[str6116]

So I saw a spreadsheet with data that showed people score about 12 pts higher on average on the actual test than on one of the Becker Finals.

My FAR exam is next Monday and I decided to take the first final exam today. I averaged about 66% on the MCQ and 70% on the sims (so roughly a 68 total). Made a few really dumb mistakes too I’ll try not to forget (like just forgetting to subtract tax for 2 questions and including a sub’s NI in a question asking for total NI), I definitely could’ve done better.

Anyway, on one hand I feel a bit more comfortable. But on another, I don’t know. There were definitely a few MCQ’s I remember from before (only a few, but still) when I thought allll these questions were gonna be fresh. Regardless, it’s common thought the MCQ are generally harder for Becker whereas the sims are generally harder on the actual exam. Also, the spreadsheet I mentioned only really has a few Becker final scores/Actual scores of people who failed the actual exam…

Thoughts? Anyone out there score no lower than a 65ish on one of the Becker finals and still fail? It helped my confidence a bit, given I’ve had my days where I think I know nothing and this is impossible. But at the same time I don’t want to feel any false sense of security, especially when it comes to the sims. I’m mostly gonna focus around studying/doing more MCQ’s on areas I’m a bit weak with, and I also plan on spending time just going over journal entries/calculations. I know in a previous thread I read about this Jeff said finals are a waste of time and I definitely understand this angle, but I think it was good to get an idea of what things will be like in terms of the testlets/budgeting my time on test day, as well as identifying some weak areas. It felt good answering questions the way they should be answered, setting up t-accounts/JE’s as opposed to fishing for numbers too much, makes me feel like maybe I can do this.

I just feel too there’s a bit of luck involved, especially with sims (would love to get a few on topics I’m comfortable with).

FAR-82 (7/27/15)
AUD-74 (8/31/15), 92 (1/4/16)
REG-65 (10/28/15), 70 (6/9/16), 80 (7/18/16)
BEC-86 (11/28/15)

DONE

...and that's all the people need to know.

[Jamessemma]

I was averaging 75% on the review but I think I bombed the exam. So I guess it's what u get tested on. The simulations are different in review than actual exam. The review ones were really easy. The exam was pretty tough. Had to guess on about 4 of them because I was lost.

BEC: 82
FAR: 80
REG: 81
AUD: Last exam, end of may 2016.

Key to passing the exam is understanding the topic chapter and sections, not just memorizing what you read. The more you practice multiple choice, the greater chance you have to passing the exam.

[str6116]

The sims probably worry me the most at this point, which is why I plan on going through a bunch of JE's/formulas more.

Hoping partial credit is friendly. I got like 80ish% on a sim related to a topic I am not very comfortable with at all on the practice final. Conversely, I made one dumb mistake that dinged me pretty good on a topic I thought I knew well. Though as you said, the practice final sims were easy… very brief/basic. Becker has longer and harder ones in their system for sure.

Hope you passed as well, I'm sure I'll feel like I failed afterwards as well (though I felt this way on quite a few college exams I did better on than expected, but this is a different beast haha. Heck we got a cheat sheet in intermediate I and my intermediate II prof basically told us most of what was going to be on his exams)

FAR-82 (7/27/15)
AUD-74 (8/31/15), 92 (1/4/16)
REG-65 (10/28/15), 70 (6/9/16), 80 (7/18/16)
BEC-86 (11/28/15)

DONE

...and that's all the people need to know.

[Anonymous]

I think you're on the right track in your preparation.

Studying the book and reworking MCQ's will definitely help come exam time. The simulations are harder to prepare for, I definitely had a few that were out of left-field. I reworked all the Becker simulations prior to my exam, but I didn't feel it helped quite as much as studying the book and MCQ's. Your experience may vary of course.

Familiarizing yourself with journal entries is a good idea, you will likely see them in MCQ's and simulations. Definitely don't neglect government and NFP either. Heavily tested as they say, and it's a new area for many (it was for me).

Everybody seems to have trouble with the simulations, I know I did. I'm not sure what I could have done to better prepare for them other than study the material more. Stay positive (but don't take anything for granted) and study as much as possible!

Good luck!

[Kayla123]

I averaged an 85-90% on the Becker final exam. On the actual exam, I felt the MC were doable, and I felt pretty confident after my first 3 testlets. But my simulations were ridiculously hard. I think I failed FAR solely because my simulations. 2 of them weren't even in the Becker book. I don't think Becker's simulations helped me at all. If I were to do it all over I probably wouldn't even spend time on the Becker simulations because they were so much easier than the real exam that they didn't help at all. On the other hand, I know someone who felt the exact opposite about her exam- she said her sims were easy and her MC were hard. So maybe it just depends on the exam you get?

AUD- 99
FAR- 93
BEC- 90
REG- 94

[Tscape16]

It's not that Becker is harder than the real thing, its that people have used what they identified as weaknesses on the Becker Final(s) and have corrected them prior to taking the exam. That 12% better on the real exam compared to Becker is a garbage statistic (and I say this having proved it with my first two) because how many are going to come forward if they score 76 on Becker and get a 60 on the real thing?

The biggest thing to take away from my post is to not stop once you hit 63%+12 based on a post you saw. Use the information to correct your weaknesses and you'll have success.

AUD - 92
BEC - 86
FAR - 90
REG - 82

Licensed CPA since 2015.

FAR - 90 ✔
BEC - 86 ✔
REG - 82 ✔
AUD - 92 ✔
ETHICS - Passed

*Licensed CPA

[Author]

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