[Scared-cpa]

I sat for AUD on 03/08 and found out I failed last week. Tomorrow I begin restudying. Should I go back through all the material as if I’ve never done it before or just do Ninja MCQ until I am trending like I need to be?

Since I’m wanting to give myself as much time as I need, I thought it would be best to start over from scratch. This is also what Jeff says to do. My only worry with this is that since studying wasn’t enough to get a pass the first time, why would it get me a pass the second time through? I’m just afraid Wiley CPAexcel isn’t fit for me, but I bought it and can’t afford another course.

However, I do have Ninja MCQ and will be utilizing it to the fullest. With my FAR retake, I literally only did Ninja MCQ so that is why I wonder if it’s what I should do for my retake with AUD, I’m just terrified of failing at this point.

So should I (1) Start over from scratch then finish the review with Ninja MCQ, (2) Only do Ninja MCQ until I am trending 85 and feel ready, or (3) Start over in studying AND simultaneously work through Ninja MCQ?

Since FAR, the only section I have passed so far doesn’t expire until 07/31/17, I’m wanting to take my time with the other three sections and give myself the bet chance possible of passing. So I am devoting all of Q2 to studying AUD. Ideally, I want to sit May 10, but I can extend that date until the end of May if I feel like I need to.

"The more I practice, the luckier I get."

FAR - 67, 82 (Expires 07/31/18)
AUD - 68, 79
REG - 75
BEC - 82

Wiley CPAexcel + Ninja

I cannot believe I am done.

[Scared-cpa]

I'm not working, but I am a full-time graduate student getting my MBA and I have similar plans to you, KGreen37. I'm tired of half-assing it and am going to buckle down and do what I know I need to do!

"The more I practice, the luckier I get."

FAR - 67, 82 (Expires 07/31/18)
AUD - 68, 79
REG - 75
BEC - 82

Wiley CPAexcel + Ninja

I cannot believe I am done.

[Anonymous]

OP, we can do this! It's just going to require a lot more effort than we put into it last time. I know how demanding it is to be working on a masters degree–I've been there and done that. It's like having a full-time job. Who knows, maybe we can all do a virtual study group in the AUD study group at a designated time or two during the week/weekend to help keep the concepts fresh.

Do NOT quit! There's more in you and if you quit you'll never see it. Show you that you can do it.

AUD Passed  78
BEC Passed  79
FAR Passed  77
REG Passed 76

I'm tired of operating in fear and mediocrity. It's time to try. It's time to do. It's time to go.

[Scared-cpa]

That sounds like a great idea! I think keeping all of the concepts fresh is so important yet hard to do when you're constantly moving between topics. Since you've gotten your MBA degree and working now, I was wondering if you would have any info on a question I've been wondering about. When I finish my degree (July), I was considering studying for these exams full-time until I pass all of them. I will know which of the three exams left I have passed/failed by mid-September, so after that time I will be working on any retakes I may have. Would it look bad to an employer to have this gap between school and when I begin looking for a job? Is ‘I was studying full-time for the CPA exam so I could finish it quicker' a lame excuse that employers don't want to here?

"The more I practice, the luckier I get."

FAR - 67, 82 (Expires 07/31/18)
AUD - 68, 79
REG - 75
BEC - 82

Wiley CPAexcel + Ninja

I cannot believe I am done.

[Anonymous]

Actually, in my opinion, that is a very smart idea IF your situation allows for it. I think a potential employer would enjoy knowing that you'll be very focused on learning your new job without the distractions of having to worry about studying for and passing the exams. However on the flip side, I think there a plenty of people on this forum who have the educational credentials, but lack in experience. So, have you considered working part-time in an entry-level position or perhaps an externship?

Do NOT quit! There's more in you and if you quit you'll never see it. Show you that you can do it.

AUD Passed  78
BEC Passed  79
FAR Passed  77
REG Passed 76

I'm tired of operating in fear and mediocrity. It's time to try. It's time to do. It's time to go.

[Anonymous]

I received my result last week and I scored 59. I'll be using the new Becker material this time. I have rushed with the Audit as I was trying to pressure my self to do the test before April. I was stronger in MSQs and weaker in SIMS. Generally, I struggle mostly with audit evidence related questions and sims. So, I am going to start with the audit evidence chapter and I'll go through the whole material again. I am planning to retake it by the end of April and I'll be starting asap.

[NeedsA75]

Read the text. Then read.it.again!!

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

PETH - 92
Licensed in California

 

[Scared-cpa]

Well the good thing is is that I live at home (I'm 23) while I'm finishing school, so I don't actually have to worry about money. I think it would be best because (1) I can focus entirely on the exam, (2) I don't like the thought of studying while transitioning into a job, and (3) my dad is bed bound and that would give my mom some extra time to come up with a game plan for when I leave. My classes are completely online because I do take care of my dad during the day while my mom works. He is in the last stage of both Parkinson's Disease with Lewy bodies and dementia, as well. But I don't want them to think I'm trying to get their sympathy with this, but it is a legitimate reason and concern of mine. I will also be commuting to work so with an 8 hour work day, I would be devoting 11 hours a day to work, getting there, and getting home. I hadn't really thought of a part-time job or internship but that sounds like a great way to gain experience and not be expected to be fully devoted like a full-time employee. I will definitely look into that.

Aymania, are you consecutively studying for both AUD and BEC? If so may I suggest only studying for one at a time. I know several people who study for several sections at once and end up failing them even though they devote their entire day to studying. It's hard to focus on something when you're doing so with two topics that are quite different. If I were you, I would stick to one section until I pass it.

Need a 75, Imma reading! 🙂

"The more I practice, the luckier I get."

FAR - 67, 82 (Expires 07/31/18)
AUD - 68, 79
REG - 75
BEC - 82

Wiley CPAexcel + Ninja

I cannot believe I am done.

[Meg267]

I'm really glad you started this forum. It makes me feel better knowing there are others who scored in the same range (60s) that I did. I'm glad to see you all tackling it again! The Wiley slides are the same ones presented in the videos, or at least they were for the older materials. I'm going to watch all the videos, do the MCQ for each section, and read the textbook for each section. I plan on using my lunch break to rewrite the Ninja notes, as I can't get access to watch the Wiley videos. I'm hoping I can get re-studied enough so that I can take the exam around the first week in May. Does that sound like enough time? I'm getting tired of studying for this exam. I can't wait until I'm completely done.

BEC - 57, 68, 78
REG - 62, 82
AUD - 61, 76
FAR - 79

Licensed.
No one ever fails the CPA exam, there are only those who give up.

[IwannabeaCPA2017]

Meg and everyone else… I dont know how you guys study but I find the becker lectures or lectures in general to be a complete waste of time if this is a retake. The first round I get it because it gives u the foundation. After listening to the lecture once I dont think I would wanna sit 4 hours and watch again. I suggest read the book and then hit the MCQ. I was really sad that I didnt make the 75 my 3rd round instead it went down. However, that was in the midst of Busy season so I guess that affected my studies a little. Anyway, not trying to make up excuses but let's all get back to it!

Anyone know what the content updates are by any chance for Becker users?? My license expires in 2 days and I currently have 1.2V, should I get 3.0? I honestly rather use the 15 bucks towards Ninja. LOL I have spent like 6k on this BS so far and its hard for me to pay off my bills. 🙁

PS: Meg we on same boat haha I need to knock these next 2 out by OCT otherwise I gotta retake BEC. Hopefully that won't happen. I will follow your post and hopefully we can help each other out.

BEC- PASS (Expiring in DEC 2017)

REG- PASS (Expiring Feb 2018)

AUD- PASS (Expiring Oct 2018)

FAR- 65, 60, 59, 77!!! -GOD BLESS

If I can do it, anyone can do it!

 

[Meg267]

I did 1600 MCQ for my first shot at AUD. I also used just Ninja materials. I think I need the foundation of both Wiley and Ninja. It kind of sounds weird, but that's what I did for both my passes. I had gone through Wiley for my first exams, and then added Ninja to review and got the passing score for both BEC and REG.

I can't just read the textbook, I can't remember it all just from reading. I need something more interactive, so watching the lecture, taking a few notes, and then doing some MCQ is more my style.

I just looked at all the sessions in Wiley and there is 179 to go through! In a month's time, their new exam planner makes it seem overwhelming. It has me doing 9 sections on one day. I'm not sure if I can get through all the material again by the beginning of May.

I'm hoping to be done with this exam by the end of the year. It's going to be more of a drawn out process since we have to wait so long for Q2 scores. @IwannabeaCPA17, we can do it together!

BEC - 57, 68, 78
REG - 62, 82
AUD - 61, 76
FAR - 79

Licensed.
No one ever fails the CPA exam, there are only those who give up.

[Scared-cpa]

I think it's important that we support each other on here! I don't know about you guys, but just talking about the exam and the different things we go through are helpful to me even if we aren't talking about a specific topic. I just like having someone to talk to since my boyfriend gets tired of hearing me talk about it when he has no knowledge on the topic whatsoever lol.

I agree that the videos are a waste of time for me. They are essentially short summaries of the text so if you only watch the videos, you're missing key information in the text. If you do both, you're just wasting time hearing someone talk about something you already read about in greater detail. I've been reading slowly to make sure I comprehend everything, taking notes, and then once I do several sections like this, I go back through the multiple choice for those sections. The questions are few, maybe 5 per section, so I'm not doing very many. I just think that by reading multiple section and then doing the questions, it helps me use knowledge from my brain to answer them instead of simply memorizing what I just read. There's no real point in reading ‘The pen is blue' and then answering the question ‘What color is the pen?' immediately afterward. So by giving myself a break between reading and questions, I'm testing my memory instead of immediate recall. I've also found that I'm comprehending it better the second time through, probably because I recognize the verbiage and how things tie together. I am hoping it will continue to connect in my mind asgo through the next several weeks.

"The more I practice, the luckier I get."

FAR - 67, 82 (Expires 07/31/18)
AUD - 68, 79
REG - 75
BEC - 82

Wiley CPAexcel + Ninja

I cannot believe I am done.

[Scared-cpa]

Meg, I agree that the study planner makes it look overwhelming! Right now, I'm set to be done the last week of April but I am hoping I can get done a little sooner to give myself more final review time. But if not, I'm not going to rush it when I have no immediate reason to rush it. My plan is to sit May 10, then study and sit for REG around July 10 and BEC September 08. If this doesn't work, I'm shooting for AUD Q2, REG Q3, and BEC Q4. I've learned that rushing obviously doesn't pay off. So I'm going to take my time and really learn the material, wait until I hit the sweet spot of trending 85 averaging 70 like I did for my FAR pass and go in for the kill. It just sucks that I won't know which sections I will need to retake until August and September. Hopefully, I won't need to retake any of them if I study right, but the possibility of that happening is probably slim. I'm hoping January – July 2017 is enough time for (up to) 3 retakes!

"The more I practice, the luckier I get."

FAR - 67, 82 (Expires 07/31/18)
AUD - 68, 79
REG - 75
BEC - 82

Wiley CPAexcel + Ninja

I cannot believe I am done.

[Meg267]

You know what, I think you're right. I have watched a couple of the videos tonight and they're a big time suck. I think if I just slow down my reading, I can read the sections and do the MCQ and then move on. I've already watched all the Ninja Blitz and Ninja Plus videos. There really isn't a need for me to watch all the Wiley ones as well. It really does help to talk through some of this stuff. I'm so glad for these forums. My husband is probably getting tired of me always talking about the CPA exam. I do have to give him a lot of credit for being super supportive.

BEC - 57, 68, 78
REG - 62, 82
AUD - 61, 76
FAR - 79

Licensed.
No one ever fails the CPA exam, there are only those who give up.

[Scared-cpa]

I don't know about you, but I know that if I try to do too much (videos, read, take notes, reread, etc.) I tire myself out to where I'm just like ‘Screw it!' and don't pay as close attention as I should. So I'm taking my time and really trying to comprehend what I'm reading. Then I read back through briefly to pick the high points to take notes over.

And yes, we should have a forum just to jab on about a big bunch of nothing lol. I also think there should be a forum on here called ‘I FAILED [Insert section here] just like the ‘I PASSED' forums. It would help in situations like this when people are trying to figure out where to begin for a retake.

May I ask how many pages of notes you're taking per section since we both are using CPAexcel? I started restudying today and completed 9 or 10 sections, I think. Up to the first assessment. I average about 1 page per section meaning I will have around 179 pages of notes. Does that sound like too much/too little? I know it is subjective but I'm just interested to see how much other people write.

My goal is to not be as obsessive as I normally am, saying I HAVE to get through so many sections a day so I just rush through it. I'm really trying and want to learn this instead of just BS my way through.

"The more I practice, the luckier I get."

FAR - 67, 82 (Expires 07/31/18)
AUD - 68, 79
REG - 75
BEC - 82

Wiley CPAexcel + Ninja

I cannot believe I am done.

[Meg267]

I just completed a section without watching the video. I just read through the study guide/book. I got 100% on both the true/false quiz and then the assessment. It didn't seem so overwhelming doing it that way.

For that section I just did, I didn't take any notes. I felt it was pretty straight forward. As the sections get more difficult, I'll probably take a page or two of notes. I like the Ninja notes as well, so I'll utilize them as well.

I need the same goal — not to be so obsessive about how many sections I have to get done a day. Things come up. If I'm not able to get them all done in a day, I'll make them up. As long as I can get through all of them by the end of April, I should be fine.

It must be tough studying while in graduate school. I work full time. I get tired trying to study on my lunch break and then coming home and trying to study for a couple more hours. I can't imagine trying to study for classes and then turn around and study for the CPA exam. Hopefully some of your classes can help with some of the material on the exams.

BEC - 57, 68, 78
REG - 62, 82
AUD - 61, 76
FAR - 79

Licensed.
No one ever fails the CPA exam, there are only those who give up.

[Author]

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