AUD with Becker

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    Topic
  • #1691249
    Melanie B
    Participant

    Hi everyone,

    I am just getting into studying for my first CPA Exam. I chose AUD because I thought it was one of my stronger points and wanted to get a pass on my first exam. Now deep into the material… well, it is a different story. I am currently using Becker in A4 with my exam planned for early February. I am going through the material step by step by doing the lectures, skills practice, and then multiple choices, but I feel as though I am not retaining everything I should. My original plan was to just go through the book completely and then go back and focus on the areas I felt most uncomfortable with, but now I am wondering if I should take a pause since I am about halfway through the book and go through each chapter again? Becker gives you a schedule and when I am not hitting those dates it really stresses me out. Does anyone have any advice as to how I should effectively go forward with my studying?

    Thanks!

     
    “roger-cpa-review”/
     

    AUD: Pass

    REG: Q3 2018

    BEC: Q4 2018

    FAR: Q1 2019

Viewing 13 replies - 1 through 13 (of 13 total)
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  • #1691276
    Anonymous
    Inactive

    AUD really comes together when you hit the review stage. When you start reviewing all 6 chapters, it will make more sense. But I would recommend taking advantage of the progress tests at the end of each chapter – you can set up a group of questions from all chapters studied up to that point, which is a good way to keep the material fresh. Finish A4 this week and use the weekend to do progress tests. This will help show you where you are in your studies and how much you have retained.

    #1691396
    Melanie B
    Participant

    Yeah, I have not done any practice tests in fear of getting them all wrong, so I will definitely try one this weekend. Hopefully it won't be as bad as I am thinking it will be. I cannot wait until I finish going through the book! Thank you for the advice –

    Another Becker question: Did you study specifically for the SIMs? If so, did you just redo some of the SIMS that were provided by Becker? Did those help you at all for the real exam?

    AUD: Pass

    REG: Q3 2018

    BEC: Q4 2018

    FAR: Q1 2019

    #1691420
    Anonymous
    Inactive

    I did the SIMs in Becker, I think they are beneficial because a lot of the AUD MCQs are conceptual. The SIMs lay it out in a different format; if I remember correctly Becker does provide adjusting entry and ratios SIMs, so those are good practice. Nothing will ever compare to the SIMs on the real exam, but I think it is a good idea to try the SIMs in the course so you get a different view of the material.

    #1691462
    famh110
    Participant

    I am also studying with Becker and would like to know how many hours does it take on average to do each chapter (lecture, reading the text, skills practice, and mcq). I think Becker assigns an average of 15 hours per Chapter but I think it takes me much longer than that. Doing MCQ the first time around take considerable amount of time…i read all the choices and write down notes, search stuff on internet if answer choice doesn't make sense etc. Trying to seeing what I can do to speed up the process as i definitely want to have the time to come back and review everything for second time. On A1 M8 currently…testing 2/13.

    Will appreciate some feedback on this!!

    Thanks.

    AUD - 75
    BEC - 77
    FAR - NINJA in Training
    REG - NINJA in Training
    "The best preparation for tomorrow is doing your best today". (H Jackson Brown, Jr.)
    #1691477
    FromDust
    Participant

    Hi There,

    Your situation sounds strangely similar to my own when I was first starting out. I wanted a Pass for my first run and thought that AUD was shorter than FAR, but yet was a tough subject based on the Pass Percentage given by the AICPA website.

    A previous poster on here said that when you hit the Review stage is when you really get your stride. I would have to agree. AUD is difficult b/c how a question is phrased can subtly change the answer. I can't tell you how many times I was practicing the MC in Becker and was for sure that I got the right answer but got it wrong b/c the question was phrased in a particularly way. You really learn from this practice even if you don't get the same type of questions on test day b/c you mentally prepare yourself for the curve balls (e.g. to look for those tricky words). I would say that you really want to leave that last 2 weeks before your exam to get that review done because it really helps a lot! So, at A4, I think you are on the right track for the 2nd week of Feb (e.g. A5 next week, A6 the week after and 2 weeks of solid review of going through MC, Sims). You said you wanted to pause and review earlier chapters. That's cool, but please make sure you have those 2 weeks before your exam that you can really grind and review.

    If I can give another suggestion, use opportunities like driving to work/school, exercising, walking, washing dishes, etc. to listen to Becker on your phone. It may be a little annoying but it helped me a lot when I was on AUD.

    "...wash me, and I will be whiter than snow."
    #1691479
    FromDust
    Participant

    Hi famh110,

    I don't know if this is the best answer, but if you want to speed things along, you can set goals for yourself. For example, you can say, “I WILL finish A2 by this day” and that is your final deadline that you can't move. It kind of makes you to not look so intently on material that may be just one or two points, and focus on the harder material that may require the few extra minutes. It may help you to be more focused and to take less breaks (e.g. for me, it was always the desire to watch a few clips of YouTube)

    You passed BEC so you have the smarts! Like you said, getting to the Review is crucial b/c that is when everything you learned about AUD clicks into place. Another suggestion when going through the MC is pretty blunt, but is to move quickly. I was there too where I wanted to learn everything, but what I would do in your position is to answer the MC, understand it, digest it, and then quickly move on. Please don't linger too long on a single Question. A friend of mine also tried Increasing the Speed of the Lectures. Now, I never did this, but if you are able to understand the lectures comfortably at a faster speed, that could move things along.

    "...wash me, and I will be whiter than snow."
    #1691555
    Melanie B
    Participant

    Yeah, a big problem that I always have is reading the entire question and understanding what exactly is being asked by looking at key words. I forgot all about the app on my phone. Thanks FromDust!

    In response to famh110, I am right there along with you. I was confused about how long I should be spending on each section. I started to do exactly what you were doing with the multiple choice, but then it just got too tedious and took way too long. I also initially took notes on the book, but then realized I was writing down everything. I have been spending about an hour and a half on each module and have gotten through 3 chapters in 2 weeks. I am definitely getting through the material if that helps you at all with looking at a timeline but I also have been studying every day for at least 3 hours.

    AUD: Pass

    REG: Q3 2018

    BEC: Q4 2018

    FAR: Q1 2019

    #1691575
    famh110
    Participant

    Thank you FromDust and Melanie B on sharing your perspectives. I agree with both of you. I will try working at a quicker pace and setting a more firm deadline for myself so that I can finish two chapters per week. I tried the faster pace lecture couple of weeks ago but I didn't like it too much. I average about 3-4 hours a day but i have adjusted a few things in my life and can put it about 5 so I think that is going to allow me to move quickly. Sometime, I forget that this race its a mile long an inch deep so knowing everything is what is needed rather than zoning into just one thing. So much to remember for this exam, super daunting!

    AUD - 75
    BEC - 77
    FAR - NINJA in Training
    REG - NINJA in Training
    "The best preparation for tomorrow is doing your best today". (H Jackson Brown, Jr.)
    #1692554
    Melanie B
    Participant

    I have one more question regarding the Becker materials. My test is now officially scheduled for February 9th, and I am confused on which version to use. Becker suggests that you study V 3.1 for AUD 1, which I did, but then says use V 3.2 for all other units. It also stated that in A5 M2, there were replacement pages. Am I still supposed to use the V 3.2 for this module even though it won't be tested until Q3? If I do, I feel like then I will be doing multiple choice that is not relevant to the exam I will receive. Hoping someone can clarify!

    AUD: Pass

    REG: Q3 2018

    BEC: Q4 2018

    FAR: Q1 2019

    #1692556
    Indy500
    Participant

    Melanie reread your updates in your alerts. It may seem confusing but take a look at it again. Read the latest alert.

    AUD - 57
    BEC - NINJA in Training
    FAR - NINJA in Training
    REG - NINJA in Training
    “Effort only fully releases its reward after a person refuses to quit.” -Napoleon Hill
    #1692559
    Indy500
    Participant

    Melanie reread your latest dates in your alerts. It may seem confusing but take a look at it again.

    AUD - 57
    BEC - NINJA in Training
    FAR - NINJA in Training
    REG - NINJA in Training
    “Effort only fully releases its reward after a person refuses to quit.” -Napoleon Hill
    #1692562
    Indy500
    Participant

    Hey I just took my AUD test. And I felt great about it regardless of the outcome. I know where I started to where I am now with understanding the material, and I am happy with my progress. But I did not manage my time as well as I should have with the sims….so the last sims i only manage to do 1 out of the 3. Do you think I still have a chance in passing?……I don't really understand the scoring of the exam.

    how long will it take to get my results?….does anyone know

    AUD - 57
    BEC - NINJA in Training
    FAR - NINJA in Training
    REG - NINJA in Training
    “Effort only fully releases its reward after a person refuses to quit.” -Napoleon Hill
    #1692580
    famh110
    Participant

    The whole difference between which version to use while studying got me a little confused also. I think what the alert is saying is we should study A1 under Version 3.1. The rest of the auditing chapters should be studied using Version 3.2. The materials in Chapters A2-A6 have been updated and will be tested starting 1/1/2018. Material from Chapter 1 will be tested starting 7/1/2018. However, when studying using version 3.2 watch out for replaced pages. Becker provides a listing of pages that should be replaced.

    Please correct me if i am wrong.

    Thanks.

    AUD - 75
    BEC - 77
    FAR - NINJA in Training
    REG - NINJA in Training
    "The best preparation for tomorrow is doing your best today". (H Jackson Brown, Jr.)
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