[monmonz92]

Hello Everyone.

I have just started studying for the exams. I am using Becker. If anyone used Becker can they tell me where I can practice more MCQ and Sims besides what is on the homework?

I also am noticing a lot of candidates using more than one review course. I see people pairing Becker with Wiley MCQ or Ninja Notes.

I need some advice or guidance!

Best,

MP

[Anonymous]

Welcome to the club…

I have studied using Becker as a primary resource and supplemented with Ninja and found it to be **MY** perfect combination. As you will read throughout the forum, everyone learns differently and has unique strengths / weak areas. I have now passed 3/4 exams (2 – 90+, 1 – high 80s scores) using the below strategy – disclaimer so no one gets offended – everyone learns differently (as previously stated) and everyone's strategies are different, there is probably no PERFECT way…

1) Watch Becker lectures – not wasting much time, time is critical and lectures can absorb you if you're not careful – take ADEQUATE but not too stringent of notes so they are easy to review and not worthless, I also found it beneficial to take no/little lecture notes and purchase the Ninja notes on AUD & BEC for review.

Additionally, I try to purchase the current sections Ninja Audio to listen to on my commute to and from work (1.5 hours typically per day) – every minute counts, right?

2) Start back at Chapter 1 and work all homework questions through the last chapter (UNTIL CORRECT) trying to learn why each answer option is correct/incorrect (key) and focusing on journal entries during FAR.

3) Purchase Ninja MCQ and try to work every Ninja MCQ question making sure I've seen each question once before reworking missed questions. I do this to make myself believe that I should have seen any topic I will be tested on test day. Most likely you'll still get curve ball questions.

4) As working Becker and Ninja MCQs I always keep a running Word document to copy/paste questions and answer explanations that I struggle with for further review and to help establish my weak areas.

5) I try to schedule 1 week prior to the exam to strictly take Becker practice exams and STUDY/LEARN my weak areas – this does not always happen due to life and the timing of testing windows.

6) I always purchase my NTS and schedule my exams ASAP based on score release times for less stress and to hold myself accountable to a study routine.

I had to make a lot of sacrifices to pass the exams as do most candidates; working full time, full time classes, wife, dogs, house maintenance, etc. Everyone is busy. Don't make excuses, hold yourself accountable and get this over with so that you can move forward with your life. It is intimidating and stressful but it can be conquered.

Good luck!

[Ag12thman]

ARCPA2B, that's an awesome post with some good info for us Becker users. I was sort of leaning away from the routine Becker advocates in the study software and was leaning more toward doing the NINJA method and/or something as you described above. Your post helped me determine that I definitely need to do just that. .

Quick question: Did you do all the underlining, circling, and highlighting that the Becker instructors encourage in the lectures? I have started reading the book (FAR) and haven't written a thing on the pages of the book so far. I'm just trying to take good notes as I go through the book on notebook paper that I will put in a binder once done. After I read through a few pages, I have been going back to watch the lectures, but only to see if there is anything additional to pick up (for including in my notes) from them. I am currently not doing any of the insanely large amount of marking up the book (underlining, highlighting) that the instructors tend to push. Just wondering if you did any of that or just simply took notes.

FAR: July 2016

[golfball7773]

#$%@ underlining, highlighting ,etc – it doesn't do anything to help you retain. Writing all the way. Sorry for the explicative 🙂

AUD - NINJA in Training
BEC - 86
FAR - NINJA in Training
REG - NINJA in Training

AUD - 71, 73

BEC - 74, 86

REG - 77*

FAR - 57

*expired

(I have been trying to become a CPA since 2013). only one test down.......

FAR: 63, 55, 62
REG: 65, 77*
AUD: Fail, 64, 71
BEC: 72, 74, 81

*expired

[Anonymous]

@Ag12thman – I haven't read a single page of any of the Becker books (except during lectures and a couple times during MCQs)… For FAR I took hand written notes of important topics covered in the lectures, which proved very timely, way way too timely. For REG I have started doing typed notes in Word and snipping in passkeys to get through the lectures quicker – so far so good – I will review these throughout working on MCQs. For AUD I didn't take a single note (except weak areas while working MCQs) and for BEC I did VERY brief notes maybe 10-15 pages and supplemented with Ninja Notes. I don't feel as if I learn a lot from the notes, basically just to help familiarize myself with the topics on a macro level and then learn more micro level facts while working the questions.

Also, when you open the E-book for a section in Becker while working MCQs all of the recommended highlighting / underlining is provided.

[Ag12thman]

ARCPA2B – Thanks for the great information and additional details on what your study routine entails. Very helpful! So, you are primarily doing note-taking and very little to zero highlighting, underlining, and/or circling? And rather than reading the book, it sounds like you are doing as little of that as you can and are simply listening to lectures and taking notes from those. I take it that method is working out just fine for you? It sure seems like the key is working multiple choice questions like CRAZY, so I am thinking about speeding up the reading/watching lectures process and jumping into working the MCQs sooner rather than later. I don't want to spend less time on the aspect of studying that seems to be deemed most important (by most people I've talked to and also in reading this board).

FAR: July 2016

[Anonymous]

I have used Becker and paired it with the Ninja MCQs for the sections I thought I needed extra help (AUD and FAR for me). I think it was extremely helpful as a supplement to the lectures and the questions were more like the questions that I saw on the exams. I usually do not take notes in the book. To me its distracting and I don't learn anything. I take notes on the topics I don't understand and review my notes during my final review. Happy studying and good luck!

[Author]

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