[Anonymous]

Hello,

First time poster here but I have been lurking on this website for almost a year. I’m using Becker 2011 to study for REG. I am not 100% sure if this is the time for me to even think about a new course though. Here is the thing – I found out on Friday that I’ve failed REG again for the THIRD time. I’ve got 69, 70, and now 68. Needless to say I was very disappointed. Since I’ve started studying, last October, I’ve never passed a single section. I picked up other sections while waiting for the scores, but I’ve switched it back to REG once I found out I failed it.

I thought I really prepped well this time – I really wanted to pass just one section 🙁 I spent about 9 weeks, making notecards myself, listening to NINJA audio, and got 80%+ on all my homework and progress tests. I’ve been using just Becker 2011 materials (which will expire soon). I think I spent Mon – Thurs 4 hrs/day, then spent about 6 – 8 hrs/day on weekends. I felt pretty good about the Becker materials but obviously I was wrong.

I don’t think I can blame the age and the time I’ve been out of the school, (about 10 yrs) since a lot of people here who are older than I am are doing better and passing the sections. I’ve been so deflated, lost, and embarassed this whole weekend. But I don’t think I want to give up yet though. Still, I think I’ll buckle up and try REG yet AGAIN – for the fourth time – in October.

What suggestion do you have for this old fart, who has never done any tax work and don’t remember a thing from school? I definitely want to get something to supplement Becker, but I’m not so sure what to get. I was thinking about buying Becker Final Review, but I also hear a lot of people saying to supplement Becker with Wiley. I think I need detailed explanations whenever I am working MCQ’s – sometimes I was spending more time trying to understand Becker’s solutions because I just didn’t get it. (Especially in partnerships and estate taxations.) Does Yeager explain all the Wiley questions on the whiteboard? I watched a sample on their website and I’m still not sure if this is the way to go quite yet and want to hear if anyone is using Becker and Yeager together for REG.

Many thanks in advance for your help.

[nbad311]

I, too, have taken REG multiple times (twice), and this was what I did:

1st attempt: Intense 1.5-month studying with Becker materials. score = 65

2nd attempt: 3-month (less intense, less hours per week) studying with Bisk (audio, textbooks, cpu software). score = 70

Although I wasn't studying 25 hours a week the second time around, I felt sooo much better after coming out of the second test than I did my first try. I really thought I was going to pass (although, I figured it'd be close to a 75 – no 90s or anything – because I definitely wasn't feeling 100% awesome). Then I got a 70 and was super bummed. I took a mini break and then started studying again about a month ago. I don't think I needed much more, I definitely wasn't going to dedicate another 2+ months to studying stuff I already knew well. So here's my third try:

3rd attempt: 1-month intense studying with a combo of Bisk software + Wiley textbook. I went and got the Wiley REG textbook after I failed with a 70 because I thought it'd give me a fresh set of MCQs to look at (although, over half of them seem exactly the same as Bisk's). Either way, it was new material to play with. I feel like the software is always helpful (and quicker to deal with than flipping back and forth in a textbook), so I've kept up with doing the MCQs and sims in that with Bisk. And I am taking my 3rd REG test on Sunday!! Wish me luck?! Hopefully with my scoring trends (65, 70, ….?) I'm headed to a 75!

Although I haven't passed, one piece of advice I'd give for REG is to really get comfortable with the simulations, whatever software/study materials you are using. Really understand the tax forms, the flows and limitations/special rules in tax, and other misc things that you feel could definitely come up in sims. Knowing a simulation and what it's asking helps to understand lots of concepts in multiple choice questions too (I feel like anyway), plus they're a whopping 40% . I definitely feel like I lost significant points on my simulations on my last test, and I'm determined to do better on them this time.

REG - 65, 70, 80!
BEC - 35, 62, 79!
AUD - 73, 75!
FAR - 65, 73, 70, 75! DONE.

[Author]

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