[Anonymous]

So today, I took REG under the new format. I have only taken BEC under the old format leading up to this moment. I use Becker study materials. I received a 62 & 70 on my practice final exams for reference.

The First testlet of MCQ was very fair and covered all chapters and was pretty evenly distributed. I marked some questions I wasn’t 100% on but other than that it felt good.

The second testlet got very very specific. It was very blaw. Compared to the first testlet, this one got increasingly harder. It also hit on small topics that I wouldn’t consider the main focus in any chapter. Although it got much harder I still feel good about MCQ in general.

Simulations covered topics, in at least the first couple, that were not main topics for any chapter. This was really irritating so I hope I was able to salvage points there. I had some ideas as to what was going hard but the SIMS really demand you know the material. As I worked through the SIMS they were still difficult but I got into more areas that I had stronger knowledge in. The SIMS never got easier, but they are doable.

My overall feeling and take away is that this exam was difficult. Was more blaw than I thought. I’m confident overall, but those couple SIMS chip away at my confidence.

If you have a similar experience, a different experience, or any words of support I’d love to hear it! I’m not quite sure how I feel about the test as it stands right now.

[jinevins]

How many of your sims were DRS (document review sims)? What is your best advice to prepare for sims? It sounds like you did well!

[Anonymous]

I had 2 DRS SIMS. Honestly since everyone has different SIMS I would suggest you study topics that aren't the main themes of chapters. I had so many questions out of left field it was crazy.

[jinevins]

Thank you for your response! I would imagine one of those would be a pre test question! Interesting that the sims are off topic / not mainstream topics in the book! Did you get business law simulations?

[Anonymous]

Blaw had no Sims for me

[IGOTTHEKEYS]

If you would have to throw a number out. How much of the exam did you think was b-law?

I'm reviewing for b-law, But I night skip the progress test and focus even more on tax now. What do you think?

[Anonymous]

My 2nd testlet of MCQ was almost all blaw. So I'd say 20%-25%? Seems like a lot to me, but I was impressed by how many there were! If you feel solid on the main topics then you should work towards law and off topic items.

[IGOTTHEKEYS]

@ALLOUTOFKUAI

interesting that your second testlet was all or most of it was B-law.

I covered B-Law and reviewing it. I haven't done any progress test for B-law and don't plan onto since the weight is nothing compared to Tax, also there are like 500 plus questions on B-law in becker . But after your second testlet being almost or all B-law, it makes me rethink my decision. What do you think? Do you think i should just look at my notes i took , be fine and go back to tax. I have tax down, but the small areas are what i am worried about. Any advice?

[Anonymous]

My advice to you is that you won't know everything. Be prepared to have to think on some of the questions and find the answer that makes the most sense. I felt that I had a super strong knowledge of the material but the questions they as or the way they format them makes them hard.

[IGOTTHEKEYS]

@@alloutofkuai

Ya that what im noticing, and at i only have a couple of days in my review phase and then i sit for it.

Any advice for the sims, besides allocating 2.5 hours or more to it.

Should i practice a bunch of DRS sims? or just a couple to get use to the format and the timing of it?

[Brains&Gains]

I just retook it a couple days prior also and had a similar experience, my question for you was how many Sims did you have? I had 8 total which was kind of frustrating because when planning my timing benchmarks i planned for 4 sims on the 4th testlet but only got three which had me finishing with approx 10 mins on my clock which i could have greatly used on testlet 3. Im wondering if anyone else had a similar situation to that?

[Anonymous]

n_123 I actually gave myself about 2 hrs and 15 minutes for the SIMS and it worked well. I was done testing with 30 minutes to go. In my final exams on Becker I had an hour and twenty minutes left usually to give you some reference. Everyone is different, but I don't think the DRS is really all that tricky. What got me was a SIM that was basically fill in the blank. That was what made me nervous because there wasn't just a solid answer that could be given.

@brainsandgains I had 8 SIMS in total which I did plan for. There has been a huge confusion on the number of SIMS we will be getting. I have a question for you, did you think the old format for REG compares well to the new? Or what are your thoughts on the old vs the new?

[IGOTTHEKEYS]

@ALLOUTOFKUAI

A couple of other questions

1. When you mention smaller topics in tax, are you referring to the topics that are only discussed for like a paragraph. like a example is, :Non qualified stock option, there are two ways to account for them when you have a readily ascertainable value vs a non ascertainable value, and how to calculate basis, gain, etc). Becker covers a page on the nonqualified for ascertainable value but for non ascertainable value its like a paragraph. But the whole focus was on ascertainable value, when i did the questions. So stuff like that? Another example would be MACRS deprecation and how to account for that when you sell that asset which could be midmonth, half year, midquarter?

2. How in depth did you go into B-law? B-law isn't my strong area, i do understand the meat of it but the small little details that have a twist on things or the small line items that aren't big but can change your answer? Should i focus on that? Was the b-law questions more in depth when on your testlets?

[joonpark1212]

@alloutofkuai I also got a lot of BLAW questions in my second TBS as well, so I was thinking that i did not receive a harder testlet following the first TBS. Hopefully we both enough to pass!

[Anonymous]

@joonpark1212 I believed the second testlet was harder because the questions I was getting were a lot more specific and had answers that were difficult. All in all though I didn't really feel that the MCQ were all that difficult. It just seemed like the questions got trickier in how they were asked which led me to believe they were harder, not because I believe the content was harder.

It's really all relative to what you know. But hopefully we passed. I know I was prepared going in and coming out, so best of luck to you as well!

[Author]

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