't figure out what I should do. I did focus on SIMs when studying but not as much as MCQs, I think I did good on the MCQs but how badly I did on the SIMs I will have to wait for the results. I think that you should do some practice with SIMs as well. and if I have to retake it I will definitely practice it even more than I did before. I think that Becker doesn't include all the SIMs formats on the exam which threw me off. Hope you do well on the exam.

Becker Review
FAR ---05/2014 81...Passed!
Reg ---11/26/2014

[taxman4lyfe]

I didn't look at the sims Becker provided for FAR at all. I thought working them might give me a false expectation of what I might see on the exam, so I just focused on MCQs (for concepts) and then just approached the sims like it was a project for work during the exam.

As far as the research question, if you didn't have a “research” course or topic in a course, spending some time learning your way around the layout of the codification is a good use of your time last minute.

REG - 2/4/14 - 94
BEC - 2/27/14 - 93
FAR - 4/14/14 - 95
AUD - 5/12/14 - 96

"Overstudying" = take the test once. (Becker only)

[Anonymous]

The Sims are 40 percent of your grade. You don't have to be perfect and know every little detail, but do as many sims as possible. I believe it is necessary to pass the exam.

[Anonymous]

I would spend half an hour looking at the format. You can skip to the answer if you want, but it is helpful to see and shouldn't take too much time.

[Author]

Replies