[justkeepswimming23]

People have been saying and I’ve read that for FAR you just gradually start to understand later but at what point!? I am currently halfway through the book and lectures and none of this stuff sticks. I don’t do too well on the homework but I use it as a learning experience. However, by the next day or next few days I start to forget.

At what point does this stuff I guess magically click?

FAR: 78
REG: 74, 75
AUD:
BEC:

[Jdn9201]

I think one has to strike a balancing act when studying for FAR. I don't think it's necessary to be 100% competent on every topic. Some of the concepts are repetitive, but I think if you move on to another topic while still lost on what you just did, it was wasted time. I ran into that while studying leases, governmental, and pensions. I usually pick up things pretty quick, but they weren't just making sense. Taking more time on those topics did set me back on my study plan. Given the crazy schedule I was on, I at least tried to get myself to the point to where I knew enough to narrow down an MCQ about anything to 2 choices. It's not ideal, but it was the best I could do. I think too, you have to not compare yourself with other people. We all have different strengths, weaknesses, and backgrounds that we bring to the table. It's going to take some people longer than others for different things.

BEC - 88 8/29/15
REG - 82 11/14/15
AUD - 83 1/8/16
FAR - 80 2/29/16

[Spartans92]

Well Said Jdn9201!! Also @Justkeepswimming, for me it really helps doing progress test. Like take a set or two of 30Q's from chap 1-3 and gradually add on chapters you have covered. That helps keeping the material fresh. Good Luck!

BEC- PASS

[Kemi22]

@ Swimming: I took REG on May 30th, failed but had scheduled FAR for July so I continued studying for FAR. After I took FAR July 11th I went back to REG and took it August 1st.

So I spent 3 weeks studying for my retake. I simply went back to practicing with MCQ (I used CPAExcel) and made sure I mastered basis.

2010:
BEC: 74, 71, 74, 75
AUD: 71, 74, 83
REG: 71, 76
FAR: (I quit) 34, 45

2015:
BEC: 79
AUD: 78
REG: 67, 76
FAR: 56 (trial run), 74, 74, 74, 80!
Thank God. Your prayers are always answered! Do not give up. Thank you St. Joseph Cupertino.

[NotAnother74]

For me it was just working MCQs. Using the book only to learn how to solve the problem and working through each problem. Then I went through them again using the book less trying to rely on my memory. I did not do lectures or read the book from cover to cover. You'll never learn this by listening to stupid lectures (aka reading the book aloud and telling you to highlight this that and the other). FAR is all formula based even the underlying concepts are best learned by working problems.

My suggestion, quit wasting your time taking notes and reading and start applying the book to as many MCQs as possible. I tried your method the first time and failed. Did from the MCQ approach the second time and got the material way better.

F AR - 76
B EC - 82
A UD - 77 (lost credit)/Retake 2/25
R EG - 80

[theunexperienced]

Keep plugging away at it. It'll start coming together piece by piece. For me, it was around the point of 2500 mcqs done…I have learned that I am a very visual learner, so any chart or diagram that was from the lectures stayed in my head. I felt lost too. When I finished my lectures, I felt like I didn't learn anything. My MCQ scores reflected that. But once you start doing those a lot while referencing your missed questions from things you saw in the lectures or notes, it really really starts to click! I haven't gotten my score back yet, but I felt confident about my knowledge before and after my test!

Remember…I was once like you!

FAR - 75 (2/25/16)
AUD - 80 (4/8/16)
REG - 80 (6/10/16)
BEC - 79 (7/19/16)

You only get one shot with the spirit bomb.

[536FrenchmenStreet]

I hesitate to give advice without having actually passed the exam, but I will say that what made the difference was repetition and spiraling, i.e., hitting topics in chunks (20-30 MCQs) and then after getting a halfway decent score (80%+) moving on before revisiting earlier topics in shorter bursts (10-15 MCQs.) And taking notes. Lots and lots of notes. Someone upthread mentioned things beginning to click, and that's what did it for me. I actually began to notice that I was thinking less like an analyst (my previous profession) and more like an accountant, if that makes sense.

I suppose I'll find out on March 9 whether my transition has been successful.

BEC: Fall 2016
AUD: Spring 2016
REG: Summer 2016
FAR: RETAKE

[justkeepswimming23]

@Kemi22 that's so cool! I am in the same situation where I might intensively restudy for my REG retake in 3 weeks. It's gonna kill but can only pray for the best.

@theunexperienced – I hope you pass! I'm loving the confidence, good luck. FAR seems so hard to learn but you and everyone else it right. I'm going to go heavy on practice problems.

Good advice and thank you everyone 🙂

I might set a few days aside throughout my studying and devote it to practice problems. I need to continuously practice. I'm using Becker so I think i'm just so stuck on getting the material completed and not really learning as much in the process. Definitely gonna work on that !

FAR: 78
REG: 74, 75
AUD:
BEC:

[Anonymous]

Ninja MCQ!

[Author]

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