Is FAR really that horrifying?? - Page 2

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    Topic
  • #1502775
    nk522
    Participant

    Hi guys,
    I have FAR next week, and it’s my last exam. When I started studying for my CPA I thought that by the last exam I would just give it my all and do everything to pass, but now that the time has come I am burnt out and can’t seem to concentrate or find any motivation.

    Now with that being said, is FAR really as bad as they say it is? I’m in my final review stage and feel like I know nothing!!! Any advice or stories would be deeply appreciated.

Viewing 9 replies - 16 through 24 (of 24 total)
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  • #1503195
    mckan514w
    Participant

    damn you @skynet- don't you know I occasionally show my husband this site- now I must hide this from him -Thanks a lot for outting us all…. 🙂

    I agree with the poster who said not believing it is possible to leave four SIMS blank and still pass FAR in the mid to upper 80's and I do think a lot of people “hide behind” their computers and inflate facts- whether to make themselves feel better or make other people feel insecure or bad…. but I also think that some people are stronger / have more strengths than others and definitely think there are some that test better than others.

    I have struggled with this exam however I DID pass AUD the first time after only studying roughly 14 days- I will never ever know how- (but THANK YOU GOD!)- except I had a great Audit professor, it was one of the last classes in school I took, and I was under the gun with an expiring NTS. SO I know that it is in fact possible for some people to pass with minimal time and effort- I am just not one of those people- I wish I was but I am not.

    now back to the topic at hand- I started this journey with @Spartans92 above 🙂 – I have now failed FAR twice- and am about to attempt my third re-take. Is it really a nightmare? well clearly for me it is!!! (honestly though- BEC was and still is the one that wakes me up in the middle of the night in a cold sweat)– for others FAR is one of their “better exams”– I think it just all depends on peoples strengths and weaknesses- for me REG wasn't a problem- but for others as you can see it is…

    FAR is beastly in the fact that it is so much freaking information- and if you are not good at cramming a lot of info in and do not have mad re-call skills- then yes- it can be horrifying…. I am in the same boat as you- if I pass I am done- my test is in 6 days and right now despite this being my third time sitting- no I still don't feel comfortable with all of the information, and realize I will probably never feel “good about FAR”– there will always be topics that I am not good at, can't remember or keep straight- but the best I can do is try and know as much as I can about as many topics as I can- and pray for a “good exam”– Good luck OP!

    and they ask me why I drink...

    FAR- 61-next time I'll ask for lube instead of a calculator
    REG-75- Never been so happy to see such a low grade
    BEC- 8/11
    AUD- 9/2

    #1503225
    Trele6
    Participant

    I was really afraid of burnout and for that reason alone I took REG first and then FAR. I knew both BEC and AUD were significantly less information to study so by saving those for last when my motivation was down I knew I could over come. Staring at 4-6 chapters to do when you are burnt out versus the 10 in FAR is a much better feeling.

    Plus REG and FAR for most candidates take longer studying time. Studying for 8 weeks on REG didn't hurt my clock at all since it was my first test. Then I did 10-11 weeks on FAR, leaving me about 15 months to pass BEC and AUD.

    To me the transition from FAR to BEC was somewhat helpful, and then there are a lot of audit concepts in BEC, so transitioning to AUD next seemed smooth.

    First go at the CPA! Only using Becker
    Reg / Nov 2015 - 87
    Far / Apr 2016 - 79
    Bec / May 2016 - 80
    Aud / Aug 2016

    #1504098
    Jdn9201
    Participant

    I passed FAR a year ago, but thought I'd chime in. At the risk of being called a liar, I don't think FAR is horrifying. Yes, it was the most challenging exam I've ever taken in terms of the volume of material, but I was fortunate in that I never had that feeling that I was being asked a question that I had no clue how to answer either. I believe most people who graduate college and have a job in the field have the intellect to pass. Alot of the battle is keeping a good mindset and believing that you can do it. Looking back on my experience versus what I have read on this forum is that I think some people build these exams (especially FAR) up so much in their head that they begin to think it's almost impossible to pass. That leads to a poor attitude and a feeling that the only way you can pass is knowing everything about every topic, which is not true. I think one thing that helped me is I purposely left FAR for last, because I knew it would be the most difficult. By that point, I figured I would have had good study habits and alot of confidence from passing prior exams. I think I would have been very overwhelmed with it in the beginning. You have to look at the volume as a blessing – they only have 90 MCQ's and 6 or 7 SIMS to test you with. THey don't have enough time to ask you every little detail about every topic. To me, that's comforting because it removes the thought that you have to know 100% about everything.

    BEC - 88 8/29/15
    REG - 82 11/14/15
    AUD - 83 1/8/16
    FAR - 80 2/29/16

    #1504119
    Cruzer
    Participant

    @jdn9201 way to put it into perspective. Although at times FAR is overwhelming to study for with the amount of material sometimes I do sit back and think about the general concepts they will test on. They want you to only spend 2 hours or so on 90 MCQ's so its a given that they will not throw out some 2 paragraph question asking you to calculate some horrific stock options problem. I am going into m test on 3/10 taking it for the first time with my head held high and focused as can be. It is the days leading up to the exam where you just have to clear your mind and . Your brain will function best this way and you will be able to manage your time on the exam and tackle it one step at a time without getting super overwhelmed.

    #1504126
    A1lessio
    Participant

    @nk522 – Just try and focus and get it done!. Although, Far really sucked…The worst thing about FAR is that you can never feel fully prepared. There is going to be a lot you don't know, but if know the fundamentals you will be ok. I don't think the SIMS were that bad. If you studied and vaguely remember the topic they are asking you about, you just take educated guesses and try not to panic. I bet most people who pass get 30-60% correct per sim, with one or two completely wrong.

    I feel the same way as you, but BEC is my last exam and the material is so much easier.

    AUD (08/02/2016)

    #1504203
    nk522
    Participant

    Thanks guys, I feel a little less terrified of FAR (but that feeling will probably fade once again in about 10 minutes.) I am just so emotionally and physically drained from this studying that I am expecting the worst.

    Wishing everyone the best of luck with their upcoming studies and exams!!! 🙂

    #1504272
    Cruzer
    Participant

    @nk522 we are in the same boat, this is my last exam as well. It's pass and I'm a CPA and never have to spend another minute doing MCQ's all damn day or its retake and wait for a long dreaded score release. I don't feel as prepared as I should be but these next 6 days before my exam are as crucial as it gets. Got to stay focused and stick to my study plan without burning which means I will be tapering my studies down starting Monday because I do not want to burn out by 3/10. All the best of luck on exam day and enjoy yourself a cocktail afterwards!

    #1504399
    Jax
    Participant

    I think I'm one of those who hated REG more. I'm an older candidate (34) so was able to leverage some of my working experience in order to try to figure out the answer on the FAR exam. Also, it has to do with luck – I ran out of time in my studying and wasn't able to fully review one specific topic as much as I wanted, but it wasn't on my test that much – maybe 1-2 McQ and part of one SIM. Also, I happened to review something just before going into the test that was a question. With REG, I felt that the information was all over the place with lots of specific details, dates and Code Provisions to remember. It was harder for me. BEC was challenging but could build on some FAR topics. I'm studying AUD now and see some overlap with FAR and BEC too.

    #1504429
    Anonymous
    Inactive

    FAR does overlap into other sections – except maybe AUD.

    That is absolutely right about part of a passing score being due to luck. Some people get easier forms of the test. Of the SIMs I got, three of them were absolutely bonkers and there's no way I would have ever gotten them correct without having like another 4 hours to just work on those. “Dear NASBA, please expect check in the mail for $193.00 from me next week for my FAR retake.”

Viewing 9 replies - 16 through 24 (of 24 total)
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