[Anonymous]

I took REG yesterday – my first section to take in the new format. I was a little concerned going in because I could tell the MCQs in Gleim (which were already hard) had gotten significantly harder since they did their big update for the new exam changes. I knew if the questions on the actual exam were that difficult that I would have a REALLY hard time passing this time around.

I left the exam feeling like there was absolutely nothing harder about it. It felt like all they did was changed the format and made it longer. The MCQs on the actual exam felt almost (dare I say) easy, especially compared to what I was practicing with using Gleim. The sims were long and in depth, but I wouldn’t say they were unbearably difficult either. I’m not trying to be overly confident, and I’m definitely not going to assume I passed. I was just pleasantly surprised compared to what I was expecting.

I know I’m not comparing apples to apples because I never took REG in the old format, so I was wondering just out of curiosity if anyone else (Gleim or other review system) had this experience with any of the sections in the new format?

[kdawg22]

Wouldn't you rather be over-prepared then under-prepared. Seems to me like Gleim did a great job in preparing you to take the exam.

I was using Wiley for the new format of BEC and they didn't do much to prepare for the new SIMS and the multiple choice questions were lacking.

Trust the Process

FAR - 83 Wiley
BEC - 68 Wiley, 74 (Wiley & NINJA), 79 (Wiley, NINJA, & Becker SIMS)
AUD - 72 Wiley, 77 (Wiley & NINJA)
REG - 88 Wiley & NINJA

 

[Ag12thman]

I can see that you're an experienced Gleim user, but I have a couple of friends who passed back before the Exam changes and said Gleim was super detailed and tough with regard to both MCQs and simulations back then as well. They both highly recommend Gleim as a prep course and say it over-prepared them for the Exam and enabled them to do well on all sections. They did admit that it was tough to get through because of the detail and/or in-depth-ness (probably not a word). I think you are in great hands with Gleim, based on what I have heard (and even seen posted online on this site as well as on others). Just my 2 cents.

FAR: July 2016

[mtaylo24]

The REG questions in Gleim have always been a nightmare because they bake in all of those enrolled agent questions.

CPA (2017)

REG:  75

BEC:  76

FAR:  77

AUD: 78

 

CMA (2019)

P1: 380

P2: 360

AUD - 1st - 60 (12/12), 61 (2/13), 61 (8/13), 78! (11/15)
REG - 55 (2/16) 69 (5/16) Retake(8/16)
BEC - 71(5/16) Retake (9/16)
FAR - (8/16)

[xiaoyu90922]

I took the new format AUD test on the other day. I agree that the new format is not getting harder but more flexible.
I never took AUD exam in the old format, but I took FAR and BEC in the old one.
During my FAR test, I can feel the different difficulty level in the MCQ in each section, but the new format AUD MCQ gives me no feelings of that kind. It seems to be easy and constant. I guess it does not adjust the difficulty level in the new format.
However, the TBS part becomes more flexible and it needs more reading. Feels like more related to the real field work. Yes, it is more focused on the application.
I used Becker. I do not think we need to do much extra work in terms of the new format, but it is important to put more attention to TBS practice.
Good luck to everyone!
I am now studying REG. I will get the two scores together. Sounds thrilling. lol

AUD - 90
BEC - 94
FAR - 94
REG - 93

Fighting for the dream!

[Randick]

I used Gleim to study for AUD and FAR, and both of these tests were retakes (I'll get my score for AUD in August, and FAR in September). In my opinion, Gleim prepared me really well for both exams this second time around, even though it's very in-depth and a lot of material to cover. I feel like the Sims are always a crap shoot on the exams, but Gleim does help you nail down basic concepts and also has questions with similar formatting. I would recommend Gleim to anyone. You just have to put in the time and the work.

Study Duration:
AUD – 5 weeks
FAR – 7-8 weeks

[Anthony]

Gleim is tough and that probably a good thing and the biggest reason why I stuck with it after I've found that I have failed FAR for the first time. Yes, it sucks that your confidence will be beaten down to a bloody pulp on their test bank, but if you can master it, there is no doubt all other CPA review courses and the probably the real exam will look like a coloring book.

AUD - 82
BEC - 80
FAR - 81
REG - 82

FAR - 74 first attempt

[Anonymous]

@xiaoyu90922 – We are in the same boat! I am taking AUD Sept. 8 and will find out both my scores together. We're going on vacation right after that so I will either be celebrating or drowning in my sorrows 🙂 I also felt like both my MCQ testlets were about the same difficulty even though I felt like I did well on the first one, so maybe they aren't adjusting them in the new format?

I would agree that Gleim was harder than the actual exam before the changes, but it felt 15 times harder than the REG exam and I could tell that the depth, detail, and critical thinking required in the REG questions was significantly more than FAR or BEC. But maybe it had nothing to do with the exam changes. Either way, I was very pleasantly surprised and i really like that Gleim prepares you so well if you put the time in.

I just feel like everybody (including me) made such a big deal about the exam changes and I didn't feel like it was any different other than it being longer, the testlets being divided differently, and the break.

[jeff]

It seems like someone was saying this back in October… 😉

AUD - 79
BEC - 80
FAR - 76
REG - 92

Jeff Elliott, CPA (KS)
NINJA CPA | NINJA CMA | NINJA CPE | Another71

[xiaoyu90922]

@Allie, what a coincidence! I will take my REG on Sep 8th!! After learning one chapter of REG, I found it very very hard, much harder than FAR! Can I say it is the hardest one? What's your feeling about REG?

AUD - 90
BEC - 94
FAR - 94
REG - 93

Fighting for the dream!

[xiaoyu90922]

@allie Oh, just found out you initiated this post! Lol. Never mind!

AUD - 90
BEC - 94
FAR - 94
REG - 93

Fighting for the dream!

[shawn in VA]

Allie why don't you keep certain things to yourself? Maybe the exam was “easy” because you just over studied ? If the exam were “easy” everyone and their mom would be a CPA.

BTW the AICPA does read these posts…and if they see that it is “easy”…well guess what…they will turn it up a couple notches then. We will see how “easy” it is then.

AUD - 84
BEC - 81
FAR - NINJA in Training
REG - 75

AUD - 84

BEC-  81

REG-75

FAR- TBD

[Anonymous]

@shawn (and anyone else who may feel the same way about my post) –

I want to apologize for how this post came across. My point wasn't to say the exam was easy, because it definitely was the exact opposite of easy. In fact, I would say by far that REG was the most difficult section for me.

My also point wasn't to say “look how great I am because REG wasn't as hard as I thought”. My point was that what I used to prepare (Gleim) was significantly harder than the actual exam (like ridiculously hard, give me a panic attack wondering how I would ever pass the exam if the questions were actually that hard). I was wondering if anyone else felt that way about their review system, because while it did prepare me very well, it also made me a nervous wreck about how much harder the AICPA made the new exams. I left the test feeling very relieved because while the questions covered a lot of ground, they were not of the level of difficulty of Gleim questions. That being said, it was still a very difficult test that took me 6 months to feel ready to take.

DISCLAIMER FOR ANYONE READING THIS THREAD: REG IS IN NO WAY EASY. I ACTUALLY THINK REG IS MORE OF A BEAST THAN FAR. I HOPE THIS POST CLEARS THINGS UP. I APOLOGIZE FOR ANY CONFUSION 🙂

[cmcook]

@Allie – I totally get what you're saying. I am a Gleim user, too, and Gleim is so hard that it almost makes you want to give up before you sit for the test.

REG was also harder for me than FAR (don't have either score yet).

I think only us Gleim users can understand and appreciate what your point is 😉

Before long, this whole thing will be a distant memory.

Death before surrender

[CPA8675309]

@allie and @cmcook, do you all feel that the rest of the Gleim course is helpful or is its strength mostly in the test bank? I took REG today and my impression is that it did not go well. We'll see in September for sure of course. I used Wiley for my review with Ninja's test bank. I felt that neither prepared me for the difficulty of the questions in REG. They were both sufficient for my other tests, but I was let down by REG (it was my fault too as I know I could have worked harder). I felt like the questions I practiced were easier and more straightforward compared to what I saw on the test. The sims were also longer and more challenging. How do the sims compare with Gleim?

AUD - 77
BEC - 85
FAR - 84
REG - 85

I'm done!!

[Anonymous]

@CPA – I have nothing to compare Gleim to because it's literally the only thing I have used. I've sat for three of the sections and passed my first two on the first try (we'll see about REG in September).

Gleim is definitely a REVIEW system compared to a teaching system. If you don't already have a good knowledge base (at least a recent bachelor's in accounting, I'd say), it probably won't work that great for you. However, even though the books and videos don't go into great depth trying to teach you the material, they are incredibly thorough with the information they cover (more than you'll ever need to know). You also have to not mind reading the book, because the videos are supplementary at best and do not substitute for the actual book.

Both the MCQ and SIM banks are very good. The MCQs give you very good feedback with explanations on each answer choice as to why it's right or wrong. The SIMs also have very good feedback with explanations for each answer. I think the SIMs are very comparable to what you see on the actual exams, and the MCQs are at least twice as hard as the actual exams.

Gleim has worked great for me so far, you just can't let it get your confidence down with how difficult it is! Some people would also probably find it frustrating that they end up studying material they don't even get tested on and get asked ridiculously hard questions, so you just have to figure out how you would feel about that. For me, I'd much rather be over-prepared than under-prepared.

[Author]

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