[sarah210]

I’m about midway through FAR becker… and… I just. dont. even.

I thought I felt lost with BEC.

I’m going through the homework in F5 right now and I’m getting tons of the homework wrong. It’s like my brain completely shuts down when it sees multiple interest rates, multiple periods, amortization, premiums, and then throw in some freaking detachable warrants? If I pass FAR this time, I am so going to buy myself a present. How is this possible? Are there any easier chapters coming up? Someone tell me it’s going to be okay.

REG- 53, 91
BEC- 88
FAR- 62, 85
AUD- 85

Ethics- 93

[Whatdidyou]

Bonds have a certain logic to them once it clicks, you get it and the problems become easier.

What irritated me was how many times Gearity would tell us something wasn't GAAP, isn't used, we will never see/use it in our careers, and yet go on to tell us that we still have to learn it for the CPA exam. I mean, come on! Is that really necessary!?!

REG - Passed!!
BEC - Passed
FAR - Passed
AUD - Passed

Study Materials: Becker basic course

[Anonymous]

Hmm, let me think, in 2010 I think after F5, which was focused on Bonds came Leases, Book/Tax Issues, SCF, Gov't, NFP. I don't think it gets easier, per se, if you're getting lost, maybe you could find someone in your area who is taking the exam or who has already taken it and have them tutor you.

I understand how the volume of information can seem overwhelming. When you start getting overwhelmed, just remember, “how do you eat an elephant?”, “one bite at a time”. Don't stress. Just take it one step at a time and recognize what you need to do if you're struggling to master the topics.

[Anonymous]

Yes, it's going to be okay. But you have to understand the basics of what you're studying and then repeat & repeat in order to not forget it.

Studying for FAR was the most overwhelming experience in my life.

Taking the exam, on the other hand, was times easier than studying for it.

Just keep ploughing through it.

[Jacquelyn]

I failed FAR using Becker. I have absolutely no motivation to start back up. I'm in a slump for sure. Ugh!!! I did fine on the MC according to my score sheet from aicpa, but was murdered on sims. What do you all do for sim practice beyond Becker? I clearly need more practice. Thanks

B 71, 74, 84*
A 74, 72, 69, 74, 87*
R 80* ... lost credit... 82* done forever!!!
F 68, 68, 74, 78*

Yep, I've gotten five 74's! Wah!

[Minimorty]

@Jacquelyn – Wiley has a bunch of SIMS that you could practice as well. Similar to Becker, but I believe there are more of them for each topic. You'll probably have some people on here tell you that practicing SIMS are a waste of time, but I think it is very beneficial and tests your ability to apply the knowledge you have learned through reading, lectures, and multiple choice.

[Anonymous]

I think everyone feels that way studying for FAR. I was so overwhelmed and cried often throughout, however, it does get easier. First time doing HW, I was barely making low 60s, however, reading the material again and again while practicing MCQs really helped me understand everything. I think Becker is sufficient for FAR, however, if you have extra cash to shell out, I recommend getting a Ninja Audio. I didn't have enough to go over Gov't & NFP MCQs in Becker, but having listened to the audio on those topics multiple times saved me on the exam day.

As for the SIMs, I didn't have enough time to practice those either, but I do think they are good way to understand/apply the material. Also use Auth. Lit for the SIMs.

Good Luck, you can do it!!!

[Ohmykimb]

I'm starting with FAR and I feel like I can't even keep up. I'm starting to be happy my school takes so long to annotate summer transcripts because then I have a chance to push back my exam if I need to. I'm using Becker b/c I got a scholarship I really planned on using Roger, but so far I only know one person who has used Becker and passed and that alone makes me nervous…

Eff'ed around for a while, doing this for real now

[momto5]

I used only Becker but read through the NINJA notes once or twice the last week before the exam. (I didn't know about them until then). FAR is a crazy amount of material. It was my first exam and I had no idea what to expect. I made lots of flashcards and rewrote notes at the end. The SIMS were challenging and I ran out of time on the last one, so I know I didn't get anything right on that one. But I think Becker did a good job preparing me. At the time, I felt like I was having to push through all the material without really getting a good handle on it all. I hated that. But during the review time, I realized that it got better. I cannot say that I ever felt really solid on any of it – just hoped that it would come to mind when I needed it. Evidently, it did.

My best advice would be not to get too bogged down by any one section, but keep moving through. It comes together better during your review time.

FAR - 92 (4/27/12)
AUD - 96 (7/17/12)
BEC - 92 (8/30/12)
REG - 91 (11/12/12)

[jfw484]

I am studying for FAR right now and I would like to have a study buddy to study FAR with. I live in Austin,Texas. If anyone wants to be a study buddy LET ME KNOW!!!

[Jacquelyn]

@momto5- thank you for your help. When you made flash cards, we're they very detailed? Did you put equations in them? At what point in studying were you making them (first time going through chapter, second time, very end)? I also made flash cards, but they weren't sufficient, I guess. I am going to add ninja notes in and see if that helps.

I remember my sims, and felt like I couldn't apply my knowledge to them at all (especially on an accounts receivable sim). I am hoping that going through Becker mc and sims again, along w re-reading my spotty areas is the ticket.

Thanks everyone for your advice

B 71, 74, 84*
A 74, 72, 69, 74, 87*
R 80* ... lost credit... 82* done forever!!!
F 68, 68, 74, 78*

Yep, I've gotten five 74's! Wah!

[Jacquelyn]

@momto5- thank you for your help. When you made flash cards, we're they very detailed? Did you put equations in them? Awhen you say you made th flash cards at the end, how close to exam time was that? I also made flash cards and notes, but made them as i was going through each chp, and they weren't sufficient, I guess. I am going to add ninja notes in and see if that helps.

I remember my sims, and felt like I couldn't apply my knowledge to them at all (especially on an accounts receivable sim). How do i bridge the gap from mc to a sim? Its like i can do bits and pieces of the problem (an MC) just fine, but cannot put it all together for a sim. Ninja notes help anyone here?

Thanks everyone for your advice

B 71, 74, 84*
A 74, 72, 69, 74, 87*
R 80* ... lost credit... 82* done forever!!!
F 68, 68, 74, 78*

Yep, I've gotten five 74's! Wah!

[Jacquelyn]

Oops! My comment posted twice, sorry! I hit post, then saw I wanted to revise, hit the stop button in browser, but it posted anyway. Please see second comment only, sorry

B 71, 74, 84*
A 74, 72, 69, 74, 87*
R 80* ... lost credit... 82* done forever!!!
F 68, 68, 74, 78*

Yep, I've gotten five 74's! Wah!

[Anonymous]

As my friends and I put it, “F5 makes me question my intelligence”. Don't let it get you down. Battle through the lectures and HW, and move on. When you review the material it will make a lot more sense. I don't know why this is, but everyone I personally know who took FAR with Becker felt the same way.

[Red315]

The becker flashcards helped me. I also supplemented with my own flashcards. I added my flashcards during my final review and spent time memorizing them at the end to solidify my understanding of the concepts.

I am using Becker and have passed each section on the first attempt so far. Still waiting on my FAR scores!

Jeanne Aparicio

B - 75 (11/2011, First Attempt)
A - 88 (2/2012, First Attempt)
R - 89 (5/2012, First Attempt)
F - 79 (8/31/2012 First Attempt)

I AM DONE!!!!!! BECKER IS AWESOME!!!!

Licensed Florida CPA 09/2012

[Anonymous]

@Jacquelyn In no way shape or form did I feel comfortable with the FAR sims, but heres how I approached it, which I guess worked well because I got a decently high score.

Going through the sims, there were points when I just wanted to skip it and come back to it, so I compromised. I filled in whatever I knew to the best of my ability without inventing formulas and/or rules out of thin air, and then moved on, eventually coming back to the question later. Not trying to complete the entire problem relieved some frustration. When I got back to the question, the “important” information within the question started to stand out to me more because I was already familiar with the overall problem. With that said, I can say with great confidence that I could have only gotten 1 sim 100% correct. So that leaves 6 sims that were definitely not 100% correct due to the basic laws of accounting. So my theory here is, don't freak out if you can't get the whole problem correct, or even half correct. Because even if your overall answer violates accounting laws, there can be portions that don't, which apparently weighs heavily towards your score.

So long story short, within an individual sim, don't change an answer that you know is most likely correct in order to make the overall picture look correct, as it seems like the examiners gives tons of partial credit.

I also did not do any of the sims throughout studying, besides the cash flow sims the day of my exam because I was shaky on that subject. I personally don't think practicing the sims in Becker is beneficial, besides getting a feel for how they are formatted.

As far as the Ninja Notes, I don't think they are useful at all. If anything, get the Wiley Test Bank, assuming you ran out of fresh problems in Becker. Most importantly, try to understand why questions are correct and why they are incorrect, don't make the mistake of learning a formula and just applying it to numbers. That can work for the MC, but it probably won't work for the sims. If you really don't understand why something is happening and Becker isn't giving you what you need, Google it, I'm sure someone else had the same or a similar question as you.

[Author]

Replies