[utpal]

I am wondering if anyone can help me. I failed FAR twice with 37 each time. I have been out of school since 10 years.I am currently using Gleim, but I am finding the questions too tough. I also have Wiley and Yaeger at my disposal. After trying those 2, I decided to stick with Gleim & Yaeger. I like Yaeger’s old school approach and Gleim’s structured layout.
So, does anyone have recommendations on what I can do to increase my competency in FAR and ultimately my score. I am looking for pointers on how I should study for FAR, so that material will stick.

I have passed BEC, REG, and AUD at least once, but without passing FAR, that will not be of much use.

Your suggestions will be greatly appreciated.
Thanks.
Utpal

[YouCanDoIt]

Just curious how were you studying for FAR? If you scored 37, you might need to re-organize studying or set a better approach. You might already be doing this, but approach one topic at a time so that you feel more confident in it. Jot down the troubled areas/topics for later re-visits. If your review course isn't getting you across the bridge, utilize other resources (Youtube? Roger has some videos up there, Farhat accounting videos: https://www.youtube.com/user/user10452/videos ). I found a lot of helpful vids on youtube when studying for FAR. If you have access to Ninja, Bob has great video lectures as well. You have sat for other other parts and also passed, so maybe just need to tweak your strategy a little bit for FAR.

FAR: 76
REG: Currently studying
AUD:
BEC:

[utpal]

Hi YouCanDoIt,
Thanks for your feedback. Basically, until now, I was studying for FAR with Gleim only. I would read the material and then attempt to do the quizzes and TBS. But, it seems that when I read the material, I understand very well, but when I start applying it to MCQs and such, I kept getting them wrong. To be very honest, I cannot say I prepared at all the first 2 times with FAR. The biggest mistake I made was scheduling the exam ahead of time and then completely running out of time. So, this time, I will not apply or schedule the exam until I feel ready to sit in the exam withing 6 months.
I have also incorporated Yaeger in my study. I do like their old school course approach where they have the book open on one side and the lecturer talking about it on the other side. Its just like class room.
However, both Wiley & Yaeger do not Gleim's well structured organized approach. So, I am planning to stick with Gleim as a primary review course and supplement with Yaeger lectures and such.
Currently, I am taking Gleim's each sub unit (total 140) one at a time. After reading and taking notes, I do all the MCQs pertaining to that subunit while taking notes for incorrect questions. I also make it a point to take notes and listen to at least 3 Yaeger lectures per day. On top of that, I create a study session in Gleim of 50 questions daily for all the material I have done to keep that steady stream of revision.
Is there anything I can do different than above or add to it? I will definitely try the suggested lectures on YouTube. Again, thanks for your feedback.

Utpal

[YouCanDoIt]

Best of luck. The only other thing I would mention is that don't study TOO LONG (over a Q) either, so you can avoid just sitting on the info without reviewing along on the way.

FAR: 76
REG: Currently studying
AUD:
BEC:

[Solid]

Utpal, I used Gleim and managed to score a passing grade on FAR. I have used different materials for each part I took and one size does not fit all. I think gleim is great on the multiple choice but for the SIMS, if you have becker, the way they walktrhough the SIMS is more beneficial I think. I would recommend you take a step back and figure out the best approach for your learning..if you want to know what you know stick with Gleim. If you are not scoring well on their tests though, you need to keep at it until you do. Don't rush the exam and don't delay too long either. Frankly, it is really the luck of the draw on exam day but if you have the core concepts down, your chances are better. I did not see any bond questions on my exam, mostly govt and NFP (the stuff you are prob least likely to try to master).

[utpal]

Hi Solid,
Thanks for your feedback. You r right, that one size does not fit all (I thought it did). I also agree with you, that all I can do is to prepare my best but the day of exam is a draw. I will not delay the exam too long. My plan is to sit again in April 2019. By then, I should have gone through all of Gleim and the Yaeger lectures. I have been working with the Yaeger lectures only since a couple days, but they seem really thorough. I am not sure about their TBS yet. If I feel that I am still not confident with TBS after Gleim and Yaeger, I will look into Becker. Thanks. Utpal

[ixlr82day]

I have also been out of school for over 15 years when I passed the CPA exam. I originally used Wiley, Gleim, and Yaeger but I wasn't motivated and well the material felt overly complex for the CPA exam. I switched to Becker on the latest attempt and felt it helped me pass the CPA exam. I also mixed in Ninja for FAR and AUD…the parts that I had the most difficulty with. If Becker is to expensive…because it is when compared to Ninja I would use Ninja for FAR and see how it goes.

I mostly watched the videos and took notes, then rewrote the notes, and focused on answering SIMS and the thought process needed to get to those answers. I did do some MC but the results were depressing. I am not sure how much time you have left for BEC and REG but you should keep at it because it sounds like if you can pass FAR you will be close to done.

[Josh]

Good evening,
Here is my 2 cents. I just passed FAR with an 81 and am done with all the exams. I only used Gleim. My method was simple and effective. From the beginning, even when I knew nothing, I did full 66 question practice exams. In 11 weeks I completed 56 practice exams. My first score was an 18% and my last score before the exam was an 83%. Go through the exam questions, keep a document organized by chapter and subunit and write down facts you didn't know. I got an 80% on BEC using this method (by the way that was even after missing most of the 15% of writing section because I only had 10 min left to do all three prompts), an 85% on REG, and a 77% on AUD. By the time I took far my document was 90 pages long. I got to exam day and laughed at how easy the test was.

[Jimmy Dugan]

All of the practice questions are hard, not just in Gleim but every review system. That's because they are either actual retired questions or mimic the difficulty of the exam as closely as possible. Get to a point where you are getting 75-80% correct and then you'll know you are ready.

[Author]

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