[zman]

My score report literally expired 3 days ago so I can't do the eyeball trick. It makes the suspense 1,000 times worse!

AUD - 77
BEC - 82
FAR - 79
REG - 81

There is no substitute for effort and attitude

[zman]

First testlet was very heavy on calculations. Second testlet was not. My Sims actually required a decent working knowledge of financial accounting.

AUD - 77
BEC - 82
FAR - 79
REG - 81

There is no substitute for effort and attitude

[zman]

Know individual but don't invest all of your time in it. In my experience, Individual taxation was not tested very heavily. Know Partnerships, S Corps and C Corps like the back of your hand. Major emphasis on partnerships and S Corps.

AUD - 77
BEC - 82
FAR - 79
REG - 81

There is no substitute for effort and attitude

[zman]

You took it on August 15 or October 15?

AUD - 77
BEC - 82
FAR - 79
REG - 81

There is no substitute for effort and attitude

[zman]

I have taken an exam in each of the 4 quarters and there is o difference. Pass rates drop in Q1 because of 12/31 FYE clients as well as tax season, they rise in Q2 and Q3 because those are typically slower months and people have more time to study and there is a slight decline in Q4 because its the holiday season and literally anything is better than studying during the holiday's.

AUD - 77
BEC - 82
FAR - 79
REG - 81

There is no substitute for effort and attitude

[zman]

I'm hoping and praying to be finished with this journey after this exam. @Maybei'lltryaccounting did you have many questions on Projection and forecasting techniques like breakeven, target profit, sales required to reach target profit, etc.?

AUD - 77
BEC - 82
FAR - 79
REG - 81

There is no substitute for effort and attitude

[zman]

Taking it next week so I want to follow this. I know what you mean. There are MCQ's in the Becker software that ask about topics that Becker doesn't have a single word on in the chapters and it got me worrying that the MCQ's on the exam will be on similar topics that Becker never addresses.

AUD - 77
BEC - 82
FAR - 79
REG - 81

There is no substitute for effort and attitude

[zman]

Here's the mindset that I went into FAR with, as well as the other sections, and I think it logically makes sense and I have passed AUD, FAR, and REG so it has worked for me thus far. When I was studying for FAR I was completely overwhelmed by the material. You can start getting into the details and before you know it you are 3 miles deep in a rabbit hole. Here is my pro tip for passing FAR…

The CPA certification is the hardest of all of the certifications to obtain and CPA's are generally regarded as being some of the most intelligent professionals in the business community. The AICPA wants to make sure the CPA title always retains its superiority. So there are ten million details that can be tested on FAR and all of these details are 100% fair game but does the AICPA really want people out there with “CPA” by their name if said people do not have a working knowledge of base line accounting concepts like depreciation, Accounts receivable, Debt/bonds, Equity, and general governmental stuff? No chance. Of coarse they can test you on anything and everything, but for the sake of preserving the prestige that comes with having “CPA” by your name, they really want to make sure people who pass the exam have a strong knowledge of more basic accounting concepts. To further my point (and I'm sure that others had different experiences) I only had a total of 3 MCQ's regarding leases and pensions.

So take a deep breath, step back, and ask yourself “If I were handing out CPA licenses, what would I want to be certain the person I'm giving this license to understands?” If I could pass FAR, there's not a doubt in my mind that everyone who has made it to this point in this wild journey can also pass it.

AUD - 77
BEC - 82
FAR - 79
REG - 81

There is no substitute for effort and attitude

[zman]

@Nbmorty I passed audit back in January and as I can't speak for the current version of the exam, I would make sure to be well prepared to answer questions about compilations, reviews, agreed-upon procedures and topics of those sorts.

AUD - 77
BEC - 82
FAR - 79
REG - 81

There is no substitute for effort and attitude

[zman]

@puppykoala Thanks for the update. Was your exam more calculations, conceptual or a healthy mix? How were the written communication prompts?

AUD - 77
BEC - 82
FAR - 79
REG - 81

There is no substitute for effort and attitude

[zman]

I have BEC left and that will be my last section if all goes well next week. I started studying BEC this week and am hoping to get it done on October 4th.

AUD - 77
BEC - 82
FAR - 79
REG - 81

There is no substitute for effort and attitude

[zman]

just remember that you have the IRC at your disposal during the sims… it saved my butt on one sim

AUD - 77
BEC - 82
FAR - 79
REG - 81

There is no substitute for effort and attitude

[zman]

Really not sure how I feel about it. I know for a fact that I got the research sim right and I am fairly confident on at least two others. For the MCQ's, I sacrificed time studying ethics to study more tax stuff and I got a lot of nit-picky questions about ethics so i have no idea. Going through the MCQ's I felt like I was making educated guesses on everything so I think I probably blew this one. Oh well who knows? I'll prepare for the worst and pray for the best.

AUD - 77
BEC - 82
FAR - 79
REG - 81

There is no substitute for effort and attitude

[Author]

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