[Peanut]

Can anyone tell me how this is possible? I took REG in February and scored a 59, terrible and embarassing I know. I quit my job to study full time. I studied for REG for another month and retook in April. I am using the Becker software. I took about 10 “Progress Tests” with Becker scoring between the 80s and 90s. Going through each questions right answers or why each question was wrong. Took both Becker Simulated exams and scored 70 on both (which I heard is really high because it’s “harder” than the actual exam.) I just checked my score and got a 60. 1 point higher! Please tell me how this is physically possible?! I want to give up, like seriously give up, how am I NOT even close?? High 60s even?? What am I doing wrong??

 

 

AUD 81 (X4) Previous scores 59, 72, 72
REG 80 (X3) Previous scores 59, 60
FAR 75 (X2) Previous score 67
BEC 79 (X2) Previous score 58

[NoScores2Display4thisSection]

hmm, in Becker are you reading the explanations after you answer each MC whether correct/incorrect? Sometimes that's the best way. When answering MCs, are you able to get inside the examiners' heads when looking at the question? This might help on exam day in seeing the tricks they pull.

on exam day, did you budget enough time for each testlet including the TBS?

When you get/got your score report back, did you take a look at which areas they said you were comparable/stronger/weaker in? What did it say?

Good luck and keep with it. Jeff (founder of this site) busted through REG with a 92! (after he'd failed it bunch of times and had 1 pass expire so he had to repeat it) so I'm sure if you just keep at it you'll get there 

When I got a 68 on REG the 1st time, I found out I was comparable or stronger on most of the law/regulation stuff in the later Becker chapters, but I was really weak on individual taxation, partnership taxation and some of the basic tax stuff. This was probably because it was covered in the early Becker chapters and I didn't get much chance to do much of a final review so my knowledge of that stuff wasn't so great

done

[Peanut]

Yes, I always go through each answer to the question literally say out loud “this choice is wrong becauseeee.” On the actual exam I finished with a couple minutes left. I nailed my research, and I'm pretty sure I nailed 2-3 others. One was tough but that's all. The first time I took REG I bombed most of the SIMs..

AUD 81 (X4) Previous scores 59, 72, 72
REG 80 (X3) Previous scores 59, 60
FAR 75 (X2) Previous score 67
BEC 79 (X2) Previous score 58

[NoScores2Display4thisSection]

How do you think you did on the MC testlets? do you think you got all easy testlets or did you notice them getting bit harder (tough to sense sometimes though)?  Did you get your score report showing strong/weak areas?

done

[Peanut]

I didn't get a score report either time. I'm not sure how I go about that. I knew my testlets weren't getting harder so I'm pretty sure I bombed the MCQs.

AUD 81 (X4) Previous scores 59, 72, 72
REG 80 (X3) Previous scores 59, 60
FAR 75 (X2) Previous score 67
BEC 79 (X2) Previous score 58

[NoScores2Display4thisSection]

Hmm, I think the score report comes either by email or mail 48hrs after scores come back

So it should be coming soon if it hasn't already. I think it also tells you if you were comparable or not on the TBS.

It sounds like your strategy so far has been solid. Doing those progress tests is great. One thing would be maybe going back into the MCs for each section and re-doing Passmaster MCs for ALL the mini-topics in each chapter. The progress tests might take a random 10 MCs from each chapter but it may be skipping over some topics

 My general strategy (but everyone's different) with the Becker has been just watching the lectures with Gearty/Olinto 1-2x and doing the MCs (Passmaster MCs are MOST important piece) until I blue in the face/vomit. This generally works. It's like bball players who practice shooting freethrows, you just keep doing it and doing it so it's 2nd nature. It sounds like you've been doing this though.

Only 41% passed REG in Q1 2011 so maybe the exam has just become incredibly difficult. 

You could also consider supplementing Becker with other stuff..different things have worked for different people. 

but i think it'd be awesome for you to see the score report  broken out and see what the heck happened

done

[NoScores2Display4thisSection]

When you get your score report, either e-mail/mail (depending on what you specified), it should say:

“If you did not pass this examination section, performance information is provided on the back of this score notice. Please read the explanatory text carefully”

this is where you could look just to see

done

[Happen4reason]

I am having this same problem!! I can't figure out what I am doing wrong but I just had this happen with BEC and AUD. Also still waiting on score report.  I am doing great on Becker progress tests high 80's to 90's. It really builds up my confidence. I try to understand all the answers I get wrong. I drill them over and over. Even started looking at cpareviewforfree. I keep getting close, but still no pass. I feel prepared come test time. I'm not sure what more it's going to take. Has anyone had this happen to them? What did it take to get over this hump?

[lr_cpa]

Reg = 86

This was my first section and first exam to take. I had never taken a tax course before and it's been about 8 years since my B-law class. That being said I put in a total of 421 hours within the last year [about half of that was just to learn the material and the other half was spent reviewing 2 months prior to the exam]. Congrats to those who passed and good luck to all who haven't yet. Keep at it. If I can do it I know you can!

REG 5/27/11 86 1st attempt [CPA excel questions, Yaeger Audio, Wiley book]
FAR 8/04/11 90 1st attempt [used CPA excel as primary, Yaeger Audio, and Wiley book]
AUD 10/01/11 90 1st attempt [used CPA excel with Wiley as supplement]
BEC 11/29/11 84 1st attempt [using Wiley with CPA excel as MCQ supplement]

DONE

[SoonToBeCPAChick]

What really helped me with REG was that fact that I had done individual tax returns through VITA (Volunteer Income Tax Assistant) program at my college and so I already had a good foundation for individual taxes.  I also took both individual and corporate tax in college and in each class we had to do dummy returns. 

With all that said I find it really hard to imagine studying  for REG without actually going through the process and filling out returns by hand.  By suggestion would be to google some practice return questions or even print out tax returns from the IRS website and just go through what it tells you to do.  I never had to memorize what was for or from AGI because I could just picture a 1040.  If I hadn't already knew how to fill out a tax return I would never have been able to pass this exam.  So I know in Becker there are tax returns throughout showing you where things go, but I feel like people gloss over it, but really I think it does help.  Same thing itemized deductions, study a schedule A its all right there.  I guess this is just another way of studying the material but I think it helped.

FAR 10/1/2010 =====> 90
BEC 10/28/2010 ====> 81
REG 2/2/2011 ======> 82
AUD 5/28/2011 =====> 92 ===========>DONE!!!!

[Peanut]

I feel like I did everything I was supposed to. I'm not sure how it is humanly possible to score so low, and to be putting in sooooo many hours of studying…

AUD 81 (X4) Previous scores 59, 72, 72
REG 80 (X3) Previous scores 59, 60
FAR 75 (X2) Previous score 67
BEC 79 (X2) Previous score 58

[Anonymous]

Sometimes scoring well on the MCQ can be misleading. If you have seen the question before, or if you just finished watching the lecture, then of course your scores will be high.  Try to gauge for yourself how much of those scores is really understanding the material, and how much is just memorizing the answer.

This problem is why I use both Gleim and Wiley online test banks. I use Gleim to study and review, but at some point I find myself just memorizing the questions, so then I use Wiley to simulate an entire tests-3 testlets and 7 tabs.   I keep doing full practice test and mini 30 question testlets until Im scoring well. I also make sure to always check the “only show questions Ive never seen” button to make sure my scores arent being inflated with questions Ive already gotten correct.

I also go back and read through the wiley book, if the material seems familiar and i think to myself “oh, i know this already!” then I feel like Im understanding and remembering the actual concepts. If I read through the chapter and think “oh, Im not sure if I saw this in my practice questions” or “im not sure if I got a question about this that I would be able to answer it” then i know that I dont understand the material, and might need to review.

I also really like reading through the material and writing my own questions. I obviously already know the answer to the questions I write, but writing the questions helps me think about the concept more.

[Peanut]

@CalCPASoon, Thank you so much for your words. I think that's the problem is I've seen the questions 563542 times so when I take the practice exams I score high. I purchased the Wiley test bank for FAR since I'm taking that in a couple of weeks, and I will purchase again to retake REG. Thanks for everyones advice 🙂 REG IS A BEAST!

AUD 81 (X4) Previous scores 59, 72, 72
REG 80 (X3) Previous scores 59, 60
FAR 75 (X2) Previous score 67
BEC 79 (X2) Previous score 58

[NoScores2Display4thisSection]

REG has been a REAL BEAST in 2011 from what I've heard so far!

GOOD LUCK!!!!! YOU WILL DO IT!!!!!!!!

When does AICPA release the passing rates for Q2 '11? I'd love to see what it was for REG

done

[HazeEastwood]

I agree with CalCPASoon, I know I memorize questions but what I also do is test my knowledge by using wiley's online test bank. If you do all of the problems and then do the test bank problems and you're bombing them then you really don't understand the material. You have memorized the answer and you have memorized why the other answer arent right but you don't really understand the concept.

FAR-81
BEC-84
AUD-91
REG-89

[Anonymous]

@ peanut: I think u probably messed up on the simulation part. I know I screwed up on REG simulation after the exam. But thx god I passed, becuz i believe i got 1 medium difficulty and 2 high difficulty MCQ on the actual exam.

Now as for the studying material, I used only Becker. I did the questions 3 times with 80-90% average, read the book 3 times, scored 87 and 82 on the simulated 100 questions exam twice. So yeah, thats how much work I have committed into REG and yet I still messed up on simulation.

But hey, never give up! you can make it next time u do it, my advice is try to memorize the tiny details such as Ages, limits, exclusion amounts etc, since they are all heavily tested in Sim. If I didn't pass REG, I would start to re-study again by doing that.

Good Luck!

[Author]

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