[cmcook]

I know I’m late to the party on this… BEC is the “easiest”, yet, it’s not for me. I have been blindsided by the amount of formulas needed. NPV, IRR, WACC, profitability, etc. etc??!! I expected this in FAR, not BEC for god’s sake. Clearly I didn’t realize what was involved in each section. I am waiting AUD score but that was a breeze compared to BEC. I’m using Gleim and just hoping the practice exams are harder than the real thing (I noticed this for AUD).

Please tell me there’s someone out there who was pleasantly surprised when they sat for BEC. I sit March 10.

Death before surrender

[Swan]

You're not alone, BEC was definitely the hardest section for me. I have about an hour left before going into Prometric for my second attempt.

AUD - 83
BEC - 73
FAR - 78
REG - 84

"Strength and growth come only through continuous effort and struggle"

[bucknell39]

I believe each sections difficulty is related to work experience. Some take the exam out of school or work in industry. BEC will probably be easier for them but REG may be the hardest. Some get jobs working in public accounting. REG will probably be easier for them but BEC will be the hardest.

AUD - 84
BEC - 79
FAR - 81
REG - 78

CPA in PA - Feb 17

AUD - 84
BEC - 69,79
FAR - 70,81
REG - 81 (expired),78

[mtaylo24]

You'll get a nice break with subunits 11-14 (All IT, almost no calcs) w/ Gleim, but chapters 8-10 and 18-20 (cost) are just cray, cray.

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)

[rlarivee01]

50% is hard, 50% is easy.

You'll hopefully cruise through IT and corporate governance, have a little difficulty with econ… but those you don't have to spend a lot on.

Financial management, operations management, and strategic planning… just going to have to grit your teeth and do those MCQ.

[Anonymous]

For me, BEC has been such a treat to study for. So logical. But I have a minor in Econ, an MBA and almost done with my Masters in Finance. So I love it. And besides if you engage the material and interact with it, the actual studying you do is reduced.

It's amazing how many want to be CPAs and cant have an overall understanding of business and the fundamental concepts behind it all. BEC has been my favorite section of all 4

[Anonymous]

The math questions in BEC reminded me a lot of my Managerial Accounting class and my Operations Management class, both of which I loved. But if BEC is the first place you've encountered these types of calculations, then I could see how it could be very difficult!

I've passed it twice, and both times I felt really good about the written Sims, pretty bad about the law MCQs, and about 75% good on the other MCQs.

[rlarivee01]

I found a lot of it was intuitive, thus saying it's 50% easy.

Now it's a problem if one is terrible at cost accounting like I am. (or, at least finds it awfully boring)

The concepts are not that hard to grasp- it's the application.

[NeedsA75]

BEC was a pain in the ass to study for but the test itself was the easiest so far for me….I scored stronger in all areas except IT which I found to be absolutely dreadful

AUD - 96
BEC - 86
FAR - 76
REG - 92

PETH - 92
Licensed in California

 

[cmcook]

Thanks everyone – the IT, Corp Gov, and Econ comes easily to me. I think I started to hit the panic button when my formula cheat sheet reached about 35 formulas. I mean, it's not even a cheat sheet anymore, it's more like a formula appendix. In particular I don't like the ratios which use other ratios in their numerators and denominators. Clearly I'm in the weeds. I think I need to step back and see the bigger picture – I think that's when it might (hopefully) gel. I'd like to spend the time to get there, but alas I gave myself 4 weeks to knock this out before the change. Live and learn.

Death before surrender

[rlarivee01]

I just got home from BEC. I don't know what exactly I'm allowed to say about it, except that MCQ will prep you for it, as long as you make sure to keep grinding.

Where are you weak now? I'd say learn the concepts more than the formulas. For instance- with something like current ratio or inventory turnover ratio… learn why you're doing it instead of just the math.

Seeing as you're good with IT, Gov, and Econ, shelf them and get cracking on the other three.

[cmcook]

I'll keep at the MCQ for my weak areas – thanks for taking the time to circle back. I am most week in the NPV with tax shield comps (the really long, multi step complex ones) and backing into dollars given ratios. The formulas I'm not great on – but even the concepts, too! I am about done with my comprehensive study materials and plan to spend at least a week, 4-5 hours a day, going over my weak areas.

For both of our sake's, I hope we pass this thing before the change. I cannot even imagine what the SIMS would be like.

Death before surrender

[SallyCPA]

BEC is probably one of the worst to study for. Honestly, the material is all over the place and none of the chapters correlate with each other. The good part about it is if you take it before the changes it is mostly just multiple choice. The cost accounting was probably the worst part.

[Goingallin]

I have no idea how BEC got the label as being the easiest. In comparison to AUD and REG material, it's a beast. After taking FAR and BEC, studying for AUD and REG almost feel like a ride in the park. I definitely struggled with cost accounting. So glad I got BEC out of the way bc I think I would feel burnt out if I saved it for last. I got lucky and picked my two weakness first. It definitely wasn't planned. I had no idea which I would struggle with the most.

AUD - 87
BEC - 77
FAR - 75
REG - 82

donotgiveup!!

[RAMENATOR]

Literally just got back from BEC… PISSED; mostly all calcs nothing but IT and cost accounting .Like 3 econ questions, which would have been my bread and butter. Seems like it got harder with every test let, One written comm got pulled outta somebodies ass… My first exam so I'm not tripping, but with so much material I feel like I would have been better off not studying…

[cmcook]

I can't believe it was all calcs relating to IT and Cost. Yeah, why did this test get labeled the easiest?! I suspect most of us (of course there are some) aren't going into database administration or becoming the CFO at a company, so it's a little over the top!!

Death before surrender

[Author]

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