[krokofilen]

Hi guys

Well I am still struggling with the REG MCQs and are not anywhere near to having a chance of passing this exam, with 2 weeks to go, so hope is all I got at this point.

In order to avoid the mistake I did on FAR, I would like to collect some thought here on how to best approach the REG sims. On FAR, I ran out of time on the sims all though I knew the theory so extremely well, and had to leave 2 sims completely untouched – all though still did pass, this was a horrible experience to go through during the exam. On AUD, I was the sim chamption and clicked my way through them in no time at all, and probably scored a 100% on them – hence my lack of an appropriate strategy for the FAR sims (I thought they would go as quick as on AUD, since I knew my stuff, and also thought they would remind of the NINJA sims, which they did not at all).

So.

Are the REG sims as tough as on FAR?

Are they as time consuming?

How much time do you reserve for the REG sims, on the actual exam?

How much study time to you put in for the REG sims?

Any other recommendations?

Are the NINJA sims reflective of the structure of the sims on the actual exam? (I found this not to be the case on FAR, see above)

Big 4 Audit Manager from Europe here to pass the CPA in the U.S. of A in 2014! Niiice!

AUD - 95 / Jul 15 / 130h over 4 weeks
FAR - 86 / Aug 14 / 240h over 4 weeks
(11 week break)

REG - 81 / Nov 14 / 200h over 4 weeks
BEC - 87 / Nov 17 / 30 h over 2.5 days

[PurpleK]

Considering that the Code and Regs are approximately 12k pages at 450 words a page, not counting all the other authoritative literature out there, it is impossible to know what you will be tested on.

I would say Reg sims are just as hard as FAR if not harder because there is so much more they can test.

I would not worry about studying simulations and really understand the concepts like basis, sale/exchange of assets, depreciation, corporate formation and dissolution, partnership allocations. Once you understand the concepts, just apply them as best you can to the sims.

I finished all my exams in less than half of the given time so I probably spent 30 mins on sims and passed easily without even studying practice sims.

[Anonymous]

Are the REG sims as tough as on FAR?

I thought REG SIMS were more challenging than FAR as with FAR it was relatively easy to find specific examples and even exact journal entries in the AL. I found the REG AL difficult to navigate, even though I practiced using it prior to the exam so couldn't utilize it as much during the exam.

Are they as time consuming?

YES! I needed 1:45 for REG SIMS and had to leave one only partially answered.

How much time do you reserve for the REG sims, on the actual exam?

1:45 and could've used 2 hours as I wasted time trying to navigate the AL when I couldn't find answers in the sections I thought they would be.

How much study time to you put in for the REG sims?

I did 125 practice SIMS as with Gleim you have 7 SIMS per chapter and REG has 20 chapters. I focused less on the business law and more on tax and basis. Each SIM practice session took about an 90 minutes including reviewing wrong answers. So that's about 30 – 45 study hours for SIMS. I'm one of the odd ones who find practicing SIMS very helpful at a minimum b/c you learn to really read and understand what is being asked of you and also practice making those stupid mistakes like leaving a cell blank when it should be a zero or not using a drop down choice of “no entry needed.” I was amazed my first practice time through how many of those little errors I made which in a live exam would cost valuable points.

Any other recommendations?

Have you practiced using the AL? If not I suggest at least a quick browse of it. The layout and categorization is weird.

Are the NINJA sims reflective of the structure of the sims on the actual exam? (I found this not to be the case on FAR, see above)

I use Gleim and they were largely reflective. I'd say the only area not reflective is exam SIMS were much longer and wordier but the content tested was spot on.

[thechapman]

One thing I did was leave as much time as possible for the sims so that if I had no clue on something, I could look it up in the code. If you have the time it helps a ton

Passed - 2014

[Kimboroni]

Personally, I found the FAR sims way worse than the REG sims. Similar to my AUD experience, I think my REG sims were very instrumental in me passing the section. But a lot of people really struggle with the REG sims. I think because I like tax and have been exposed to it at work quite a bit, that helped a lot. Although I don't prepare tax returns except my own at this point.

I practiced all of the WTB sims. I always think practicing sims is worth it, even if they aren't representative of the actual sims, because it gives you an idea of the huge variety of things that can be asked. Then in my studies, I come across things and think, “oh, maybe that could be a sim.” So then I think about the concept in sim terms rather than MCQ terms.

On REG, I used 30 minutes for each MCQ testlet, which left 1:30 for the sims. It seemed like the perfect amount of time for me. I was able to put in reasonable answers for all of them, then go through the AL to verify some details I wasn't sure about.

AUD 84 (1/9/14-Wiley books/TB + free materials)
FAR 83 (5/21/14-the above + NINJA 10 Pt Combo Lite)
REG 84 (7/9/14-Wiley books/TB + NINJA Audio/FC/Notes)
BEC 76 (10/5/14-Wiley books/TB + NINJA Audio/FC)

Disclaimer: My ninja avatar is not meant to imply that I have any affiliation with this site other than being a forum member. That's a pic of a T-shirt that my daughter gave me for my birthday. 🙂

[Anonymous]

cross your fingers

Seriously, give yourself as much time as you can so you can manuever through the code to help with the sims you are unsure of.

[Author]

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