[jonm857]

Hello –

It’s panic time for me and I’m trying to plan things out. BEC expires Oct 4th, so I gotta pass REG and FAR before then. I have two plans I’m considering:

Plan 1: Take REG at the end of May (which I sure hope I pass this time) and then take FAR at the end of August. That means I’ll get one last attempt in October to seal this thing off.

Plan 2: Retake REG first thing in April, and then take FAR end of May. I’m familiar with REG (see scores below) so I have a pretty decent understanding of the material. The only reason I failed last time was because of the simulations. My MCQs were comparable across the board. However, I’m not familiar at all with FAR.

Which plan do you think is the best?

Thanks,

Jon

B - 81
A - 87
R - 73
F - July 5th

[Anonymous]

When did you last study for REG?

[jonm857]

Lilla – I failed it in February, so very recently. I'm studying REG right now as we speak.

B - 81
A - 87
R - 73
F - July 5th

[MaLoTu]

I say take REG in April. May just seems way too long to study for it when the material is so recent. If you are going to lose credit in Q3 (Q4?) then I would try to take FAR in May, if your study schedule permits.

[Anonymous]

Reason I asked is re-taking REG with 2 weeks of study (if you hadn't studied since February) wouldn't be enough to be worth it. No reason to add a 4th fail to the list for REG. So, if you just started re-studying for REG today, then I'd not re-take it first thing in April. Maybe around April 15th – a solid month of study might be enough to pull you over the edge. You have to approach the re-take as if you'd never taken it before, cause you have to get all 75 points again (as I'm sure you've heard a million times lol).

However, that being said, I'd still give FAR a shot at the end of May. 6 weeks of study for FAR may or may not give you a chance at passing it, depending on how efficiently you study, but it will at least give you experience with the exam…and 6 weeks could be enough for you to pass it. Personally I studied 6 weeks for FAR and passed it. YMMV and all that, so not making any promises, but I'd rather cut a first attempt at FAR a bit short and give enough time to the REG retake, then do 2 weeks of study for the REG retake and have 8 weeks for the FAR first attempt…cause 6 weeks could be enough for FAR first attempt, but 2 weeks really doesn't seem like enough for a REG 4th attempt.

Scenario 2, though. If you're already halfway through your REG retake studying, then 2 weeks might very well be enough to finish studying for the re-take, and in that case, testing first of April and taking FAR end of May would give you more time for FAR, so go ahead and schedule REG as early in April as you can. But don't cut your REG retake too short – make sure you give yourself the time needed to pass REG this go-around.

Either way, definitely attempt both this coming quarter, then if this quarter is terrible, you'll have another try at both in the July/Aug quarter, and still have Oct 1-4 to re-take if you fail one in July/Aug.

[MaLoTu]

I agree with Lilla. Additionally, I would like to add a suggestion, focus on things like how to calculate agi, what items are above the line or below (i.e. Deductions). Make sure you know what items are write offs for businesses and which are not. The sims are possible to do from an understanding of the material, but maybe try to do 2 sims a day in addition to your regular study.

Are you continuing with your same materials? You may want to pick up a new test bank or try CPA review for free dot com.

[Anonymous]

Your score history looks a lot like mine. For some reason your ability to pass is very low so you really need to retake REG in April and FAR in May in case you have to retake one or both again.

If you let your BEC expire, it could mean the end of the road. Or at least it would mean that you then run the risk of retaking other exams too.

You must pass these now and eliminate the risk of losing BEC and any other that may fall off.

My first test passed was to expire in February 2016. I passed my final exam, FAR, in December 2015, knowing i'd have just one shot left to take it in February had I failed. BEC would have expired in February, then REG would have expired in May. There would have been no way to retake anything during that period as tax season is in full swing. I would have been screwed, and having the foresight to see this put a fire under my butt. I hope you get the same fire…..go get it done!!!!

Also I agree with Lilla about FAR in May. I first took took FAR in August 2015, with 4 weeks prep and a week after moving out of a house. Unfortunately did not pass but it definitely laid the groundwork for when I did the retake 3 months later.

[jonm857]

@Lilla – I could see myself being ready for the REG retake around Apr 23. I could take it then, but that leaves me just 5 weeks to get FAR done in May, which almost seems pointless. But, as others have mentioned, those 5 weeks could be crucial to passing in the July/Aug window.

I'm going to take your advice on this and take both in Q2.

Thanks to everybody for the feedback on this. The next 6 months will basically suck, but I'm going to do my best to make it happen!

B - 81
A - 87
R - 73
F - July 5th

[MaLoTu]

Good luck, Jon. I am struggling with my last 2 exams also (FAR 61,70; BEC 67,74).

[jonm857]

@MaLoTu – Thanks and good luck to you also. When does your first one expire? I really wish I hadn't slacked off so much during the holidays.

B - 81
A - 87
R - 73
F - July 5th

[MaLoTu]

The first one, which incidentally is REG, will expire at the end of November. It seems far off in months, but I only have 3 testing windows. I passed REG on my first attempt, but don't know if I could reproduce my success. Every test, pass or fail, I have studied for in basically the same way. I just passed AUD in October, so I am less worried about that one at this point in time!

[Tncincy]

@6silvermoonbeans: no books, no notes, just mcq's is your study method? if so did you struggle back and forth whether to go to the books or lectures. I have reg april 16 and far end of may. Currently doing mcq's but I keep feeling like I should be doing something else….maybe its just me really anxious to get a pass.

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

[Anonymous]

@tncincy:

Get it in your head right now that you are going to nail these tests. You have time to do it. For better or worse , all my study sessions were 5-6 weeks. Only a few went to the 6th week. Maybe I didn't study enough and a reason why i failed the ones I did? Possibly. But I also found that was my sweet spot for keeping everything fresh by test time.

I did use Ninja notes, Ninja audio and sometimes Blitz. But mostly Ninja MCQ. I tended to ramp into larger sample sizes as the weeks went by. Maybe do 30-50 a day and then go for 100+ a day with 2 weeks to go. The materials were great, but the biggest thing I did was get to work every single day. Made a vision board. Get up early and study before work. Study some more at night. I know it sounds cliche but if I can do it, I know other people can. The best part about this whole process is that you actually get smarter!!

PS on my last study day for FAR last November. I spent the last day only doing the flashcards. It forced me to recite everything with no notes. I believe that session put it over the top.

[Tncincy]

Thank you, and I got it….i also have ninja notes, audio, flashcard, and books, and mcq's. Sometimes I feel like I have too much stuff. I'm set to pass.

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

[jonm857]

Tncincy – As you can see, I've failed a lot of these exams and every one of those fails was where I did nothing but MCQs to study. The two tests I passed involved flip flopping b/w the book and the mcqs. The MCQs cover a lot of ground but they don't cover all of the material. I'm sure you know by now that everything is fair game on this test. One small line in the text that wasn't covered in the MCQs could pop up on the test and might be the difference b/w a 74 and a 75. I'm pretty sure that's what happened to me on AUD when I got a 74. There's no easy way around this thing unfortunately. It's very tempting to just go all out on the MCQs (I've tried it multiple times), but it clearly is not the way for me, unlike many people who passed using that method.

Good luck!

B - 81
A - 87
R - 73
F - July 5th

[Author]

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