[Anonymous]

I am so frustrated with my scores. They are so close. I am mostly using Ninja MCQ and added Ninja Plus. I also have Surgent CPA Exam review. I am apparently missing something. For the latest FAR score, I went through all of the videos and went through all of the questions. I am scheduled for BEC on March 9th. I am not ready. Anyone have any suggestions? This is the most frustrating experience ever.

 

 

[Operation_CPA]

I passed FAR on my 3rd try – my best advice is to just keep at it, buckle down, and don't let too much time go by between each chapter when studying. One of the biggest factors for me was keeping the material as fresh as possible and really understanding the concepts.

I had a binder of all my notes for FAR and each time I came across something I did not know previously, I added it to my notes. During my final review I thought big picture, trying to know each area as best as possible without skipping anything. Your day will come, don't give up!

[Madhav]

Hang in there. You will get it eventually. For my retake of FAR, i gave more focus on Sim and that eventually helped to pass the exam.

[benboccio]

Looks like you're pretty close. Keep trying!

[Trele6]

Maybe a different software package will get you over the hump?

First go at the CPA! Only using Becker
Reg / Nov 2015 - 87
Far / Apr 2016 - 79
Bec / May 2016 - 80
Aud / Aug 2016

[Anonymous]

Thanks everyone. I like the idea of the binder. I think that I do need to focus more on sims. Maybe if I could pull a few more points there, it would be enough to put me over the 75 mark.

[CageTheCPA]

One thing I've done that I believe has helped me (outside of an ungodly number of MCQs) is to read Ninja Notes everyday. I try to read cover-to-cover every two days, so in a week I should read the complete material 3.5 times. I also copy the explanation for questions I got wrong into a word doc that I read to help understand the tricky concepts. I also focus on my low scoring sections, reading from the book, drilling into questions, watching vids/listening to audio.

I've passed AUD & REG and failed the other two, but when I did this in addition to MCQs I passed.

I also, to my wife's annoyance, “teach” the confusing/hard topics to my wife. Something about explaining it aloud helps me to grasp what they're getting at.

Hope this helps!

[Trele6]

@CagetheCPA, they say if you really want to learn something try teaching it. While your wife might hate it, I do believe it is a very beneficial way of learning a concept yourself. I've had tons of “ah-ha” moments on topics when I try to teach them.

First go at the CPA! Only using Becker
Reg / Nov 2015 - 87
Far / Apr 2016 - 79
Bec / May 2016 - 80
Aud / Aug 2016

[txtoca]

What is your study schedule like? I found out that the best way I retained information was to make tables and comparisons for everything. I made tables upon tables of IFRS vs GAAP (operating vs capital lease differences, amortization differences, R&D differences). Then a table for CIP vs. Completed Contracts vs. Installment Sales (with real examples from Becker & including JE all on one page). It's crammed, but I would use different colors so that the differences stood out to me. My biggest problem was that I understood it all, but would get confused between different methods. So, when I saw it a table / compare format, I visualized that on my exam and that really helped me. I also did a 100Q Progress Test every single day + 7-8 simulations. I would start with Chapter 1 sims and work my way down every day and then repeat. Personally, I like giving myself 1 week / chapter and then 3 weeks in the end to review. By the end of it, I had gone through about 1,100 progress test Q's and done simulations of each chapter 3 times. I also keep track of all my progress tests in a google spreadsheet. It usually doesn't post in this forum, but if you give me your e-mail, I can share the link directly with you and you can see my scores from Becker vs. Real exams.

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1dinVcs20baa_cQs6dbsagA6sT3oZWzpsIz_AE74LkLc/edit?usp=sharing

[txtoca]

What is your study schedule like? I found out that the best way I retained information was to make tables and comparisons for everything. I made tables upon tables of IFRS vs GAAP (operating vs capital lease differences, amortization differences, R&D differences). Then a table for CIP vs. Completed Contracts vs. Installment Sales (with real examples from Becker & including JE all on one page). It's crammed, but I would use different colors so that the differences stood out to me. My biggest problem was that I understood it all, but would get confused between different methods. So, when I saw it a table / compare format, I visualized that on my exam and that really helped me. I also did a 100Q Progress Test every single day + 7-8 simulations. I would start with Chapter 1 sims and work my way down every day and then repeat. Personally, I like giving myself 1 week / chapter and then 3 weeks in the end to review. By the end of it, I had gone through about 1,100 progress test Q's and done simulations of each chapter 3 times. I also keep track of all my progress tests in a google spreadsheet. It usually doesn't post in this forum, but if you give me your e-mail, I can share the link directly with you and you can see my scores from Becker vs. Real exams.

BEC – 85
REG – 74, 86
FAR – 91
AUD – 3/10

[RockLobster]

I've only sat for two sections so far, but my mentality is this: Think of a topic in the book. For instance, in the case of FAR… Think about if someone at your job asked you, “Hey what do you think about foreign currency translation gains?” If you're not able to answer that question with a well-thought out and educated response, you haven't studied the topic hard enough. You should be able to write a few sentences on the concepts, not just know the math behind it. I believe if you understand the concepts, and don't focus entirely on the formulas, you'll have an easier time figuring out the formulas that you may be blanking on, whereas if you don't know the concepts, you just have to guess.

[Author]

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