[ihatestudying]

I passed Regulation 2 years ago…wasted a lot of time, and then failed audit and BEC a few times each..all with 70’s, 72’s 69’s…. i lost reg and have to start from scratch…about to start studying again..starting with audit since i have the 2011 wiley book…i just ordered the yaeger cram dvd to hopefully help me get this done..in the past i used reg, aud, and bec yaeger home studies….

any advice on how to approach this. multiple choice over and over? read the chapters? should i put a lot of time into the sims? i have to get this done..i procrastinate and put it off too much and now have to take all 4 parts again…thinking about how i still am not a cpa stresses me out and gets me depressed.

any help and advice would be awesome…

thanks everyone and good luck to all of you

AUD - 2/27/12 - 76
REG - 5/31/12 - 78
BEC - 8/31/12 - 77
FAR - 12/6/12 - 76

[kb24]

Some ideas:

–Do enough SIMS that you're familiar with the format, but there are far more questions they can come up with than practice SIMS that you'll find. With the SIMS, you're better off making sure you thoroughly know the material so working lots of MCQ is probably your best bet.

–Doing lots of MCQ also helps you get used to the wording you're likely to see on the exam. With AUD a subtle change in wording can completely change the answer so the more practice you get, the better.

–Know the audit standards, the wording of the unqualified report, and the wording and location of the changes made when issuing any type of report other than a standard.

–Go through the the AUD threads on this forum for other suggestions

I'd recommend doing FAR or REG after AUD. That way you won't have to face the two hardest exams at the end.

Good luck!! There are lots of people on this site happy to help so just ask if you have any more questions.

FAR 4/1/11 - 89
AUD 4/15/11 - 85
REG 4/29/11 - 80
BEC 5/13/11 - 85

[ihatestudying]

thanks for your help…

by the way, i also just purchased jeff's ninja notes for audit..maybe studying those will be better then trying to read the whole wiley book.

AUD - 2/27/12 - 76
REG - 5/31/12 - 78
BEC - 8/31/12 - 77
FAR - 12/6/12 - 76

[kb24]

I haven't seen the Ninja notes for AUD, but I used them for REG and BEC and liked them. However, they are notes, and you really need to know AUD in detail.

FAR 4/1/11 - 89
AUD 4/15/11 - 85
REG 4/29/11 - 80
BEC 5/13/11 - 85

[kandisjoy]

Yeah, as far as Jeff's ninja notes go, I used them as a place to take notes (kind of like an outline). I studied out of Wiley or CPAexcel and would find the correlating chapter in the Ninja notes, and would take all of my notes on Jeff's page if they would fit. Sometimes I inserted more pages for my own notes.

FAR: 71, 77
BEC: 70, 82
AUD: 62, 78
REG: 71, 68, 85

CA Licensed 11/2011

[Anonymous]

I got hung up passing FAR and I lost REG. As difficult as it is to swallow, if we really want to be CPAs, we just have to buck up and study. We know we can do this because we passed before; we can go all the way.

Everything kb24 advises is on the money.

It's easy to get discouraged but come to the forum for support like you are doing now. I'm getting ready to restudy REG right now and thought I'd seek some motivation myself. It really does help 😉

[Anonymous]

Since you are starting from scratch, consider taking your most difficult section first, that way you can maximize the 18month window. You don't want to lose credit for a section because you're hung up on another section (like AUD or BEC) and have to retake it numerous times.

Don't be discouraged! I started this process in 2009, passed AUD, then procrastinated for several months. By the time I got motivated again, I lost AUD and had to start over. Just stay focused and really committed to your study schedule, and you will knock out the all four sections in no time!

For studying, I used ninja notes, Wiley for reviewing the material and practice MCQ's, Gleim online test bank for more practice, and Wiley online test bank with sims for practicing an entire test.

[ihatestudying]

thanks for the advice..

is the wiley online practice tests and sims free? i have to check that out…

i have the wiley 2011 book..didnt even know there was online tests that go with it

AUD - 2/27/12 - 76
REG - 5/31/12 - 78
BEC - 8/31/12 - 77
FAR - 12/6/12 - 76

[ihatestudying]

forget my last question..just looked it up..99 bucks isnt bad to have extra questions and sims..i might try that after getting through the questions in the book first.

AUD - 2/27/12 - 76
REG - 5/31/12 - 78
BEC - 8/31/12 - 77
FAR - 12/6/12 - 76

[kb24]

ihatestudying

if you buy it through another71 it's $87. Click on the Wiley link at the top of the home page.

FAR 4/1/11 - 89
AUD 4/15/11 - 85
REG 4/29/11 - 80
BEC 5/13/11 - 85

[ExBig4 Bum]

Keep at it. You're on the right track. If you keep at it, you're going to be a CPA.

I started this process in 2008. I'm still not done.

passed FAR&AUD in 2008 (expired)
passed REG & BEC in 2010 (but lost credit for FAR & AUD)
took FAR 5/31/11. sched AUD 8/31/11
i have no job (by choice). i am a BUM.

[pshustler]

If you are fresh and motivated, I would try and tackle either REG or FIN first. AUD and BEC are tough, but the first two are a lot more material and, for me at least, seem to be a lot tougher

BEC - 86
AUD - 94
REG - 88
FAR - 89

[ihatestudying]

hey everyone…so i got through my first week of studying audit (started with audit since i had the book).. not putting in enough hours but i have until october 1st to study ( there is a reason behind that relating to 18 month window starting if i actually pass) ..hopefully the 3 months worth of studying isnt actually a disadvantage due to forgetting material..

im using ninja notes, reading through the notes, then doing every question in the corresponding chapter in wiley… so far the first 3 chapters worth of questions in wiley i got an 80 on ch 1, 87 on ch 2 and 89 on ch 3….so i feel a little confident but i have many times in the past also…so i try not to kid myself….

i also purchased the yaeger audit cram dvd which i plan on watching after i get through the wiley book of mcq's one time…i will then watch the yaeger cram and then go back through the wiley questions doing the questions they say to do..

anyone think im on the right track with this study method, or do i need something more like the wiley online test bank??

im so frustrated with these exams and if i dont pass audit this take im going to have a meltdown..

thanks for all the advice i have already gotten and any more that may come.

AUD - 2/27/12 - 76
REG - 5/31/12 - 78
BEC - 8/31/12 - 77
FAR - 12/6/12 - 76

[ihatestudying]

also…every where i read it seems people are saying that 20 hours of studying per week is about what is typically needed…unfortuately i feel lucky to be able to study 10 hours a week between work and other responsibilities…does this 10-12 hours seem way to little to get it done?

AUD - 2/27/12 - 76
REG - 5/31/12 - 78
BEC - 8/31/12 - 77
FAR - 12/6/12 - 76

[Anonymous]

I would still recommend the wiley test bank for test practice, in the wiley book I believe there are only two full practice tests in the back. I find that scores on the questions done after reading each chapter are higher than when I did a full practice test with everything. It's great that you are scoring in the 80's, but you can't really gauge your performance until you do full practice test with sims.

Yes, 20-30 hours a week is pretty typical, but most people also dont give themselves 3 months to study either. I think if you are giving yourself that much time, then 10-15 hrs a week is probably fine, and then as you get closer to the actual tests you can ramp it up.

I would caution against taking so long to study between tests tho…you dont want to lose motivation, procrastinate and waste time, and then not be able to finish all four sections in that 18 month window.

[ihatestudying]

the reason for the 3 months is im getting married in october…so it would waste about 3 weeks of no studying between wedding and honeymoon..since i have no parts passed anymore, i figured might as well start the clock in october, instead of august like i first was going to do…then study nov-dec and take reg in january…damn 18 month clock!

so maybe i will buy the wiley online test bank then and work those tests after i get through the whole book at least once.

thanks

AUD - 2/27/12 - 76
REG - 5/31/12 - 78
BEC - 8/31/12 - 77
FAR - 12/6/12 - 76

[Author]

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