[sacpa]

I took BEC in October. Did not do well, so not hopeful of passing. Now I am preparing for AUD & will take it on 12/9.

I just got approved to take exam & will get NTS in less than a week after I select sections. Do I sign up for AUD & FAR (took it last Jan) or just AUD? If by some miracle, I pass BEC, I will take FAR in Jan. If I don’t, I will take BEC in Jan. The thing is I will be taking AUD on 12/9 but BEC results comes only on 12/19, or one week later if it needs further evaluation. So there’s about 10 – 17 days waiting period between 12/9 & BEC score release & I want to use that time to study.

I am in CA & my NTS is valid for 9 months. Will be working during tax season only.

Thoughts, suggestions?

FAR - < than 75, 10/2013, 2/2015
BEC - < than 75, 10/2013
AUD - < than 75, 8/2015, 1/2016

~ Winners fail until they succeed. Losers quit when they fail. - Robert Kiyosaki
~ I survived because the fire inside burned brighter than the fire around me.
~ Something will grow from all you are going through. And it will be YOU.
~ Right now you may not be where you intend to be, but it's where you need to be in order to get where you want to go.

[PNS2CLT]

The more sections you sign up for at once, the more you save on your state's application fee. Off the top of my head, I can't recall what the savings are but I know it was a fair chunk of change. That said, the savings pale in comparison to the cost NASBA+Prometric charge per section to administer the exam, thus if you end up rushing to use your NTS before it expires and before you're ready, you p'd away a lot of cash. The questions you should be asking yourself are:

(1) Will you be truly ready to take AUD on 12-9? Consider that (1) Thanksgiving is in 1.5 weeks and (2) if you live in Northern or Southern California, there likely isn't any availability for the remainder of the quarter — you will need to aggressively look for space to open up and that means you'll have to be flexible in selecting your date (e.g. December 3 instead of 9 -> also note at this point, it'll cost $35 to change the date once it's set, and $80 within 5 days).

(2) If you do take AUD in December, will you truly be ready to take FAR or BEC in January? For most people, December is a “party” month, and even for introverted hermits like me, it's hard to avoid. FAR covers a wide beadth of material, and many people study for 2-3 months to become comfortable with it.

(3a) This only applies if you DO NOT live in the Northern/Southern California population centers — If you believe you failed BEC — and let's be honest, while the scores are often unpredictable, there are clear signs that you failed … such as knowing fewer than half the MCQ in the first testlet (and not getting a more difficult second testlet), only knowing one sim, not knowing the WC, etc. — you'll be forced to pay the application fee on a sliding scale, so it becomes moot anyway. Just sign up for AUD at this point, if you feel ready.

(3b) This only applies if you live in Northern/Southern California population centers — don't worry about the fees; if you think you'll be able to take three tests within the next nine months, sign up for AUD & FAR. In order to test on the days you want to test, you'll need to schedule your exam well in advance, and you can only do this if you have your NTS. Currently, you may scheduled your exam deep into next summer via Prometric.

[sacpa]

@PNS2CLT: Thank you for your prompt & detailed response. The re-application fee in CA is $50. Though I save money when selecting more than one section, if met with failure, it becomes hard to prepare for other sections in 9 months. Further while preparing for other sections to prevent NTS expiry, you tend to forget the material for the failed section. That is why it is confusing in deciding to pay for just one section or more than one at a time. To add to the confusion is the long wait for scores when you really don't know whether you passed a section but at the same time can't afford to wait & sit idle without preparing for other sections.

I am in North CA & fortunately have 5 Prometric centers about an hour away from me. I am positive that I can get NTS on time & an exam appointment for 12/9. Towards the end of the quarter, lots of slots open up. I have never had a problem getting a date at the end of the quarter even when I am looking at that time.

Although I am extroverted, since CPA exam is first priority now that I am so angry with myself & determined, studying in late November & December will not be a problem. There will be company during Thanksgiving but plan to finish 1st round way before that & be reviewing around that time. During long weekend, I am planning to get up really early & study before everyone gets up. So I think I will be ready to take AUD on 12/9. Further I have the house to myself for most of December so I can focus on reviewing for AUD early December & preparing for FAR after 12/9. Probably I will focus on topics overlapping FAR & BEC between 12/9 & 12/19, then decide on continuing with FAR or BEC depending on BEC results. I will be taking the next section (FAR or BEC) in late January only. Since I am not new to both FAR & BEC material, I think I will be ready by then.

Still the question remains as whether to pay for just AUD or AUD & FAR. I don't want the pressure of FAR NTS expiring if I fail BEC & have to take again. I suppose I am answering my own question. LOL

FAR - < than 75, 10/2013, 2/2015
BEC - < than 75, 10/2013
AUD - < than 75, 8/2015, 1/2016

~ Winners fail until they succeed. Losers quit when they fail. - Robert Kiyosaki
~ I survived because the fire inside burned brighter than the fire around me.
~ Something will grow from all you are going through. And it will be YOU.
~ Right now you may not be where you intend to be, but it's where you need to be in order to get where you want to go.

[Author]

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