[Hammer]

Is this important. Do I need to honestly practice this, or, is watching Becker’s 45 minute lecture on the topic sufficient?

FAR - 70, 81
AUD - 83
BEC - 77
REG - 70, 78

Licensed in Ohio.

Now what the hell do I do?

[knicks92]

im in the same situation. Havent prepared/practiced for writing sims at all. Have 3 days left till my exam. Im not too nervous because I am an above average writer in standardized exams, but I have heard that people have gotten topics that come out of no where.

Tough times don't last. Tough people do.

B: 88
A: 77
R: 89
F:

[Lucky11189]

Other people may disagree, but I figure that if you have a decent grasp on writing skills in general, you should have no problem with the writing section of the exam. There were only a few rules I was told to know going into the exam. 1. Make sure you have the three important portions of an essay/letter, intro, body & conclusion. 2. Repeat, verbatim the topic at hand within the memo (for example if the question is asking for the implications of strict IT controls, state in your memo “…the implications of strict IT controls…” at least once. 3. Address the memo to the correct person. The question will tell you who you are writing to.

I never practiced the written portion. The only worry I had going into the exam was quantity/quality. Remember, it's a computer grading this written portion, so I don't think it knows/grades based on this concept. I have heard that you can write a 5-6 good meaty sentences and get a perfect score, and I have heard otherwise. Do whatever you are comfortable with.

FAR- 84 (August 2014)
REG- 85 (November 2013)
AUD- 85 (January 2014)
BEC- 83 (May 2014)

[Anonymous]

I didn't practice and did just fine. Listen to the 45 min becker lecture. Review some examples they've shown in the text book and you should be golden. Even though it's said you aren't graded based on content (purely on writing skills), it helps write coherently when you understand the subject matter. Having said that, I took BEC after FAR and my writing questions were related to FAR topics, which helped me answer the questions and write efficiently. Good luck!

[Nute]

Don't sweat the writing. It is essentially writing a business email regarding some business questions. The format to a business letter is apparently really important, so I would definitely look in your BEC book or video to ensure you know the format they are expecting. The topics were extremely varied and they can pretty much ask you a question on anything from the BEC book. The key is trying to get in some of the key words they are looking for in the answer, with proper business letter format. So, maybe doing one writing sim the day before the test can be helpful, just so you know the format they are expecting.

Passed All Four Exams!

Best Exam Advice (came from a fortune cookie after I got a 74 on my first exam):
"Study and prepare yourself and one day, your day will come"

That day came on June 9th, 2015

Licensed NJ CPA

[Anonymous]

You'll be fine as long as you can understand the various formats in business writing and half half decent grammar.

Also, just make sure you write with the “you view” (google it).

[Freyer002]

Yeah the best response I found on this site before taking BEC in May was hilariously accurate, basically write an intro paragraph/sentence, some BS in the middle with good grammar, and a nice conclusion sentence with a follow up like “I look forward to discussing this with you further at such and such meeting”. Then drool on the keyboard for a good 10 minutes lol In short, don't stress about it, if you want to be an overachiever like me, do 1 or 2 of the word prompts in the Becker Final Exams. Good Luck!

FAR 66 (07/01/13), 75! (10/01/13)
AUD 64 (08/12/13), 80! (11/23/13)
BEC 84! (05/22/14)
REG 77! (08/28/14)
DONE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
"Failure is only the opportunity to more intelligently begin again"

[Gatorbates]

And spell correctly. This thread's title “BEC Writting” doesn't bode well ……..

Licensed Florida CPA:
B: 71, 73, 79
A: 83
R: 78 (expired), 77
F: 74, 74, 80

It's finally freaking over.

[Anonymous]

Skip the lecture. Practice writing 3 timed responses for 45 minutes. Test day you will be prepared because you had done it before.

[Anonymous]

No need to practice…just read the Becker section, watch the lecture. BEC writing section is basically free points.

[Anonymous]

Restate the question in your intro paragraph, regurgitate a ton of vocabulary words in the middle paragraph with good grammar, and restate the question in your summary with a nice salutation. As Roger says: you don't have to be right, you just have to be on-topic.

[Tripp11]

As long as English is your first language, I think you will be fine. Those that struggle with English, because it is their second or third language, would obviously need to put in more time.

AUD - 93
BEC - 80
REG - 86
FAR - 83

[CM]

On my first try for BEC, I didn't study at all. I only passed the simulations. I guess if I study just the MCQs next time, I'll pass without even practicing the simulations.

AUD - 80
BEC - 73
FAR - 78
REG - NINJA in Training

"Start by doing what's necessary; then do what's possible; and suddenly you are doing the impossible." Francis of Assisi

I really cannot believe BEC is giving me such a hard time.

FAR: 78 (5x)
AUD: 80 (3x)
BEC: 9/07/2016
REG: 12/06/2016

Failure is never an option.

"Faith in your own powers and confidence in your individual methods are essential to success." Roderick Stevens

[CM]

BTW, English is not my first language. So I guess, it all depends on how good is your writing skill.

AUD - 80
BEC - 73
FAR - 78
REG - NINJA in Training

"Start by doing what's necessary; then do what's possible; and suddenly you are doing the impossible." Francis of Assisi

I really cannot believe BEC is giving me such a hard time.

FAR: 78 (5x)
AUD: 80 (3x)
BEC: 9/07/2016
REG: 12/06/2016

Failure is never an option.

"Faith in your own powers and confidence in your individual methods are essential to success." Roderick Stevens

[Anonymous]

Well, for starters make sure you run spell check because they'll catch a spelling error like WRITTING 10 times out of 10. Aside from that the Becker lecture is useful – apparently the section is graded more for proper form, spelling, and grammar more than it is for the correctness of your written content.

I'd say the hardest part is making sure you allocate enough time to the writing section. I've aced every English class I've ever taken and pride myself on my writing abilities, but when I took the exam I only had 45 minutes left when I started the writing portion and definitely felt rushed. So pretty much there isn't much you can do other than to consider how the exam is weighted and plan accordingly.

[Author]

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