[Anonymous]

Hello!

I have just taken my first attempt of the 4 sections and I am wondering how you guys have proceed moving forward. I took the AUD exam four days ago (6/9/16) and I am planning on taking the FAR exam on 8/16/16.

First off, I was wondering how other candidates felt about the AUD exam after taking it. I felt very prepared for the vast majority of the MCQs, but was not at all prepared for the simulation section. I studied using CPAExcel exclusively and I felt that this prepared me quite well for the MCQ section. The sims are an enitrely different story. CPAExcel sims are much simpler and shorter than the actual exams.

Are the sims graded on a scale as well? Historically, are the grades on AUD sims boosted up more than the MCQs?

I did pretty well on the CPAExcel practice exams with my scores averaging around 78 prior to my final cram study days and I received an 85 and 89 on the two practice exams I took the day before the actual exam. Should I feel confident about my chances to pass the AUD section? (I know that this is a person-to-person issue, but any amount of insight including your own experience would be a huge help)

What I am most concerned with is how to proceed from here. I know that I should be preparing for the FAR exam, which I am currently doing, but I am concerned that I will forget the vast majority of the AUD material in the event that I failed the AUD exam. How have you guys handled this extremely painful period when you are waiting for your scores?

Lastly, I have read about NTS reapplications for failed exams. If I still have time under my current NTS to retake the AUD exam, will I have to get a NTS reapplication. In other words, does an NTS apply only for one section test per application?

Thank you to anyone who took the time to read this and I really appreciate any assistance as I feel that I am completely in the dark on the CPA exam process.

Have a great day!

Max

[Pete]

An NTS can only be used for one section and one test date of the CPA examination. Hence, why it's a bad idea to buy all 4 NTS at once, even though there is a discount; each NTS is specific to one test. If you pay for an Audit NTS, that will let you take the audit exam one time. If you fail the audit test, you will have to pay for a new NTS.

The plus side is you won't have much downtime waiting to receive a new NTS. Reexamination candidates usually get them within a few days, not weeks, like with the original application.

B=84 This exam was such a b**** that I thought I failed-don't know how these things work
A=76 Slacker I am, I'll happily take it
R=81 I LOVE taxes
F=80 I don't wanna get banned for an expletive I'm thinking with "yea" proceeding it

[wombataholic]

>> I have just taken my first attempt of the 4 sections and I am wondering how you guys have proceed moving forward.

Start prepping for your next section. Your AUD score will be what it will be and nothing you do will change it.

>> I was wondering how other candidates felt about the AUD exam after taking it. I felt very prepared for the vast majority of the MCQs, but was not at all prepared for the simulation section.

I don't think anyone is ever really prepared for the Sims they see. As for how I felt after taking it, I walked out feeling like I passed. I felt the same way for BEC and REG too. Not excited or pumped that I crushed it, just that I had done enough to pass. I walked out of FAR feeling like I crushed it.

>> Are the sims graded on a scale as well? Historically, are the grades on AUD sims boosted up more than the MCQs?

No idea on how they're scored, aside from the weight given to Sims (40%).

>> I did pretty well on the CPAExcel practice exams with my scores averaging around 78 prior to my final cram study days and I received an 85 and 89 on the two practice exams I took the day before the actual exam. Should I feel confident about my chances to pass the AUD section?

Sounds like you've got a good chance at passing.

>> How have you guys handled this extremely painful period when you are waiting for your scores?

I didn't think or worry about my score. I moved on to the next section.

>> In other words, does an NTS apply only for one section test per application?

An NTS is only good for one attempt on one section for a limited amount of time, so in the event of a failed section or lapsed NTS, you would have to reapply to take that section.

Licensed CPA
Passed each section on the first try with Ninja Notes/MCQ/Audio

[steph]

@CPAsenpai I'm in a similar boat as you. I don't think I passed BEC and know I'm trying to figure out if I should continue studying for BEC to retake it after the score release next week. Or if I should move on to FAR like I was planning too. Maybe from experience or just anyones opinion, should I retake BEC or move on to FAR & then come back to it ? After studying so much for BEC already I kind of feel like it'd be a waste to move onto FAR now

AUD - Passed in May
BEC - Passed in June
FAR - Waiting for score
REG - Planning it for Q4
We can do this ninjas!

[Anonymous]

Thank you for your responses everybody!

@ginx789 – If this helps you at all, I have been splitting the time between the two sections. My thought process is that two or three hours a day spent on the material from the previous exam should allow for enough retention to have an effective two-week cram study if I have to retake the test. I am primarily going over the practice MCQs and sims . I have been studying the FAR section for about 6 hours a day. I have looked at other posts to get advice on how to proceed during this waiting period and the most consistent advice that I have seen is that it is always best to continue studying the previous material if you believe that you have failed, since short-term retention is key. I am by no means an expert, but I hope this helps!

[Ginja_CPA]

It depends on when I take a test personally. When I took Reg, my first exam, I waited until score release because I wasn't able to squeeze a test into that window. When I took AUD, my second exam, I immediately started studying for BEC because I wanted to do to in the second quarter window. When I took BEC, I again waited until score release because that is the test I would have done first in the 3rd quarter. I also like taking a good week off between exams so that I can relax and remind myself why I am trying to finish these exams.

REG: 80 (02/19/16)
AUD: 83 (04/11/16)
BEC: 78 (05/28/16)
FAR: ?

[Author]

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