[Anonymous]

Becker only prep you well for multiple choice, for the sim, you are on your own. You need to understand the material really well in order to do well on Sim.

[jenuno01]

@CPA-Go that's what makes this test worth having… only the mentally fittest survive the process… you have to be up for the challenge… the CPA will be one of the biggest accomplishments in my life and something for which I always take pride in.

Class of 2012

[Anonymous]

REG was my last exam and I didn't spend one second on reviewing or doing SIMs in Becker.

[Anonymous]

The Sims this year have gotten harder and they count more too. So, review courses need time to get used to this new format. I'm sure with time, this will improve.

I do agree with the OP that the Sims on these exams are extremely difficult and they're so difficult that no MCQ can help prepare you well for them. MCQs are cut and dry questions on the material. The Sims take it to the next step. I would suggest that you dust off your college textbooks and start practicing TONS of problems.

While we all find the Sims very difficult, it seems to me that people are doing rather well on them because since it's hard for us to do well on them, then that means they're not curved as much as we'd like them to be. The better people do on them, the less they're curved. So, while we think the Sims are tough as heck, we are in the minority here. Our fellow test takers are kicking butt on them!! But don't worry, I'll kick butt on them next time. 😉

[Anonymous]

“How fair is it, if I am likely competing with the tax experts in Q4 season, which requires me to get higher passing score;

and if someone took the test during busy tax season, and they'd likely pass the REG easier cause the curve will likely go up.

How fair is it if someone got 79 in AUD, got bump down to 74 because the passing rate is 85.”

I guess that means I'm going to pass REG next quarter! 😉

[round1]

To the comment about Q4: I've passed all my exams in Q3 and Q4. Didn't pass REG on the first try in Q1 (the supposedly easy quarter). Go figure! So it's very doable (even if might be “unfair” due to some sort of curving/higher passing threshold). And I'm not talking about the 75 mark (it's a relative measure of translating actual scores into the “75 scale”).

I don't think ANY course can adequately prepare you for or guarantee that you'll do well on SIMs. I didn't even check the SIMs for AUD (thought it was a vaste of time) and never completed any of the final Becker exams. I was right about AUD – got only FAR's topics on the AUD sims. That was a huge shock, considering that AUD was my 1st exam! After the test I went home and checked the Becker version of AUD sims: they were totally different, nothing about FAR topics!

There are tons of factors that can affect your score (indirectly though): the number of candidates in each quarter, their level of preparedness, the difficulty level of the SIMs you'll get, etc. I've seen easy SIMs in one testing window, and very difficult SIMs in another one (for the same REG exam). It's such a draw of luck sometimes…

DONE!

[Anonymous]

Hm…generally speaking, from ‘group' study's observations at least, Q2 and Q3 are the ones that have higher passing rates. Not really for Q4 nor Q1.

Part of the reasons, Q1 is likely an adaptive test; people just don't know what to expect from NASBA/AICPA 2012. Plus some tax experts are still around over the holiday season to take the exam(s) on the first couple weeks of January.

But I totally agree it's all depending on our preparations; but I just personally think those facts I mentioned above are part of my luck.

[Anonymous]

I still don't understand how there's more of a curve on Q1 and Q2. The passing rate is always approximately 45-47%. If more people are indeed taking the exam in Q3 and 4, then they have to pass and fail more people. So, it evens out. So why exactly is the curve on the beginning of the year better? Is it because people aren't studying much due to tax season?

[round1]

“I still don't understand how there's more of a curve on Q1 and Q2. The passing rate is always approximately 45-47%. If more people are indeed taking the exam in Q3 and 4, then they have to pass and fail more people.” – I think the OP was referring to the “quality of test takers” in Q1: presumably, the well prepared tax people are very busy during this quarter, thus there is a “somehow lower passing threshold” for the actual passing grade, providing that the passing percentage rate always hovers around those 44-47%.

Idk, if it makes sense, but this is how I see it: in some quarters people may answer correctly only 65% of the test, but on the “75 points' scale” they are assigned that 75 grade. In other testing windows the passing threshold might be, let's say, 70% = converted to the same 75 grade.

And I think that Q3-Q4 have the highest number of test-takers, meaning exactly what you said: “then they have to pass and fail more people.” So, 20K taking the test in Q3 means that approx. 9K persons will receive the passing grade. But if most of those 9K would be “tax people”, then the chance of passing for somebody less experienced in tax matters goes down. Nobody can actually measure the “quality” of test-takers in each quarter, so I'll say it's still a matter of luck (sometimes) and… thorough preparation.

DONE!

[Anonymous]

Yes, that's exactly right to Round1. 🙂

@ CPAMan, be careful thinking Q1 will be the easy one, remember the tax experts are still around cramming for 2 weeks, taking advantage of this holiday season.

But I guess if you'll take at the end of Feb, likely their scores are up by that time and you're not competing against them anymore 😉

Good luck to all of us!!

[Anonymous]

No offense, but the OP's English is terrible.

[Anonymous]

Well, If you're referring to me, sorry about that.

I thought this is just an informal forum. So, I typed, posted, and didn't recheck my grammar, pronouns, subject/verb agreement, nor sentence construction. I'm not lucky enough to be born in an english speaking country nor have a lot of exposure, esp. if compared to someone brilliant like you. 😉

[Minimorty]

@CPA-Go – @86 was not referring to you.

[katiekanton]

@CPA-Go “The OP” is short for “the original poster”, in other words, the person who started the thread.

I actually love the subject of the thread and plan to use it wherever possible in daily conversation. It somehow seems classier than just saying something sucks. I just figured it was Goodluck2everyone trying to continue his thread via a nom de plume (nom de cyber?) to throw us off.

AUD - 88
FAR - 90
REG - 85
BEC - 88

[Anonymous]

@CPA-Go- Don't worry. I do not believe that any quarter is easier than the other. Even though I took FAR and AUD in Q2 and passed them, I think it was just luck! It wasn't because I studied well or anything. It was all luck!!! The reason I feel that way is because I'm studying A LOT more for REG and can't even get a measly 75. So, I've been very unlucky with REG.

[Author]

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