[isoceles]

I’ve got a NTS that’s about to expire for FAR. Given some work and family stuff, I’ve been unable to study much at all. So, I took 2 days off of work, and plus the two days this weekend, giving me 4 days with nothing but studying in an attempt to give myself a chance. Much of the material is somewhat new to me. I’m 2/2 on CPA exams so far, but I’ve never tried something like this.

Has anyone had any experience with cramming like this? Any success stories???

Looking for some hope!

[beaudityoucanbe]

4 days sounds short, but it depends on how comfortable you are with the material already. I'm trying to do something similar, as I've read online about the power of ST memory for these exams. Last quarter I failed both exams I spent over a month on each studying full-time. I overstudied, memorized everything to the point of exhaustion, and ended up forgetting half the material I had learned by exam day. The only exam I passed was the one where I dedicated a short period of time (2.5 weeks) giving 110% effort.

[kdcpa]

@isoceles what is cram course exactly? I have never used it so was curious to know.

[Anonymous]

Since AICPA tries to keep the pass rate around 40%, I think FAR is the most heavily “curved” section. I took it once long ago without studying one bit, ended up with a 58. That's not far off at all from a 75 if you think about it, especially for being completely unprepared.

[isoceles]

@kdcpa By “cram” I just mean studying a huge amount in a short period of time. I'm using Ninja notes and MCQs to study.

[jenpen]

I didn't study like I should have for FAR last window, and I really wanted to move my exam date, but my husband convinced me to keep it until the last minute and then move it if I felt I needed to. I did some MCQs, and then took about 5 days before the exam to do nothing but study basically. I hammered MCQs and that was about it. (Make sure you understand governmental!) I would watch some videos on areas that I was clearly weak. Walked into the exam wishing I had at least 2 more days to prepare, but luckily, I was more prepared than I felt. None of the questions surprised me and I felt pretty comfortable with the SIMs. Got an 82. This was a retake for me, but I don't know that I really did anything different last year. I just spent way more time answering questions before the exam this year.

Good luck!

AUD - 56 - 68 - 61 - 9/8/16
REG - 75
FAR - 7/15/16
BEC - TBD

Wiley CPAexcel and NINJA 10 Point Combo

[kdcpa]

@Jennifer please advice me on the audit. This is my third attempt and I have three days left. How did you prepare for simulations?

[PNS2CLT]

@BrickellCPA – the exam is not curved; FAR passing rate is low because (1) the breadth of material it covers; (2) it's the first exam many attempt and (3) unpreparedness.

The AICPA has enough historical data that it can project long-term passing rates without the need of a curve. Consider: I took astronomy for my undergrad. As we were discussing our third/final exam (actual finals week was reserved for project presentation), the professor confessed that he had given the same exams since 1978 … not only did he let students keep their exam, the sample exam available online WAS the exam. Despite that, the average grade in 1978 was 80 but in 2012, 68 — even though a copy of the exam was readily available.

That's why the AICPA has no problem recycling questions (with different numbers) exam after exam, despite the availability of CPA prep being more accessible than ever.

[jenpen]

@kdcpa The best advice I can give for the simulations is to understand the concepts of the materials. I really don't do anything to prepare for simulations except take the AICPA practice exam a couple of days before my test (I just got done completing the one for REG and I take that tomorrow). AUD was the bane of my existence and took me 5 attempts before I finally passed the finish line. (56, 68, 61, 69, 85)

Remember, you'll have access to all of the authoritative literature now for the SIMs so if you get tripped up on one detail you can quickly search for help, but don't take too much time obviously. I saved about 2.5 hours for the SIMs on both AUD and FAR, and I had time remaining at the end of each. It's better to have too much time than not enough. I was able to take my time and really think about the questions and answer them calmly.

AUD - 56 - 68 - 61 - 9/8/16
REG - 75
FAR - 7/15/16
BEC - TBD

Wiley CPAexcel and NINJA 10 Point Combo

[Anonymous]

@PNS2 I'm not so sure. I remember a thread not too long ago on this forum talking about a possible curve. I think the consensus was that the AICPA will keep pass rates around 40% meaning if less than 40% of the test takers in a particular window pass, then all the test takers in the window for that section will get a bump in their score to make the average around 40%.

It's possible, I don't think there is a definitive word on this from anyone though.

[kdcpa]

@Jennifer thank you for the guidance. Your patience and perseverance are commendable. I will keep your advice in mind while facing simulations because I feel that during the exam, I give more time to mcq than I should actually give and always become anxious on the sims due to lack of time.

[PNS2CLT]

@BrickellCPA – From the AICPA:

“The Examination is not curved. Every candidate’s score is entirely independent of other candidates’ Examination results.”
https://www.aicpa.org/BecomeACPA/CPAExam/ForCandidates/FAQ/Pages/computer_faqs_3.aspx#uniform

That's pretty definitive. Baseless speculation on these forums that the exam is curved is just that — baseless speculation. People see that the scores in Q3 & Q4 are generally higher than other quarters and adhere to the logical fallacy that the exam must be curved. In reality, the AICAP's own splits demonstrate that traditional college students (25 & under) are the strongest candidate group, passing the exam at an average clip of 60% on their first attempt. And when do traditional college students generally take the exam? In the Q3 and Q4…

There are a lot more facts out there than we think :).

[Anonymous]

Oh haha nice find. I think the discussion previously came about because of the exam changes. The AICPA released a statement earlier this year with language saying that the reason for the delayed score releases were to assess and analyze the scores for the new format or something. So people were curious if that meant a curve was possible. Curve or not, its still wise to put in the time to learn the material rather than depend on a curve.

[isoceles]

@jennifer thank you for your success story! It is possible!

[isoceles]

So, I ended up passing FAR after 3 days of blocked studying. I left the test feeling terrible about it, but just found out I passed. I did a similar approach for AUD that I took in Q4 although I studied for 4 days, and passed. Audit is much more manageable in that time frame than FAR.

[Tncincy]

wow isoeles
incredible story. I guess we believe we just can't pass far with six weeks of study and then you pass on 3 days of study. Well maybe I just need to cram because I am not holding all this in my head. 🙁

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

[Author]

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