[nartycart18]

So back in February, I selected to take all 4 exams. I received and paid for all 4 exams. I just took Reg and failed :(. I wanted to retake Reg in July. How does the NTS work? Do I have to take BEC, AUD, and FAR first before I can reapply for another NTS for Reg. Or can I get another NTS code before taking the other exams?

REG 8/18 -
BEC 75
FAR
AUD

[jessica8926]

You can reapply for a new NTS for REG before taking the other exams.

AUD - 69, 77
REG - 74, 81
FAR - 75!
BEC - 71, 82

IL candidate!

Finally done (5/24/16)!! Yahooooooo!

[ABTX411]

https://www.nasba.org/features/cpa-exam-application-process-faq/

Have you received your NTS for all 3 of your other exams? I could be wrong about this, but I think if your NTS expires, you'll have to pay for the exam again. Aren't the NTSs only good for 90 days? Or is that only true here in Texas? I received my NTS for both FAR and REG in February, and they both expire in mid-May. Make sure you're adhering to a proper timeline.

BEC - 90 - 2/04/2016
AUD - 97 - 2/29/2016
FAR - 92 - 4/19/2016
REG - 88 - 5/19/2016

[choffner]

Must be state by state. My NTS was good for six months. Definitely worth verifying for your state.

BEC 75
REG 81
FAR 69, 75
AUD 71, 74, 84

[ABTX411]

^^^OMG! I wish…. I'm flipping out trying to cram for REG and kicking myself for filing for my NTS in February. If I could go back and do it again, I'd wait until I was a week or two away from being ready to sit before I filed. But I can't, so here's to the next 2 weeks of absolutely no sleep.

BEC - 90 - 2/04/2016
AUD - 97 - 2/29/2016
FAR - 92 - 4/19/2016
REG - 88 - 5/19/2016

[nartycart18]

I live in CA so my NTS lasts for 9 months. and wow, ABTX411, you seem to be doing really well on the exams, what are your study methods and material? I'm currently using Becker only. I read the text, sometime listen to the lectures and then do the MC. But I seem to score in the 60-75% range on the MC first time around. Then i just continue on with the rest of the book.

REG 8/18 -
BEC 75
FAR
AUD

[ABTX411]

@Nartycart18 – this is super long-winded, but here's how I did it:

I'm taking the Wiley CPA Excel course offered by the University of Texas at Dallas. It allows me to earn the last few credits I needed to graduate from my Master's program while simultaneously sitting for the CPA exam. I'm very lucky that my employer allows me to work from home on Monday and Wednesday mornings, then go to class for 3 hours, then go into the office to finish up my day. There have been many nights when my daughter is with her dad that I've had to stay at the office until 10 or 11 to finish my work (hello, audit season) before I could even begin studying, but I still consider myself lucky. I also have class on Saturdays once or twice a month. The class lectures have not been incredibly useful, but they do serve as a brief refresher of the material. The pace of the course is just so fast that all of the teachers are extremely rushed, and most of them did not fully cover all of the topics. My strategy has changed as I've become more acquainted with the material.

It's been over a decade since I had looked at the majority of the topics covered in BEC and REG – I graduated from undergrad in 2005. For BEC, my first exam, I read about 300 pages of the course outlines (study text), completed all of the Exam Questions (EQ) in study mode and then again in exam mode, and did all of the supplemental questions and TBSs (sims). I did not bother with any of the proficiency questions, and I only made it through about 2/3 of the additional test bank questions. This is where I wish I had spent more time. I only watched the lecture videos if I felt I really needed a deeper understanding of a certain topic. I found that the study mode for the MCQs was the most useful tool for me because it allowed me to immediately read explanations of why each answer choice was either wrong or right. If I didn't know the answer right off the bat, I would make sure I understood the correct method of solving the problem before moving on to the next question. I walked out of the prometric center after sitting feeling good, but uneasy. Since this was my first section, I had no idea what to expect. However, I knew I had managed my time perfectly (the clock ran out as I was finishing my very last sentence in my last essay.)

For AUD, I completely skipped the video lectures and only read the study text for sections that felt either confusing or essential to the foundation of the material. I answered all of the EQs (again, study mode was key here), the majority of the PQs and supplemental questions, and about 90% of both the TBSs and the additional test bank questions. Without disclosing too much, I think I can say that I was very glad that I took BEC before AUD when it came to some of the SIMS on the exam. However, a lot of the material on the actual exam totally came straight out of left field. On the MCQs I did my best to extrapolate answers for subject matter that I had never seen before. I left that test a complete wreck. I had a full-blown panic attack that night. I was CONVINCED that I had failed. It turns out that the weird subject matter must have been in pilot mode, and all that stress was for nothing.

FAR was a beast. The majority of my study time happens after my daughter goes to sleep at 9:30 or 10, and before I pass out for the night. So here it was March 1, and I'd been surviving zombie-style on an average of 4-6 hours of sleep per night since mid-January. I was already extremely burned out, and the audit exam threw me over the edge. I couldn't stomach the studying and decided to binge watch a series on Netflix instead. I immediately regretted that decision, but I think my brain needed the break. immediately after that, there was a 3 week period when my daughter's father decided not to take any visitation, which put a major damper on my ability to keep up with the studying. See, every other Saturday when/if my daughter is with her dad, I typically start studying around 10 am and finish up around midnight. I do take breaks throughout the day. On weeknights when he has her (1-2 nights per week), if I'm not trying to catch up on work, I'm typically able to get in a solid 4-6 hours of study time. I did my best being on full-time kid duty, but I couldn't keep up with the pace of the class. I think I maybe made it through a total of 75% of the MCQs and TBSs for FAR, and none of the additional test bank. Not once did I open the study text, and I only watched the “Deep Dive” videos (not the regular lectures) if I felt like I needed a little extra boost. I DO NOT RECOMMEND THIS METHOD!!!! Luckily I had taken Intermediate II, Advanced Financial Reporting, and Gov't/NFP as part of my MSA program all within the last 2 years, and the majority of the info was still stuck in my brain.

Now I'm almost done with REG. I'm once again extremely behind according to my timeline, and I haven't seen this stuff (except for corporate) since undergrad. My NTS expires on 5/19, and I don't feel like paying for the exam again, so I'm doing my best to push through it. I've been listening to the video lectures through my car speakers during my commute to and from work. I have not read any of the study text, nor do I plan on doing so unless I really get stuck on something. I'm sticking with the study mode for EQs and trying to get the full additional test bank completed as well before I sit.

I think that was more of a brain dump than a helpful “how to pass” post.. sorry. Long story short:

Answer MCQs in study mode, understand why answers are both correct AND incorrect. Being able to explain why something is wrong is just as important as knowing the right answer. Do as many MCQs and TBSs as you possibly can. Use the study text and/or videos to bolster your understanding of any topic that you're struggling with.

The night before your exam, SLEEP. Do not stay up late studying. Quickly look over any notes/memory aids/formulas an hour or two before going into your test. Don't psych yourself out during the exam. Don't try to assess the difficulty of your testlets as a gauge of your performance – it's damn near impossible to be accurate. And once you're done, you're done. Give yourself 24 hours to recover, whine, moan, groan, complain, second guess, beat yourself up, etc. Then move on.

BEC - 90 - 2/04/2016
AUD - 97 - 2/29/2016
FAR - 92 - 4/19/2016
REG - 88 - 5/19/2016

[Author]

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