[Anonymous]

I know I have posted a few topics on FAR, but as I am working through the Roger material I am struggling with digging in or moving on. I have tried to turn the sections I was scared of into strengths, and that has worked to some degree. I am about halfway through the material and have covered some big items so far:
Equity and cost methods and investments
Derivatives
Foreign Ops
Inventory
PPE and intangibles
Receivables
Bonds
Leases
Pensions
Liabilities
S/H Equity
Govt & NFP

I know I have a ways to go, but as I review these topics each night I get frustrated that I can recall every different scenario in the chapter. I feel like I understand the high level and details of 70-80% of the information, but some topics I am just struggling with. For example, I feel confident in property but struggle with exchanges with and without commercial substance. On Leases I feel solid except for questions related to leasebacks. Do I go back and dive in or do I move forward with the understanding that I cannot know everything and be confident that I have a decent understanding of the topic outside of a few specific transactions or exceptions?

I get discouraged when I knock out MCQ after the chapters and do well, but then in my review not everything comes back to me. I know repetition and review is key, and on my exam I am not going to see hard questions on each and every topic area so there is a balance. I am putting in the time and I am reviewing the content I have studies and doing blocks on MCQ on past sections each night after my normal session. I am listening to lectures in the car, at the gym and everywhere even though I am not sure its helping.

This is normal for FAR right? I just need to keep moving through the material and reviewing previous sections. Do you not dig into some areas in order to spend time on ones that are generally more heavily tested?

Thanks everyone.

[Madhav]

I say dig in. The topics you mentioned are heavily tested in the exam, hence you better off mastering those areas that doing little bit of everything. That is hard lesson i learned after failing Audit for fourth time and finally passing in fifth times. If you do stronger in AICPA focused section, you have higher chance of passing than vice versa. I was able to pass whole CPA exam simply due to the fact that i did better in heavily tested areas. On % of correct answers, i would have probably never passed CPA exam.

[Madhav]

Sorry, i think you are in right track as i didnt read your whole post before replying but i would say focus on AICPA blue print. I also used Rogers for FAR and as Rogers mentions in his lecture videos, i tried to learn the concept that doing lot of MCQs as it is impossible to memorize FAR.

[felixsphone]

Is this your first time taking FAR? I say move on.

There's a lot of content, it's important to understand it but sometimes you just have to mix it up.

I'm glad I moved on from a section I was stuck on looking back. FAR had so much content, and I felt embarrassed by some the questions.

I got a super easy gimme on the second testlet. I became very worried… I kept beating myself up during the exam, “why did you skip the lectures, you saw this MCQ, and now you can't answer it. Good job. Here's another 6 weeks of this crap.”

But, now that I passed (18 months and counting!) I knew skipping the lectures was the best thing for me, I would listen to them at home doing chores and mindless activities, but I would not for the life of me sit down and watch it. Maybe later in the day if I had done all the heavy lifting already (MCQ and Explanation of Blueprints to myself).

But when I got to the Simulations…
It was like the Patriots vs. Falcons in the Super Bowl and I was Tom Brady.

No Joke. I felt like I had all the answers. Maybe I just got lucky. Maybe it was a perfect mix of last minute studying.

I'd say focus more on your test taking abilities instead of the content. Then go back to the content you know you're stuck on and figure it out backwards.

How likely is it that spending a whole day on W/ and W/O Commercial Substance will help you?
Gotta play the spread. It's a game within a game. You're psyching yourself out.

With Roger, one thing I will recommend, use his class questions for MCQ and TBS. Study them. Dissect the hell out of them. They pick those questions for a reason. Figure out why.
Then compare how you break it down, with how Roger breaks it down. Replay it a few times throughout the week. It. Will. Stick.

[Anonymous]

It’s not my first time taking FAR, but it is my first honest attempt where I have put in the time. I have a list of topics to revisit and I plan on doing that as I review problems from those chapters each night. It’s impossible to review everything each night, but I can do 10-15 mcq on each chapter if I break them up into smaller groups and cover one group each night for review.

I just don’t think I’m going to be able to remember every nuance, exception, and special circumstance.

[felixsphone]

I felt the same way.

2014 – 26
March 2018 – 62
June 2018 – 85

What your experiencing is doubt. And it's causing you stress. You don't want the fruits of your effort to go unrewarded.
I can't make any promises. But if you put in the time and go slow, the results will be about they should be.

You're totally capable of passing sections. Have confidence and conviction in that.
But don't let that blind you to the truth and use that as an excuse to slide.. If you earned a break, need a break, schedule a break.

I really feel like it's less about learning and more about working. Do the work, I will too.

Good luck with AUD and FAR.

[Anonymous]

Thanks. Test taking and time management have typically been strengths of mine. I am fast test taker and that has held true with these exams, but with FAR I am intentionally slowing down and reading the questions carefully.

I guess I just need to keep repeating sections and doing the best I can to pickup on the aspects that are tripping me up and have faith that maybe I know more than I think I do.

Not all the questions I get on my exam will be difficult ones from my weak areas.

[Author]

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