[jsteinberger]

I completed my CPA Excel review program with an average of about 80% (I did all the SIMS and MQs) as I went along.

Now I am using the Wiley TB to review the whole shabang. I am getting 50%-65% that past two days on all my MQs and SIMS banks of questions. So frustrating. The questions seem to be coming from left field. I am not getting the “general, basic type questions” wrong. Rather, I am getting questions wrong where I feel as if no matter how much I read the text I wouldn’t have picked up on that one sentence or two regarding the question. People say you can pass as long as you know the basics (kind of like the Ninja Audio/Notes type of basis). Is that true?

I am reviewing each answer right away, researching if need be and writing down the rational (to help make it stick). I feel like if I get a similar question again I could answer it correctly, but that isn’t helping me now. (Going through the testbank I haven’t been repeating questions yet)

Did anyone else have a similar experience? I am about 10 days out from taking my exam. Should I be scoring consistently higher or is there still hope? I did a last testbank of 50 and got a 66% today and am feeling very, very defeated. It is hard to keep on keeping on.

Thanks for any help or support…or even “misery loves company” type of reply.

[Kenada]

Hiya,

My experience is when i used Wiley i was getting 80's plus. When i did it with becker i was down at 66 and when i used Gleim i was at 77.

The exams in my opinion are very similar to what you see in Wiley and Becker. I think some times we get used to one test bank the way they word the questions. So don't get frustrated. Learn to notice why you are getting it wrong and it just may be that you are reading the question differently.

I also would say the exam will be better as long as you know your concepts well. Most people have a headache when it comes to doing SIM's

FAR 05/27/14; 786/110 - Done !

[Anonymous]

With 10 days, you'll be fine…or at least I hope you are, cause my test is tomorrow, and Sunday I was scoring mostly 60's. 😛 But honestly, in my experience studying for such tests (not just my one CPA section – also RTRP test and about 20 CLEPs and DSSTs), 10 days is a LOT of time, and there will be some point where it goes from “bad” to “good”. For me, I was beginning to wonder if I'd get that point for this test…but I hit it sometime between going to bed Sunday night and getting home from work Monday. Last night I averaged 82; Sunday my scores were mostly 60's.

So don't give up, and try not to let it frustrate you. Let the frustration make you mad at the test so that you're resolved to knock its brains out, but don't let it hamper your ability to focus and concentrate. You have 10 days still, and you can make those 10 days count. You apparently knew or know the material since you were scoring 80's, it's just a matter of making WTB believe that you know it. 🙂

Also, I would anticipate lower scores when reviewing all the material than when doing the MCQs and SIMs right after studying each chapter. So don't like that discourage you too much. The 80's mean that right after reading the material, you knew x y and z. The 60's mean that after 2 weeks or whatever it's been, the x and y you still know, but z's a little fuzzy…but that's OK, because for the next 10 days, you're going to review x, y, z, and maybe even w if you can find it…so by test day, you'll know *all* of them, they'll all be fresh in your mind, and you'll be able to use all the knowledge.

But despite the cheeriness, I do know how much it sucks to be in that position. Sunday I was crying. I kept saying “I don't have time to be getting this many wrong!!” But it's not over yet – you can still pull this off!

[Anonymous]

10 days is a lot of time on this exam!! Stick with it and I bet you'll get those MCQ scores up. I did CPAExcel and Wiley TB combo and the questions are definitely worded differently. Personally I felt Wiley was closer to actual exam questions (I didn't used Wiley for REG so I'm basing that off the other 3 exams).

Keep putting your time in and you should be ok!! 10 days is plenty of time to get your practice exam scores up!

[calicpa]

berger, what section are you taking?

I'm taking REG in 9 days and using cpaexcel and wiley too. Im getting 50-65 on wiley too, kind of freaking out.

BEC - 84, 4/6/13
AUD - 77, 5/28/13
REG - 83, 4/12/14
FAR - 83, 10/3/13

Ethics - 90% 4/24/13

150 unit education requirement met!
Work experience met!

[jsteinberger]

Whew! Thanks for all the kind words and telling me your experiences. I am definitely going to keep on keeping on. I just needed to hear (ok, read) some reassurance and remember I am not the only person feeling this way.

I have been told that consistency and tenacity is how people pass the CPA. It isn’t necessarily about being the smartest, but it is more about doing the review, the questions, the flashcards, etc. day in and day out. I am not going into the exam with blind faith, but I do hope the persistence (and lack of a social life lately) pays off.

Good luck to everyone and thank you again!

[MintsRGood]

10 days is plenty of time to tune up your weak topics!!! Keep plugging away and you are doing the right thing by writing the logic down behind an incorrect response! This will help the correct concept stick in your head and be a tremendous asset on exam day.

Keep up the good work and hit it hard!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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

[Author]

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