[Vanquished]

Hi everyone,

I took FAR a week ago and emailed them about my computer crashing. They responded after a couple days and said that my answers were all successfully submitted and that scores would be released on the 19th…

They did not say I may be eligible for a free retake which is what I was expecting (hoping for).

Any thoughts? I saw another poster say they said “you have a good chance of passing”, they did not say that to me 🙁 just that the scores will be released on the 19th. I was using excel heavily when the computer crashed and I was crunched for time on the final sim as a result (I mean who knows if it actually made a difference…)

The cpa exam has been totally inconsistent for me. Got a 78 on REG and a 92 on BEC, both on the first try. I study a ton for each test, at least the becker recommendations, I studied well over 150hrs for FAR but I also work for a very large public company dealing with all the revenue disclosures so beginning of year was challenging for study time to say the least, I had originally scheduled my exam on January 15th but pushed it back because that was ridiculous of me to think I could manage FAR at year end.

Anybody else get a reply about an exam crash where they didn’t say “good chance you passed” and they ended up passing? Or anyone get a reply where they didn’t offer a retake and end up passing?

Thanks!

[CH89]

I have seen someone ask a similar question in the Dojo, but they were offered a free retake. If I had to guess, since you weren't offered, it would seem that you probably passed. This is all speculation based on responses between what you received and this other person received. Best of luck!

[Vanquished]

I hope you're right. I feel just as bad as the other two I've taken but I know that means nothing (maybe even a good thing) lol.

I wish these tests weren't so expensive.

[Y05H1 3GG]

I took BEC for my final section and it crashed on me as well. This was the response I got from NASBA:

Good afternoon,

Thank you for contacting NASBA's Candidate Care.

We are sorry for the disruption you experienced while taking the BEC examination on 2/27/2019.
We have looked closely at your examination file and can confirm for you that all of your answers in all five testlets were captured, saved and successfully transmitted to the AICPA for scoring.
Due to the fact that you finished the exam and submitted it, there is a good chance that you may have passed.
Scores will be released on 03/08/2019.

If after you receive your score, you find that you did not pass, please contact NASBA's Candidate Care again, as you may be eligible for a free retest of this section.

[Vanquished]

This is very odd… This is what I received:

“Thank you for contacting NASBA’s Candidate Care.

We have looked closely at your examination file and can confirm for you that all of your answers in all five testlets were captured, saved and successfully transmitted to the AICPA for scoring.

Scores will be released 3/19/2020.”

Doesn't exactly sound like a vote of confidence because it doesn't say there is a good chance I passed… Why would they only tell people about retaking it if they also say they have a good chance that they passed… What am I supposed to do? I feel like I paid $400 for this so my computer shouldn't crash mid-exam.

[Club74]

Once you get your results and if you fail with a score in the low 70's, I'm pretty sure they'll let you retake it for free. I had a crash on my first BEC exam and got a 74 but didn't notify them within 5 days so I lost out on a free retake. The exam actually crashed on me twice! during my retake but I managed to pass that one. Good luck.

[Vanquished]

Thanks,

I sent them a follow up email just in case. Trying to be very cordial. I usually hate asking for stuff like that but it was a big inconvenience when you're really trying to focus and these tests are so expensive.

[FutureCPA123]

Even if it was submitted, I would demand a free retake. They do that for a lot of candidates that have exam issues if contacted within 3 days. The exact same thing happened to me when I took FAR back in July of 2019. I had 1.5 hours or so left on the clock and had an error message that the AICPA software had stopped working. I went into panic mode, but the Prometric worker got it back up. Stupid me waited past the 3 days to call… so no free retake. I ended up failing too which sucked. Just the fact that it happened in the middle of the exam made me panic and have bad anxiety.

[Vanquished]

I reached out again asking specifically about a credit on the retake and was simply told to

“Wait for your score and contact NASBA’s Candidate Care if you receive a failing score.”

Guess we'll find out on Thursday…

[bigstakk]

My exam crashed on me prior to submitting my final SIM on BEC and I contacted NASBA and got the same generic response that all of my exam responses were successfully submitted with no comment about my chances of passing or any offer of a free retake. Ended up passing with an 87, so it all worked out either way. I would not read into anything about a comment about likelihood of passing and in fact, I would never expect that sort of comment from the NASBA in the first place.
FAR is no joke though. I used every last second and figured out I totally misread the final SIM and changed all 15-20 of my input answers right before the time expired. If I had messed up that SIM I likely would not have passed since each one is worth about 7%. If you feel that you were affected by the time and ended up just missing the passing grade I would file a complaint for a free retake. Otherwise, I personally think if you end up in the 74 range they will likely give you the benefit of the doubt to avoid all that and give you a 75 if they can. Some people think they are out to get you and there is a big conspiracy that NASBA tries to fail people purposely, but I don't believe any of that nonsense and think if you failed it is because you were just not well enough prepared ultimately. You have a great shot of passing given your prior results, so all you can do is wait it out. Good luck!

[Author]

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