[lauriemarie5]

I’ll be honest, I didn’t learn as much as I should have in college. As a recent graduate I am incredibly frustrated with the fact that I had crappy professors who barely taught us and who really didn’t care at the end of the day and just curved all our tests so we would pass.

I am not trying to study chapter 1 of FAR and I feel so stupid. I feel like if I can’t even get through chapter 1 without feeling like a failure how could I possibly continue? I can’t count how many times I said to myself “am I sure I want to take this exam” “am I sure I want to get my CPA” – I feel like such a failure and I don’t know where to turn.

I have been listening to the lectures and taking notes in the book and then attempting the HW. I have been doing so horrible on the HW and then asking myself, did I just retain any information? I am not sure how to study for this exam let alone retain the volume of information.

I start with my CPA firm at the end of October and am not working right now. I did this on purpose because i thought i could do FAR and AUD before then…now I wonder if I can even get through FAR and if quitting my other job for this was worth it.

I am so lost 🙁

REG: 80 (11/13/15)
FAR: APR 2016
BEC
AUD

"Courage doesn't always roar. Sometimes courage is the little voice at the end of the day that says I'll try again tomorrow." - Winston Churchill

[mangos]

F1 is mostly conceptual, no?

Anyways, FAR is pretty hard and everyone feels frustrated when studying for it.

If the review material isn't doing enough for you, then perhaps take out your old college textbook and start from there — it's usually clearer than Becker in my opinion.

FAR (5/07/13): 96

[Anonymous]

Not sure if this is serious…

[niggy]

you can definitely do it! It is just beginning of June, and you get 3 more months to go before you start working in October. FAR and AUD will benefit you most for your future work, and 3 months full-time is enough for even 4 parts if you want.

I am not even accounting major back to college, but if you get books, just start study from a clean mind, pretend you didn't know anything, read the book carefully, try to memorize as much as possible. Don't count on your school studies, that's long time ago, you need fresh memory.

But again, don't quit! You can make it!!

AUD - 76 (May 2012)
BEC - 81 (July 2012)
REG - 61 (Aug 2012), rematch 83 (October 2012)
FAR - 85 (May 2013)

Based on Becker 2012 self-study.
Currently licensed PA CPA since July 2013.

[lauriemarie5]

Thank you Mangos & Niggy…I took a much needed break from studying and finished Ch1. I think my nerves about all of this just got the best of me. I think I just psyched myself out and it caused me to put up a wall.

I enjoy audit and tax much more than financial so this test from the beginning was going to be tough for me.

Monday I start chapter 2 and plan to listen to the lectures first, take the notes in the book they instruct me to and then re-read the chapter before attempting any HW questions. I also started making flashcards for any HW I got wrong so I can master them and it has helped.

Stepping back and looking at the big picture also has helped a lot to. I was a straight A accounting student but standardized tests were never my forte! The pressure tends to get to me but I know I can do this!

REG: 80 (11/13/15)
FAR: APR 2016
BEC
AUD

"Courage doesn't always roar. Sometimes courage is the little voice at the end of the day that says I'll try again tomorrow." - Winston Churchill

[Anonymous]

Don't worry, I found going through FAR the first time was very difficult because I didn't learn 85% of it in my MBA. Crazy right? Lets just say I was pretty upset at my university. Don't get discouraged tho, eventually it will start to make sense.

[On2Sum]

LaurieMarie5, Which resources are you employing? Becker? Roger? Ninja notes?

FAR - 79
REG - 76
AUD - 94
BEC - 77

DONE! DONE!! DONE!!!

"Success is not final, failure is not fatal; it is the courage to continue that counts"
-Winston Churchill

[Anonymous]

LaurieMarie5, you are not a failure. If you're not doing so well in the first chapter or in any chapters so-to-speak, you are not a failure. You can always go back to the lectures and questions to learn from your mistakes. Another great thing about it is that they're not graded into your transcript and you can redo the “wrongs” and make it “right”.

Also remember that if you take the practice and actual tests, and you end up not passing, it doesn't mean that you are a failure. There will always be opportunities to retake the test until you get what you desire and that is.. PASSING!

The only failure is failing to try.

“Don't be afraid to fail. Don't waste energy trying to cover up failure. Learn from your failures and go on to the next challenge. It's OK to fail. If you're not failing, you're not growing.” -H. Stanley Judd

[lauriemarie5]

Thank you everyone 🙂 Your support REALLY helps!

On2Sum I am using Becker for this.

I found the other day too that when I let certain segments of the chapter play in the background again while I was getting ready for a baptism it started to sink in more…seems like constant repetition is going to be my method.

I am trying to figure out a way to get the lectures on my cell phone so I can go out for walks when I need to get air and still listen to some FAR.

Has anyone tried this before?

REG: 80 (11/13/15)
FAR: APR 2016
BEC
AUD

"Courage doesn't always roar. Sometimes courage is the little voice at the end of the day that says I'll try again tomorrow." - Winston Churchill

[Anonymous]

dude… F1 (if u r doing Beckers) is a very demotivating chapter… start off with the Income Statement, OCI and basic concepts, then do some practical concepts.. When i first started off with FAR, i used to get 35% in my HW questions.. or even worse.. but i made it a point to understand from those mistakes.. u r bound to make mistakes.. the mcqs are tough!! just hang on and i am sure u ll improve on ur results.. 🙂 also dont over think ever.. it could be very frustrating.. i failed REG twice, once by 1 point and the second time by 2! but u gotta hang on! 🙂

[MrsBing]

Just constantly re-listening to the lectures in the background does help. I did this for FAR for my weaker chapters, I would re-listen to a chapter each morning while getting ready for work. Or during time at work where I didn't have to think much about what I was doing.

Becker, Wiley Test Bank, and Ninja 10 Point Combo!

FAR: 89
REG: 87
AUD: 92
BEC: 75
Ethics: 90

Licensed Arizona CPA

[on2sumcpa]

lauriemarie5 Absolutely! The lectures can be converted from .avi to .mp3 or .mp4 and then put on your device of choice. The resources to do this are available online.

[Subie28]

I was studying FAR and I would read some of the multiple choice questions and I would not have a clue where to begin. I stuck through it and I printed out the ones I got wrong and made a folder. Every chance I would get I would go over and over again the multiple choice questions. I definitely did help. I came out of the exam thinking I completely bombed it… I got a 75 — not the greatest score but its still passing!!

Keep with it… I thought I would never pass FAR!

CPA as of April 2015!! Woot!

[IwannaBaCPA]

I agree with what everyone has said. FAR is rough – it has been said that FAR is a mile long and an inch deep. I felt overwhelmed, lost, confused, frustrated – basically exactly how you are feeling. I felt like I hadn't truly learned most of the material in college…it was more about studying enough to pass and then forgetting everything right after!

The nice thing about Becker is that it is designed for people with a variety of experience levels and backgrounds. Just take your time to get through the material and really learn from the MCQ you miss. I also suggest following Jeff's NINJA methodology and even buy his NINJA audio!

Good luck – you CAN do this!!

BEC: 79 - April 2011
FAR: 78 - May 2011
AUD: 81 - May 2012
REG: 79 - October 2012
Ethics: Passed - March 2013
I am finally DONE!

[Anonymous]

When I look at the CPA exam I like to look at it much like a game of Super Mario.

The goal is the pass the entire thing and get Princess Peach, right?

But just like going through the game, there are different levels of varying difficulty you have to pass through to get her. And by starting off with the easy levels it lets you build the skills and reflexes to beat the tougher ones.

It's tough to go right to Bowsers castle and dominate.

For me, I had to start out with AUD and BEC to learn the ropes. That might be the right move for you too. FAR is a beast, going right at it is easier said than done. But trust me – I'm not a bright guy at all, and I have trouble retaining ANYTHING. If I can do it, TRUST ME, you can do it.

Cheers, don't give up.

[MintsRGood]

@lauriemarie5 Don't give up!!!! This process can be very overwhelming, but just look at the information one chapter/module at a time!!!! If you are stuck on a topic, post your question in the FAR study group! Everyone is very helpful and we all have a common goal, so don't be shy about asking for help. I am 1000% sure that someone out there reading this site has the exact same question or is stuck in the same spot you are. I'm also equally as sure that someone will be able to help and clarify that issue!

Keep at it and stay focused, you can do this!!!!!!!!

REG: 75 DONE 🙂
AUD: 61, 71, 68, 92 DONE 🙂
BEC: 76 DONE 🙂
FAR: 72, 74, 79 DONE 🙂
Licensed Michigan CPA 🙂
-Some people dream of success...others wake up and work hard for it!!!
-The cowards never start and the weak die along the way!
-You better work, b***h!
-Only those who dare to fail greatly can ever achieve greatly.-JFK

[Author]

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