[Anonymous]

Seriously, Is it just me or is this whole exam process utterly ridiculous? I took my first ever exam section of FAR a couple days ago and after the experience I am thinking to myself just how stupid this is. I’m not saying I’m quitting or anything like that, but these accounting boards want us to sit in a chair for 4 hours and try to answer 97 total questions that take me almost 4 hours just to read and understand the question & figure out how to solve it let alone begin actually calculating the question to get the answer. On top of that, they word the questions so poorly that it just adds to the confusion. On top of that, the answer choices are all trying to trick you because they’re all the calculations someone would make if they solved the question the simplest way possible. Why can’t they just reduce the amount of questions or split the test up into more sizable chunks so I can actually understand the ins and outs of the accounting concepts NASBA is testing us on? No, instead I have to make up all of these stupid little mnemonics and abbreviations in my head just in case I have 1 or 2 questions on it during the real exam. About 75% of the formulas and concepts I memorized weren’t even tested. I instead was tested on a lot of questions that weren’t familiar to me and didn’t have time to truly write out and attempt to make t-accounts for anyway. I only have like 2-3 minutes max to solve the hard MCQ’s anyways. I’ll I’m saying is if NASBA is going to test us on stuff that takes more than 2-3 minutes to solve then don’t give us so many questions in the first place because maybe then I would feel good about myself. Is it really that hard to make it a 75 question test and make it 5 Sims instead? What’s the point of so many questions, when no one has enough time to truly understand and figure out the answer without having to guess so much?

Do you want to take a break during your 4 hour exam the screen asks me? Of course I want to take a break, but if I do then any chance I did have to score a 75 is even more unlikely to happen. It’s like someone dangling a nice hot fresh piece of pizza in front of me and asking me if I want to have a snack. If I did have any urge to use the washroom during those 4 hours I was just going to do it right there at my desk. I have way too much time, money, and energy invested in this to take any chances. This is how ridiculous this whole CPA exam experience is.

[mla1169]

Although the exam does test knowledge, I really think it is more a method (a hazing if you will) of weaning out 60% +/- of the people who WANT to be CPA's but aren't willing to put themselves through hell to get it.

Can you imagine how flooded the market of CPAs looking for work would be if this whole process was fair in the way we would define it?

Its a sick sick joke, but a herculean accomplishment!

FAR- 77
AUD -49, 71, 84
REG -56,75!
BEC -75

Massachusetts CPA (non reporting) since 3/12.

[Anonymous]

@mla1169, Yes I see your point, like Cindy Simpson says in her videos, nothing worth having comes easy and we'll have more opportunities to be happy in life when we pass. But I have to ask you and anyone else reading this, how much more money do we make if we do become a CPA versus someone who has just an MBA and a B.S in Finance and Accounting like me. I'm asking for motivational reasons and not to be negative. I read on the internet that it's around $15,000 more per year. That's not very good in my opinion, I need more additional money per year than $15,000.

[Anonymous]

Tell me about it….I think you are experiencing a normal reflex.

The day after I ordered my testing materials, I woke up in an almost panic attack mode. I thought to myself “what the heck did I just do to myself”. I was almost in a panic.

I received the books from CPAExcel and that did nothing to quell my panic. Bricks of huge volumes of information.

I began studying and it felt good. I was motivated….it felt good to be learning again. I had moments, though, where I would think about the mamoth task ahead and just say “forget this, I can't do months and months of this”. Then I pushed on through that and finally finished the audit prep.

I took the test and just knew I failed. I was so peeved I stopped off at Joe's Crab Shack and bought myself a pot of comfort crab and lobster. But then the test came back at an 87.

Now I am studying for BEC and panicking because I have four sections to study with only 19 days to go before the test and capital budgeting is kicking my butt. I'm exhausted and tired and every once in a while that self-doubt creeps in along with the overwhelming fear that I will get through two parts and not be able to complete the rest.

I'm with you this sucks. I'm seriously considering taking the easy and shorter way out and going to Medical School! 😀

[mla1169]

I've read the $15k figure as well. All I can say is if you can find another way to boost your earning potential by more than $15k a year, go for it (and let me know how as well!)

CPA's used to be right up there with Dr's and Lawyers but not currently. I believe that may change in the future. Meantime if you've spent any time in the job market lately its not good in general. Companies looking for accountants with their Bachelor's and offering $13/hour to start? Seriously?

In this job market more important than that $15k/year, the CPA designation makes you a better candidate. Now if you have a decent job currently thats no big deal. If you're out of work and struggling to find something it makes a HUGE difference.

FAR- 77
AUD -49, 71, 84
REG -56,75!
BEC -75

Massachusetts CPA (non reporting) since 3/12.

[Anonymous]

@CPApending That's great that you passed after you were 100% sure you failed. That gives me some hope that I might've passed FAR. But how did you pass it with an 87 after you thought for sure you failed? Do you attribute it to the curve of the scores in your favor or do you attribute it to you guessed very very well? Was there any questions you just had to guess on and move on? Did you leave any Sims blank or blindly guess on the Sims at all? Please tell me. I myself guessed on about 25% of the MCQ and guessed on about half of the Sims. I didn't leave anything blank. I'm hoping the curve will give me a 75, but you know what they say about wishing in one hand.

[Veronica75]

The exam is stupid. But more stupid is the cost to take the thing! We pay $200 a pop to have to wait 3-4 weeks for scores? and it's computerized? Ugh. Also stupid is paying the state board a fee, then nasba's testing fee, then waiting and finally being able to schedule with prometric. What a hassle. The whole process is slow.

I wish credits didn't expire, because that sucked big time when I lost one. I'm confident that the delay in score releases during 2011 did not help me in scheduling exams. I never knew what to do next? 2011 wasn't a great year for me.

I think I need my coffee and a happy pill now. 🙂 I'm sure this exam will pay dividends if we all stick it out. Just to be able to get called in for more job interviews is a success. Now that we've cried and moaned, let's try to stay positive and finish! We'll be so proud of our accomplishment!

FAR - 79 (2x)
AUD - 81 (expired), 77!
REG - 74! omg (3x) 87!!!!!!! I'm done! OMG!
BEC - 81 (4x)

[Anonymous]

@mla1169 Let me ask you about your experiences at the test center. When you took FAR, were you 100% sure you failed or did you feel good about your attempt that day? Did you have to guess a lot on FAR, did you leave any Sims blank? Was it the curve that helped you pass? Thanks.

[Anonymous]

@anythingoes – I was 99.9% sure I hadn't passed FAR, and I ended up with an 84. I think it's impossible to guess how you do on these exams especially since their scoring system is confidential.

[mla1169]

Veronica I am giggling at this

“We pay $200 a pop to have to wait 3-4 weeks for scores? “

Would have KILLED to only wait 3-4 weeks for most of my scores. Q1 of last year I waited 11 weeks. But a wait is a wait and I understand.

Anything goes, FAR was my first exam I had no idea what to think and I seriously don't remember a thing about it.

AUD on the other hand, I left in tears. Started restudying that very night because I knew I'd be taking it a 4th time. I guessed on 4/7 SIMS although I felt good about the MCQ's. I told everybody right away that I failed so there was no asking if I passed at exam release time.

I still don't believe the 84, but I am not complaining.

FAR- 77
AUD -49, 71, 84
REG -56,75!
BEC -75

Massachusetts CPA (non reporting) since 3/12.

[Anonymous]

@apbandj Thanks. Did you guess on any questions, did you leave any Sims blank? My last testlet was definitely a very easy testlet, so that's not a good sign for me. Hopefully, the population I tested with were all partying during the holidays and bombed FAR worse than I did.

I think their scoring system is confidential because they do curve it based on the testing window scores. Otherwise, we should get the score immediately after we click done. It would have to be curved, because the entire test is done on a computer that has non-subjective answer choices, it's not like we're taking an English ISTEP test or SAT test where a writing section has to be evaluated by professional graders, the CPA exam is a yes or no type of answer system. It's all about make revenue fees from the candidates because it's too coincidental that the pass rates for all sections of the CPA are always hovering right around 45%. Even Cindy Simpson of Yaeger said this herself on the FAR videos. So I'm allowed to bomb the test just as long as other candidates bombed it worse than I did, right?

[Peanut]

I was 100% sure I failed FAR —75

I was 100% sure I failed BEC— 79

I think there is an entire thread about how people thought they failed and passed

AUD 81 (X4) Previous scores 59, 72, 72
REG 80 (X3) Previous scores 59, 60
FAR 75 (X2) Previous score 67
BEC 79 (X2) Previous score 58

[Anonymous]

@mla1169 or anyone else reading this. Why is AUD so difficult. I hear that AUD is the least amount of material to understand and that it's easier than FAR, yet you passed FAR on the first try & struggled with AUD? It makes no sense to me. Please explain.

[Anonymous]

If there is anything stupid about this whole process, it's the fact that they use metal detectors now at Prometric. I mean, seriously, am I going to go to the Prometric center and shoot someone because I'm frustrated at my exam???

[katiekanton]

AnythingGoes75

You are not alone. I believe most people feel the way you do after your first section. There have been volumes written about it just on this site. There's a whole thread about how some of us got overcome with anger by the time we got to the sims. YES, this exam is just a stupid hoop-jumping process resulting in very, very little long-term knowledge retention. YES, you are not graded based on how well you did, but how well you did compared to everybody else who took it in the same window. YES, there are better ways to “protect the public interest” and turn out quality CPAs.

Our complaints are valid, but nobody's going to do anything to change it. If you just accept this, it will go smoother for you. I speak from experience.

Having said that, don't try to figure out of if you passed or failed based on your testing experience. There's really no way for you to know how you will score. Your score is “assigned” based on the score you actually earn. From what we can gather, the score that you're assigned will probably be based on where you fall in the percentile of other people who took it. You have no way of knowing how they did, so just decide not to worry until you actually see the score.

NOW, is it worth it? I don't know. Most (I emphasize most, someone will probably be in here soon with a snarky comment as we have a few vets with some moderate self-esteem problems) of the people on this board will be encouraging and urge you to stick with it. I don't know if that's really a good thing. I have been in some dark places in this process and have really wondered if it is worth it. I still don't know for sure because I was doing pretty well before. It's a question only you can answer. Just don't decide when you're feeling like you do now. Surely, don't decide until you've gotten your first score. There's absolutely no way you can tell how you did yet.

You should probably check out the thread titled “Rules for the CPA exam”. It may help you.

AUD - 88
FAR - 90
REG - 85
BEC - 88

[mla1169]

For me it was just conceptual. I work in accounting, and never have nor will I ever work in audit. I can figure out a lot of FAR, BEC and REG simply based on what I've done for a living for nearly 20 years. And studying other concepts was fairly easy for me beause I could visualize it in my head.

AUD was simply memorization, and I hate to memorize without having a problem I can solve.

FAR- 77
AUD -49, 71, 84
REG -56,75!
BEC -75

Massachusetts CPA (non reporting) since 3/12.

[Author]

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