Has anyone failed FAR twice and came back later on to pass it? I am sure there are some of you out there who fall into this boat. I have royally faile FAR twice. My first fail was with a 31. My second fail was a 35. I am very embarrassed by my horribly low scores. I have studied my tail off for this exam and still have not succeeded. Am I the only one out there who has failed so miserably? And if not, has anyone been able to come back from this and passed?
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CPA-2-Be
offlineMemberI estimate no less than 35 study hours per week. I am sure that it is more. I take 45 of my lunch every week day to study, then spend 3 hours every week day at the library and 3 more hours at home. On the weekends I study for atleast 9 hours on Saturday and about 5 hours on Sunday. I am doing all of the MC questions. I do very well on them too. I score between 80-95 on the MC. I thought my study time was quality time, but based on my scores I am beginning to doubt it. I know I get in the zone during studying, but sometimes I may think of something that I need to do at work and whatnot. I am using Becker.
Posted 1 year ago # -
potatogun
offlineMemberHow many weeks? And are you getting 80-95% on the supplemental questions? What about the practice finals? That seems like a huge disconnect between your review MC and the actual test.
Are you over stressing when you take the test? Not getting enough sleep?
Seems like something else if you're putting in enough hours.
FAR 92 - AUD 91 - REG 94 - BEC 86Posted 1 year ago # -
italianCPA
offlineMember80-95 on the becker homework questions (at the first try) sounds like a very good score.
Those are pretty much the questions you are going to see on the exam, sometimes even easier.
How is your time management? Do you run out of time during the exam?FAR - 7/26/10 - 95
AUD - 8/10/10 - 88
BEC - 8/31/10 - 88
REG - 10/15/10 - 95Posted 1 year ago # -
CPA-2-Be
offlineMemberI put in 6 weeks of study time (both times). But the first two weeks this last time were more slacked than the last 4. I can't remember exactly, but on the supllemental questions I think I average around an 80 give or take a few. Practice finals are the same.
I do stress out a lot over this test since it is my weakest area. My professor in college who taught FAR classes wasn't great. I didn't learn much in his classes. I think I am getting enough sleep. Most people can run on 6 hours of sleep a night. Usually the night before the exam, I make myself get 8 hours.
Posted 1 year ago # -
MQcpasoon
offlineMemberCPA-2-Be
I failed FAR two times in the borderline; I think is time to change to Wiley (Yaeger) take at least Friday off, to do whatever you want to do. Believe that you can do it, visualize that you pass, give it another try. you can do it!
Good luck
AUD-77 (expired 11/10) Feb-11 the unbelievable 74;77 05/27/11
FAR 70-68-75
REG 62-69-79
BEC 67-69-65-71-72-72Posted 1 year ago # -
gabe1475
offlineMemberI agree try Yaeger, and I recomment the Cram for just before the exam as it really helps to reinforce concepts. The only strategy I can suggest for both practice tests and the actual exam is to always pick the answer that you think is correct and not fall for the other answers they put there that sound correct. In other word trust your instinct, if you do this throughout the study process you will find out which ones were not correct and keep track and focus on those. Becker is designed for people with a good understanding of accounting, Yeager explains the concepts much better.
FAR - 95
AUD - 82
REG - 94
BEC - 84Posted 1 year ago # -
CPA-2-Be
offlineMembergabe1475 - Did you use Yeager as well? I have requested the 2010 version of the Wiley/Yeager FAR book from my local library to look it through to see what it is like. I am picking it up this afternoon after work. I may have to take yours and MQcpasoon's advice and switch from Becker to Yeager.
Posted 1 year ago # -
Florida_Candidate
offlineMemberokay so you don't do as badly on ALL the sections.... that is good :) Not sure what else to tell you though :( I'd agree with others to buy a different system though cause obviously the one you're on doesn't fit your study style, or testing style, or something. Also, buy the gleim testbank and just practice practice practice those questions! I have a feeling youve probably memorized a lot of the answers from Becker by this point so you may be doing well simply because you remember the answer you know?
FAR-91 (7/29)
AUD-99 (8/23)
BEC-90 (10/1)
REG-99 (11/3)Posted 1 year ago # -
SFCPA13
offlineMemberI agree with Florida on the Gleim software--you'll have roughly 1900 questions to work through. If you can crank through at least 1000-1500 of them and work your way up to 70-80% each time, you should be good to go. The questions are very representative of the exam, actually a bit harder in general.
I got a 75, but I guarantee you I dominated the MC because of Gleim--I just had ridiculous Sims and knew they'd bring my score down. I'm just glad the scale tipped the right way.
Good luck.
FAR-75, BEC-80, AUD-85, REG-79
Gleim ReviewPosted 1 year ago # -
75 CPA
offlineMemberIt sounds like you need a teaching course for FAR, not a high speed, low drag review course. I failed FAR on my first try with an old version of Becker and a new version of Gleim. I used Yaegerr on my second attempt and I passed FAR!
Yaeger combines the best of Becker (lectures) and Gleim (organized multiple choice questions). Yaeger gives a short lecture and then reviews the multiple choice questions in the Wiley book. Yaeger teaches and Becker reviews. It is as simple as that.
Dr. Phil Yaeger spent 1½ hours over the phone with me explaining pensions. No other review course gives you that type of personal service! Becker, for instance, gives no personal service at all. Gleim has personal counselors who know nothing about accounting.
You will not find out how great the people at Yaeger are until you order one of their review programs. I am 100% sold on this company. Yaeger has done everything in their power to help me pass these exams. Additionally, Yaeger is the least expensive of the review programs.
Posted 1 year ago # -
CPA-2-Be
offlineMember75 CPA - I did not know that about Yeager. Thanks for the information! If I don't pass AUD this next time I sit, everyone has got me convinced, I will change to Yeager. That is pretty great how Dr. Phil Yeager spent that time with you. That is wonderful customer support. And you are right, Becker does NOT provide anything like that.
Posted 1 year ago # -
FARbehind
offlineMemberI am surprised it was even possible to get scores like 31. I agree you need a teaching course like yeager. I could never talk to dr yeager, every time i call his wife picks up. She is like his marketing assistant. i failed far 3 times so i also need some kind of a serious push...
aud,bec,reg-passed
far-->75 Done!!!!!
ethics-100Posted 1 year ago # -
whitesoxfancpa
offlineMemberFARbehind,
Your name is misleading, as you're not far behind at all. You're right there! Keep working at it. Hit your weak points hard. You WILL pass and when you're done, all your failing FAR scores will mean is that you'll appreciate your certification that much more.
Do yourself a favor and take out the "yet" from your signature.
AUD 96 FAR 95 REG 94 BEC 88Posted 1 year ago # -
FARbehind
offlineMemberwhitesox,
there you go, I removed the "yet" from my signature... whitesox you are giving me hope, always. I remembered your advice about the time management during the exam but still ran out of time.. Hopefully next time is the big win. I am making changes in my preparation style. Thank you for being a good friend! Good luck on your REG exam on Tuesday.aud,bec,reg-passed
far-->75 Done!!!!!
ethics-100Posted 1 year ago # -
whitesoxfancpa
offlineMemberYes! Great attitude. You've proven that you know this stuff. Now it's just a matter of a few more correct answers or slightly better time management. You are so close. A couple minor changes in your preparation may be all that is needed. Good luck. Treat every day you study as adding points. Learn something new or reinforce what you do know each study session. Maybe remembering one extra detail will be the difference. You will increase your score and pass this thing.
Actually I'm taking REG Monday the 30th...I accidentally put 8/31. I'm going to fix it now.
AUD 96 FAR 95 REG 94 BEC 88Posted 1 year ago # -
financeguy
offlineMemberFARbehind, bummer, I remember reading a lot of your posts concerning FAR as we took it at the same time.
Here is some advice I would give to people:
I see people constantly putting up the scores that they are doing on the becker practice or whatever. Like the original poster saying you were scoring 85-90...I'm not sure how you were scoring that well and had such a drastic difference on your exam...that seems like a massive disconnect. I never score in the 80's or 90's when doing my MC's for practice. It is usually high 60's to high 70's. Maybe you are memorizing the answers...I don't know.I convert my yaeger home dvd's into audio mp3 files and put them on my ipod. My ipod hooks up to my truck. I listen to them when I drive, and I ride the train to work everyday and walk a few blocks, so I listen to them for that commute. I'm not always paying attention, but it definitely helps. They are very easy to convert too. Also I get to the point where when an instructor is explaining something, I can finish the sentence, or if the instructor asks a question, I can answer it before they do. And I'm not talking about having it memorized, I mean I don't always say it word for word, but I say the concept. This really helps reinforce things for me.
cpareviewforfree.com helps a lot
Whatever it is that I am studying for, especially for FAR, it was almost always on my mind. I am not kidding you...for about the last 2 weeks leading up to the test I was dreaming damn near every night of MC questions. I was literally doing this stuff in my sleep. Its really crazy because 95% of the time I can't ever remember dreaming about anything at all, but constantly leading up to FAR I knew I was dreaming about the material.
This was key for me in FAR: Remember, you only need a 75, you don't need a 99. If there is something that you are really struggling with...my advice is to half-ass know it and move on. Now, obviously you cannot do that with everything, but I remember for instance, convertible bonds kept giving me trouble, but I really didn't care...I just figured it was a weak point. You don't have to be an absolute expert in everything.
Remember, this is a competitive exam. You are going up against the other candidates. It is not just an overwhelming amount of hard material for YOU...it is like that for damn near everyone. Just think that you have to beat out 60% of the crowd. Hopefully that can take some of the pressure off of you.
Lastly, be honest with yourself. Are you really studying, when you are studying? It happens to me where I watch an hour of lecture and my mind is totally elsewhere. That really is not an hour of study. The original poster - 35 hours per week? IMO that is freakin insane...especially if that is on a consistent basis. How many of those hours are real productive study hours? I personally could never study that much in a week. I may have done it for FAR 1 week, but that is about it. Let me explain it like weightlifting. Some people spend hours upon hours in the gym, only to find they are not getting big gains. Meanwhile others spend not even half the time at the gym and have twice the gains. You don't build muscle in the gym...you build muscle when you sleep and your muscles rebuild from being broke down. I think the same concept can apply with your brain. You gotta give it some rest. Be efficient with your studying. Let your brain soak it in and marinate on it. Don't overwhelm yourself...I don't think that is a good way to learn.
These are my personal things that I do which I think help me out a lot, and hopefully they can help you.
AUD - 81, BEC - 74, 80, FAR - 82, REG - 81
Done!Posted 1 year ago # -
cpa journey
offlineMemberCPA-2-Be
Are you a nervous test taker? Did you have problems in school testing? It may be that you are scaring yourself too much and not focusing properly while actually taking the exams. Are you reading each question and looking at all available answers before selecting your choice? How are you doing on the sims and wc?
If you were giving a speech I would remind you to picture the examiners in their undies lol.
Posted 1 year ago #
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