[SponsoredByDunkinDonuts]

I’d been warned by just about everyone not to underestimate the 2 chs of Becker that go over gov & not for profit (F8/F9).

I really wanted to take this beast on and conquer this topic. I watched the Becker lectures diligently, taking all the required notes and then some, replaying parts if I wasn’t following, etc. I spent time reading over the chapter and trying to take logical notes and rewriting all the main topics.

All this time I’ve been waiting for this “ah ha!” moment where everything would come together and click, and I’d see the ‘big picture’. With every difficult topic before this that is what happened. During lectures I would feel overwhelmed but things start making sense after reading the chapter.

I do not feel that way about Governmental. Yes, I get the definitions and whatnot, but I’m still not seeing ‘big picture’ and understanding the logic behind the concepts. When I read the explanations behind the HW solutions I’m genuinely like “what? where did that come from?” And I’m not a fan of memorizing and regurgitating on the exam without understanding.

This topic accounts for way too many points on the exam to just wing it and hope for the best, so I’m hoping to gather some insight from you guys based on your experience. Keep in mind my exam is in a week. Should I re-watch the lectures and those commit 7 hours and/or re-read the chapters? If I keep at it will it eventually come together? Or should I try another review software for this topic to see it presented in a different way? I would love to hear what worked for you guys, thanks.

AUD- 99 (11/26/2014)
BEC- 81 (1/12/2015)
REG- 85 (2/28/2015)
FAR- ?? (5/18/2015)

[ibCPAsoon]

Governmental was a tough one.

Post your questions from Becker that the explanations were confusing maybe someone here can post something that helps piece together the missing parts and give you that “Aha” moment.

BEC - PASS JULY 2014
FAR - PASS DEC 2014
AUD - PASS FEB 2015
REG - PASS MAY 2015

[Anonymous]

Surprisingly, I'm scoring in the high 80s with government first round!

I think memorization is key!

[AJG38]

Hey Dunks,

I took a government accounting class last year and the two things that helped me better comprehend the subject were 1. the understanding that government accounting is overly ornate, and seemingly illogical in some areas, so you just need to accept it for what it is, and 2. going through countless journal entries. The best thing the textbook we used had were long examples of transactions at the end of each chapter that would go through two or three pages of the journal entries.

I would just go through journal entries until you brain completely fries!

PS. a former comptroller for the United States Government gave a presentation to AICPA group and stated he had know idea how much money we had, owed, and etc. due to the convolutedness of government accounting, so if he doesn't quite get it…..

AUD - 91 (4/7/2015)
BEC - 88 (4/29/2015)
FAR - 80 (5/29/2015)
REG - 70 (8/18/2015); 82 (11/08/2015)

Gleim & Ninja Flashcards

[Thrawn]

Governmental was one of those areas where you might just have to memorize, I think the key to remember is with fund accounting it isn't accounting for financial position like you would in normal GAAP, but rather it is just a matching of cash flows. It is counter-intuitive to most of us.

BEC 87 Feb 14
REG 84 Apr 14
FAR 82 Nov 14
AUD 86 Feb 15

[Anonymous]

Practice, practice, practice.

The first time I went through the lecture, it made no sense to me at all. A few days later I went through the Becker lectures a second time (and that was the only time I ever did that). That was also the section I learned to “put the highlighter down” and I really paid attention to what he was saying. After that I went back through the MCQ and it started to make a lot more sense to me.

As they say in Becker, the CPA Exam is the first time a lot of candidates see Governmental Accounting so it's a very foreign subject for a lot of us. But just keep hitting MCQ and reviewing the material. Know the two mnemonics inside and out (SE PAPI in SPACE and MAC GRASSP or whatever they are). Those two concepts will get you through a good chunk of the testable material.

[Determined CPA]

I agree, practice. Do as many questions as possible. Also, definitely study the journal entries. Even if the question doesn't require you to set up the JE, do it anyway. FAR is no joke, took me 3 times and a lost reg to finally get a 77. Looking at your other scores, I think you have mastered the technique of studying and should be fine on this exam. As Jeff says in his FAR audio, “you don't have to be an expert in this material” and also “your fellow candidates are also struggling with the same concepts”.

Best of luck to you!

A - 75
B - 78 God is good.
F - 77 Answered prayers.
R - 84! Done!!

Paperwork sent - waiting for license!!
Still on a cloud and in shock. Through God, all things will happen.

[justgivemea75]

2 words: BAE and BAE

FAR - 84
AUD - 76 (phew)
BEC - 88
REG - 77

DONE!

[Anonymous]

I never really understood Chap 8 & 9 in FAR (although to be fair I definitely half-assed those chapters). On my FAR exam I legitimately had about 20 questions on those two chapters and I just took educated guess on probably 50% of them.

I guess what I'm saying, is even if you don't fully understand chap 8 & 9 you can still pass.

[SponsoredByDunkinDonuts]

@Everyone- thank you so much for your replies. It gave me some ideas on what I should focus on……and also hope that even if I don't feel 100% confident in it, if I at least know the basics I can still potentially pass.

At this point I think I just need to move on from Gov and focus on reviewing all the other chapters more intensely, maybe coming back to it a day or so before the exam. Any wise words on what else to focus on? Any insights on pensions??! I've pretty much already given up any hope that I will ever truly understand pensions.

AUD- 99 (11/26/2014)
BEC- 81 (1/12/2015)
REG- 85 (2/28/2015)
FAR- ?? (5/18/2015)

[SponsoredByDunkinDonuts]

@Everyone- thank you so much for your replies. It gave me some ideas on what I should focus on……and also hope that even if I don't feel 100% confident in it, if I at least know the basics I can still potentially pass.

At this point I think I just need to move on from Gov and focus on reviewing all the other chapters more intensely, maybe coming back to it a day or so before the exam. Any wise words on what else to focus on? Any insights on pensions??! I've pretty much already given up any hope that I will ever truly understand pensions.

AUD- 99 (11/26/2014)
BEC- 81 (1/12/2015)
REG- 85 (2/28/2015)
FAR- ?? (5/18/2015)

[TaxGod]

@SponsoredByDunkinDonuts you sound exactly like me, I cant grasp governmental and pensions are way to difficult for me to really get down. Glad I am not the only one struggling in these areas!

AUD: 02/28/15 - 89
FAR: 05/29/15 - 80
BEC: 08/03/15 - 81
REG: 08/27/15 - 76

[SponsoredByDunkinDonuts]

@TaxGod It is so frustrating! I'm usually very good at being able to read the textbook and teach myself any concept with enough time/effort…..but there's only so many times I can read the same chapters on Pensions/Gov and the explanations to the problems that make absolutely no sense that I just feel like giving up!

Maybe if I just focus on every single other topic I can guarantee to get all the questions right besides pensions/gov and maybe that could be enough?? **wishful thinking**

AUD- 99 (11/26/2014)
BEC- 81 (1/12/2015)
REG- 85 (2/28/2015)
FAR- ?? (5/18/2015)

[On2Sum]

Becker.

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

[Author]

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