[jsimus]

To all achievers of 90+ in FAR first time what is the secret formula you guys used? Did your score report show STRONGER across all the areas .? Is it the tons of MCQs (3000+) you solve, the review course used ie (becker,Ninja,Gleim,CPAexcel,NIU, Wiley,etc,etc etc ) or knowing the inside out of FAR such that when you read a question you know the answer in less than 1 min without any guess .How many months of preparation did you guys use prior to sitting the exams.? Looking at the tons of knowledge needed to just get 75 in FAR…. is making wonder if 90+ is achievable for me in FAR for a first timer sitting with 2 months preparation.

[peetree]

This is what I've been doing every exam and its been working well so far.

1) Read/watch lectures

– I perfer watching the lectures because they force me to slow down and go topic by topic but other people don't care for them. Personal preference really.

2) Do corresponding homework

– Super important to hit the software after each section you review to work the corresponding MCQ. This helps instill those concepts in your head and also allows you to see your weak areas. Mark the questions you get wrong.

3) Once book is fully completed, go and do homework problems you got wrong a second time

-Remember when I said mark the questions you initially got wrong? After getting through all of them, hit those questions you got wrong. If your brain is functioning, you should be now getting 70-80% on those questions you initially got 0% due to the learning process. If you're still struggling, it might be a good idea to re-watch the lecture. (I had to do this for Treasury Stock)

4) Re-write Jeff's notes (you'll notice a lot of things just start to make sense at this point)

– Time to hit the notepad and re-write those notes. Like I said above, topics will start to make a lot of sense as the things you learned when going over the homework will be pounded into your head even more.

5) Work questions in the Wiley test bank over and over while also studying your notes every day

– I feel this is a VERY important part of this process. The wiley test bank has questions that you've never seen before. Its now time to test what you actually know in a setting that is testing your knowledge with fact patterns you haven't seen before. If you're doing well in the WTB, that is a very good sign. If you have time before step 6) Progress tests that are over all topics until you can't see straight.

6) Re-read your book 1-2 days before exam day.

– This helps bring it all together one last time and allows your mind to catch some of those random intracacies to the topics. Helps you remember those lease menumonics. Helps you pinpoint those differences between IFRS and GAAP one last time.

7) ace your exam

-Be confident in what you've studied and DON'T freak out if something is on the exam that you don't know how to solve. FAR is a huge test with tons of content. It is almost impossible to remember EVERY SINGLE FACT. Don't worry, it might (hopefully) be a pretest question. Make an educated guess and just move on.

This might seem like overkill to some but when I first started studying, I told myself that I only wanted to study for these exams once. I'd rather do more the first time around than do even MORE work having to study for them multiple times.

I guess my study habits follow the “measure twice, cut once” mantra.

Good luck. The exam process is a marathon of ups and downs. If you're feeling discouraged, go to the “I DID IT-PASSED THE CPA EXAM” thread and read that people pass this thing. Tons of people pass and with the right preparation, you will too.

FAR 02/21/13 - 95
REG 07/02/13 - 87
AUD 08/02/13 - 94
BEC 08/30/13 - 85
Ethics Exam - 90

Illinois candidate awaiting his license

Used Becker Self Study | Ninja Audio | Becker Flash Cards | Ninja Notes | Wiley Test Bank

[mmp3]

My process was very similar to peetree's. The only other piece of advice I would add is don't place too much emphasis on the topics your review materials say are heavily tested at the risk of not understanding a less important topic. I made sure to go back and redo all the homework on certain areas I felt I was weak on. For me it was bonds, leases and pensions in FAR. I went back and reviewed those chapters a second time, taking a second set of notes and re-doing all the homework. I found that the actual exam hammer you with questions on certain things and ignore others. You just never know what you are going to get so make sure you are comfortable in all areas. If you score well on a heavily tested area from the start don't waste your time on it because you may not see one question on your actual exam. That's just my two cents.

FAR 92 (2/27/13)
AUD 99 (4/18/13)
REG 93 (7/5/13)
BEC 92 (8/12/13)

Becker Self Study

[Anonymous]

3 weeks, 100 hours: NO lectures, read, take notes, rewrite notes, do 3000+ MC

I literally switched 4 answers from the right one to the wrong one (that I know of). Trust your gut during the exam and don't panic. It was my first exam as well and I freaked out mid-way through the MC.

Oh and I didn't use the Ninja notes at all, but after looking at them for my final exam (REG), I wish I had.

[gobias]

Wait…are there states where you get a score report even if you pass?

F - 86
R - 90
A - 97
B - 91

[Topsya]

@gobias Maryland

AUD - 90
FAR - 83
BEC - 81
REG - 80
ETHICS - 100

[txcpa13]

I tried to make sure I understood every concept in the Becker lectures even if it was something they casually skipped over in the lecture itself. I did all the questions once after each lecture and redid them all over again the week before the exam. I used Wiley Test Bank to give myself unseen question practice the few days before the exam just to make sure I actually got everything!

Despite all that I felt defeated after the actual exam – so don't lose hope if you feel the exam doesn't go well after all your work! With the CPA exams you really never know how you do until score release day.

GOOD LUCK!

AUD - 99 (5/2013)
BEC - 93 (5/2013)
FAR - 97 (7/2013)
REG - 94 (8/2013)

[txcpa13]

Btw 2 months prep is more than enough if you aren't working simultaneously. I spent about 4 weeks on FAR, 9-5 on weekdays only so my husband wouldn't feel neglected. It's def possible!

AUD - 99 (5/2013)
BEC - 93 (5/2013)
FAR - 97 (7/2013)
REG - 94 (8/2013)

[rupert]

I studied using NIU (Northern Illinois University) CPA Review – Correspondence Option. It's basically an MP3 audio version of the live review course. I supplemented the material with Wiley Online Test Bank. However, I ran out of time and was only able to get through about 300 Wiley MCQ's per exam section.

The review materials from NIU CPA Review were pretty well loaded with MCQs mixed in throughout the chapters, so it's not like I didn't practice any MCQs. Many candidates do thousands of MCQs and repeat them several times.

The MP3's contained approximately 40-50 hours of lecture for each exam section (maybe only 30 for BEC, but I haven't started yet, so not sure).

Here's the approach I've used for each exam section so far.

1) Listen to lecture and follow along in the review books. Take necessary notes.

2) Re-read the books and work through the material on my own. Take notes as necessary.

3) Read through all review books again (the 3rd review is much quicker than previous 2).

4) Review notes and/or sections from books that were difficult to remember.

5) Work MCQs from Wiley Online Test Bank in practice mode from all topics. Again, I ran out of time, so I didn't make it through nearly as many questions as I had originally planned. I didn't work any practice task based simulations in Wiley. I just hoped that my understanding of the material was sufficient to complete the task based simulations thrown at me during the exam.

6) Review AICPA exam released questions. These were provided through my review course. They are a sample of actual exam questions released by AICPA from recent exams.

For each section, this was done in a compressed time frame of approximately 20 days (maybe a little longer for FAR). I'm the worst procrastinator in the world. Fortunately, my job allowed me to take some time off before each exam. I studied for 12+ hours per day for at least 10 days prior to the exam. Estimated study time for each exam: FAR – 200, AUD 150 to 175, REG 150 to 160.

There were also a few topics in FAR that I found myself referencing my textbook from college accounting courses to get a better understanding and explanation of the topic.

So far, I've scored FAR 90, AUD 96, and REG 93. It would be an understatement to say that I'm pleased with the NIU CPA Review course.

Many candidates are successful just cranking out thousands of MCQs without much reading/reviewing. I don't like this approach because I feel the need to understand as much of the material as possible before approaching MCQs (with the exception of MCQs contained in each chapter to help with understanding concepts). However, I must say that the 300 or so Wiley MCQ's I attempted for each exam section were very helpful. Many of them were very similar to actual exam questions. If I had to do it over again for the 3 sections I passed, I would try to get through all of the MCQs at least once.

FAR 90 Oct. 6, 2012
AUD 96 Dec. 8, 2012
REG 93 May 30, 2013
BEC 84 Aug. 31, 2013

NIU CPA Review Correspondence and Wiley Test Bank

[Anonymous]

@peetree. by read the book what do you mean? you read it front to back or just read all the highlights?

[peetree]

@cpa10 Cover to Cover. Even though Brolinto or Gearty don't highlight something, it doesn't mean that you won't see it on the exam. Just reading and seeing it once may be enough for you to remember it and earn some easy points. Always make sure you understand the highlighted sections thoroughly as those are always the major topics.

FAR 02/21/13 - 95
REG 07/02/13 - 87
AUD 08/02/13 - 94
BEC 08/30/13 - 85
Ethics Exam - 90

Illinois candidate awaiting his license

Used Becker Self Study | Ninja Audio | Becker Flash Cards | Ninja Notes | Wiley Test Bank

[Whopper Warrior]

Did Becker Fast pass, wrote notes during lecture instead of highlighting. Never re watched a lecture (really only attended the classes for the Becker promise)

Never Read the book unless I had an area in MC where I seriously bombed. I found I became distracted and it was wasted time.

Did the MC twice through (once in fast pass, once in self study). If I got it wrong I read the explanation and examined my thought process, and the correct answer process. Same for Simulations. On my second time through I also did a Comprehensive review after finishing a chapter of 30-50 questions for all the chapters to ensure I wasn't learning one chapter at the expense of another.

Before the exam I gave me three days, two days for the two Becker “tests”, and one day to rework all the simulation. The simulations are comprehensive and with no multiple guess you have to know what you are doing. Also, I would either delete answers or put in wrong answers or do nothing so I could not go “seems right” and move on.

Lastly, during the exam: READ THE QUESTION. Lots of easy concepts with complicated fact patterns: Such as Mid-Month, Mid-Year Dates (I hope this isn't considered disclosure). Seriously, I haven't received my REG or AUD tests, but one word changes the answer. You need to Read the Question and Breath. If you cant get the calculation right, on your first try reread the question, flag it, and move on. I find my brain still picks at the question as I move on to other questions. Cant figure out a concept? Repeat in your head “One of these is not like the other”, usually the correct answer stands out after that, at least for me.

I hope this helps, although I am a recent graduate trying to bang it all out before I start work. Out of everything I said Reading the Question is the most important part. In my honest opinion if you can critical read and put in some effort on the studies, you are golden.

ALL 4 parts passed summer 13
Ethics October 13
Experience (waiting)

Becker Only

[titine]

I have a friend whose FAR score was 96 (he probably will get the EWS award too). He went over the lecture once and did MCQ twice. He used CPAExcel at the beginning but then switched to Becker questions later on. He told me that it seems like CPAExcel questions are more difficult than Becker though. My guess is understanding the concept really well and doing lots of MCQ will help you tons.

[Author]

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