BEC Written Communication from those who passed this section- please help!

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BEC Written Communication from those who passed this section- please help!

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Started 4 months ago by MustPass1988
Latest reply from RedRage00

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MustPass1988

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Hey everyone- I'm retaking BEC this coming Friday...I took it a month ago and got a 73 :( :( :(. Anyways, I am looking for tips on the written communication portion of the exam. I thought I did well on this section but apparently I was "comparable". I had an introduction, at least 2-3 paragraphs in the middle to explain what I was talking about and a conclusion. I ran out of time on the last one so it wasn't as detailed...I'm not sure if that was what led to my comparable score or not. Anyways, any suggestions for doing well on this part?

FAR- 8/12
REG- 4/12
AUD- 83 (8/11)
BEC- 81 (1/12)
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Posted 4 months ago #
Sherrid

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I took BEC last window (for the fourth time) after getting a 74 in the prior window. And I passed....finally. I was concerned about the written communication- I was totally unprepared for one of the topics- I seriously had no clue as to the subject matter. I had listened to Becker's lecture and did exactly what Tim said. My memo was well written, no spelling errors, correct punctuation and on topic. By on topic I mean I included the "key words" in my sentences, so I did address the topic but what I wrote was garbage. So in my opinion they most likely scanned my essay and gave me a passing grade because I addressed the topic. If you're using Becker listen to the lecture!!! It worked for me. Good luck to you...if I can pass so can you.

Posted 4 months ago #
rknight21

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^^ sherrid is correct.writing 2-3 paragraph in the middle isn't as helpful as having the keywords in the letter. Wiley breaks down the grading pretty good in their WC sims. Two simple grammatical errors can be the difference between 0 & the 7.5 points... OP I believe I followed the same structure you mention except I only had one middle paragraph...I even had complimentary closings.. I really thought I would Fail for adding that part.

Also very important.. in every conclusion say that you are not an expert in this area but you will research further and schedule a meeting for us to follow-up (or something to that effect)

Posted 4 months ago #
KasiaS

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Leave plenty of time to write the WCs. They're not difficult, but you definitely will need time to organize your thoughts and to proofread your work.

Make sure to stay on point (key words Sherrid mentioned) when writing your responses. The software that grades these looks for language used in the question itself to see if you're on point. Also, use proper grammar and be careful with your spelling (ex. there vs their). Avoid abbreviations (even US GAAP should be written out) and do not use contractions or lists (numbered or bulleted).

Finally, the best advise I got was to be as pompous as possible when writing your responses. I used obnoxiously big words and pulled out just about any related accounting term I could to scoop up points.

FAR 88 (07/15/11)
BEC 83 (08/31/11)
AUD 81 (10/15/11)
REG 83 (11/26/11)

Used NIU Correspondence CPA Review

Posted 4 months ago #
RedRage00

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I agree with Kasia.....it just sounds like you ran out of time. I used a ton of accounting terms in my essays LOL Focus in on those key words.

Texas CPA
Licensed, March 2012

Posted 4 months ago #

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BEC Written Communication from those who passed this section- please help!

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