[Anonymous]

As I’ve been studying, I’ve realized that I sometimes get the answer wrong, not because I do not know what the concepts mean, BUT….I’m misunderstanding the question. How do you all gain an understanding as to what is really being asked? Are there key words? Any help is appreciated. Thanks in advance.

For example: If the dollar price of the euro rises, which of the following occur? I know this concept, but “dollar price of the euro” causes me to stumble. (just a simple one to give you an idea)

I'm tired of operating in fear and mediocrity. It's time to try. It's time to do. It's time to go.

[mckan514w]

I had this problem as well- and started writing down the questions which made me focus on what they are asking- yes it took forever but it trained my brain to really concentrate on what concept they were looking for– I did this for about 60/70 MCQ's and now find myself reading them with more understanding. Hope this helps. Good luck!

and they ask me why I drink...

FAR- 61-next time I'll ask for lube instead of a calculator
REG-75- Never been so happy to see such a low grade
BEC- 8/11
AUD- 9/2

[Anonymous]

You may already be doing this, but a common test taking strategy when dealing with wordy problems (which is true of the vast majority of MCQs) is to skip to the end first to read the question, so that you know what you're looking for as you read through the problem.

Other than that, I'd just suggest slowing down a tad and making sure you've really read the question word-for-word. The rest of the problem you can skim (whether it's Jones & Sons Co or Smith and Bro doesn't really matter; if you get Sons and Bro confused cause you're skimming, that's OK), but I know a lot of my errors in practice were from simply not slowing down to read the question word-for-word. With lots of these questions, a single tiny word changes the question entirely.

[Anonymous]

You both bring up very good suggestions and I'll be implementing these strategies. It gets quite frustrating to get an answer wrong when you know the concept. By the way, should I be alarmed that it sometimes takes me a while to answer the question? It worries me that I won't be able to keep time on the actual test.

I'm tired of operating in fear and mediocrity. It's time to try. It's time to do. It's time to go.

[If I can, u can too!]

yeah, it is frustrating what NASBA plays with words when you know the concepts, which is why many candidates have hard time with Audit. don't be alarmed when it takes a while to understand the question. calm down, read the questions twice, 3 times if needed. just ensure you don't spend too much time on 1 question.

generally speaking, when it comes to FAR, you just have to do your best. NASBA knows most candidates don't have enough time. when you're solving the SIM, skim through all SIMs and solve the easiest to the hardest. the hardest will most likely be a pre-test.

Licensed CPA since Apr 16
Order in sequence of passing
FAR-71,71,79
BEC-80
REG-72,77
AUD-56,72,72,72,80! Thank you, thank you, thank you Lord!
FAR/BEC/AUD: Becker & Yaeger lectures (Wiley & Ninja MCQs). REG: Becker lectures (Ninja MCQs).

[Anonymous]

“By the way, should I be alarmed that it sometimes takes me a while to answer the question? It worries me that I won't be able to keep time on the actual test.”
That depends on what “awhile” is, so without knowing what that means, it's hard to say. If it takes you 10 minutes per question, then yes, you'll have a problem. 😉 I'd suggest doing sets of MCQs and trying to simulate a testing environment – minimize distractions, maximize focus, etc. – and time yourself. I figured out pretty well how long it took me on average to answer an MCQ during practice from doing this, so I was able to estimate my exam time pretty closely when it came to the real thing. The amount of time per MCQ varied depending on the exam, though, so I don't even know what length of time to throw out as an example, since I don't think you've mentioned here which exam you're studying for. However, if you time how long it takes you do to 100 MCQs and average it out, and know that the exam you're doing has 90 MCQs and is allotted 4 hours, and say you want to leave 1 1/2 hours for the SIMs, then that's 2.5 hours for the MCQs, or 150 minutes. 90 MCQs = 1 2/3 minutes each. So, if your 100 MCQs averaged around or below 1 2/3 minutes each, then you're right on target. But let's say you think you just need 1 hour for the SIMs, then you'd have a bit more time for the MCQs, or if it's a longer or shorter exam that'd adjust it, etc.

So, without knowing which exam or how long you're taking, I don't know if your speed is a problem. Being thorough is important, but being efficient too. Balancing the two is an art. 🙂

[Jdn9201]

I used Roger, and he said for computation questions, always read the last sentence first. I think it's a very good tip. I always read the last part of questions taking tests in school, and I considered myself a good test taker. I would say speed doesn't matter as much as quality, unless you are inside a week from taking your exam. That's where practice tests come in handy is to simulate an actual exam and to get a feel as to the timing of it. Until then, focus more on whether or not you are understanding why an answer is right or wrong. During the actual exam, I also made myself read every MCQ at least twice before selecting an answer – even the easier ones. I never flagged questions and think that flagging is a waste of time. You're better off answering the questions as you go along rather than spending time refreshing your memory on what the question is about at the end of a testlet.

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

[jlee1086]

For anyone who uses Ninja as a supplement (or 2 different sources), do you have problem when they change a word. Becker uses the term labor efficiency. Today, I got a Ninja question that asked about labor usage. I keep on forgetting that they mean the same thing. I so scared that on the real test, I won't know what a question means just because of one word.

FAR 57 (11/2014), 64 (1/2015), 79 (7/2015)
AUD 68 (2/2015), 79 (11/2015)
REG 79 (1/2016)
BEC 81 (4/2016)

[Skynet]

It is Literally telling me to stay away from the trading in Currency Market or Traveling abroad, as I still have trouble with this concept of exchange rates. Don't know why, just do.

[Author]

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