[Spartans92]

I guess I just needed to vent a little. I took FAR back in March/April can’t really remember exact month but I ended up getting 65. Im retaking it this Jan and I feel like I will fail with a much lower score. Im now working on the Becker homework and have been doing much poorly compared to my first attempt and falling behind the schedule by 1 whole chapter.

For those that failed the first time in the 60’s how did you pass the 2nd or third attempt.. basically what did you do to get that magic number? I feel like I’m getting little depressed from this section and I have not felt this way from other sections. I just can’t imagine what to do if I fail again… My Becker is expiring in Feb too.. Still need AUD.. Would Ninja alone be sufficient for both sections if worse comes the worse.. No pass on both with Becker expiring. Thanks for the responses.

Honestly, after 6x taking these exams I still dont really know what works and what doesn’t.. I studied most for AUD but still didnt pass.

BEC- PASS

[STP]

If you feel like you have the concepts down, I feel that ninja MCQs would do the magic for you. I've been failing FAR and AUD since 2014 trying to use only Roger CPA alone. I got the Ninja MCQs only and completed all the questions section by section twice and went from 66 to 81 while studying 3 weeks and passed audit with an 81 after getting a 70 3 weeks after FAR. I was burnt out after the three weeks though because that's alot of questions to get through twice. Also for AUD I felt terrible and didn't think I passed.

[Spartans92]

Thanks STP.. Were u working at that time with the 3 weeks? Im glad Ninja did the magic, I used it for my other sections but I guess AUD was the exception but at least close. Im confident I could pass that next time but its just FAR that worries me as Im getting 50-60s in becker. But your post gives me some hope! 🙂 Thanks

BEC- PASS

[Small4]

I took FAR 3x this year to finally get the magic number. Went from 68, 73, and finally 82.

68 – felt like I did EVERY mcq imaginable on Becker and felt like I lacked concepts since I knew I didn’t do well on JE/SIMS and hurt me bad.

73 – did a little more concept learning, esp on bonds, leases, and NFP and Govt. turns out it still wasn’t enough…I knew how to answer SIMs JE solely thru memorization. I found myself struggling when its questioned in different ways…also I studied hard on topics I felt like I struggled on the 68 failure. I sorta got weaker on the concept with no calcs topics….Kind of studied “to get extra 7 points, not to get a passing score”..theres a difference.

82 – finally invested on the following: NINJA MCQs, Wiley Test bank. I PRINTED every trouble topic…and studied separately. Same for SIMS but I didn’t ALL sims, with that, as long as you have done 3-5 SIMS per topic, you can try to just read the answers and study the concepts thru the answers. At this point, its more quality of studying over quantity. Don’t worry about finishing all HW etc… just worry about your trouble spots. I saw someone here do it this way: List out the topics (use maybe the Becker Table of Contents) in excel….maybe make it less broken down. And hammer 10-20 questions per session until you get 75%…those you know in heart you struggle, you focus on those and read more the answers.

Long story short, I realize we fail the exams due to the lack of knowing overall concept. For mine, I was the lack of knowing JEs left and right. I took the exam and passed not knowing EVERYTHING exactly, but rather have the feeling that I know I covered everything I need and feel comfortable.
Lastly, sleep 8 hrs and on the last day, just study your notes. If you aren’t ready by then, its not that rewarding to cram last day, you will just confuse youself.
Goodluck and I hope my strategy can help you. Its not for everyone, but I failed these exams sooooo many times that I feel for everyone that gets non-passing scores. I myself went to this forum looking for advice, which i did to get that 82.

BEC - 68,70,72,75 5/15
AUD - 78(expired), 77 8/15
REG - 29,58,65,77 1/16
FAR - 56,68,73 - retake October hopefully (last shot)

Been doing this since 2007 on and off...

[Dman1]

@Spartans92, do you actually keep track of how many hours you are putting? I'm just wondering.

[hasy]

How about we switch? I can definitely help you with FAR and AUD if you help me pass REG, because I'm really sure that I failed since it was SO hard. What's even more annoying is that there is another test-taker who has been creating a thread for every single sim they saw on Friday. >.<”

Taking AUD after FAR really helped because my knowledge of the J/E was still fresh. It made me understand all the accounts when I encountered a FAR heavy problem. You need to understand the topics in FAR. I absolutely hated journal entries but I knew that I had to understand them to get pass this exam. I googled the accounting equation and read up on what was a debit and credit. There is absolutely no shame in going back to the basics if you feel that you're lacking understanding. The thing with FAR is that you should be aware of what topic you're learning and how it relates back to the F/S. There was not one section that I went back and did not understand at least a part of it. The best way to practice the journal entry stuff is to do a couple of Cash Flow SIMs, very helpful. They require a lot of steps and most of time, it's making journal entries.

NINJA AUD and notes are good enough that you can pass AUD with it (I don't even like the Becker for AUD). I don't think people really make an effort to click on those references when they finish the MCQs. But when the explanation wasn't sufficient, I would always click on those references and read more about the subject. USE those references and save them to better learn why you got the question wrong. Yeah. Honestly, if you can pass REG, you can pass any of these tests. REG was SO hard… like so hard (like harder than FAR and AUD combined), I'm so sure that I have to retake it. >.<“

Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet. Only through experience of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened, ambition inspired, and success achieved - Helen Keller

-

BEC 80 (10/23/15)
FAR 72 (4/2/15); 83 (7/11/16)
REG 52 (4/28/15)
AUD (9/9/16)

Roger + NINJA MCQ + WTB

[Finally_a_CPA]

I took FAR a few months ago and failed with a 66. I know I failed because I ran out of time big time and only finished one sim. Not sure if I would have passed had I actually had more time. So right after that exam, I started studying for BEC but when I found out I failed, I went back to FAR since I decided some of the info was still fresh in my mind. I want to say that I studied for about 3.5 for my FAR retake. I honestly did nothing but multiple choice questions. I think I was putting in around 25 hrs per week. The only section I even bothered re-reading and watching the lectures again was governmental. For my retake, my score jumped up to an 82%.

[garnerr2]

You got a 66 and only completed 1 SIM? What in the?

AUD - 76
REG - 78
FAR - Aug 2016
BEC - 79

[Spartans92]

Thanks for the tip @small. And @Dman, no i dont keep track of hours instead I have a set amount of question I wanna hit per day. @hasy, I would love to switch both those sections for REG if ever possible LOL. I hate FAR so much that I think I cannot pass it.

BEC- PASS

[Scared-cpa]

@GSD512 You give me hope!!! I got a 67 on FAR back in November and am studying for a retake in January. I've decided I need to do a ton on mcqs, some sims, and really focus on journal entries. So your experience with passing after just 3 1/2 weeks of doing more mcqs (I'm doing 4 weeks) gives me hope that I can pass 🙂

[Finally_a_CPA]

Garnerr2: yes, that is correct. I guess I hadnt really put much thought into it since I was only focusing on the fact that I failed.

[Finally_a_CPA]

Scared_cpa: It can definitely be done. Do try to tackle down as many multiple choice questions as you can and really try to understand not for profit and at least somewhat understand government and I think you should be fine.
What review course are you using? I ask because I think sims in review courses are useless because they in no way represent the sims on the actual exam. I think it's important to do a few to get familiar with the process but I wouldnt spend too much time on that. As long as you understand the concepts, you'll be fine! Good luck in Jan!

[Anonymous]

It took me 4 times to pass FAR. On my last attempt, I changed up my study materials. I think Ninja MCQ is awesome, I highly recommend it. However, I did add Wiley's test bank to my last attempt.

[Spartans92]

Revisiting this thread and all I have is WOW. Its been over half a year and im still battling FAR. Actually postponed it to August and still struggling on my 3rd attempt. This section definitely doesn't get easier. But I have so much on the line I cant lose. I will drop BEC if I don't pass and I will hate to retake this section 🙁
Has anyone taken the new exam? Is Ninja still helpful? I just want my freedom back. God Bless!!

BEC- PASS

[sandysprotege]

@spartans92 I just took the new exam on Friday. It was definitely difficult, I felt like there were 3 topics that I wish I would have spent a bit more time on. I guess the point is to really know EVERYTHING, or at least be somewhat familiar with most topics so that you are able to spot the correct answer in the MC. I had 8 sims (2, 3, 3). They were difficult but fair….unfortunately 2 of the sims I did not complete because I really could not “wing it”. I was not comfortable with the topics and if I could do it over I would have spent an extra couple of days to ensure I skipped over nothing. I am not feeling great but I have to move on, REG is the next hurdle that I am planning for early September.

When are you scheduled to sit?

[Spartans92]

@Sandy, dang Im freaking out now. FAR is a monster for me I feel like I can never conquer it. Im only on F5 in Becker and Im scheduled for August 26 so I still have a little over a month. I just need to hit the books hard enough to get that 75. I really don't wanna take it for 4th time. Best of luck to you!
Would you say the old format was comparable or the New one was WAY HARDER? Also, did you use ninja and was it helpful? I asked that because I noticed Becker SIMS got much harder and they're different than what use to be.

Thanks for the response.

BEC- PASS

[Author]

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