[Anonymous]

As the site says I got a 71 on REG….lost BEC. On a huge time crunch to get both done. I find re-studying for a section harder than a new one and I don’t know it’s starting all over again even if my head says says you know most of it. Clearly I don’t enough for a 75. Looks like simulations are what brought me down. I practiced SIMs but what I got was not on any of those topics or one a tax topic I was familiar enough with (obscure). It got a lot of stronger and some comparables in everything else.

Any advice from re-takers? If anyone has tried to pass REG and a lost section any advice is appreciated.

[Spartan3128]

What review course(s) did you use?

BEC - 91 Jan. 2014
AUD - 86 Feb. 2014
FAR - 85 May 2014
REG - 68 Aug. 2014 Retake Oct. 2014

[Anonymous]

Sounds just like my story. I rushed to try and pass REG with an unrealistic deadline because the pressure was on because my BEC was expiring. So what do you know, I failed REG because I didnt give myself adequate prep time and my BEC expired and I had to start over again from scratch. I failed REG in Nov 2013 and just this past July-Aug I passed REG with a 90 and BEC with an 88.

Super discouraging, I know exactly how you feel but take what you can learn from the experience. Now you know good and well how tough the tests are and you should have a pretty good idea how much studying and prep is required; so take that knowledge and run with it to knock out those exams! Don't give up.

When it comes to re-studying, I've got no words of comfort for you here; you are going to have to study everything up and down again as if you had never learned it before at all. I passed REG in July 14 after getting a 63 in NOV 13 and pretty much totally forgot everything. You will come across some practice questions that you do well on here and there because they stuck with you from passing your first time around but take these as little surprise gifts and nothing more, you can't count on any of your previous studying to carry through any particular section.

One other area I guess I would try to pay attention to is to try and figure out which topics on test day really kicked your butt and really drill those areas in your studying the second time around. Take your weaknesses and turn them into strengths the second time around. Another tip might be to save your weakest areas for studying closer to your actual test day so they are fresher in your mind come the exam. Don't study your weak areas first and them come exam day you find that you haven't reviewed that material for a long period of time.

Best of luck!!

BTW, what is your schedule like? how much time do you have for studying? (I'm a full-time income tax guy so my exam schedule is pretty horrid I assure you)

[Anonymous]

I went from a 71 to an 82 on REG today. I also failed BEC twice.

This time I did over 2,000 test bank questions. Still, I only completed about 80% of the total questions.

After feeling positively great about the tax areas, I spent a huge amount of time in the law area as that was the area I needed the most help on. I wrote down the questions that I got wrong. I read those questions several times and typed them (it is faster than handwriting). My study materials were CPA Excel, Ninja BLITZ (watched all of these a lot on the tablet while on the treadmill in the AM), and Wiley Test Bank.

I did about half of the SIMs in the test bank. The SIMs were definitely tricky. I have been in public accounting for a few years and I definitely leaned on experience and the tax code to get through them this time. I would say both times that the SIMs were tricky. Had I not had experience , I would have glossed over the detail in my studies, that were expected in the answers.

[Dan T]

Just got my failing score, 73. I really want to take it again as soon as I can, maybe Oct 4th or 5th. Thats gives me about 3 weeks. I know people say you shouldn't study to get two extra points but to get 75 however I honestly don't believe that. I feel I know enough to pass and if I was able to take the exam tomorrow I would do it. I'm gonna buy Ninja again and hammer MCQ's

AUD - 75 ☺
FAR - 65, 71, 70, 77 ☺
BEC - 80 ☺
REG - 73, 66, 79 ☺ 2/28/15

Done!

[Anonymous]

Dan T, I would recommend against that. That is exactly what I did with BEC and somehow I went down two points.

[JAccountant]

I just got my REG score today and I was surprised. I failed REG twice in the past (70 and 71) and my score went up by 18 points. I failed REG in the past because I did horrible on the SIMs. I did not grasp the concept entirely.

My study plan mainly consisted of taking a lot of notes & reviewing them and doing MCQs (CPAExcel & WTB). I also used Ninja Notes as a supplement. One week before the actual exam, I did one simulated exam per day and reviewed any weak areas.

[ijustwant76]

I dont think there's a definitive answer on what to brush up on for 2nd/3rd round. You really have to do a self-assessment on holes in your study plan. Otherwise, you're just taking “wild swings”.

[Anonymous]

Keep thorough logs on how well you do on MCQ's by topic, list out every specific question you ever got wrong and retake those questions a second or third time. Date this log so you know which date you achieved each score so it can help point you to the areas that are weak or the areas that need to have a more recent review done.

I do this with a small notepad for every exam, helps a ton!

[Anonymous]

@ JAccountant , I had a similar experience as you. I also changed my approach closely to yours and got similar results. I also used the Ninja notes and audio as supplements.

[Dan T]

JA and 6Silver, how long did you study for your retake?

AUD - 75 ☺
FAR - 65, 71, 70, 77 ☺
BEC - 80 ☺
REG - 73, 66, 79 ☺ 2/28/15

Done!

[kappa1032]

Bumping this, just got a 74 and need to know how long it should take for to study for a REG retake

FAR - 81
REG - 74, 87
AUD - 88
BEC - 88

Finally.

“The only guarantee for failure is to stop trying”
― John C. Maxwell

[Anonymous]

I studied for 5 weeks total, ramped up to full blown daily studying for a minimum of 2 hours per day for the last 3 weeks. I have little kids, married and work full time. I notice it takes me a week or two to ramp up into intense, meaningful sessions.

[kappa1032]

@6silvermoonbeams – can you give us a quick breakdown of your study process during the 5 weeks? Just so we have a rough idea of how you went about it.

FAR - 81
REG - 74, 87
AUD - 88
BEC - 88

Finally.

“The only guarantee for failure is to stop trying”
― John C. Maxwell

[JAccountant]

@Dan T

I spent around 6-7 weeks to study because I took notes as I read. I would say taking notes helped me understand the material tremendously. I did not take notes prior to my first and second REG exams. Honestly, I invested heavily on studying tax because all the SIMs in the actual exam are tax related and that was my weak area. I did go over business law, but not too much compared to the tax portion.

[Anonymous]

Some how I got a 68 with weaker in every topic except professional responsibilities. (Comparable) I think I'm just going to restudy everything and shoot for mid November.

What do you guys recommend for the sims. I honestly didn't study any cuz I was lazy and thought I would just be able to get through it.

[Author]

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