[mitchmatch]

So i took FAR first seeing it that their was so much fear surrounding it, then i took AUD since it was still a bit fresh and REG after that would was a major challenge. Now my goal was to leave BEC for last because as i understood it that was the easiest out of the bunch, well O BOY WAS I WRONG. Im only on the beginning of chapter two using Beckers which is all surrounding cost accounting and man these questions are more brutal then any other i have seen in the other three exams. I have no idea how in the world some of these questions are meant to be answered in a minute and a half. These questions give a massive amount of distractor information, and they involve thinking outside the box, and i have seen ones with more then three separate calculations all in one problem. For anyone who passed, how in the world did you get through this?

FAR-76 First attempt.
AUD-79 First attempt.
REG-79 First attempt.
BEC-79 First attempt.

Done!

BECKERS

[dess213]

I feel the same way. Everybody says FAR is the worst, but boy I am struggling a million times more with BEC than with FAR. It doesn't help that my cost accounting professor in college was about a hundred years old (not really) and I think had the signs of early dementia/alzheimers (not joking, it was very sad to see). He may have been a good professor in his heyday, but I learned nothing in that class and am learning all this from scratch. It is so difficult with all of these darn equations. I have no idea how I'm going to pass this. I'm scheduled to take it on Jan 4. I can't decide if I should postpone it or not.

FAR-83
AUD-90
BEC-83
REG-80

I'M DONE!!

[Chris]

Try reading the stem (call) of the question first (usually the last sentence or two) to identify what they are looking for and then read the rest of the question to gather relevant facts. If anything, it will slow you down and force you to read it. I know you're concern about time. I was too, but I didn't feel as though BEC was paced much differently from REG. 1.5 minutes per question is doable.

Without revealing too much, I had a question on a topic with a formula that I thought I knew stone cold. I actually got excited when I saw the topic. I threw the data into the formula and I got…nothing. I did it over and over again. My result was none of the four answers they gave. I was crushed. I flagged it and moved on thinking I was going to fail if I couldn't answer something I was confident in. I went back to the question, reread it, and realized that the data they gave me was abbreviated. They cut one of the steps out of the formula and gave me more info than what Becker questions were giving me. Two seconds later the question was answered.

The moral of the story is, if you can learn the formulas inside and outside and dig through all the minutia they MIGHT throw at you, you'll be ready for anything. I felt after the test my study materials forced all long form questions for a more complete understanding of the topic. Hopefully others will agree. Try not to get too down on yourself. It's an emotional rollercoaster.

NH CPA
REG: 07/03/2014 - 88
AUD: 08/30/2014 - 73 - Retake 10/16/14 - 86
BEC: 05/31/2015 - 77
FAR: 08/08/2015 - 64 - Retake 11/23/15 - 77

Becker*NINJA Notes/MCQ*

Now I could let these dream killers kill my self-esteem
Or use my arrogance as the steam to power my dreams ~ Kanye West

[okcpa2015]

You're not alone. I had the same feeling when preparing for BEC. I passed FAR, REG, and AUD on my first attempt. Because I thought BEC was the easiest exam I thought it would be easier than the other exams to study for as well.

I was wrong…

After passing BEC my advice is to use the same plan, effort, and focus that you used for the other exams for BEC. If you get into the mindset that this one is just as difficult as the rest you'll be well on your way to passing.

FAR - 91
REG - 88
AUD - 98
BEC - 88

[rosecpa]

Don't get too thrown by it. Even though timing was a bit tight (because you need to leave yourself a decent amount of time to write 3 written responses) I managed. The real exam is always quicker than becker because becker doesn't give you most of the”easy”, first testlet questions.

[Anonymous]

I'm in a similar situation to @okcpa2015. I've passed AUD and FAR on my 1st try but BEC, “the easiest section”, took me 2 tries (71, 75) so definitely don't underestimate it.

This really smart kid I know even said BEC was his toughest out of all the 4 sections (which completely surprised me).

My BEC exam experience contrasted each other. First one had a few calculations but the second time I felt it was heavier on the calculations

[FullTimeStudier]

@mitchmatch I would suggest purchasing the NINJA MCQ for BEC. I used them and the questions were not as difficult as what you are describing seeing in Becker. I also used Gleim, which had basically the same questions as NINJA MCQ. I passed on the first try with a 77 and I only wrote two sentences on one of the written responses. For the other two responses, I think I did well on one and ok on the other.

If you can answer the NINJA MCQs you'll be fine. The real challenge is nailing the written responses, which is easier said than done.

FAR - 75 (Q3/2014)
AUD - 70 (Q4/2014), 73 (Q1/2015), 78 (Q2/2015)
REG - 75 (Q1/2015)
BEC - 77 (Q2/2015)

DONE!! 6/11/2015
CPA Licensed 6/19/2015 (FL)

[hasy]

I could say the same for FAR right now…. But I completely agree. I chose BEC first to get an “easy” first pass. What a lie. Get NINJA MCQ. Totally helped. Although, they are tiring, I have to say, the MORE exposure to the types of questions you get, can reinforce your knowledge more. Out of the 1300 questions from NINJA, I did like 700 and repeated 200. I finished the WTB (got it for free from an ex-coworker), I actually like the Wiley test bank, they tested you on a lot basic stuff too. Also, I finished all the questions in Roger and redid the problem ones that I got wrong.

So keep hacking those questions, even if you have to get it wrong to understand them. For the WC, if you are a decent writer, leave enough time for them aka 45 minutes….. They're such easy points. If you're REALLY worried about using keywords and whatnot, just make sure you have a beginning, middle, and end. Good grammar and the program even spell-checks for you.

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

[lswang]

The written responses are straightforward in that if you can put together a coherent sentence and throw in a few key words, you'll get points. They're only worth 15% of the exam, so if you find yourself short on time it's better to really focus on the MCQ testlets.

I don't know if anyone else has had experience with this- but I passed BEC 4 years ago without much studying- a 77. I let my scores expire. This time around when I started with the material, almost NONE of it looked familiar, and I had to study my butt off. Honestly I was a little shocked. Maybe I just got lucky my first time but I do believe it's gotten quite a bit harder in the last few years.

That being said, Ninja MCQ really did save me. It's only $47 for a couple months access, which is really all you need. Becker tends to pick the hardest questions for you to practice with so that the exam feels easier. And I also felt that Becker's first few chapters were way harder than the last few, so it's about to get easier for you. Focus on COSO, formulas, make sure you're familiar with the basics of IT and you should be fine.

FAR | 81 - July 21 15
REG | 66 - Oct 1 15 | 87 - Jan 7 16
AUD | 90 - Oct 29 15
BEC | 86 - Nov 25 15

[mitchmatch]

The only up side to this is i just started studying, so though i underestimated this test but i have time to turn it around. I dont plan to take the test until February 28th, and yea i definitely plan to purchase the ninja questions. On my Reg exam, first i finished the Beckers, and then i switched to ninja for a month as a review. I really hope this test doesnt trip me up.

FAR-76 First attempt.
AUD-79 First attempt.
REG-79 First attempt.
BEC-79 First attempt.

Done!

BECKERS

[Anonymous]

For BEC know the basic of every practical type question like cost accounting and financial management.
once you done with the all the module write down the entire formula after every two or three days , this help to memorize all the formulas .
Real deal is with the ERM , COSO , IT and ECONS know these chapters.

[okcpa2015]

Variance questions are pretty straight forward.

Price and Rate = (Std Rate – Act Rate) x Act Qty
*So I just remembered to use actual quantity because Price and Rate variance questions are asking you to compare the cost.

Usage and Efficiency = (Std Qty – Act Qty) x Std Rate
*I just remembered to use the Std rate since Usage and Efficiency questions just want to you to compare the quantity need to the budgeted quantity.

FAR - 91
REG - 88
AUD - 98
BEC - 88

[Anonymous]

Know the formulas, IT, and economics and don't spend more than 1 hour studying for the WC. On the exam I left myself 45 minutes to an hour for the WC and it was plenty of time. This section was definitely intimidating and had no method to the layout of the chapters. I feel it's the “what's left to learn” stuff all lumped into one exam lol.

[monikernc]

Studying for BEC is like getting my MBA all over again which would be nice except it has been 25 years. I am pretty amazed by the things I still remember. It is a little like riding a bike.

FAR 7/25/15 76!
AUD 10/30/15 93
BEC 2/27/16 82
REG 5/23/16 88!
Ninja Book and MCQ and the forum - all the way!!!
and a little thing i like to call, time and effort!
if you want things to change, you have to do something different

[Anonymous]

<——for someone who has passed BEC but not FAR this thread is very encouraging. thx guys 😀

[MOAC]

It gets easier with the review. And BEC exam is easier than FAR. A word of advice use some other material to study COSO. Becker doesn't do good justice with COSO material.

FAR May 2012 81 (lost credit, didn't sit for other sections.)
FAR 86 Aug 2015
AUD 85 Nov 2015
BEC 84 Dec 2015
REG 78 Mar 2016

Passed ALL sections in first attempt!!

[Author]

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