[lestat426]

Hi,

I have Roger CPA review as my main source for CPA study materials. I’m interested in getting some ninja mcqs to go along with it. Roger recently posted a blog on his site on what they thought the best order to take the exam is based on the changes coming in 2017. According to Roger CPA, BEC should be taken first since it will undergo the most changes, followed by REG, then AUD and finally FAR as it will be the one with the least changes. I always thought FAR should be taken first because it is deemed the “hardest” because of all the material in it. Do you feel Roger’s suggestion is good? Should I start with BEC?

[leglock]

definitely far first then aud. after then bec then reg imo. I took aud first then far and I had a sim on aud which was easy material in far but I couldn't remember it bc it had been so long since I studied far mtl. lots of easy points missed on that bc I took aud first and then far.

most feel far is the hardest so why not start the clock after already getting it out of the way.

[jlp0369]

I would definitely recommend taking FAR first followed by AUD. FAR provides the foundation for what AUD covers so a lot of it shows up. Also knowledge of FAR shows up in REG too.if I were you, I'd do FAR, AUD, BEC, REG.

FAR: 87
REG: 90
BEC: 74(ouch), retake 7/16/16
AUD: 96

[Mika]

What he suggested is reasonable as BEC will become the hardest among the rest.

If you start now, go with FAR first. If you start later this year, definitely BEC first, then REG.

REG - 80 (02/13/2015) Roger + Ninja Flash Card + Ninja MCQ + Becker's Note
FAR - 84 (05/29/2015) Roger + Ninja MCQ + Some Wiley book questions
BEC - 77 (08/27/2015) Roger + Ninja MCQ + Half Wiley book questions
AUD - 87 (08/28/2015) Roger + Ninja MCQ + Half Wiley book questions

[Anonymous]

@lestat426: Due to changes in exam formats for BEC and REG next year, I will definitely go in order of BEC, REG, FAR and AUD. If it were 12 month ago then I would have opted the usual recommended path of FAR, AUD, BEC and REG. I definitely recommend you to buy Ninja MCQ since it is like a real exam setting with random questions and you can set your own testlet size. Another great features about Ninja MCQ is that system will automatically pick up troubled questions you struggled in your previous testlets so you will be repeatedly asked the same questions again and again and your knowledge basis will gradually improve. It looks like you have already studied fairly with your CPA review course so key to secure a pass score sooner than later is that you do take your exam within 3 month once you start Ninja MCQ. I was able to pass BEC at my first take. I didn't know Ninja when I first took REG and failed at 73. But with Ninja MCQ, my second exam boosted to 85.

Once again, FAR is core foundation and AUD is undoubtedly the toughest exam so ideally it is better to secure pass score for these two first before taking BEC or REG but given the 2017 changes then I will opt differently. I hope this will help.

[Nessie]

I think it is a personal decision. I took REG first because I had just finished taking 2 b-law and 2 tax courses in grad school that I wanted to keep fresh in my memory for the exam. This was helpful as REG is so nit-picky.

I did have a sort of FARish looking sim on my AUD exam, but it was simple and did not throw me at all even though FAR is my weakest area. I am studying for FAR now and like that there are a few familiar topics. FAR is so brutal, I might have had a totally different perspective on the CPA exams if I had took it first- not a positive one.

Personally, I think one needs a few exams under their belt before taking FAR, like getting used to the exam center, what to eat on exam day, how to not run out of time.

Id say take what you know best first. Why? Because a lot of this exam is confidence. When you have to guess at an answer, confidence is your best friend.

REG Aug 20/15: 88
AUD: Feb 29/16: 80
FAR: Jun 10/16: 80
BEC?

Becker self-study, Becker Final Review & NINJA MCQS

[TheHoundThatRides]

I started studying for FAR but it was a bit scary as I had no idea how hard the exam would be or how in detail to study. I kept second guessing myself and pushing the exam back over and over.

After pushing FAR back a few times, I decided to just study for BEC. It has the most forgiving final section with the writing section (if you can get an A on a middle school English paper, you can probably pass). It also has the least material.

So I took the exam and got a good taste for how hard questions are. Once I got my final score I went, “oh so that's how you do it” and I went into FAR confident and scored slightly higher.

I would recommend BEC because it's only a few weeks of effort (it took me 3 weeks exactly) and it gives you a good idea of how to continue to study for the longer sections.

BEC - 78 (August 2015)
FAR - 80 (November 2015)
AUD - 73, 67. (Ok I gotta confess I was even more lazy this time around)
REG - August 27th, 2016

[golfball7773]

If I could restart this whole long journey – I would start with FAR

FAR: 63, 55, 62
REG: 65, 77*
AUD: Fail, 64, 71
BEC: 72, 74, 81

*expired

[Anonymous]

While most people suggest taking FAR first, I took a different approach. I knew FAR would be the most difficult for me, so I chose to take it last. Had I started with FAR, I might have given up on the CPA exam entirely. The FAR material was beyond overwhelming for me, and I couldn't have imagined starting with it. At least since I saved it for last, I was at a point where I knew how to study most efficiently and had a better idea what to expect and not expect to see on the exam. And now if I didn't pass, at least it's the only one left that I have to focus on. Sure, it would have been nice to get it out of the way first, but I just don't think it would have been a good option for me. I think it's different for everyone…you just need to decide what's best for you. My only advice is to stick to a schedule and don't keep rescheduling or pushing back your exams. Best of luck to you!

[Jdn9201]

That's interesting – the order Roger gave is the exact order I took my exams (for different reasons). If I were starting this journey now, considering the 2017 changes, I'd take FAR and AUD first. I haven't kept up to date with the changes, so he knows more about them than I do. I took my exams in the order of perceived easiest to pass to hardest – BEC, REG, AUD, FAR. I know a lot about economics and I'm a tax person, so I wanted to get the ‘easiest' knocked out first to build momentum. There's pros and cons no matter which order you pick, but I'm glad I picked the order I did. There's no way I had the disclipine to study for FAR in the beginning. One thing I did keep in mind was keep short testing windows. Since I was leaving FAR for last, I wanted to give myself plenty of time to retake it without losing any credits. Good luck!

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

[Anonymous]

I would do FAR before AUD, but other than that, the order doesn't really matter in general…so if BEC is getting the most changes, then getting BEC passed first would make sense if you want to pass it while it's in its current format. There's still time to pass all of them before the changes, but might as well start with the one(s) you really want to ensure are passed. Then if REG is getting the second-most changes, do it second makes sense. But, to do AUD before FAR doesn't make much sense to me, so I'd stray from his advice at that point and switch to have FAR before AUD.

[Author]

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