[scestone]

Hi everyone, I have my first exam on Sunday, its REG. I’ve been studying a lot but I can’t help but be anxious. I’ve been doing well in Becker progress tests but the questions are starting to get old.

On the 2 practice exams I got about an 82% on each. But then I go look at my notes and I feel like there are so many exceptions, phase-outs, and I don’t know them.

I have one more full day tomorrow to study, what should I do? go through flash cards, read, or just do multiple choice all day? Thanks for your input.

REG - 95
FAR - 96
BEC - 92
AUD - 99

[SeattleAccountant]

I want to encourage you and remind you that you have knowledge (from school, from review) and your job is to proceed calmly and make educated guesses when something unknown is encountered. I know it is easier said than done, but after taking my first ever section in Jan, I no longer stressed about the test itself b/c it was not as horrible as I had imagined but rather wide in coverage with a lot of unimportant boring stuff.

So, take a deep breath and use boards to put down some reminders AFTER you complete signing in but before starting a test. It takes like 5 min to put formulas and other stuff down in writing. I kept one board with all the formulas and stuff that I felt I need to write while taking exam separately from board used for general calculations and JEs. Once that board is filled, just raise your hand and point to the board and Prometrics people will bring another one. They also came and replaced my markers.

Wishing you luck, try to do your best be it guessing or knowing!

Becker Class of Jan - Aug 2013: FARB DONE!!!!
CPA license pending 🙂

[mdrobbin]

My own personal opinion, on the day before the exam I like to hammer MCQ for 3-4 hours but probably no more than that. Then I just read through my notes… do you have NINJA Notes? I didn't use NINJA my first time around… I passed but, regardless, nowadays I love having the NINJA Notes handy. They serve as a great tool to keep all the information fresh the day before the exam. I also keep a separate word document for key points I'm having trouble remembering… I make sure to read through this the night before the exam as well.

I'd skim through the NINJA Notes (handwritten notes will suffice if no NINJA Notes) and try to cap your studying at a reasonable time. Get a good dinner and get a good night of sleep.

When I get up in the morning I re-read my NINJA Notes (again, if you don't have NINJA, go with what you have), eat a good breakfast, and try my best to relax.

A few pointers for your first exam:

1. Don't drink a ton of water before your test… bathroom breaks can be costly

2. If you're anxious, do your best to psych yourself out. I know it sounds ridiculous but I like to think of exam day as similar to a playoff game for an athlete. Sure, there are nerves, but this is what it's all about. We put in the hard work, now it's time to lay it on the line and give it all we got. Pretend to be excited about it! Not easy.

3. TIME MANAGEMENT is KEY for the exam. Have a plan and STICK TO IT. If you must skip 2 or 3 MCQ's for the sake of staying on schedule, do it. I probably skipped 3 or 4 on FAR and it saved me because I was able to complete all SIMs.

4. Keep your cool during the exam. For me, every single exam there has been a point where I hit a streak of 2-3 (or more) MCQ's where I'm looking at the computer like, SERIOUSLY??? Questions are coming from left field, and I start to panic. I stop, take a deep breath, tell myself it's all good, remind myself that freaking out will only impact my overall exam negatively, and then press forward.

Hope this helps… good luck to you!!!

FAR - 2012 - PASSED (YAEGER)
AUD - 2012 - PASSED (YAEGER + NINJA NOTES)
BEC - 2012 - PASSED (YAEGER + NINJA NOTES)
REG - 2013 - PASSED (YAEGER + NINJA NOTES + NINJA AUDIO)

ETHICS - 2013 - PASSED

DONE!!! Thank you A71 for all the support! Hiya!!!

[scestone]

Thanks to both of you for your valuable advice.

I'm solely using Becker, I hope that they're as good as they claim to be! I guess we'll find out.

REG - 95
FAR - 96
BEC - 92
AUD - 99

[scestone]

So today I've just been going through progress tests, the final exams, flash cards, also going to go through some notes (some i've made some are becker outlines)

Should I spend anytime practicing SIMS? Is it worth it? I've been through them all 2x. Once going through the class the first time and then another when I started my final review a couple weeks ago.

Any other suggestions? Thanks again

REG - 95
FAR - 96
BEC - 92
AUD - 99

[Keely]

Twice through the SIMs is enough. REG SIMs are brutal, and that's just how it is. Stay calm and do your best to get full credit for the things you do know. Realize that these exams are not a percentage. I came out of REG sobbing, and was pleasantly surprised a few weeks later with an 82.

The first thing I did when I sat down at the computer was write my target times for being done with each testlet. Like, “Testlet 1: 2:15” because your clock counts down on you. However, you will most likely have plenty of time. The MCQs go by quickly. Don't second guess yourself, just go with it.

If all else fails, just tell yourself what my dad told me after the exam: “No one died. It's not the end of the world.”

BEC: (4/2012) 88
AUD: (5/2012) 91
REG: (8/2012) 82
FAR: (1/2013) 78 🙂

VA CPA #42010

[MintsRGood]

When you reach the SIMS, take a second and look at all of them before starting with the first one you see! Rank your confidence and start with your highest confidence SIM first and work your way down to the worst. You need to rack up as many points as possible so why upset yourself or waste time on the worst one first? Completing the first few with confidence will help carry you through the last leg and if you get too close on time, fill in zeros because at least zero is a response as opposed to a blank cell or field…and maybe zero is correct! 😉 Just stay calm (easier said than done) and watch your time!

Good Luck!!!!!!

REG: 75 DONE 🙂
AUD: 61, 71, 68, 92 DONE 🙂
BEC: 76 DONE 🙂
FAR: 72, 74, 79 DONE 🙂
Licensed Michigan CPA 🙂
-Some people dream of success...others wake up and work hard for it!!!
-The cowards never start and the weak die along the way!
-You better work, b***h!
-Only those who dare to fail greatly can ever achieve greatly.-JFK

[JeffSkilling]

Stay calm, stick to a schedule and try to get to the sims with plenty of time. Those truly do make or break your score. If you have time use the Authoritative Literature Tab. I was able to find some key information on several of my simulations.

Stay relaxed; I remember my first exam I was a wreck in there. If you studied, things will work themselves out in your favor. You're going to get questions that seem unfamiliar to you; accept this as a fact because it will happen. When you see this stay calm and answer as best as you can. You aren't the only one who feels that way.

When your done with the exam.. walk away from it for a few days if you can. Just don't think about it. Do something else. No sense in stressing about it after it's over because no matter how hard you think about it, try to calculate a score, compare your experience to people on this forum, it will do nothing to truly be indicative of your performance.

Good luck.

BEC - 83 | AUD - 85 | REG - 77 | FAR - 87

[CPA_Runner]

Right there with you mate. This is my last test…so I am trying not to imagine all the things I will be able to do again once this is all over with. Like…have a life.

Bring. It. On. REG.

AUD - 80 (05/23/2012)
FAR - 75 (08/09/2012)
BEC - 81 (12/05/2012)
REG - 71 (10/16/2012); 70 (02/12/2013); 78 (04/08/2013)
Ethics - 98

[scestone]

Thanks for everyone's advice. Overall I think my exam went pretty well.

MC was the section I found most difficult. A couple things on my exam that werent really covered in my review class which of course is expected so I just had to give it my best shot and hopefully got some lucky guesses and hopefully some were pre-tests. I didnt notice the mc getting really all that much more difficult is this normal and/or bad? lol

The sims I think went fairly well. I got a really easy research questions. One of my sims was a vaugue topic that I hadnt touched on very much so I did the best I could hopefully that one wont count. The rest I think I knew a majority of the answers. Of course I'm still a little nervous but just gunna try not to let it get to me and move onto the next section BEC!

REG - 95
FAR - 96
BEC - 92
AUD - 99

[Author]

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