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  • #1655143
    Anonymous
    Inactive

    hi guys,

    I tried posting on here yesterday, I am not sure if it went through or not but I don’t think so.
    Anyhoo, I am on a bit of a hiatus, since taking BEC in August, from CPA exam studies. BEC was failure #3 of 3 for me. I think I mentioned that I’m “stuck in the low 60s” as far as my scores go. Not horrid, but still a ways from 75. But, I am not a quitter and never will be probably. I’m trying to find some free options, or very low cost options (in addition to Ninja) that I can use starting in Jan/Feb when I resume my studies. REG will be the first one I do, as I have not yet taken that test.

    Reason for “freebies” is that I’ve already paid 2K to Roger Cpa Review. Not up for spending a lot more money on this project…at least not yet. I’d probably plunk down the dough more willingly if I had a pass under my belt. But, until that happens, I’d rather use free resources.

    If anyone can recommend some, that’d be great, I’ve seen a couple freebie-type websites already with many MCQs and some SIMs. Cpareview for free dot com is a good one, although they do have pay-to-play option too.

    Thanks for any suggestions in advance. I haven’t posted in a long time and probably won’t again regularly until next year but I wanted to throw this out there just so I can get some ideas.

Viewing 15 replies - 1 through 15 (of 20 total)
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  • #1655144
    jenpen
    Participant

    I passed REG on the first try using Ninja alone. It was the only section I passed on the first try. I bought what was fka the 10 point combo and used the book and the test bank as well as the audio. I like the notes, but don't utilize them as well as I should. They didn't have the videos yet, so I can't speak to those, but I know that the books and test bank can work to get you through if you've already got them.

    AUD - 85
    BEC - 84
    FAR - 82
    REG - 78
    Ethics - 95
    Licensed in IL & MO

    AUD - 56 - 68 - 61 - 9/8/16
    REG - 75
    FAR - 7/15/16
    BEC - TBD

    Wiley CPAexcel and NINJA 10 Point Combo

    #1655158
    Anonymous
    Inactive

    @Jennifer glad you got thru REG, which is probably even harder than FAR, on your first attempt with Ninja only. At this point I regret not doing the Ninja-only thing because I think it really would have worked well for me personally.

    I am not someone who learns from audios/videos. I learn by hands-on working with stuff. Having watched every single video in Roger for FAR and AUD (we're talking like 48 hours' worth of vids or more; his BEC vids are bad and almost everyone knows this), I am now of the opinion that videos don't really teach you very much.
    It's a passive form of learning, and not an effective one for most people. I dare say that those who are passing regularly spend a lot more time on practice problems than on video/audio watching/listening. Flash cards are also a waste of time for many people. They might be good for conceptual stuff but getting the repeated, continuous, heavy drill of problem solving is no doubt the best way to do it. Unless maybe you know the stuff so well already that you just need a quick audio/video recap and don't need to practice many problems. I know there are people on here, not too many, who are in that category. 90 percent of us aren't though.

    #1655167
    jenpen
    Participant

    It's all about finding what works for you. I was previously using Wiley, but it didn't really work for me. Even reading their books gets daunting. I like how the Ninja books are formatted and I really like the problems throughout the books. I will read them on my computer or iPad and make sure that I don't scroll too far to see the answer. It's really helpful to make sure that you're getting an understanding of the information. Plus, the test bank has the same topics as the books, so you can answer questions just on the section you've read.

    I finally passed AUD and FAR this summer using only the Ninja test bank essentially. I'm continuing this method for my REG and BEC retakes this window and hoping for the same results.

    AUD - 85
    BEC - 84
    FAR - 82
    REG - 78
    Ethics - 95
    Licensed in IL & MO

    AUD - 56 - 68 - 61 - 9/8/16
    REG - 75
    FAR - 7/15/16
    BEC - TBD

    Wiley CPAexcel and NINJA 10 Point Combo

    #1655170
    jeff
    Keymaster

    Use your Roger course, get NINJA Sniper – or Gleim – or Wiley TB (all about the same price) or whatever – and go study. 🙂

    Otherwise here’s what’s going to happen – you’re going to waste time and energy and end up spending more on exam retakes than if you just got whatever supplements in the first place.

    You spent a lot on your course – use it…supplement it…pass.

    AUD - 79
    BEC - 80
    FAR - 76
    REG - 92
    Jeff Elliott, CPA (KS)
    NINJA CPA | NINJA CMA | NINJA CPE | Another71
    #1655200
    Anonymous
    Inactive

    @Jeff I'm ditching Roger. I'm chalking up that loss and starting over with something else. I don't like it at all. I went into it believing that it's the best one out there and it just totally turned out not to be in most ways. I'm sure I will be purchasing Ninja. I've made enough mistakes already with this whole process and am not up for making any more, or spending much more…until I have at least one pass.

    #1655401
    Member

    @crazyleon I recommend using Roger and sitting an exam. Based on your performance on that exam then decide whether to switch. That way you're not wasting money, overall I've heard good things about Roger but everyone is different. You have already invested.. give it a good shot, follow what they say do an exam then take it from there.

    AUD - 73(Gleim only), 79(Becker Only)

    BEC- 67, 58(Gleim only), 71 (Becker) 😢

    REG- 50 (Gleim only, totally unprepared), retake - April 2018 (Used Becker, Becker Final Review plus Ninja Monthly)

    FAR-tba

    Using Becker, Prayer & Anything else that will help.

    #1655402
    Member

    @crazyleon I recommend using Roger and sitting an exam. Based on your performance on that exam then decide whether to switch. That way you're not wasting money, overall I've heard good things about Roger but everyone is different. You have already invested.. give it a good shot, follow what they say do an exam then take it from there. & hey, if you're really serious about chalking roger.. hit me up lol

    AUD - 73(Gleim only), 79(Becker Only)

    BEC- 67, 58(Gleim only), 71 (Becker) 😢

    REG- 50 (Gleim only, totally unprepared), retake - April 2018 (Used Becker, Becker Final Review plus Ninja Monthly)

    FAR-tba

    Using Becker, Prayer & Anything else that will help.

    #1655459
    Anonymous
    Inactive

    @itagain – I've taken 3 exams now. FAR, AUD, BEC. I started studying in July 2016 and stopped studying after taking BEC a couple months ago.
    I studied almost every day of those 13 months….and passed none of them. Soooo, I am taking time off and plan to start up again next year. Obviously, what I did was not working.

    I have Roger's course (24 months unlimited access for all 4 sections.)
    Yes, I heard nothing but good about Roger. Now, as an informed consumer, I usually don't believe hype. I don't just buy something because someone else says “this is good, buy it.”
    I did my research. Roger came in at #1. The positives outweighed the negatives. I figured his motivational videos would help me out but they did nothing for me. His textbooks are ridiculous and incomplete and disorganized. Time for something new. I hate to be so negative about this and it's all very frustrating. It would be nice to just study for these things like you would study for a food handler's permit or a driver's license, where they make the tests so simplistic and “from the book” that they're almost impossible to fail. Study, memorize, go to Prometric, and walk out with a pass.

    I know some other people who failed repeatedly on Roger as well, and not for lack of effort.
    All of us give it our best shot, I think? If we weren't serious, we wouldn't be trying, and we wouldn't be on this forum.

    So right now, I am deciding what to do next. I have not used Roger's materials for REG yet. So, I could use those. And probably fail again, although there's no way to tell until it happens.
    Let's say a miracle happens and I pass REG using Roger. That still leaves me with 3 that I need to re-take, and I am not going to re-tread the Roger materials for those three that I failed. It wouldn't be a productive use of time to do that. So, while I'm not completely going back to square one again, I am having to completely re-invent things for myself.

    You said if I was serious about chalking Roger to hit you up. Not sure what you meant there but if I'm correct in my guess, you're interested in accessing my Roger account online.
    I don't think that would be good, even if I gave you my user name and password. Lots of people seem to be passing with Ninja only and I think that's the direction I'll be going in too.

    #1655470

    @crazyleon, cut your losses. You already have a good idea of the questions being asked on the exams. You have to ask yourself, will your current materials good enough for the 4 sections?

    If not, ‘bite the bullet' and get the Ninja “Sniper” products. Do all of them. Also, make sure you visit AICPA website for Sample Tests before your exams.

    I was sort of like in your case, much worse, hanging on my old materials (pre-Becker 2008/2015 & Pre-2015 Wiley w/no computer app) & at the same time, never really given my Ninja products a chance, except for the Q4 2017 exams (FAR/BEC/REG).

    Good luck.

    AUD - 49
    BEC - NINJA in Training
    FAR - NINJA in Training
    REG - 55
    Passed: AUD (75%'08/77%'17), REG (76%'09) & BLaw(77%'99); highest on FAR (63%'11/'15) & BEC (63%'11). Credit Hours: USA(PH)-BCom'85(4yr-grandfathered); UBC-(DAP'02/'19); DC-(BBA-Acctg.'22-4th yr)=over 150 hrs credits
    #1655477
    Anonymous
    Inactive

    Maybe consider changing your study habits and methodology. You have to know what works for you. I literally took ZERO notes in the past few months studying for FAR and I went in and came out of the test still feeling confident. My study methodology is far from the conventional norm for these exams and unlike anything anyone else has mentioned.

    I just go through all the MCQs by topic, select all the wrong answers to get through them quickly, then when I am done I can easily review each question one by one. The explanation is there on why it is correct or incorrect so it tells you exactly what you need to know. Then if any of the questions are a bit more difficult, complex, or not as easy to remember, then I take a screenshot of it and it automatically saves to a folder. Those are my notes. A week before exam date, I can easily review all the more difficult questions right there from the screenshots and not have to repeatedly do the same basic MCQ review questions over and over. The screenshots are saved to a cloud drive, so I can access them from any device and study them anytime. Even at the gym while I'm on the elliptical, in the sauna, or relaxing at the beach. I use the book, audio, videos, and online research to supplement any of my weaker areas. That's basically all there is to it in my opinion, I do a quick run through of all the material, then I go back and focus on the details on the more complex topics and make sure I don't leave any stone left unturned.

    It makes sense and works great for me for a number of reasons. Taking a bunch of notes is just way too time consuming and inefficient for me.

    Good luck man, my only social life consists of the gym, internet, and video games for the past several months. I basically live in front of the computer screen. It takes a lot of time, determination, and good old fashioned willpower to get through these exams.

    #1655489
    Anonymous
    Inactive

    @brickell – I took well over 200 pages of notes for FAR. By the time I reached the end of Roger's review course for FAR, I was so burned out after 3 months of burning the midnight oil on MCQ's and SIMs, that I never reviewed them. But, I took notes on all the practice problems while doing them. The kinesthetic act of writing something down, whether or not you ever look at it again, has been proven effective quite a few times. I hope you're passing, and will soon be finished. Yes, studying is different for everyone. What works for one person does not work for someone else usually but glad you found a methodology that works for you…or it sounds like it is working anyway. I'm not one for studying outside of home. When I go to the beach, I'm not there to study. When I go for exercise, I exercise, not read. Some people go to Starbucks to study. How they do it is far beyond me. Either you go there to drink coffee and/or socialize…maybe read the paper or play with your iphone. It's impossible to concentrate in a public place like that. Yet…people do it every hour of every day.

    @Earla – I'm sure Ninja is where I will end up. Thanks.

    #1655500
    Anonymous
    Inactive

    Haha I actually go to Starbucks quite often. I blame Starbucks on at least 5 of the 15 pounds I've put on since starting this journey 😛

    Yea 200 pages of notes, that is just insane to me. Even just 20 pages is too much in my opinion. It worked well in high school and college for those exams because you would have an exam every other week. But for the CPA exam by the time you take the exam, it'll be at least a month or so later since you even started taking the notes, so you forget much of it anyway. But that's just me at least.

    Going through all the MCQ one by one for each topic helps because you see each variation of a question that can be asked all in one place, so you know what to expect come exam time. All the easier ones you can just incorporate them into your basic memory/logic without having to take notes, then all the more difficult questions that you might forget or that require more thinking and more complex computations you can just screenshot it so you have them all in one spot. You start to see the questions to be like a mechanical process after a while instead of memorizing a bunch of random mnemonics and information. After a while you can tell what information you need and how to use it like a puzzle. Then when you actually take the exam you can answer many of the questions easily like its “muscle memory”.

    It has worked very well for me and just wanted to share it. I remember studying the old fashioned way of taking notes and going through all the MCQ normally, it was very mind-numbing and I don't think I could ever get through these exams that way.

    #1655551
    ellejay
    Participant

    I've been watching Farhat's Accounting Lectures on YouTube for topics I find difficult in addition to my study materials.

    AUD - NINJA in Training
    BEC - NINJA in Training
    FAR - 63
    REG - NINJA in Training
    FAR - 63, rematch February 2018
    #1655597
    Anonymous
    Inactive

    @brickell – Thanks for the advice, and yeah I was never much of a note-taker in school.
    I even had some accounting classes where the instructors said “don't take notes, just write
    down what I'm writing on the board.” Accounting has to be done to be learned. Working problems is always the best way. I think the reason I took so many FAR notes is because
    there were a million little details and I was having trouble memorizing them. I took a lot of notes for AUD too and did go back over them before the exam. Not that it made any difference.
    At this point I just need a bunch of new practice problems. Lectures/audios/notes are not what I need anymore, for the 3 that I've not yet passed.

    #1659658
    BoyNextDoor
    Participant

    @BrickellCPA- Interesting MCQ method you've got there.

    Do you use Ninja products (book, audio, videos, MCQ) or another course?

    @Jennifer- Happy to hear that it is possible to pass FAR and AUD with only Ninja testbank. I've done 1400 problems in Ninja TB so far and still have 400 “Questions Not Seen.” I have not hit review phase yet. Avg score and Trending score both at 73%.

    Marching on.

Viewing 15 replies - 1 through 15 (of 20 total)
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