[Anonymous]

Realistically, with only 90 MCQ and 7 sims, there are a lot of topics you are not even going to see on the exam. But you better know how do to the ones that do show up on the exam. How do you plan for all that? I’m going through the material and it seems unrealistic to master everything there is to master for FAR. Yet if you don’t, you risk coming across topics you don’t understand on the exam and then not pass.

[Anonymous]

I don't think you can master everything – the key is to know enough to make a good enough educated guess on everything. Somewhat a “jack of all trades, master of none” type thing. If you can figure out how to guess at an answer correctly, then you don't have to actually know the answer, basically.

I guarantee you that I didn't master every topic for the exams I passed – no way my mind could handle that much information. 😐

[sweetmoon]

Along with what Lilla said, it also helps to allocate your efforts according to the weightage. I ignored that during my FAR first try and ended up failing. The second time around, I concentrated more on topics with higher weightage and it was easier to pass.

FAR : 71, 83
AUD : 73,88
BEC : 87
REG : sweet 82 and DONE !!

[Anonymous]

Thanks for the advice. And wow both of you passed FAR. I'm so jealous.

[Martin]

Determined_To_Succeed, I see you passed REG on your first try. How do you compare it to FAR? Do you have any tax experience?

Through God all things can happen!

“You never fail until you stop trying.”
― Albert Einstein
When I was young, I used to admire intelligent people;as I grow older, I admire kind people.
“Just keep swimming, just keep swimming.”

FAR= 72-84
Audit= 73-82
BEC= 74-75
Reg=77

[Anonymous]

@Barcelona

I actually took REG 4 times lol. I left off the other scores because they were too hard for me to look at. They were 47, 60, and 70. I do not have any tax experience. I horribly bombed it the first time I took it. The second time, I did better but still I did not have a grasp of the fundamentals. The third time, I changed my studying again and I was pretty close to passing, but unfortunately it's the luck of the draw. Having failed 3 times with narrowly not passing on the third attempt by a nose, I was incredibly frustrated and used that energy to finally ace it. And as for as studying the materials, I would say definitely make sure you know business law. And as for the various areas about tax, honestly, I found that it is impractical to learn every single topic. I just focused on learning what I can, and it worked out, albeit it took me 4 tries to do so. Hope that helps.

[Last Chance CPA]

@Determined_To_Succeed – I think you and I have had the same journey. Did you start in 2012? I started in September 2012, and have taken 10 sections. You are even using the study materials! BTW, I removed all my fails, and you should too…

I passed FAR and I have never been an accountant. You can pass this section! You can't think about all the topics, and just focus on MCQs. Also, do a lot of TBSs using journal entries. There isn't too much depth to FAR, and you can learn each topic at a high level. Focus on all the topics everyone mentions – e.g., bonds, leases, Govt/NFP, etc.

How much time are you spending for each exam? Do you work full-time?

As for me, I am awaiting my REG score. I have until July 31, 2015 to pass REG, or FAR will expire, and I will abandon the exams. And I don't trust the NASBA expiry date since I took FAR on Jan 4 2014, which should put my expiration at July 4, 2015, right? I am a New Hampshire candidate living in CA.

Good luck…

AUD - 75
BEC - 75
FAR - 76
REG - 76

I want those initials next to my name!!!!

FAR - 76
AUD - 75
BEC - 75
REG - 76

Now I need some experience!!! And some networking...

[Allergic2CPA]

@OP

I agree with sweetmoon…concentrate on the topics with a higher weight. However, don't necessarily ignore the other areas that aren't heavily tested.

When I was testing for FAR, IFRS was fairly new and decided not to waste too much time on it since the questions asked were very limited on the study materials. Not sure about now though but it was just an example.

Another case that I remember vividly because of its absurdness was the decommissioning of a nuclear plant. For real, I saw that using Yaeger videos. Let's just say I didn't break my head over that scenario.

FAR 46*, 77
AUD 70, 79
BEC 67, 82
REG 75

Texas License July 2013

Used Yaeger lectures based on Wiley textbooks

*Studied less than two weeks, forgot I had purchased NTS.

[Anonymous]

Thanks for the responses everyone. Man, so many people passed FAR (except me).

@Last Chance CPA

I started in January 2013, I spend around 1.5 to 2 months per section, and I work full-time.

[Last Chance CPA]

Determined – It is crazy that we have been at this for almost 2.5 years! 2 months should suffice for FAR. The day you pass FAR will stay with you for a long time…MCQs and TBSs with journal entries…write it all out. I used to spend 15 minutes on an MCQ sometimes, dissecting it to the core…

AUD - 75
BEC - 75
FAR - 76
REG - 76

I want those initials next to my name!!!!

FAR - 76
AUD - 75
BEC - 75
REG - 76

Now I need some experience!!! And some networking...

[Oimie]

@sweetmoon Which topics have a higher weightage (FAR)? And since there are only 90 MCQs out of so many topics is it rare that they give you more than 1 question based on the same topic?

FAR 85 June 2015
AUD 80 Nov 2015
REG 83 Nov 2015
BEC 79 Feb 2016

[CPA50]

From my past two FAR experiences, I hate to tell you, but they were both incredibly random. The first exam covered in detail topics that were skimmed over in test #2. It's frustrating. If you read the COSOs, that will at least give you the percentage breakdown of possibilities.

AUD - 80
BEC - 77
FAR - 80
REG - 80

3 years

+ 16 tests

+ 2 expired sections

= DONE FOREVER!

AUD 88 (expired), 80 retake
FAR 64,69,67,73,67,73,73,73, August 3
REG 75 (expired) September 7
BEC 72, 77

The adventure continues...

[Anonymous]

For the longest time I thought I could get through FAR without knowing anything about gov't accounting and I got really close without it (a 74). It wasn't until I decided to study everything that I passed even thought I'm still horrible when it comes to gov't (stuff is just counter intuitive to everything GAAP). I believe the FAR test I got when I passed was the most difficult one I could have gotten considering my weaknesses and I was able to pass because I became, as Lilla stated, a “jack of all trades, master of none.” Best of luck to you all taking FAR. I am glad I will never have to deal with that nasty animal again.

[Author]

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