[Anonymous]

Scores were released today and I got 36 on FAR though I prepared for 5 months, almost 2 hours everyday using
Wiley 2017.

on the exam SIMS were very confusing, each SIM had 6 exhibits, and they were very confusing , plus questions were not clear so basically I did not know what are the questions..so many exhibits and documents the hole thing was confusing….

Anybody with the same issues? any suggestions on how to get better score and pass FAR next time????

[ML]

My biggest suggestion to you is to vastly shorten your preparation time. 5 months is too long and I just don't think it's possible to retain all that information over such a long duration effectively. Even with a full time job most members including myself prepare within 4-6 weeks. Sometimes shorter, sometimes a little longer but I've rarely seen members report anything even over 3 months of preparation. When I studied for my sections I put in 1-2 hours on weekdays and 6-8 on weekends. I always try to schedule my exams on a Monday morning and I would take off work Thursday and Friday the week prior giving me 4 solid days to review and rest. Also, if you plan on sticking with Wiley, I highly suggest pairing it with the Ninja review course. No matter what score, failing always sucks but like many of us, don't give up. Keep your head up and move forward.

AUD (08/31/18) - PASSED  [ROGER + NINJA]

BEC (05/22/17) - PASSED  [ROGER]

FAR (06/06/18) - PASSED  [ROGER + NINJA]

REG (09/07/17) - PASSED  [ROGER]

 

CA PETH - 94 (09/17/18)

 

I can't believe I am done. It was slow, unsteady, and painful. But so so worth it.

FAR - 7/31/14
AUG - ???
REG - ???
BEC - ???

"These are the precincts of pain. A goddess lives here. Her name is victory." - Unknown

[StuckBelow60]

So, first of all- I'm so sorry. If you look at my poster name, I was stuck below 60% on my exams. I have failed 4 exams in my journey, and let me tell you- each time hurt more then the last. My secret? Take a day to wallow in your sorrows, and then start fresh. I used Wiley as well on my first attempts…it worked for BEC, not to AUD or REG. I passed AUD and REG STRICTLY by using NINJA MCQs. I used to listen to Wiley videos in the morning on my way to work or while getting ready, do MCQs at lunch, and then 2 hours at night (or 1, with time permitting). I can't pretend that a 36 isn't disheartening, I BALLED when I got a 52 on AUD. I was like “Did they give me points for putting my name down right?”. It hurt really badly. But I can tell you for experience that stopping hurts worse. Keep your head up and keep going. Know that we on Another 71 are cheering you on.

My suggestions…

Start doing MCQ and SIMS NOW. Especially SIMS. That were ppl are the weakest. Do them continuously. As well, if you do well with taking notes, take notes. I know that I am not. I will write them, and nada. I'm good with visuals, so I make sure to see and read everything. My other suggestion is to embrace wrong questions. Take that as “well now I know”- you'll be amazing how much you teach yourself! Also GET NINJA. I swear, it will save your life.

Good luck on round two. Get 'em!

[LittleTimmy]

A score of 36 on your first attempt is impressive, far exceeds my 1st attempt score. 5 months seems way too long to remember what you studied back in months #1 and month #2. I am unable to pass FAR because I have yet to study more than 50 or so multiple choice questions during preparation and have never attempted any SIMs at home, I spend too much time trying to learn the vast amount of material and as the Test Date approaches, I run out of time for MCQs and Review and I have yet to fully get through the entire book, I usually am stuck trying to review the morning of the test.

BEC- passed 16 months ago

AUD- passed 12 months ago

FAR- passed 3 months ago

REG- 69 , 63, 81

[zccpa]

Got a 48 after 4 months studying 3 hrs a day, and I thought that if I didn't pass, at least I would get a score in the 60s because I got out of the test feeling good (bad sign I guess!)
Like you I'm so discouraged because I already took BEC 3 times, FAR once and still waiting for a passing score. I'm followed the NINJA framework to the dot and nothing. I'm studying for AUD and now I don't know if I should continue the framework or go straight to MCQs, but kind of afraid to miss concepts on the way.
Hard to keep the spirit up 🙁

AUD – TBD
BEC – TBD
FAR – TBD
REG – TBD

Nothing in this world can take the place of persistence. Don't give up!
- Calvin Coolidge

[RyonT]

Do you have work experience in accounting? It helps immensely, especially for FAR. I also agree with the other commenters that 5 months is way too long for 1 section. I'd say 8 weeks is the spot you want to be in. 10-12 if English isn't your first language. Also, do the AICPA practice test to get a feel for the SIMs. Another bit of advice is to get through your videos or book as quickly as possible (even if you don't have the material mastered) so you can get to mcq (do thousands of questions). That is where you can really learn the material. If you get something wrong, write it down. Jeff has given this advice in several of his videos/podcast, and it works. I've used that advice for the past year, and after failing AUD and BEC 3 times each, I've gone 3 for 3. The last bit of advice would be to get updated material. If money is your issue, Ninja is relatively inexpensive. Good luck.

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

 

[Anonymous]

Thank you guys for your replies, will keep u posted!

[Anonymous]

Is it possible to buy NINJA SIMS and MCQ only, without course, videos, flash notes………?

[SuperAccountingGod]

All that stuff should already be included in the NINJA monthly plan if I'm not mistaken.

AUD - NINJA in training

BEC - NINJA IN TRAINING

FAR - 74

REG - NINJA IN TRAINING

[Jack Molitor]

I don't want to try to get into your state of mind too much, but I would recommend actually committing to learning the material. I've gone through spots in my studying where I've just been going through the motions to get through the lessons (I'm using Wiley, too), and it ultimately doesn't serve me well. I don't want to assume that's what you did, but it sounds like when you got to the sims, you were completely shocked, not just about the material, but for the scope of the simulations. That shouldn't be. It sounds like you might have gotten to the sims and just kinda thrown up your hands because they got confusing. I don't want to sound harsh, but this is the CPA exam. They're not going to throw you softballs. The test is designed to beat you down, and you have to fight back. Calm down, read carefully, and apply what you've learned as best you can, even if it feels confusing, especially with the sims, because those are a challenge for everyone. There's no guidebook on how to handle them and there's so much variability. And that's by design.
There are a lot of people who are not great test-takers. And we ALL freeze up a little bit when a question or two bloodies our noses. If you think that's the case for you, I would recommend focusing on practice exams. Go to a library or a quiet place and hammer away at trying to get into the groove of the test-taking experience itself. Because I agree with other people on here, five months is too long to prepare. Be efficient with your studying, because more prep doesn't always equal good. You can definitely over-study for the CPA exam. I took three months to get ready for FAR, and I was going out of my mind by the end of the material.
Don't lose hope. Work on sims (they're just practice for the test, the ones on the exam WILL be different and WILL be harder), and work on practice exams. Work on how you want to cobble together your points, because you can be really confused and just kinda throw guesses at the wall for one or two sims (there's a chance one might be pre-tested), but most of them you have to try to fight through, otherwise you have no shot. Hope this helps.

AUD - 81
BEC - 87
FAR - 83
REG - 82

"Don't boo. Vote."

[Anonymous]

Thank you….

[the marathon continues]

i studied for FAR starting in March after i found out I passed BEC and took FAR 9/10. Even though I passed FAR I believe 5 months is too long. Should definitely keep it to 3 months max so we can easily retain the info. I barely passed FAR with a 75 and I studied 5 months almost everyday and 6-7 hours on weekends. I recommend trying to get through the material/lectures quickly and focus on MCQs, do all the SIMs. Then write down notes or questions you answer incorrectly and review them before your exam. Best of luck, you can do it!

FAR - 70 - 5/30/17, 75 - 9/10/18
REG - 68 - 8/21/17, 82 - 12/10/18
BEC - 72 - 12/4/17, 86 - 3/5/18
AUD - 61 - 3/4/19, 63 - 5/28/19, 77 - 8/26/19

yo fk audit, for real for real
~no one said it would be easy

[the marathon continues]

i studied for FAR starting in March after i found out I passed BEC and took FAR 9/10. Even though I passed FAR I believe 5 months is too long. Should definitely keep it to 3 months max so we can easily retain the info. I barely passed FAR with a 75 and I studied 5 months almost everyday and 6-7 hours on weekends. I recommend trying to get through the material/lectures quickly and focus on MCQs, do all the SIMs. Then write down notes or questions you answer incorrectly and review them before your exam. Best of luck, you can do it!

FAR - 70 - 5/30/17, 75 - 9/10/18
REG - 68 - 8/21/17, 82 - 12/10/18
BEC - 72 - 12/4/17, 86 - 3/5/18
AUD - 61 - 3/4/19, 63 - 5/28/19, 77 - 8/26/19

yo fk audit, for real for real
~no one said it would be easy

[jrockroll]

cheer up. I got 29 on my first Reg, but I took it as an experience to see how the test was like. 😀

[Anonymous]

Here is what I did to pass FAR. I dedicated one window just for FAR. Some may disagree, but this worked for me, and hey I passed all 4 exams within 12 months period.
Use Becker, and do all MC over and over and over again. Also make sure you do the simulations as well, because they will help you reinforce your knowledge in all the areas. As you move on to next chapter, go back and do progress test. I studied for FAR about 2 month and half, while working full time, and with the newborn baby. You can do it and you will! What I learned from my experience studying for this exam is that you can't rush. Take your time and work slowly. Like Peter Olinto says in his lectures: Slow and Steady wins the race!
Just manage your time and the 18 months period

[Author]

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