candren
offlineMember
Hey Emily,
If it makes you feel any better, I felt the same exact way. I've been studying since December as well, did every multiple choice question from the study materials twice, and got an 89 on a practice exam yesterday. My first testlet was okay, then my 2nd and 3rd were very very difficult. My simulations were RIDICULOUS. One of them I know wasn't discussed in the Becker materials (or was skipped over). Grr. Praying for a 75+!
LindsaySC
offlineMember
I took REG on Saturday and felt the same way! Especially about the sims. Ridiculous! Not at all what I expected. Even the research was tough. This was my last one, and I am definitely hoping to pass so I don't have to retake BEC!
danatwvu09
offlineMember
I am right there with all of you. I used Becker and Wiley to study. I passed the Wiley and both Becker practice exams. I just got home from taking the exam. I am worried as I didnt see much change in difficulty between the testlets. I thought all of them were rough as I was shaking my head throughout the whole exam. I actually felt the first testlet was the most difficult and for that am worried.
You think there is a correlation between a difficulty in a question and the length of the question. I didnt see very many lengthy questions and hope my testlets did get harder I just couldnt notice. The sims were ridiculous as well. One of them has about 2 paragraphs of coverage in both of Wiley and Becker. After coming home and reading over the material I still dont know how to answer the question. I hope I am just delusional and pessimistic and receive a 75+ in the mail soon.
lvall1700
offlineMember
dana I felt the same way too. didnt feel a change in the difficulty over the testlets and most of the questions seemed pretty short. don't know what to expect really and I don't want to look in my REG book to second guess any questions. sims were a little unexpected too. haha
herbert7890
offlineMember
These are my results for Becker's second final exam for REG (mcqs only). Testlets 1 and 2 were pretty straightforward but testlet #3 has a lot of details and I missed a lot of those. Overall is about 80 % for both final exams, which makes me feel confident but I'm a little worried about the details they could ask on the questions.
Testlet #1 - M/C Questions 24 20 83
Testlet #2 - M/C Questions 24 21 87
Testlet #3 - M/C Questions 24 17 70
DJERZ75
offlineMember
I just got back from taking REG about 2 hours ago! Well I have to say the first testlet was somewhat easy, then 2nd very hard, 3rd so so. I thought the sims were ok, nothing too crazy although I feel I left some easy points on the table by not properly thinking! They were hard dont get me wrong but nothing ridiculous. That being said I feel it will be close as far as passing. Its just so hard to tell everytime I take these tests how I do. Some of the multiple choice questions were very strange and never seen the topics before in my textbook. Its just amazing how they can make you study so much material and test you on so little. That I guess we will all never figure out.
LETS GO MOUNTAINEERS!
FAR 76
AUD 80
BEC 77
REG ??? 2/23
spc250
offlineMember
I took my exam on 2/4. I'm right with you DJERZ75, I've passed my first 3 exams, all on the first attempt, but I think REG will be a different story. I felt pretty good about my MC, but the SIMS... sucked. Good luck to everyone.
REG passing grade + St. Paddy's day + Jamison = Dance myself Clean
DJERZ75
offlineMember
I think as far as sims it just depends on what you know and how lucky you get. I guess I was familiar with some of the tabs however thats not to say they were not hard or that I got them correct lol. After the test I found I did mess up a few areas. It's almost impossible to know everything especially when the time is ticking. I am wondering how they are going to grade the sims. I would imagine there would be somewhat of a curve.
Jessica_FL_candidate
offlineMember
Wow, DJERZ75...we have the exact same scores except for Reg.
I retake on Friday and I really hope this is it. I work in SEC Reporting for my company so I started studying for Reg again in December and fit it in where I could along with the 10-K (filed last week) and the XBRL detail tagging. I went through all 7 Becker lectures, all HW (including supplemental) 2x plus the Final Review and the 2 Practice tests. I hope it is enough.
DJERZ75
offlineMember
Jessica that is crazy lol...Well hopefully I do not get your past REG score...Hopefully I get your current PASSING REG score ;) ...I started a little before xmas with the Wiley Book then decided to get the Yaeger course to help narrow down some of the text which did somewhat help. January was rough for the financial year end but I did the Yaeger course in January and here I am.
I think the mc questions are great but if you are really starting to know them well just make sure you know the reason why you are getting it right.
I'm in the after test agony right now! I'm still ps'd about how I didnt get this one sim tab all correct! That could be my difference in passing but theres nothing I can do now. Too many topics too little test.
herbert7890
offlineMember
I just came home from my REG road trip. I got to say REG is a BEAST and it's right up there with FAR in terms of difficulty. Some mcqs where brutal and very detailed. The sims were so hard, my brain got paralyzed for a few mind until I decided I had to keep going (even though i was devastated). At least I could find the research question, after a long time searching for it. This was definitely not the experience i was expecting, specially since I studied more for this exam than all the other tests. Maybe I feel like this because I did well and the mcqs got very hard or maybe I'm overreacting. Nonetheless I hope I passed so I can get this over with. Good luck to all on this testing window.
Hope I Pass
offlineMember
I took REG, and have to agree with just about everyone. MC went ok; I felt like I knew a bunch, but there were a few that I just had to make my best guess. Sims were, uh, awful. I think if I fail it will be largely due to the Sims (yikes, 40%). Where oh where did they pull this stuff from? I'm going to try to put it out of mind until the scores come out, but we all know that's easier said than done. I keep reminding myself that I felt awful after FAR and passed...hopefully it's true for REG. On to BEC...
CPAJourney03
offlineMember
I totally agree about the REG SIMS; MC were okay if not good and if I fail its because of the SIMS. I just can't imagine there not being some kind of curve or weird grading for the SIMS with them now being 40% and the majority of people feeling bad about them. Of course there is the possibility that they want the passing rates to be lower, but I am hoping they want to keep the passing rates around the same 45 to 50%. I guess we will see soon enough!
Future NY CPA
offlineMember
Such a relief to see that people had the same experiences as me with Reg. I thought MC was 'ok'. SIMS were ridic. I hope the curve works in our favor for this one. Crossing my fingers
Deepa Nanwani
offlineMember
@Hurry-up-n-wait: Unfortunately, some of it is sooooo detailed that you would never have studied that in any CPA review course. My research tabs ranged from "I never expected them to test this" to "This was totally not covered"
The only way I managed to answer all the sims was by researching the literature. I'm still not sure if I got them correct but I'm glad I left time for the sims cause I at least have some hope now!
Basil
offlineMember
I just took REG and I feel the same way. MC were ok but I had never seen alot of the material on the sims. I feel like I wasted 2 months studying wrong information. I am very grumpy even after drinks!
pabernal30@gmail.com
offlineMember
I took REG on Feb 28 and I thought it was the most strenuous section of the cpa exam. I left the exam clueless and sadly I have to say I might have to sit for this part again. All I want to know if those of you who took REG felt the same way and if the 2011 exam is any different or harder than the 2010 version? Very disappointed and upset after studying really hard.
BEC - 81
FAR - 78
AUD - 81
REG - awaiting result and wishing for a miracle, but I do not believe in miracles.
T-rex
offlineMember
Yep, the sims were HORRIBLE. I think I did quite well on the MCs, but I can't imagine that I will pass because the sims were so absolutely ridiculous and will make up 40% of my score. Even if I'd had more time to prepare, I wouldn't have done well on the sims. One of the topics wasn't covered at all in my Becker materials, another only had a couple sentences about it. The ones that were covered weren't covered in the kind of depth that I was tested on. To add to this nightmare, the computers were running very slowly at the testing center so that many screens took about 30 seconds to load.
Next time, I will allow much more time for the sims.
Anyway, looks like this will be a retake. This is pretty sad given that I scored in the high 90s on my Becker homework. Oh well.
Drust1985
offlineMember
Are the SIMS adaptive to how well you did on the MCQs? I though Testlet 1 was very tricky, Testlet 2 was easy and Testlet 3, was hard. The SIMS werent that bad. I really think I did not do too well, considering I got an easy testlet 2. Has anybody every gotten an easy testlet for the 2nd or 3rd testlet and still passed?
danatwvu09
offlineMember
@T-Rex, I am right with you. I was so sure that this one would be a check mark because I had much higher scores when studying the homework than what I did with BEC and AID. I also passed both Becker practice exams and the Wiley one.
For those of you that did see the testlets get harder as you went along, did you notice any correlation between the length of the questions? I didnt feel like they were harder per se, but they could have been and I just didnt notice it because I was at such aw with how prepared I was yet how difficult of a time I was having. Some of those one liners are hard too and I had many of them. Let me know what you think please.
WisconsinCPA2be
offlineMember
It was the one liners that killed me yesterday when I took the REG exam. I took REG in October (73) and felt better leaving that exam than I did yesterday. How did 2011 get so impossible? I assume that my testlets were getting easier because I was getting so many one line questions, but unfortunately I didn't know the answer to them because they were either a) not covered in the Becker material at all b) the topic was covered in Becker but the question asked a tiny little detail about that topic. I scanned my Becker book for the answers to 3 questions that I was asked and never found the answers. I then googled the questions and still could not find the answers. Sad. Hopefully they were pre-test questions. And pre-test SIMS ;)
305CPA
offlineMember
@T-rex --- Had the similar issues with my exam. The computer lag was more evident in the simulation part of the exam and it was about 15 to 20 seconds. But when the pressure is on and you'e running crunch on time, it seems like it was just taking its sweet time going from tab to tab, question to question, and even when I was using the calculator. There were times that I would double click on the cell and nothing would happen, then I would start typing and then freeze. FRUSTRATION!!! I didn't know if to smash my head on the table, smash the computer, or just walk out! Then I realized that I had no choice but to just ride it out and finish, wanting an extra few minutes to finish of course. Luckily I was able to plow through 5/6 problems and lucky number 6 got the click away treatment as I counted down 10...9...8... and so on. Maybe this is extreme, but I can easily say this whole lag issue docked me about 10 minutes... maybe 15.
As for the exam itself, I walked out feeling the same way as the other parts... confused. I just can't take the pick the better answer questions knowing that they're both right, but one is better.
RidingTheWave
offlineMember
T-Rex, I feel the EXACT same way. I went in very well-versed on the more complex issues, only to have one line questions about minute facts which I overlooked when I studied. I don't recall a single question about bankruptcy or securities regulation. One simulation was EXTREMELY confusing about Section 179 depreciation. I could have had another 3 hours to do that one simulation and it still would have made no sense at all. One of my simulation tabs was a research question which I'm sure I got right, but is it possible that the research question will be counted as 6 or 7 points on its own? I sure hope so..
i.can.haz.CPA
offlineMember
the computer warns you ahead of time that it may take 15-20 seconds to load between testlets. i don't see why people are still talking about it like it's the end all, be all of the CPA exam. the seconds spent waiting on your testlet to load have no effect on your time unless you severely undermanaged it. i think people just like complaining about it.
305CPA
offlineMember
@i.can.haz.CPA --- Rather than think what people like to do, such as complaining, take some time to read about the issue. The issue was NEVER the load time between testlets, the issue was the load time between the questions within the simulation. There should be absolutely no reason, ZERO, for delay in switching between questions. To add more clarity to your misunderstanding and confusion, the same issue was experienced within the simulation problem that had the multiple tabs on top. There was a delay in the switching from tab to tab. Maybe you have not experienced what others have, but if and when you do, you will soon realize the frustration.
Maybe if you would have managed to read what was written, you would not have wasted your time with your post about others. And when it comes to the CPA exam, people will always have something to say or vent about. So do us all a favor and allow us that much respect. If you feel so bothered by it, move along, because in reality, with the amount of built up anxiety, stress, and frustration on these boards, nobody really cares what you think. THE PURPOSE OF THESE FORUMS/BOARDS IS TO SUPPORT EACH OTHER. Period.
RidingTheWave
offlineMember
Preach brotha!
RidingTheWave
offlineMember
YES!! MMariano. I was so confused. The column heading said Depreciable basis A without Section 179, and then the row said With $100K section 179.. I had absolutely no idea what they were asking for .I'm glad im not alone there.
i.can.haz.CPA
offlineMember
6 sim tabs and 3 MC testlets @ 15-20 seconds lag time each does not equal 10-15 minutes. you said in the simulation part, it was 15-20 seconds btw each tab. i was merely referring to your grossly inflated lag times.
305CPA
offlineMember
@i.can.haz.CPA --- Let me be clear with the issue as there seems to be an obvious error in my communication. A LAG TIME OF 15 TO 20 SECONDS WHEN SWITCHING BETWEEN PROBLEMS AND TABS WITHIN THE SIMULATION. So let us use TAX BASIS as an example for problem 1/6 in the simulation. It contains 3-4 tabs on top (i.e. financials, company history, answer sheet). I click on Tab 2 to look at the financials.... wait 10-15 seconds while the screen loads. Read, write, dissect, whatever. So now I have to go back to Tab 1 to answer a question. I click on Tab 1... wait 10-15 seconds while the screen loads. Then I click on the calculator to do my computation... wait another 10-15 seconds for the calculator to load. And so on, and so on, and so on, and so on. Research problem, same issue. Click the guidance/authoritative literature tab... wait... type and click search.... wait... click on the IRC/TS menus on the left... wait... switch back to the answer tab... wait. Maybe I did not think through how many times I went back and forth between tabs and performed a calculation, maybe 15 minutes is an exaggeration, even if it was 5 minutes, maybe those 5 minutes would have made a difference.
FYI - During my FAR section, testlet one, I finish the first problem and click next... wait 10-15 seconds. This was ongoing from problems 1 through 6. Then went from 6 to 7 by clicking next, my answers from 1 through 6 were gone. Informed the test center employees, no other computers available. I had to deal with this for an hour until another computer became available, writing down my answers in case they were erased again. Maybe just my luck, maybe just the nearby test center luck. Who knows.
305CPA
offlineMember
@MmarianoB - Haha! Just a little frustrating and needed to be clear, crystal in this case, with the issue. There are only two test centers within a 50 mile radius, the other option is located inside a learning center. I'd rather deal with the computer issues than with the crazy kids running around, screaming, and banging on the walls. I don't think many of the CPA candidates ever choose that location being that it always has available spots --- usually up until the last day for testing.
T-rex
offlineMember
I used Becker for Audit, and I felt that it prepared me very well for the exam. I also used it for BEC. I ended up passing BEC, but I chalk up my passing to some damn good guessing and to using knowledge that I've gained over the years through work experience. Much of the stuff on BEC wasn't addressed in Becker. I am also disappointed in Becker's prep for REG. When I begin studying for FAR, I'm going to supplement Becker with Gleim.
@Drust1985, No, the sims are not adaptive.
@danatwvu09, I did notice that my MCs got more difficult as I moved through the testlets. I didn't notice much change in lengths of questions though.
@305CPA, Yeah, the slow load time was primarily with the sims. It took over 30 seconds for each part of the sim to load, and because of this, I felt that it was best if I didn't try to look at all the sim parts before trying to tackle any of them. I regret that decision now. I reported the issue to NASBA with the hope that I may get a free retake if I need to retake this sucker.
@RidingTheWave, On two of my sims, I didn't really even understand what was being asked. The wording was very confusing. If I need to retake, I'm going to allow way more time for my sims. I'm also going to supplement Becker with the Gleim book and downloadable software.
i.can.haz.CPA
offlineMember
@305 - sorry for being a jerk yesterday. i was grumpy and irritated about some stuff at work and somehow thought a bitchy post would make me feel better. it didn't. anyway, sorry i took it out on you.
Sdb2fsu
offlineMember
I took REG Monday and thought it was very manageable; meaning, Ive studied in one way or another the content asked. My issue is I keep thinking of some of the questions, looking them up, and realize that I was wrong....ahhhh! My sims were manageable except I was rushed for time on two of them. I nailed the research questions though. Well, I sure I hope I pass. I'm really tired of not having one of these exams under my belt!
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