[Anonymous]

Is is worth it to do simulated exams? I’m thinking of doing a couple of simulated exams just to condition myself for the 3-hour stretch (like how a runner conditions himself or herself for a marathon), and was wondering if people find it helpful or is it just a waste of time?

[evesocal]

I think it depends on how you learn. I never did a simulated exam and would not have found it useful. My system was to do enough MCQs in a topic to get ten right. Then I'd move to another topic. When you do a simulated exam you don't know if you are wrong or right until the end of it. That lack of feedback, and the lack of being able to know what I did wrong and to correct it, would not have helped me. I learned by getting the feedback on wrong answers and doing what it took to get them right.

But that's just me.

When the time came for the actual exam the number of questions was annoying but obviously I had no choice. In a way I found it energizing to finally be taking the exam after the grind of studying.

B: 75
R: 80
A: 77
F: 81
Ethics: 84, 92 and done!
Licensed in California

[evesocal]

I think it depends on how you learn. I never did a simulated exam and would not have found it useful. My system was to do enough MCQs in a topic to get ten right. Then I'd move to another topic. When you do a simulated exam you don't know if you are wrong or right until the end of it. That lack of feedback, and the lack of being able to know what I did wrong and to correct it, would not have helped me. I learned by getting the feedback on wrong answers and doing what it took to get them right.

But that's just me.

When the time came for the actual exam the number of questions was annoying but obviously I had no choice. In a way I found it energizing to finally be taking the exam after the grind of studying.

B: 75
R: 80
A: 77
F: 81
Ethics: 84, 92 and done!
Licensed in California

[Shel_178]

I found it helpful to take one or two practice exams before the test…just keep in mind that they are meant to be more challenging than the actual test so a score in the 60's-70's does not mean that you are not prepared. To me, it was like “conditioning” as you mentioned in the OP. It makes the 3-4 hour exam not as daunting come test day. Also…WTB & Becker do let you go back and look at the questions you got wrong and review/see why you got them incorrect which I found very helpful.

REG - 86
FAR - 80
BEC - 79
AUD - 92...I'm done woohoo!

Licensed CPA since Feb. 2014

[Shel_178]

I found it helpful to take one or two practice exams before the test…just keep in mind that they are meant to be more challenging than the actual test so a score in the 60's-70's does not mean that you are not prepared. To me, it was like “conditioning” as you mentioned in the OP. It makes the 3-4 hour exam not as daunting come test day. Also…WTB & Becker do let you go back and look at the questions you got wrong and review/see why you got them incorrect which I found very helpful.

REG - 86
FAR - 80
BEC - 79
AUD - 92...I'm done woohoo!

Licensed CPA since Feb. 2014

[M.O.D.]

Preparation exams are mandatory. How else can you know whether you can pass the test for real? And if you can't pass the sample test, stay home!

Accidental failure is one thing, but failure as a result of a lack of preparation and ignorance about the test is an embarrassment to the profession.

Would you visit a client unprepared? Would you say, I'll do the work on site and hope it is enough. The CPA test is meant to weed out this kind of non-professionalism.

BA Mathematics, UC Berkeley
Certificates in CPA and EA preparation, College of San Mateo
CMA I 420, II 470
FAR 91, AUD Feb 2015 (Gleim self-study)

[M.O.D.]

Preparation exams are mandatory. How else can you know whether you can pass the test for real? And if you can't pass the sample test, stay home!

Accidental failure is one thing, but failure as a result of a lack of preparation and ignorance about the test is an embarrassment to the profession.

Would you visit a client unprepared? Would you say, I'll do the work on site and hope it is enough. The CPA test is meant to weed out this kind of non-professionalism.

BA Mathematics, UC Berkeley
Certificates in CPA and EA preparation, College of San Mateo
CMA I 420, II 470
FAR 91, AUD Feb 2015 (Gleim self-study)

[mla1169]

Simulates exams are a waste of time unless you have been running out of time during your exams. If time is your main concern then by all means do the simulations. Otherwise focus your time more productively and hammer out the MCQ's, rewrite your notes, and gain familiarity with the authoritative literature (particularly for AUD).

FAR- 77
AUD -49, 71, 84
REG -56,75!
BEC -75

Massachusetts CPA (non reporting) since 3/12.

[mla1169]

Simulates exams are a waste of time unless you have been running out of time during your exams. If time is your main concern then by all means do the simulations. Otherwise focus your time more productively and hammer out the MCQ's, rewrite your notes, and gain familiarity with the authoritative literature (particularly for AUD).

FAR- 77
AUD -49, 71, 84
REG -56,75!
BEC -75

Massachusetts CPA (non reporting) since 3/12.

[mla1169]

M.O.D., refresh my memory, how many exams have you taken? How do simulated exams demonstrate professionalism exactly? Most CPA's never did a full simulated exam and still passed, many passed all 4 on their first attempt without ever considering a simulated exam. You'll understand when you've actually taken a section, I'm sure. The sample test is graded so very differently than the real one and passing it has zero correlation to a score on the real thing.

FAR- 77
AUD -49, 71, 84
REG -56,75!
BEC -75

Massachusetts CPA (non reporting) since 3/12.

[mla1169]

M.O.D., refresh my memory, how many exams have you taken? How do simulated exams demonstrate professionalism exactly? Most CPA's never did a full simulated exam and still passed, many passed all 4 on their first attempt without ever considering a simulated exam. You'll understand when you've actually taken a section, I'm sure. The sample test is graded so very differently than the real one and passing it has zero correlation to a score on the real thing.

FAR- 77
AUD -49, 71, 84
REG -56,75!
BEC -75

Massachusetts CPA (non reporting) since 3/12.

[Anonymous]

IMO, do it if you have spare time, otherwise don’t bother. The advantage of taking a practice exam is that you know how to pace yourself and what topics to address after you see the score report (but chances are, you already know what your weaker topics are). Disadvantage – it’s a bad representation of what actually the exam is going to look like and how well you are going to do. I found Becker exams to be easier than the real deal. My sims in Becker’s FAR and REG didn’t seem too difficult and I did quite well on them. On the exam day my sims were brutal.

[Anonymous]

IMO, do it if you have spare time, otherwise don’t bother. The advantage of taking a practice exam is that you know how to pace yourself and what topics to address after you see the score report (but chances are, you already know what your weaker topics are). Disadvantage – it’s a bad representation of what actually the exam is going to look like and how well you are going to do. I found Becker exams to be easier than the real deal. My sims in Becker’s FAR and REG didn’t seem too difficult and I did quite well on them. On the exam day my sims were brutal.

[Anonymous]

LOL for days at the correlation between the professionalism and taking/not taking a practice exam.

Sorry for bragging, but I did a bare minimum of prep for BEC, never touched any sims or practice exams and I did pretty well. So unprofessional, I know.

[Anonymous]

LOL for days at the correlation between the professionalism and taking/not taking a practice exam.

Sorry for bragging, but I did a bare minimum of prep for BEC, never touched any sims or practice exams and I did pretty well. So unprofessional, I know.

[M.O.D.]

@ mla

I've taken hundreds of exams, like everyone who goes to school.

“The sample test … has zero correlation to a score on the real thing.”

Do you have data to back this up?

Are you making a statistical statement (correlation is covered in BEC) or a subjective statement.

I doubt you would say that about any other test.

But just because the CPA test is harder than other tests does not make it fundamentally different.

BA Mathematics, UC Berkeley
Certificates in CPA and EA preparation, College of San Mateo
CMA I 420, II 470
FAR 91, AUD Feb 2015 (Gleim self-study)

[Author]

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