[Pete]

I was just curious how the BEC section of the exam has the highest pass rate? Six percent might not seem like a lot, but on a test like the CPA, it’s significant. In addition, it’s 12% higher, than the other parts of the exam.

Is this test a luck of the draw? I’m actually good at testing, but my god, this was the worst examination I have ever taken. I’ve passed the other sections on the first attempt essentially (I didn’t really try a few years ago and got two 69s). I’ve typically got 70s+ on my first attempt at the Becker HW, yet this section was insane. Hopefully, i’m not disclosing too much, but it felt like I was in a calculus class on the second testlet. I ended up guessing on like 5-10 questions. I likely could have solved them, but they would have easily taken me 10+ minutes each.

At lest the first testlet felt super easy. The last testlet didn’t feel too bad either. I’m hoping there were some difficult questions though because I noticed some of the tricks they tried to confuse people with.

B=84 This exam was such a b**** that I thought I failed-don't know how these things work
A=76 Slacker I am, I'll happily take it
R=81 I LOVE taxes
F=80 I don't wanna get banned for an expletive I'm thinking with "yea" proceeding it

[Pete]

Which two chapters did you find most difficult? Chapters 2 and 3?

Maybe I had a difficult deviation of the exam, but I too memorized 90% of the formulas and was still hit with some formulas, not even listed in the Becker book. I used the Becker formulas, hoping they were referring to the same thing.

In retro spect, of the exam, i'm a little pissed at myself for getting a few of the questions, which I did, wrong. They were concepts from the Becker book, but stated in a different form, so to speak.

I tried a bunch of the moderate questions in the Becker book, released by the AICPA, and found them incredibly easy. I was even able to get a bunch of the moderate difficulty ones correct. I'm hoping a few of these questions on my exam were just pre-test ones. Maybe i'll be happily surprised, but I've learned not to expect that in life. Exam caught me with my pants down.

B=84 This exam was such a b**** that I thought I failed-don't know how these things work
A=76 Slacker I am, I'll happily take it
R=81 I LOVE taxes
F=80 I don't wanna get banned for an expletive I'm thinking with "yea" proceeding it

[Skynet]

Jeff says that his Ninja Materials does have a 703% pass rate. Maybe that could be the reason.

[jdagna]

Thank you guys for the advice. Maybe I am bring optimistic since I haven't studied yet but I am hoping my 15 years if professional experience in banking will help you, at least for the writing part. I will definitely take all these comments into consideration when I start studying in August.

[jdagna]

Don't mind my spelling. I'm on my phone and typing too fast and not paying attention. Lol

[Pete]

Skynet, do you think incorporating Jessica Alba into my study plan as my study partner will help me pass this part of the exam?

B=84 This exam was such a b**** that I thought I failed-don't know how these things work
A=76 Slacker I am, I'll happily take it
R=81 I LOVE taxes
F=80 I don't wanna get banned for an expletive I'm thinking with "yea" proceeding it

[Anonymous]

@CalcCPA not true! BEC was the lowest pass rate until they added the writing section so it doesnt surprise me that there are people who felt it was incredibly difficult but imo it is the easiest. Only studied for 2 weeks and passed. Only reason I took it when I did was because I wasnt feeling like retaking far right after I failed. I decided to switch my FAR and BEC dates at the last second essentially.

But to answer your question OP, all the technology related questions seemed like gimmes if you arent technologically illiterate (8 bits make a byte…. why am I really studying this shit?)

You can answer half of the Econ questions correctly by simply drawing a graph.

Like…. did you just ask me what a bar graph is?

This section is so obviously a cash grab that I am insulted that I have to take it.

[Skynet]

Ratfus – Incorporating Jessica Alba along with Jeff's Ninja Products will double your rate of Success by 1406%.

[Jess774]

I will be taking BEC for the third time. My test is on Tuesday. Ughhh! I feel stupid for failing the “easiest” exam twice already. Round three here I go.

@big4dcguy Thanks for posting. I am going to use that format for the written communications. Do you guys sign your name at the end?

Sincerely,
My Name

If it is a memorandum, I don't start off with “Dear ____,”. Do you guys do the same?

REG - 75
BEC - 70, 64, 81!!!!
FAR - 67, 69, retake: Oct 2016
AUD - 8/25/16

[Anonymous]

PLEASE SEE ANOTHER WC SAMPLE BELOW:
(I grabbed it from somewhere here in A71.)

Dear [insert name], (note that a salutation is only necessary if the WC is formatted as a letter instead of a memo)

Thank you for allowing me to assist with your inquiry regarding [restate the question]. When analyzing [Subject matter to be discussed], we must consider

Each topic should be its own paragraph. Begin each paragraph by giving a definition of each topic.

In conclusion, I recommend [summarize your findings above, preferably using more buzz words].

I appreciate the opportunity to assist you. Should you have any more questions as you review [subject matter] in greater detail, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Best regards,
[your name]

[Anonymous]

@Jess774: Yes, I only include the “Dear_____” if the WC is formatted as a letter rather than a memo. Same goes for the signature, “Best regards, ________”. I would only include the signature if the WC is a letter.

The most important parts are including the major “buzz words” for the given topic that, if you were grading, you would look out for. Then formatting to make sure it is not one giant paragraph, proper spelling, and on topic. If you follow those main guidelines, you should score very well on the WCs.

[Anonymous]

@Jess. I feel the same way about REG. IDK how anyone finds REG easy. To me it's the hardest part

[Jess774]

@big4dcguy Awesome. Thanks for the pointers.

@amor d Thanks for posting 🙂

@sunni REG is really tough exam. I hope that I never have to take it again. I work at a CPA firm as a tax associate and I still just passed with a 75.

REG - 75
BEC - 70, 64, 81!!!!
FAR - 67, 69, retake: Oct 2016
AUD - 8/25/16

[Pete]

Do you guys think putting dear xyz (title) on a memo (memorandum) will hurt me?

B=84 This exam was such a b**** that I thought I failed-don't know how these things work
A=76 Slacker I am, I'll happily take it
R=81 I LOVE taxes
F=80 I don't wanna get banned for an expletive I'm thinking with "yea" proceeding it

[Anonymous]

So basically the way they determine pass rates is by breaking the 4 exams out as a percentage. Percentages take a proportion of 100. For example for every 100 people who take bec, about 55 of them pass. This yields a pass rate at about 55 percent. If only 46 out of 100 who take audit are passing we know the pass rate expressed as a percentage is about 46 percent. From this they can determine that bec has the highest pass rates when they look at the percentages.

If u r struggling in this area u should brush up before the exam. Percentages and fractions can be tricky, but it's going to be tough to pass the cpa exam without that fundamental knowledge. Websites like math.com , mathtutor.com or abcmouse.com can help u with ur studies.

[Pete]

C9p9a9,

What if there is a decimal in a percent? It's confusing if it says 55.3 passed the exam. Can u explain this to me?

B=84 This exam was such a b**** that I thought I failed-don't know how these things work
A=76 Slacker I am, I'll happily take it
R=81 I LOVE taxes
F=80 I don't wanna get banned for an expletive I'm thinking with "yea" proceeding it

[Author]

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