[RayanAli]

Hello,

So first things first – I have been studying for BEC the last 4 months. I first took it late 2016 and got an 49. I took it again few weeks ago and just received my score of 48. I am very frustrated – I studied anywhere 6 to 15 hours every single day. With a total of 100 or so hours. Basically, I wasted 100 hours. I used NINJA ( I got 63% from 72 hours total. I studied almost more than half questions on NINJA.) and also used Wiley CPA Excel – I also used cpaexamquestions.com.

I work full-time, so studying more than 8 hours is impossible on weekdays. Please keep in mind I never read the Wiley CPA BEC Book. I did a lot of multiple questions and understood most concepts.

My question to every dear viewer of this thread:

What advise do you have and what study material would one use, especially with the new tough revised BEC effective April 2017 knowing that one barely made 48 and 49 on BEC.

I am very frustrated/disappointed/demotivated/sad/angry.

-Rayan Ali from California

[cottonkandi]

@RayanAli – I think the trick to BEC is reading the book and taking notes inside and out before practicing the questions. With practicing multiple choice questions we sometimes memorize the answer (I am guilty of this) without understanding why something was answered a certain way- how the question is trying to trick you. Also pinpointing your weak areas and going back to the book and questions to see what is tripping you up.

BEC: 75!

FAR: 84!

AUD: 81!

REG: 79!

[cottonkandi]

Good luck on your next go!

BEC: 75!

FAR: 84!

AUD: 81!

REG: 79!

[RayanAli]

That makes a lot of sense – only problem is the book is millions of pages. Would one read each and every single page @allergic2mornings

[EZ_Sims_4_me_Pls]

The cpa exam is all about discovering how you learn.

I only read the FAR book.. I didn't read BEC, AUD, or REG at all..

I just did thousands of MCQ's.

AUD - 80
BEC - 84
FAR - 77
REG - 79

one step closer

[RayanAli]

@allergic2mornings Thanks for the luck – wish you luck also.

@ez_sims_4_me_pls That's awesome. What material did you work with

[Anonymous]

These exams go very smoothly for some people and very roughly for others. Finding what works and what doesn't is all you can do. It can be a very long and costly undertaking. Sadly, there is very little guidance out there about how successful candidates get through the exams. It's extremely subjective – different for every single person. People on here may tell you what they did in order to pass, and although it worked for them, it may very well not work for you.

If I were in your particular situation, I'd probably think about finding a new review course. Or, if not that, then finding many new questions to practice on. Repetition and working the problems over and over is important…although with the new format of the exam, I don't even know if that is sufficient.

Good luck finding your way out of the maze. I wish I could be more optimistic about it but I'm in the maze too. After only one exam, I'm already burned out.

[RayanAli]

@crazyleon Yup, it ain't pretty. I'm doing that research on review courses.

[RayanAli]

@crazyleon Do you ever read the book?

To everyone's that just joined or reading: With the new exam changes coming up, I believe reading the book first then doing MCQ's would be the way to do it. Thoughts?

[Tncincy]

Well, I am coming to the realization after many fails and half hearted attempts, that maybe I need to read the book. I've tried doing endless mcq's but I got discouraged because I was not seeing immediate positive results….the questions are so random that even going back to the book somehow I had to start at the beginning. So since I have to start at the beginning of the book, why not start with the book and not the questions. That's my approach this time around. The purpose of the test restructure is to know the concepts and apply them in the accounting universe…..sp I guess I need help too.. 🙁

It begins with a 75
Been here too long as a cheerleader.....time to pass

It begins with a 75
Been here too long as a cheerleader....ready to pass

[Trele6]

Rayan,

Your scores suggest a few theories to me.

1. You might have a hard time reading and extracting what the questions are actually asking for. These exams are tricky and it looks like their tricks are working on you.
2. Your knowledge of the subject is very weak or so spread out that you don't have a very good foundation of what to do on BEC.
3. BEC is one of the tests with the least amount of book pages. If you find that daunting, then you will be shocked at FAR.
4. Your review material is one of the “cheaper” options. Granted people pass using it, but it doesn't have the same reputation as Becker. Now does Becker have that missing bit that you need? No clue, but all I can say is people usually get what they pay for.
5. Four months to study for BEC seems way too long. It is not that much material, people don't spend that much time studying for FAR which is the beast of information. Maybe you studied well but did it over such a long period you couldn't commit the info to long term memory?

Just my .02, not trying to be mean or anything but sometimes honest feedback is what is needed.

B - 80 Jun16
A - 74 Aug16, 77 Oct16
R - 87 Nov15
F - 79 Apr16
Ethics - 98 Nov16
Licensed in New Mexico Dec16

First go at the CPA! Only using Becker
Reg / Nov 2015 - 87
Far / Apr 2016 - 79
Bec / May 2016 - 80
Aud / Aug 2016

[Anonymous]

My advice is to literally do every single NINJA MCQ available and understand why the answers are correct or incorrect.

Just go straight through from the beginning of the material to the end and do every single question back to back each day until your mind literally goes numb and you cannot stay awake. Then when you are about to fall asleep, you have to get your second wind and keep going at it.

This is serious advice, no joke. Then when there are areas that are more complex or more difficult to understand, THEN refer to the book or videos to help clarify the topic a bit. If you need more understanding, do some internet searches for other sources of information.

The material on these exams isn't very difficult, but it's just a lot of information to remember. If you give yourself a minimum quota of MCQs to complete in each session, it will become engrained in your brain like a puzzle.

That is the key to passing these exams.

[Wannafree]

@RayanAli ,try this and see if that works.
1.Take your test on Ninja MCQ and see the result.In answer see the references.Read the answer and those references.Ninja test will tell you immediately where you stand.
Ninja is best for BEC and AUD.I am currently using FAR so can't comment on FAR.
Don't get disappointed with your score as this is your first section and it shows you have not got the handle of cpa exam and that handle you have to to discover.I knew the BEC concept very well but failed twice and understood how to tame it in third attempt.

WannaB

[Anonymous]

Ryan, doing multiple choice and taking notes worked for me. Just doing multiple choice does not work for me if I don't take notes and understand why I answered incorrectly. When I get it wrong I also review the section in the book.

[cottonkandi]

@RayanAli – For BEC, my only weaker section was Economic Concepts – the only section I didn't write the notes for or do a second review. I got one stronger on Financial Management – I literally studied this chapter and questions for a week. The rest I got comparable, I reviewed the rest of the chapters only for one day.

My strategy for FAR is a 4 day plan for each chapter.

Day 1: Write notes
Day 2: Write notes/Practice questions/Simulations
Day 3: Practice question/Simulations
Day 4: Diagnose weak areas and review.

Also for BEC I didn't do progress tests. This time around I plan to do progress tests and hone in on my weaker areas.

BEC: 75!

FAR: 84!

AUD: 81!

REG: 79!

[sandysprotege]

@RayanAli don't give up! I just got my score back and failed with a 66. I am not extremely disappointed considering I did not have a chance to do MC's. I figured I would take my chances and spent 3 weeks (while working full time) reading and rewriting Ninja Notes in the evenings and listening to Ninja Audio at my desk. It really helped to put the concepts into perpspective especially the economics…I blew on the cost accounting, those formulas you absolutely need to know. Since the info is fresh in your mind I would suggest you start from the beginning and read/take notes, then try a different test bank from what you are using. Give yourself a solid month to go over everything again and I am confident you will be BEC ready by the end of the Q2 testing window.

Keep your head up and let us know how your studies are going!

NJ License Pending

FAR - 63, 64, 75 (Dec 2018)

REG - 51,75 (Jan 2018) - expired...FML...81 (March 2020)

AUD - 64,70, 68 (Oct 2019), 72 (Jan 2020), 77 (July 2020)

BEC - 66, 72 (March 2019), 80 (July 2019)

 

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