[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.

[Anonymous]

OK…I've quit the videos too…at least for the night! After watching 8 videos on fast speed, I feel like I am dying sllllooooowwwwwlllyyy. I did my 12 pages of notes as well, so maybe it was just too much for day 1. Who knows?! I will say that being familiar with the material helped me note when something I didn't quite understand was stated in the video this time around. Starting tomorrow, I think I'll adjust my studies to allow for merely reading my ninja notes during the whole time I'm actively watching the videos. I'll try to use more of my time to get through the videos a bit faster so that I can read the book and take notes.

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]

Sounds like we are all doing the same thing or very similar! I'm excited to see how it all works out for us! 🙂

Meg, how would compare AUD to REG and BEC? And yes, doing graduate school and studying are mentally draining but I doubt it is harder than working full-time!

KGreen, how would you compare AUD to BEC?

"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]

Honestly, I'm not sure if I can make a true comparison of AUD to BEC. Both are worthy opponents in their own right. With audit I think it's very much possible to know the material, but get tripped up on the wording on the MCQs. While BEC is more computational and leaves less room for ambiguity aside from COSO related questions. I truly hope to pull myself out of this fail then pass cycle. I don't need to fail each exam before I pass it. I want to pass AUD by a large enough margin so that I can know my study habits are effective enough to pass the other exams.

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]

See, what I like about AUD is the fact that there's no math. After FAR, I literally cried when I realized there's no computations in AUD. Although I suppose the perk of computations is you know for sure what the answer is, as long you know how to solve it!

That is the sucky thing about the exam change, we don't get our scores back for so long we aren't sure if our study method worked or not. Are you waiting to get your score back in August before you study for another section? Unfortunately I will be 2 exams through before I find out my score. I don't know what I will do if I spend this much time, until September, studying and don't pass any. But I don't want to entertain that idea yet.

"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.

[Namstut]

When the going gets tough, the tough get going.

All Done!!!

AUD 7/6/16 Passed
BEC 9/3/16
FAR TBD
REG TBD

[RE2PECT]

For my AUD retake, I read through the ninja book and then did all the ninja mcq's for that section. The book and mcq's correlate perfectly so you're not jumping around and doing questions on different topics. After I made it through the book and all the mcq's once, I went back and did trouble questions and mixed in adaptive sessions. My mcq subscription expired about a week before my exam so I switched back to Roger and did as many mcq's and sims as I could. I also skimmed through his book one last time the weekend before my exam. I'm a big believer in doing that before every exam because you hit every topic and it will be fresh in your head. I studied about 3.5 weeks.

I also got more familiar with the AL and where all the major topics were located. It will help save time during the sims if you know exactly where to look.

https://www.aicpa.org/Research/Standards/AuditAttest/Pages/SSAE.aspx
https://www.aicpa.org/RESEARCH/STANDARDS/COMPILATIONREVIEW/Pages/compilation%20and%20review%20standards.aspx
https://pub.aicpa.org/codeofconduct/Ethics.aspx
https://pcaobus.org/Standards/Auditing/pages/auditing_standard_5.aspx
https://www.aicpa.org/research/standards/auditattest/pages/clarifiedsas.aspx

"Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity."

Roger & Ninja

FAR: 75
AUD: 73, 81
BEC: 71, 73, 82
REG: 68, 82

FAR: 75 Roger & Ninja (notes/flashcards/audio/MCQ)
AUD: 73, 81
BEC: 71, retake 8/29
REG:

[RyonT]

I normally like watching videos over reading, but the CPA excel instructors are so awfully dry. I've mixed in videos and reading for different sections. Right now my notes are averaging a little over a page per section. It seems to be working out…only 169 more sections left in the next 4 weeks.

AUD - 79
BEC - 85
FAR - 85
REG - 83

Licensed CPA (MI)

CPAexcel & Ninja

AUD 69, 73, 79

BEC 67, 69, 73, 85

FAR 85

REG 83

 

[Scared-cpa]

Re2PECT, thank you for all of the helpful links! I am going back through the entire CPAexcel material with reading, taking notes, and MCQ. I second guess myself if that's the right thing to do since all I did for my FAR retake was Ninja MCQ for a month, but I'm trying to ensure that I do indeed pass this time. Do you think starting all over is the right thing for me to do?

The instructors are dry! The first time through the material, though, I like watching the videos because hearing someone talk about something I'm unfamiliar with makes me understand it more than just reading it. But since I've been through it once now, I think it is a waste of time to rewatch them.

"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.

[RyonT]

I second guess myself a lot as well. Especially after going 0-2 in my first 2 exam attempts. The first ime through BEC, I went through all the Excel material and just felt like i was going through the motions. With AUD, I used only Plus videos and Ninja mcq. I really liked the videos, and even though they were older I felt that they were relevant. I go back and forth as to whether I should continue with CPAexcel this time through, or go back to the Plus videos and mcq and just take better notes. Mind games, man.

AUD - 79
BEC - 85
FAR - 85
REG - 83

Licensed CPA (MI)

CPAexcel & Ninja

AUD 69, 73, 79

BEC 67, 69, 73, 85

FAR 85

REG 83

 

[Scared-cpa]

I think a lot of this exam is psychological. We freak ourselves out because we know these tests are hard, so I think we plant a seed of doubt in our minds before we even begin. With my FAR fail, I experienced a very big learning curve in trying to adjust to how I had to learn the material. With AUD, I think I was overconfident because of my FAR pass.

I mentioned this to someone else on here but have you considered sticking with just one exam until you pass it? I know that's not too reasonable now since we won't find out our scores for months, but I couldn't imagine jumping back and forth between exam topics. My plan is to study AUD thoroughly and not sit until I am trending 85 and averaging 70 in Ninja MCQ like I did with my FAR pass. There's no sense in me sitting sooner when I could be more prepared and increase my risk of failing. I'd rather stick with one exam and take it once I'm prepare, even if it takes a little longer, and pass than spend less time doing more exams and jumping around on topics.

"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.

[RyonT]

In a perfect world, I would love to do that. Like you said, the timing of the score releases do not lend themselves to that idea, especially with this new exam. I'm pretty sure its not a lot better in Q3 or Q4 either. I believe scores will be released once 10 days after the close of the window. Thats just leaves too much downtime for me if I sit early in a window. That might be the plan for REG and FAR though. I am probably going to take Q3 off to enjoy the summer. Where I live, really great weather only lasts a few months so you have to enjoy it while you can.

AUD - 79
BEC - 85
FAR - 85
REG - 83

Licensed CPA (MI)

CPAexcel & Ninja

AUD 69, 73, 79

BEC 67, 69, 73, 85

FAR 85

REG 83

 

[RE2PECT]

@scared_cpa- Personally, I think watching lectures for AUD is a waste of time. The material is pretty straightforward and most of the time they're just reading the book back to you . I think you're better served reading the book and doing mcq's and sims. A lot of people are big believers in taking notes, but I didn't take any for my retake. I didn't take many in general, but ironically for my first AUD attempt I wrote out the Ninja notes twice.

It's always hard to come up with a gameplan for a retake. I've taken different approaches for different exams and was successful both ways so there's really no right or wrong way to approach them. For AUD, I took someone's advice on here and followed the method I posted. With BEC and REG, I mainly did mcq's and sims. If there was a topic I really struggled with, then I'd rewatch a lecture or google more information on it. Investopedia.com is a good resource, especially for BEC, and it explains things in a simpler form.

"Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity."

Roger & Ninja

FAR: 75
AUD: 73, 81
BEC: 71, 73, 82
REG: 68, 82

FAR: 75 Roger & Ninja (notes/flashcards/audio/MCQ)
AUD: 73, 81
BEC: 71, retake 8/29
REG:

[Scared-cpa]

Ryon, I think it's a good idea to take the 3rd quarter off as long as you have a plan. Especially since you don't have an 18-month clock ticking yet! I know my expiry date of FAR is a long way off, but it is frightening to think of having to retake it so I am using that fear as motivation to get this done lol.

Re2pect, can I ask how long it took you to complete all four sections with a pass? Did any of your exams expire? Do you have any suggestions as to how I should go about finishing all four sections without my FAR expiring? Like I mentioned before, I am going to take AUD in May, REG in July, and BEC in September. That's the plan, at least, but I'm giving myself cushion to take one a quarter and finish in December. That will give me 2.5 quarters for retakes. Does that sound like enough cushion to you? Through your exams, pass and fail, did you learn any critical steps in the study/review/exam process that you believe is essential in getting a passing grade? Did you have any “magic moment” where you knew you were as ready as you would be to sit? I'm trying to make sure I don't sit prematurely.

"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.

[metamor]

Hey guys! I took AUD on March 9th and sadly got a 74…. So frustrating to know it was by one point… Anyways, here I am trying again. I am using WileyCPAExcel and am planning to retake test for April 21 or 22nd. I was planning on reading over each section and doing problems. However, this was my method last time… Nonetheless, I finished the material two days before the exam and only reviewed for 1 day. My downfall were the simulations… Just wanted to know your input as to whether stick with WileyCPAExcel and just review for a longer period or should I use Ninja MCQ?

@RE2PECT, How exactly did you target AUD for the second time?

AUD - NINJA in Training
BEC - NINJA in Training
FAR - NINJA in Training
REG - NINJA in Training

AUD- 74, Retake Q2

FAR-

BEC-

REG-

[Mandu4ever]

Hi Guys,

It's great to find you all as I am also on the same page. I failed AUD with 74 that is the worst scores ever in my opinion.

Anyway, I am planning to retake at the end of April or early May. So I just started studying with the new becker material. However, I couldn't find the ebook in the new software. Does anyone know whether we have an access to it or not?

I hope we all ace next time!!:)

AUD - 85
BEC - NINJA in Training
FAR - 88
REG - NINJA in Training

Can't wait to have my life back!

[Author]

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