This exam is horrible. The wait is ridiculous. After coming out of the BEC exam (which I was confident before entering) I was seriously considering quitting. I stopped reading the questions halfway through the third testlet. I got an 84. Thus, the exam has a sick curve. Granted I'm accustomed to knowing everything on exams (college exams) but the CPA does not call for perfection. You just need study a lot so you will be able to answer some questions.
I'm currently waiting for FAR. (I would pay $100 to escape another week of waiting) The first testlet was amazingly easy. The 2nd and 3rd were much harder but I definetely believe I put together enough to pass those. The Sims came out of left field. I'm a VERY slow writer, thus time was a huge issue. I'm curious to as how much you need to write and how strictly graded are the written communications. (A readable memo should be sufficient.. since the exam is testing if you can protect the public .. i mean you don't need to write amazingly to detect fraud or be an adequate accountant) Overall, I wanted to quit again after leaving that exam. (I felt raped) I didn't answer all the sims and research components but now feel optimistic because you don't have to be "that" good to pass. There's still hope even after you think you undoubtedly failed. Does anyone agree with me about still having a shot at passing despite not answering all sims? .. Also, someone posted they budget 30min for each sim and that is sufficient. Good bless you! I wish I could do that. I need to think before I go at it. I'm a ridiculously slow reader as well .. kills me during the whole test. Good luck to everyone. Hopefully we pass so we can call ourselves CPAs and go to parties where we'll be known as people who can fill out a tax return.
St John's Staten Island
