[SGShiver]

I have already rescheduled FAR twice. I have been studying for 4 months and don’t know what is holding me back from scoring higher on the NINJA MCQs. After listening to lectures and writing notes, I started doing MCQs. I realize I have a lot of gaps in my knowledge as I am only scoring 46-56%.I have 53 hours already logged in on the NINJA dashboard. I am supposed to take the exam on Sunday. In my mind, I don’t see how I can improve that trending score by then. Is it just me? Is that doable? Am I rescheduling way too much? Do I need to just take my time and eventually get there? I don’t want to give up on the CPA Exam and I don’t want to push my exams into 2017. I really need some advice.

FAR- 53, next time 5/5/16
B: 7/30/16
A:TBD
R:TBD

[GHardesty]

SGShiver,
Are you writing down the answers when you get a wrong answer? Based on 4 months of studying I'll assume that you've finished reviewing the material, and at this point you are focused on MCQ's and re-writing notes. With that assumption in mind, there are 4 days of full MCQ and SIMS, which is a lot of time.

Based on the information you've provided I can't tell if you have many weak areas or if there are a couple in particular that are weaker.

Also, I like your ambition to finish the exams before 2017, but as I read your post I sense that you have a mindset that is a bit make-or-break.

Lastly, I know exactly how you feel. I just took the BEC exam and I felt OK up until I started pretesting with NINJA MCQ's. They are not easy, but they will prepare you.

Good luck.

AUD 80 05/31/16 (1x)
BEC 80 01/16/16 (3x)
FAR 78 11/23/15 (2x)
REG 87 02/29/16 (2x)

[MaLoTu]

I took FAR as my first exam. I failed. Took AUD next and failed. Took REG and passed. Took BEC and failed. Retook AUD and passed. I just retook FAR and I honestly don't know how I did. The reason for going through all that was to let you know that sometimes it takes going through more sections to 1) understand how to effectively study and 2) build the gaps in your skills. The exams do not go over the same material, per se, but you see a lot of similar themes and recurring concepts. I wasn't prepared to take FAR the first time and I knew it. Going through the exams, then back to FAR really helped to solidify my ability to apply concepts.

I say just take it and get exposure. Four months is a long time to study for one test and I don't think you are going to benefit from spending more time on it.

[monikernc]

when i read the post i get the feeling you have test anxiety. study hard for the remaining days. do sims and work through the answers and as many mcq's as you can. then just go take it. get the experience out of the way. you may pass. you may not. but you will know more about what you are studying for. take 30 mins now to do the AICPA practice exam for FAR so you get look and feel of exam before you go in. take the real exam to pass but don't stress it.
if you could reschedule at this point i would say no more than 10 more days. i don't think you can reschedule this close to your date. so, the final review is buckle down, work your weak areas, and hit mcq's for time and pace.
i agree that 4 months is too long – you start to forget things. so just go for it!

FAR 7/25/15 76!
AUD 10/30/15 93
BEC 2/27/16 82
REG 5/23/16 88!
Ninja Book and MCQ and the forum - all the way!!!
and a little thing i like to call, time and effort!
if you want things to change, you have to do something different

[SGShiver]

MaLoTu – Your right 4 months is a long time to study for one test. I definitely need to get exposure to the real exam so I can adjust my expectations accordingly. Thank you for opening up about your testing experiences as it helps me put things into perspective. I guess with the first exam (or any exam for that matter) I should not be afraid to fail but use it as a learning experience to determine what I need to do in order to pass.

monikernc- I guess I am too transparent online you figured me out too easy.., lol. I am going to do it. I am going to take the exam as I feel like I will never feel ready unless I know what I am getting myself into. While I could technically pay a fee to reschedule, I am not going to do that this time. Thanks!

FAR- 53, next time 5/5/16
B: 7/30/16
A:TBD
R:TBD

[monikernc]

I think i passed far because i took it rather than let my nts expire and felt no stress while taking it. Through the mcq's i felt pretty good. Then i hit the sims and because i had not taken the aicpa practice exam i was clueless but i squeaked by and you never know, you might, too. All i ask is that you stay and finish it. We all get the urge to quit in the middle of it. Don't. Stay and finish. To finish watch your pace. No dilly dallying. The 4 hours fly by.

FAR 7/25/15 76!
AUD 10/30/15 93
BEC 2/27/16 82
REG 5/23/16 88!
Ninja Book and MCQ and the forum - all the way!!!
and a little thing i like to call, time and effort!
if you want things to change, you have to do something different

[TheHoundThatRides]

I studied with Roger. I had a good understanding of the core concepts behind each chapter. I did not have a good understanding of the deeper parts of certain intermediate/advanced topics. (I could tell you the triggers for a lease and the amortization schedule….I could not tell you the journal entries for a sale leaseback)

I also had a terrible understanding of government. I only knew the fund types but I never learned enough to answer a lot of the questions I saw in the MCQ.

I would do terrible on the Ninja MCQ and I also did miserably on the cpareviewforfree.com questions. I ended up pushing FAR back like 3-4 times because I never felt ready. But that was a mistake. The test is easier than the MCQ we practice with. I passed with an 80. Try to remember that in regards to the concepts, dig a hole a mile wide but an inch deep. Don't sweat the finer details. Just take a look at the content of each chapter and try to think…..is another student REALLY gonna learn every little rule? What is the stuff the instructor is really stressing? Learn that.

Honestly I think it's a mistake to start with FAR. It's too intimidating to face as your first one for the majority of people. Do BEC, see the exam isn't that scary if you put honest effort in, and chill out.

EDIT: BTW I'm not saying you can blow off Government. It was my only weak section in my score report. So it probably took me down from a 99 to an 80 mostly on its own since I guessed on so many of its questions. Be strong in government if you can.

BEC - 78 (August 2015)
FAR - 80 (November 2015)
AUD - 73, 67. (Ok I gotta confess I was even more lazy this time around)
REG - August 27th, 2016

[mitchmatch]

First off dont feel bad about your time frame, i took 5 and a half months before i could commit myself to the exam. Is their some time of rush? I ask because this is the only test that will take that much time, the rest are around 2 1/2-3 months. As for the trending score, i trended at 55-60% for REG and i passed, ninja seems to check finite detail that i dont think you would ever see. Are you using any other program? Also i hate to say this, but maybe consider rescheduling to feb 29 which is the last opportunity to take the test this quarter, you wont be able to take any other test this window so why not give yourself the maximum amount of time?

FAR-76 First attempt.
AUD-79 First attempt.
REG-79 First attempt.
BEC-79 First attempt.

Done!

BECKERS

[Anonymous]

i spent 3 weeks on BEC/REG and 4 weeks on AUD. but i go hard, i do about 4hrs/day and 16 on weekend. so thats about 120hrs per test. if youre studying one hour a day for 4 months thats 4x30x1hr= 120hrs also. find what works for you and stick with it.
but hey guess what if you keep postponing your test you will never get to find out what works! the exam “tests” your readiness/preparedness.

[Jdn9201]

SG, does the 53 hours of study time only include Ninja MCQ's, or the total time you've spent on lectures, taking notes, and everything else? If everything, that would explain why you don't feel ready. Most people would spend 53 hours over a month. I think you should study for a reasonable amount of time in the next few days, but don't run yourself into the ground. I think you should take FAR now and not reschedule. If you do fail, it's still a valuable experience because it teaches you what you need to focus on.

I'm also using Roger – I've passed BEC & REG on my first attempts, and am waiting on AUD. Without being specific, one observation I am finding with people using other programs is I think people get too specific and set the bar way too high because they are trying to remember everything. There's no way an exam can test you over everything. Unless it's an important concept, a detail like phase-outs for REG for example will probably only be a couple of questions on the exam. I'm not going to sweat cramming minute details in my head, at the expense of missing more points because I don't understand overarching concepts.

BEC - 88 8/29/15
REG - 82 11/14/15
AUD - 83 1/8/16
FAR - 80 2/29/16

[Anonymous]

@jdn9201 couldnt have said it better myslef! focus on the important major concept and dont waste valuable brain real estate on the minutiae!

[Montiel68]

I don't remember the exact amount of hours I dedicated to FAR bc I didn't log my studying like that. I set goals for every day, like finish reading a chapter and answering 100 questions a day. What I do remember clearly, is that I was scoring really bad in the hw (20s, 50s, nothing about 70) and final exams were a 50 and 60s. I think I even asked if it was a good idea to reschedule.. thing is, you'll rarely feel 100% ready. So, just study as much as you can and trust your knowledge. You can do this, you just have to believe it. Good luck!

FAR- Passed
AUD- **F,F,F,** Retake TBD
REG- Passed
BEC- Passed

[SGShiver]

Here are some more details to my situation: I am using Roger and have the 10 Point Combo. I started out my first two months with Roger by itself. Then I used the NINJA method and found it very time consuming for FAR but tried to stick with it. The 53 hours consist of MCQs alone what I did during the last month and a half. Before January I studied a ridiculous amount of hours up to that point listening to lectures, writing notes, and reading the book.

Not making excuses but maybe it helps people understand where I am coming from. At the beginning of January, I started my first internship/busy season with an accounting firm 1 hour away from where I live now. I listen to NINJA audio on many trips to/from work so some time is not wasted (I would lie if I said every trip since some days I just need to blow off steam before studying MCQs at home). I now do 3 hours MCQs per weeknight/ 6 per weekend night. I do not have my full 150 hours yet but I was eligible to sit at 120 hours in my state. I do plan to complete my Master's degree but I took off this semester as I have way too much on my plate right now. I say that because there are many topics that I did not cover in my undergraduate classes. Originally, I did not plan to attempt the CPA exam this early with very little experience in the accounting field. However, hearing about the 2017 exam changes scared me enough to not put it off and I realize it will only get harder to study when I get into accounting full time.

After reading many of the comments on this post, I have decided that 2017 is just going to be my goal but it does not have to mean that it is my deadline. I am planning to take the exam as scheduled to get a picture of what obstacles are ahead of me. If I pass, that means I am one step closer to my goal. If I fail, at least I will have more practice for whatever is in store in 2017.

FAR- 53, next time 5/5/16
B: 7/30/16
A:TBD
R:TBD

[Anonymous]

SG Shiver – I have the same feeling as you. My test date is 2/1/16 (1 day after yours). So, I decided NOT to reschedule and take the test for the experience as many folks commented here. If pass, thank God. If Not, I would know how and what to study for next round and gain the experience.

I am using GLEIM and finished all the Chapter units a week ago, so then I started GLEIM final review and Ninja MCQ. My stomach is crunching and turning inside out after Test Review from Gleim and the Ninja. Right now, I have only logged 22 hours and trending 70% in Ninja Dashboard. I hate the feeling of not being ready, but this is reality that I tell myself it is only 1 test in 1 day.

Like you, I had started studying for FAR back in Sep, but maybe because of my age, the materials are being absorbed in extremely slow. Working full time, commuting 2.5 hour round trip and 2 active boys are challenges that I have to over come like many candidates here.

All I can hope for is pass FAR and my REG in 2016, and the other 2 in 2017. Good luck to us.

After I write this, I feel much better. Thanks for letting me relieve some anxiety.

Go FARRRRR.

[Anonymous]

SG Shiver – I have the same feeling as you. My test date is 2/1/16 (1 day after yours). So, I decided NOT to reschedule and take the test for the experience as many folks commented here. If pass, thank God. If Not, I would know how and what to study for next round and gain the experience.

I am using GLEIM and finished all the Chapter units a week ago, so then I started GLEIM final review and Ninja MCQ. My stomach is crunching and turning inside out after Test Review from Gleim and the Ninja. Right now, I have only logged 22 hours and trending 70% in Ninja Dashboard. I hate the feeling of not being ready, but this is reality that I tell myself it is only 1 test in 1 day.

Like you, I had started studying for FAR back in Sep, but maybe because of my age, the materials are being absorbed in extremely slow. Working full time, commuting 2.5 hour round trip and 2 active boys are challenges that I have to over come like many candidates here.

All I can hope for is pass FAR and my REG in 2016, and the other 2 in 2017. Good luck to us.

After I write this, I feel much better. Thanks for letting me relieve some anxiety.

Go FARRRRR.

[Author]

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