[Kate]

I am done with the CPA exam. I guess it was not meant to be. I studied the entire year for FAR CPA section and failed the second time. I just received my score of 72. I felt like I did so well on the exam. I put my personal life on hold to get the CPA certification. What went wrong? I don’t know yet what my weak areas were because the score card is not yet available. I already started studying every day for AUD. My Surgent CPA test exam score was 82%. The real CPA results should be within 4% of that score. I am seriously devastated.

[fsugirl2005]

Don't give up Kate. Look at my scores. I've been devastated and defeated a many times. I just kept going until I passed the sections. I have REG and BEC left and I am lazy as crap, I really am. I feel like a senior in high school that doesn't want to do anything else.

Even though I took FAR and AUD several times using Gleim and Ninja, it wasn't until I used Surgent that I passed. Let's keep it going.

The turning point for me with my passes was that I focused on SIMS during my studying. Yes work through the multiple choice but get plenty of practice applying those multiple choice knowledge to the SIMS. The SIMS is what kept failing me, not the multiple choice.

AUD - 10/21/16 (75----07/2010 expired)
FAR - 10/28/16
BEC - 11/2016
REG - 01/2017

Using Gleim CPA Review, Ninja Audio, Ninja Book

[April94]

I know how frustrating it is to fail, but please don’t give up! Studying one year for one section is way too long. By the time you’re done studying, you will have forgotten a lot of the early chapters. For FAR, I’d say study 3 months max. Read the book, drill MCQs, and practice the sims as a comprehensive review. Also, don’t bank on passing just because you did well on the mock exams…trust me. I did well on the Becker mock exams but still failed AUD with a 66.

The fact that you got a 72 means you just need a good refresh of the material. Study again and take the exam in a few weeks. Because you CAN pass!

[CPAHOPE]

Hey Kate

Studying for a year and finding out you failed is a major devastation. Get plenty of sleep, recoup and get right back to studying. You can do this! Im not giving up,never! Look at my scores lol..

[CH89]

Sorry to hear that news, scoring a 72 is definitely a bummer. I believe you can pass all of these exams. Compare your first attempt to your second attempt. You made some really good progress there, so that's a win in my book! Don't let this bog you down, use it as encouragement!

[Kate]

Thank you so much for your kind words. I am going to try again. I slept on it and feel a little bit better. I need to see my score card first to assess the weaker areas. I read that it takes 48 hours for the score card to appear in the eye icon. Congratulations on passing this incredibly challenging exam!

[Kate]

Thank you for your encouraging words. Now I know that I definitely cannot rely on the mock exam score. Many people take this exam several times. I guess my biggest challenge now is to push through studying to get this exam over with. I gave up on so many months of normal life to study. Looking forward to having one job (8-5) instead of two (evening and weekend job studying for the CPA exam 🥶).

[Kate]

Thank you so much for your encouraging words. Yes, SIMS are really challenging. I wish the exam was longer than 4 hours. Trying to solve 66 MCQs and 8 SIMs in such a short period of time is a race. I admire your persistence to achieve the final goal. Congratulations on passing almost the entire exam! I will take FAR exam again before the end of May. I hope that’s enough time to thoroughly review everything again. Hopefully my third attempt will be a charm 😀

[CPA1219]

I'm not sure if you'll find this helpful, but I'll share my recipe for success. I took and passed all four sections over the course of a summer using the following approach for each section:

1. Using Becker, I went through ALL lectures, highlighted and marked EVERYTHING they said, answered ALL questions, and took ALL practice exams.

2. Repeat step 1, re-watch ALL lectures, re-answer ALL questions, and re-take ALL practice exams again.

3. Purchased Gliem test bank for newly worded questions. Spend 2 hours skimming and reviewing all highlighted/marked/underlined material in the book, cover to cover. Spend 2 hours taking Gliem practice tests. Repeat.

4. Go to the test center once I was consistently scoring 80%+ on Gliem practice questions.

5. Decompress for two days and begin again.

A caveat to this is that it was over a summer a number of years back, and I spent about 10 hours per day, 6 days per week, finishing it between graduation and my first day with the firm. I treated it like a full time job. Spending a few hours each day here and there isn't sufficient. Spending too much time can be as detrimental as spending too little time. You'll eventually forget previously covered material if you move too slow. The exam is a mental marathon and an exercise in discipline. Work effort and proper planning is key.

People I worked with at Big4 that said they chose to put it off are the ones who had the most difficulty passing. All of them regretted their choice.

[Kate]

Wow! You passed all four sections over the course of summer? That is amazing! Congratulations! Thank you so much for writing such a thorough post with tips. I am at the point that I want to pass the exam ASAP. You are absolutely right about not stretching studying over too many months as it is so easy to forget material initially learned. When I was redoing the MCQs right before my first FAR exam attempt, I was answering many of the questions incorrectly even though I answered them correctly several months earlier. I definitely had to study extra time to refresh my memory of the forgotten material. I think you offered a lot of great advice and I appreciate it greatly, especially from someone who passed all exams in such a short period of time. I do work full time, but I will review all material again, redo the MCQs and SIMS and focus on the weaker areas. I am still waiting for the official score card, which is not yet available. May 2021 sounds like a good month to retake FAR CPA exam. Thank you again for the great tips!

[Tncincy]

@KATE: There's no giving up. I've tried several times only to feel like if I don't try I will NEVER know. It's MY dream, and I'm not giving up. Do it doesn't feel good to fail, but it will feel much better to succeed. Take a break, re-think your study strategies and get it done. Too many have passed, so why not you.

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

[Kate]

After feeling sad about not passing the FAR CPA exam after a year of studying, my daughter reminded me of the story I read to her several years ago about the power of persistence. A South Korean lady was so dedicated to getting her driver’s license that she finally passed the exam after her 960th trial 😀 It definitely made me feel better. Please see article below:
https://www.motorauthority.com/news/1049028_after-960-tries-south-korean-lady-driver-gets-license-eek

[Author]

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