[Tono23]

Hello all,

I recently was informed that I failed FAR for the 5th time! Another 54!

I am beyond frustrated. This nightmare has been going on for 5 years without a single pass. I am at a loss here ladies and gentlemen. I don’t know what I’m doing wrong

I’ve utilized Becker, Roger and most recently Gliem text book with Wiley test bank.

I studied about 2 hours after work and 5 hours on Saturday and took Sunday off. This method was placed in use for about 1.5 months. I answered Wiley multiple choice and sprinkled Sims here and there. I took notes on those which were answered incorrectly. Scored in the 60s and low 70s on multiple choice.

People have stated that I need to study harder….I have being doing so, how much harder can I study? What does that mean? What more can I do? I have been committed, but its not paying off.

Obviously there’s a huge flaw with my study technique, but where and how?? Can anyone please help, please? I want to be done with this exam and move on with my life. I’m 34 years old. I’ve been out of academia for 10 years.

I even hired a tutor. He didn’t help much. It Felt like he just wanted my money.

I feel stupid for not passing this darn exam. My peers have passed and are very successful professionals. I too want to be a licensed accountant and suceed!

I want to be a CPA for that job promotion. I want to be a CPA to prove to the nay sayers that I did it. I want to be a CPA with the dream of hanging up a shingle one day. I want to be a CPA for the prestige of saying I’m a CPA. Those are my reasons for wanting this credential.

[Starved_Wolf]

Hey man, don't be so discouraged. I know it's hard not to be but you've got to believe in yourself! You're not stupid! This isn't a test of intelligence. You don't have to be a rocket scientist to pass this exam, you just have to put in the hard work and effort.

First, I would suggest with sticking to one review course. I am using only Becker and it's been working for me so far. I've passed all 3 sections the first time. Second, I would maybe put in a little bit more time studying during the weekends. I study maybe 2-3 hours during the week after work and all day on the weekends. I know many people don't want to be sacrificing their time off on the weekends to study but it's only for the short term and it'll pay off big time when you finally pass.

If you're scoring in the 60s-70s range on the mcqs, maybe you're not grasping the material enough. Don't move on until you're scoring in the high 70s at least. Go back and watch the lectures and reread the text if you have to but don't move on until you fully grasp the material.

If you're stuck on a topic, you can always post your questions on the FAR STUDY GROUP thread.

Good luck!! You will pass!

[Chelsea26]

Keep going. This exam is all about persistence and putting in quality hours. I barely know my debits from my credits and yet I'm a licensed CPA. Knowing I would struggle to put in that time working full-time, I even quit my job to focus solely on this exam. Remember, short-term pain for a long-term gain.

Good luck!

BEC - July 2016 → 78
AUD - Sep 2016
REG - Nov 2016
FAR - Feb 2017

[Anonymous]

Hey Tono23, I agree with the comments above on putting in more time on the weekends. I would at least try to do 8 hours on Saturday, and the maybe 5 or 6 on Sunday instead of taking the day off. I would also add time on your lunch break at work, and maybe during your commute. It helps to keep the information fresh. Even if you only listen to lectures or review flashcards/notes. Go through the concepts you think you understand and try to deep dive into those. There may be some things you only understand on a surface level. Once you get those then move to your weak areas try to do the same thing. I'm still struggling with FAR too. It is an overwhelming amount of material. Also remember to prepare yourself for the actual exam itself.

[Anonymous]

Hey there, first of all, don't get discouraged, you got this. Like the others said, it's not a test of intelligence but it's really more of a test of endurance. How far are you willing to go in order to pass?

I'll be honest, you're not going to like this answer, but it seems that you're not studying enough. I think it's about time you reevaluate your study habits, and schedule. If you have an SO or buddies that you meet up with on the regular, you're gonna have to tell them to take a rain check. If you're on the phone a lot while studying, put it on airplane mode and put it in your drawer. If you're browsing the internet when it's study time, turn off the computer and hit the books. Trust me, it's gonna suck when you study, but the result is worth it.

By the looks of it, you're only studying 15 hours a week which is, in my opinion, not enough time to go over the material for FAR (which on average takes people about 2 months to go over). You really need to take more time to study, I'd say at least another 10 hours to be more productive. Taking Sundays off already cuts deep in your study time and you're not using your Saturdays to your full potential. It's alright to take breaks here and there, but to take an entire day off is not a great idea.

If you can hit about 25 hours, you're more likely to succeed, even if that means you have to sleep later or wake up earlier to study. Also, per the other answers, don't move on to the other material until you have a firm grasp of the stuff you already studied. If you can't hit at least a 75 on the MCQ, don't move forward but go back and reread the material.

Also, start doing more SIMS, the more SIMS you do, the more you'll understand the concepts and the application of the concepts. Another thing, as you move forward with the material, it's important that you loop back to the earlier material so you can keep it fresh in your head (i.e. practice tests and what not).

FAR (and the CPA in general) is a huge time-sink but if you put the time, then you'll pass.

Hope this helps and good luck on your journey.

[OTK1995]

I think you will have to put in more time on FAR as well. I was doing at least 4 hours a weekday except on Wednesdays and 8 hours each day Saturday and Sunday. Did the same thing for REG as well. I did this with my full-time management job, two kids and buying a new home. It may be exhausting to put that much time in but definitely worth it.

[OTK1995]

It is also important that while you don't move forward until you grasp the material that you also do mini-refreshers. I would test myself at the twice a week on the chapters I already studied (30-40 questions) so I knew I was retaining the information.

[ultrarunner]

You didn't study enough. 2 hours a day and 5 hours on the weekend? Seriously, you should do 5 hours a day even if you work full time. Get up early and study in the morning. Or stay up late at night. CPA exams are all about studying. I don't think you are serious about the process.

FAR 72,67,79 (Roger+Wiley test bank)11/15
AUD 80 (Roger)10/15
BEC 80 (Roger)4/16
REG 63,78 (Roger+Ninja MCQs)5/16

[LittleTimmy]

You have to keep at it, I have failed FAR 4 times in the past 1 year, but I am seeing progress, I have made a 40-point improvement so far, and only need 10 more points to pass.

September 10, 2017: Failed with a 25 (20 hours of studying Wiley book, no MCQs)
November 27, 2017: Failed with a 53 (watched 20 hours of Roger videos, no MCQs)
March 10, 2018: Failed with a 63 (watch 30 hours of Roger videos, no MCQs)
May 21, 2018: Failed with a 65 (watched 35 hours of Roger videos, did 50 MCQs)
2018 3rd quarter: scheduled this August…

I cant get myself to sit in a chair and read, my attention span is getting far worse as I get older, it's at the point now that if I can read 30 pages in a day – I am proud of myself, I blame it on YouTube videos, I can't even get through 10-minutes of a 2 hour movie these days my attention is now so blame. If I can somehow get through 45 hours of Roger videos, and try to do 500 MCQs in the next 4 weeks and use Ninja MCQs also, I think I have a chance of going from a score of 65 up to a 75. I was able to pass BEC by watching most of the Roger videos and reading most of his book, I was able to pass AUD by watching most of the Roger videos and reading most of his book and barely doing any MCQs… but FAR is a different test, just too much material and I have yet to walk into any Test Day being prepared for FAR. The problem with Roger's materials is that he makes the last chapters of the 31-chapter book include Nonprofit, Government, Consolidation, and Statement of Cash Flows… and those are some of the most important chapters and I struggle to get that far in the book, I am struggling getting to Chapter 20.

[Madhav]

@Tono, My 2 cents advice is try to understand the concept. If you understand the concept, everything will be easier. I also started my journey 2 years ago and finally done after taking 11 exam. As for me, i did not study during breaks, nor in the mornings. My schedule was 3 hours of study after 8 hours of work day and utilize off days and study in library. You definitely need to understand the material for FAR and REG. You can get away without knowing much of concept in BEC or AUD but not for FAR and REC. GOOD LUCK and i pray will pass the exam ASAP.

[Anonymous]

@LittleTimmy – I think you need to do MCQs….

[MaLoTu]

When I was studying I found it very hard to switch materials. I used Becker, but needed extra help on BEC. I tried to implement ninja and my scores plummeted. It wasn’t because ninja is a bad product but I was familiar with bracket. When you add a new software you also have the task of familiarizing yourself with how that works. So my point is choose one and use it to its fulllest.

You got a lot of good suggestions above. I just wanted to add this little tidbit from my experience.

[cottonkandi]

@Tono, my philosophy is that if I don't get the journal entry before I look at the answers then I don't get the concept. Try doing journal entries for FAR concepts and see how it goes.

[Tncincy]

@tono, well failure is never fun. There are so many that have failed, screamed, cried, and tried again only to fail…then eventually, the coveted pass. There is some suffering involved. Welcome to the extreme of becoming a CPA.
Restructure, take in the good points of study, study, study. We can't be casual about study if you are not one of those test takers that can read it one time and pass. You have to study all day every day, bottom line. Find a good study course and stick with it. Hang in there, we're with you (us Ninja's). Oh and I've been here too long, and have failed plenty of times but I am not giving up. So there, just do it.

It begins with a 75
Been here too long as a cheerleader....ready to pass

[Missy]

2 hours a day on weekdays plus 5 hours on Saturday with Sunday off for a month and a half is less than 100 hours total for each attempt. 15 hours a week will yield very few people a passing score especially on FAR.

Get in 3 hours a day during the week and 8 hours each on Saturday and Sunday, total 31 hours per week for seven weeks and then you can say you're studying as hard as you can.

Licensed Massachusetts Non Reporting CPA since 2012
Finance/Admin/HR Manager

[Anonymous]

I hate saying it but I failed FAR 6 times before I passed. 62, 71, 67, 70, 70, 73, 79. Do not give up! I wanted to be licensed for the same reasons as you. Sometimes, you just have to go through some rough patches to figure out what works for you and bam it clicks. I passed all 4 of mine in a row after quite a bit fails. YOU CAN DO THIS. Dig deep!

[Author]

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