FAR CPA Exam Study Prep / Advice « CPA Exam Review Forum

CPA Exam Review Forum » CPA Exam Review » FAR Forum

FAR CPA Exam Study Prep / Advice

17 posts from 8 voices

Started 1 year ago by AARON
Latest reply from AARON

Tags:

No tags yet.

AARON

offline
Member
Hey everyone,

So I took FAR for the first time yesterday. Everything was going OK until I got to the SIMs. Then, yeah: OMG, WTF, FML! Pretty sure I guessed 90% of the time. Thankfully, I think I did well enough on the Communication and Research tab... Nonetheless, I still feel like there's no way I passed...

This brings me to my next point. I used 2009 Becker to prepare for FAR. I like Becker, but I feel like for whatever reason, with FAR, it just wasn't clicking like it did for the other sections. Being that I lose credit for BEC on 7/6/10, I really need to pass FAR ASAP. If I failed yesterday, that would give me only one shot in the April/May window and worst case, another shot 7/1/10-7/5/10. As such, I really want to make sure that I keep studying starting Monday (3/8) so that I can build on my knowledge while its fresh, in the event I have to re-take in April/May. That being said, I want to invest in a new prep course, either Becker 2010 - FAR, or something different. Can anyone suggest prep materials they find that are really well done for FAR? I was thinking Yaeger, but I don't know enough about it. Does Yeager teach Wiley's book? Is that how it works?! Of course, if I managed to pass yesterday, this would not matter so much, but I am just not so sure I passed based on the above. Did anyone feel like I did, and still passed?

Any insight, suggestions would help.

Good luck to everyone taking exams before 3/8, good luck to everyone waiting on scores and good luck to everyone studying in prep for April/May testing.

√ AUD - 87 (8/12/09)
√ REG - 77 (1/15/10
√ BEC - 77 (1/6/09 - Expired) / 79 (11/18/10)
√ FAR - 75 (2/11/11)
Share this on Facebook
Tweet This!
Posted 1 year ago #
Dale

offline
Member

I wouldn't spend any money until you found out on your score. You would still have almost 8 weeks (All of April and May) to study and retake to hit the 2nd quarter testing window after the scores come out at the end of March.

I don't know that I'd buy 2010 Becker if you have the 2009 Becker already. There shouldn't be that many changes and the changes that do exist are probably minor and/or available on the Becker website. If you are going to spend money try a different program. Alternatively, if you get close to passing but don't make it consider one of the cram classes. I know several people from my live Becker class that loved the 1 day live cram thing that Becker does for their final review product.

RTCDQ!!.......Read the Cocka-Doody Question!
AUD-94; REG-97; BEC-93; FAR-94
see how I did it day by day: http://cpa-exam.dalesines.com
contact info on blog

Posted 1 year ago #
AARON

offline
Member

Thanks for the advice, I guess I should have mentioned that I plan on going back to work in late April, so I would like to take the exam earlier than later in the next window, if necessary.

√ AUD - 87 (8/12/09)
√ REG - 77 (1/15/10
√ BEC - 77 (1/6/09 - Expired) / 79 (11/18/10)
√ FAR - 75 (2/11/11)

Posted 1 year ago #
The GaJone

offline
Member

Definitely do not buy the Becker 2010 material just for FAR if you already have the 2009 material. I compared my 2010 book to the 2009 book that one of my co-workers has and just at a glance about 99% of it was identical. The 2010 book, to my surprise, just added a very short paragraph at the bottom of the 2nd page in F1 explaining how the Accounting Standards Codification became the single source of authoritative accounting principles recognize by FASB. It then goes on for several pages explaining the "GAAP Hierarchy", even though the inserted paragraph literally just explained that it was replaced by the Codification. IMO they didn't do a great job of updating the material; they just added that very short paragraph to the 2009 textbook material. And outside of that I didn't even see any changes at all, but again we just kind of glanced at everything.

Hopefully you passed though so none of this matters!

FAR: 81 (1/20) AUD: 88 (2/27) REG: 91 (4/19) BEC: 75 (5/20)

Posted 1 year ago #
dobat

offline
Member

Well for FAR i was sure I did really well on the multiple choice, and I did. then I got to the sim and my feeling of ...im passing this easily no doubt..went from 100% sure im passing to 40% chance of pass 60% fail chance. I literally guessed on 60% of the sim, didnt find any of the research problems and total bs'd my way thru the communication written part. I got my results back, stronger on most MC except weaker on non profit which i didnt study. I got weaker on the communication Obviously!lol. then on the Sims itself i got stronger????? not sure how but maybe they give a lot of leeway. I got an 81 after already losing 10% of the test to the failed communication part. Crush the MC part and u will probably pass.

FAR 11/18/09 - 81, BEC 1/9/10 - 83, AUD 5/24/10 - 92, REG 8/30/10 - 86

Posted 1 year ago #
AARON

offline
Member

I guess there's hope... we will see.

√ AUD - 87 (8/12/09)
√ REG - 77 (1/15/10
√ BEC - 77 (1/6/09 - Expired) / 79 (11/18/10)
√ FAR - 75 (2/11/11)

Posted 1 year ago #
cmb2009

offline
Member

Glogo,

If I were you, I would definitely wait. I took FAR last window and was convinced I had failed. I guessed on a large portion of the multiple choice and nearly all of the simulations. It wasn't that the questions I got were all that difficult, I just focused on the wrong things during studying. Regardless, I came out with a 77. So there is hope, you just never know with FAR.

AUD-73,79; BEC-69,82; FAR-77; REG-83 DONE!

Posted 1 year ago #
Guccimane

offline
Member

Download all of cpareviewforfree problems if you need a boost or want to keep studying

Sorry you failed the SIMs I bet next time you will have better luck; keep working problems and if you need to retest you will be ready beginning April.

83 Reg, 76 BEC, 94 Aud, 79 Far

Done ......!

Posted 1 year ago #
AARON

offline
Member

Thanks for all the advice. I am hoping I did enough with the MC and Comm where it may bail me out of the MC... in any case, call me crazy, but I ended up being Yaeger today... I am going to approach this as if I have to re-take it come April.. it helps when your parents are willing to give you $300 to do it as well... otherwise, I wouldn't have bought it... we'll see what comes of it. If I happened to get by, you'll know where to come get your study materials if you just started studying for FAR... and at a discount, heck, if I passed, I'll give them away for free!

√ AUD - 87 (8/12/09)
√ REG - 77 (1/15/10
√ BEC - 77 (1/6/09 - Expired) / 79 (11/18/10)
√ FAR - 75 (2/11/11)

Posted 1 year ago #
75 CPA

offline
Member

Our situations are identical, except I am sweating out AUD as my last exam. I start to lose credits on July 10.

Based on my experience, this is what I would do: Do not spend any money until you find out that you failed FAR. However, like me, you need to continue studying. Therefore, answer ALL of the multiple choice question on "CPA Review for Free" over the Internet. Buy Yaeger Homestudy if you failed FAR. Talk to Dr. Phil Yaeger. He will comfort you, as he did for me, when I failed FAR using Becker.

I passed FAR, REG, and BEC last year using Yaeger. I am a big fan of Yaeger after suffering with Becker and Gleim.

Oops! I see that you already bought Yaeger Homestudy. I like Yaeger better than Becker because Yaeger is a true teaching course for FAR, REG and BEC. I would like for you to contrast Yaeger and Becker.

Posted 1 year ago #
AARON

offline
Member

Thanks for the advice! I only bought it because my parents insisted I buy it and they would pay for it, how could I turn it down if they wanted to pay for it? I may have painted a picture to them that said, there's no way I passed... in any case, good to know that I have hope, and if I didn't pass, Yaeger seems like the way to go... can you tell me a little about how Yaeger works?

Good luck with Audit, I felt Becker did a great job with Audit, I was really well prepared for that... So are you waiting for your Audit score in Wave 2?

√ AUD - 87 (8/12/09)
√ REG - 77 (1/15/10
√ BEC - 77 (1/6/09 - Expired) / 79 (11/18/10)
√ FAR - 75 (2/11/11)

Posted 1 year ago #
AARON

offline
Member

I'm expecting my Yaeger books to come in today. Can anyone give me an idea of how much time the Yaeger program requires to prepare? Let's say to take an exam the first couple of weeks in April.

√ AUD - 87 (8/12/09)
√ REG - 77 (1/15/10
√ BEC - 77 (1/6/09 - Expired) / 79 (11/18/10)
√ FAR - 75 (2/11/11)

Posted 1 year ago #
Guccimane

offline
Member

video's are like 48hrs and then you need to factor in studying and questions; I say 3-5hrs per day up to the exam day and do as much as possible 2days before exam and go over all the stuff you need to keep freshest in your melon

to me my learning memory works like the LIFO system come exam time keeping those hard things fresh will help and then the older material you studied will be the easier more comfortable material so you should be able to recall it easier

hope this helps

but taking at the end of window would be safer

83 Reg, 76 BEC, 94 Aud, 79 Far

Done ......!

Posted 1 year ago #
Jeff - another71.com

offline
admin

Early April isn't enough time if you're using the FAR HomeStudy...you need a solid 5-6 weeks at least in my opinion.

Become a NINJA:
NINJA ASSASSIN Notes
NINJA ASSASSIN Audio
Wiley Online Test Bank

Posted 1 year ago #
AARON

offline
Member

Even if I have taken the exam before and prepped for it using Becker? I plan to stuyd for 6 hours day. I was going to try and get through it all and shoot to take the exam 4/15 if necessary...

√ AUD - 87 (8/12/09)
√ REG - 77 (1/15/10
√ BEC - 77 (1/6/09 - Expired) / 79 (11/18/10)
√ FAR - 75 (2/11/11)

Posted 1 year ago #
75 CPA

offline
Member

If you follow the instructions of another.71 you should be in great shape. The core of his advice was to take insane notes. If you do not take insane notes on FAR, you will be lost.

My typewritten notes are 1½ thick! It has taken me 1 week per DVD to write these notes. That is a total of 13 weeks! Recopying my notes is how I passed FAR.

I have $2,000 of review materials for FAR. Besides Yaeger, I also have Becker, Bisk Hot Spots and Gleim Online. After I finished Yaeger, I used other review courses to see if any other review program could throw any curves at me.

What I really like is Cindy pointing out all of the tricks and lies that the examiners use on the exam.
For example, here are some of my notes on the Statement of Cash Flows:
Thinking through each account is just going to slow you down. Use a mechanical approach. Use Cindys Fake Cash Method. The examiners lied to you again...!

Posted 1 year ago #
AARON

offline
Member

Thanks! I'll let you know how it goes.

√ AUD - 87 (8/12/09)
√ REG - 77 (1/15/10
√ BEC - 77 (1/6/09 - Expired) / 79 (11/18/10)
√ FAR - 75 (2/11/11)

Posted 1 year ago #

RSS feed for this topic

CPA Exam Review Forum » CPA Exam Review » FAR Forum

FAR CPA Exam Study Prep / Advice

Reply