First time test taker…nervous doesn't explain it - Page 2

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  • #187728
    Grwnldy
    Member

    I’m sooo nervous. I take BEC for the very first time on Thursday Morning…I don’t feel prepared. I’m working & re-working practice exams & re-reading the entire Becker book tomorrow. I’ve been studying non stop for the past week but had a progressive study schedule for the last month.

    I’m so nervous that I’m going to crap my pants…I’m an investment accountant & could probably use another 3 days of studying – I’ve only got two however. Any last minute advice for the kid from Ohio?

    BEC - Aug 14 2014
    AUD - Oct 2014
    REG - Nov 2014
    FIN - Jan 2015

Viewing 15 replies - 16 through 30 (of 35 total)
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  • #588146
    Grwnldy
    Member

    @ShelahV Yea!! we are test buddies….do you have a topic that you're struggling with? I liked @ How Many Letters idea of notes & memorization.

    BEC - Aug 14 2014
    AUD - Oct 2014
    REG - Nov 2014
    FIN - Jan 2015

    #588147
    Tux
    Member

    Go early to the test center

    bring ear plugs

    Breathe and think positively – if you hold onto your nerves, you won't be able to think straight for the exam.

    You need to have a clear head. So do whatever you need to regroup and move forward.

    Worst case – you don't pass, and you take it again. Not the end of the world.

    Actually the first exam puts you in the best position cuz your 18 month deadline hasn't started yet.

    I'm praying that I can get through all exams before my 18 months is over. Right now, I'm ok on time, but if I don't pass one time, it adds to the pressure

    FAR - 86 - 2/27/14
    AUD - 75 - 5/29/14
    BEC - 80 - 8/31/14
    REG - 89 - 2/27/15
    Praise Jesus! I'm done!!

    Study resources:
    Becker
    Wiley test bank

    #588148
    ShelahV
    Member

    Grwnldy, I seem to have odd areas of difficuly. The overhead varianes seem to get me about have but I can do the labor & material variances farily easily. Can't figure out why I can do some but not one. I seem to struggle with some area of COBIT and COSO but not all of them. Grrr. I'm using Becker and on Sunday I did Practice Test 2 and that was brutal! I only ended up with 60 points from MCQ so definiately didn't pass. *sigh* This one really stung since I've been averaging high 80's in Becker and high 70's in Ninja MCQ The good new is I just fnished retaking Practice Test 2 in Becker and I ended up with 76 just from MCQ so that was encouraging.

    I made a list this last weekend when I was studying and I have some notes specific to that area that I'm going to read over the morning of my exam to hopefully stick those concepts in my brain.

    How about you? Which qestions make you scream “NO!” when you see them?

    BEC 8.14.14 - 87!
    FAR 1.8.15 - 89!
    REG 4.15.15 - 86!
    AUD 7.2.15 - 90!

    Application submitted 8.6.15
    Licensed CPA 8.19.15

    Benefit in living in a small state SD!

    #588149
    jstay
    Participant

    you guys says ear plugs? meaning headphones or actually earplugs to drown out sound?

    #588150
    Grwnldy
    Member

    @ShelahV Me personally I just discovered the final exam section…dunno how I missed that. but yea I just took the first one, bombed it…I definitely am having trouble with MPC, and the whole equivalent units of productions. Grr I guess I'll be up all night studying…this 40% won't cut it.

    BEC - Aug 14 2014
    AUD - Oct 2014
    REG - Nov 2014
    FIN - Jan 2015

    #588151
    ShelahV
    Member

    Good Luck Grwnldy! I struggled with those in the beginning too. After doing a bunch of MCQ, they go easier and now I generally have no issues with them. I did lots of progress tests too. A couple on each section individually and then 1 & 2; 3 & 4 and 5 & 6. Then I mixed them all together. I did all of my practice tests in 24 question increments – more exam like and I could easily relate it to how I'd do on a section.

    Well I hear the Ninja BEC MCQ calling my name. Need to knock out 20-40 more before bed.

    BEC 8.14.14 - 87!
    FAR 1.8.15 - 89!
    REG 4.15.15 - 86!
    AUD 7.2.15 - 90!

    Application submitted 8.6.15
    Licensed CPA 8.19.15

    Benefit in living in a small state SD!

    #588152
    zieba
    Participant

    When you feel like you forgot everything, and topics begin to melt together in your head and your MCQ's are coming back as wrong…..then you know you're ready. Seriously, pre-test stress induced blank out is a right of passage. Congrats on getting this far!

    AUD - 75*, 88 done 5/14! (*exp)
    BEC - 74 , 77
    REG - 65 , 76 (10 point combooo!!)
    FAR - 69 , 75

    Dr: perseverance
    Dr: intelligence
    Dr: luck
    . Cr: . advisory score

    #588153
    zieba
    Participant

    btw, I failed BEC the first time around because I got hung up on a cost accounting question. I kept telling myself I should know how to do it, because I knew at home. I spend close to 12 minutes on that one question. In the end, I didn't have enough time to complete my writing assignment and left one of them mostly blank. Weaker on SIMS was the score report. So there you go, if you get hung up on a multiple choice, move on. Remember to leave ample time for the simulation portion of the exam. IMO, budgeting properly to leave enough time for SIMS is 30% of the battle.

    AUD - 75*, 88 done 5/14! (*exp)
    BEC - 74 , 77
    REG - 65 , 76 (10 point combooo!!)
    FAR - 69 , 75

    Dr: perseverance
    Dr: intelligence
    Dr: luck
    . Cr: . advisory score

    #588154
    ShelahV
    Member

    @Zieba, I love this! “When you feel like you forgot everything, and topics begin to melt together in your head and your MCQ's are coming back as wrong…..then you know you're ready”

    Having the courage to take the exam is a huge accomplishment. I'm less than 24 hours out and I'm feel quite a bit calmer today than I have the last few days and just ready to give BEC a beating tomorrow morning. It certainly helps to have everyone's support here plus in my office I have 2 co-workers going thru this too and one is taking the CFA plus my controller is a CPA and she has been nothing but encouraging and supportive to all of us.

    So all that's left is to just “Don't worry about nothing, Pray about everything!”

    BEC 8.14.14 - 87!
    FAR 1.8.15 - 89!
    REG 4.15.15 - 86!
    AUD 7.2.15 - 90!

    Application submitted 8.6.15
    Licensed CPA 8.19.15

    Benefit in living in a small state SD!

    #588155
    Grwnldy
    Member

    I know how you feel @ShelahV I'm doing much better today than yesterday…and yes the topics are melting lol. I'm doing the same by doing the progress tests in 24 increments and then reviewing what I saw I was weak on. I'm ready to get this over with. I took today to hit the library and it's focused my mind. The support here is amazing.

    Like @Zieba said, I'm not going to get too hung up on something I can't do. If I can't do it, I can't do it…I'm going to move on and do everything I know I can do. whatever time I have left I'll leave for my questionables.

    Let's rock @ShelahV…if you have any last minute jitters, just hit me up and we can hash them out 🙂

    BEC - Aug 14 2014
    AUD - Oct 2014
    REG - Nov 2014
    FIN - Jan 2015

    #588156
    zieba
    Participant

    You're welcome. Just know that a full on mind wipe 24 hours before exam is very common. You know a lot more than you think.

    There is one thing I disagree on with most successful candidates, and that is the issue of what to do in the day leading up to – as well as the day of – your exam. A lot of people will tell you to close your books, relax, meditate, sleep late, eat a balanced breakfast. All of that is well and good, but I like to continue with a calm high level review of my notes up until it's time to put them in the locker at the Prometric center. You'll be surprised at how many questions will test your theory, instead of math skills. I don't do MCQ's the day of, or the day before, because a wrong MCQ will leave you scrambling through 400 pages of notes and second guessing yourself. Instead, calmly continue to read your notes… not hundreds of pages of scribbles, but a set of clean distilled notes that you've refined in your prep, or obtained from a third party source.

    High level review = reading NINJA notes, reading Becker Final Review outline notes, reading fact nuggets you made after listening to Jeff's NINJA audio suggestions.

    I also don't think taking one particular “final exam” is any indication of how you'll do on exam day. In fact, one guy here – a real data geek – ran an analysis on polled results and actual scores and came up with something like a mean 31% error rate. I believe his sample size was a pretty decent 30-40 people.

    AUD - 75*, 88 done 5/14! (*exp)
    BEC - 74 , 77
    REG - 65 , 76 (10 point combooo!!)
    FAR - 69 , 75

    Dr: perseverance
    Dr: intelligence
    Dr: luck
    . Cr: . advisory score

    #588157
    ShelahV
    Member

    Grwnldy, I hope you survived BEC this morning. My brain is just numb right now. Good thing what I have to do at work is just routine daily stuff because I'm not sure I'm capable of much more right now! I sure hope they get our test in time to get our score next week. Now the waiting begins……

    BEC 8.14.14 - 87!
    FAR 1.8.15 - 89!
    REG 4.15.15 - 86!
    AUD 7.2.15 - 90!

    Application submitted 8.6.15
    Licensed CPA 8.19.15

    Benefit in living in a small state SD!

    #588158
    Grwnldy
    Member

    @ShelahV I said a prayer for you this morning. How do you think you did? I'm so mentally DRAINED. I came into the office today and I'm just like you just going through the motions. I just sent out a tweet seconds ago saying “i got some plansss tonight!” and that's sleeping.

    I couldnt fall asleep until almost 2am and then was up by 6. I feel like I could drop my head on my desk and snore for hours!

    BEC - Aug 14 2014
    AUD - Oct 2014
    REG - Nov 2014
    FIN - Jan 2015

    #588159
    ShelahV
    Member

    I was just mentally numb by the time I got done. (Went to get lunch before work and had to think when they asked if I needed to go silverware) This afternoon has been rough stay focused and getting my stuff done! I figure I either failed by a huge margin or passed by a decent one. I didn't have a ton of WTH questions but I also only had a handful that I could say yes I got that one correct. So I was either fooling myself that I knew it or maybe I did? Luckily I didn't have a very many questions on my nemisis – IT! I hated that section in Becker.

    I was actually a little sleepy during my exam – I am so not a moring person and I didn't have coffee this morning like I usually do since I always have it at work. But I'm so glad it's done but it doesn't seem real yet! And it feels weird not to go home and study BEC (weird but nice)! I'm going to take the rest of the week and the weekend off and start FAR on Monday or Tuesday.

    How do you feel you did?

    BEC 8.14.14 - 87!
    FAR 1.8.15 - 89!
    REG 4.15.15 - 86!
    AUD 7.2.15 - 90!

    Application submitted 8.6.15
    Licensed CPA 8.19.15

    Benefit in living in a small state SD!

    #588160
    Grwnldy
    Member

    I feel actually the same…like I'm not sure how I did. I had alot of COSO and ERM stuff and not alot of IT as well. Which was good. I was always messing up who the analyst & programmer responsibilities lol. It felt so wierd yesterday to NOT study as you said. I'm doing Audit next. My test day is est to be 10/10. We shall see. Hopefully we get into the bracket to have scores back by the 22nd. When are you taking REG? I see 8/14 on your signature. @ShelahV

    BEC - Aug 14 2014
    AUD - Oct 2014
    REG - Nov 2014
    FIN - Jan 2015

Viewing 15 replies - 16 through 30 (of 35 total)
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