Exam recap

I don’t know if I can remember any of it now.  I took the exam as planned on October 27th.  And just like the other 3 exams, I have no idea how I did.

The difference about this one is the writing section.  Like others said on Another71, I had one that was more FAR related.  For all three I actually wrote according to what I know from work experience, so I hope that was good enough.  None were very long, but it’s amazing how little you can write in that amount of time.  I gave each one about 20 minutes, and reviewed each and edited quite a bit.

I think I got medium-hard-medium testlets, but I really don’t know.  It was all hard.  So now I am patiently waiting for my results.  A month is a long time to wait!  I’ll get my results around November 27th.

I immediately ordered the ethics exam and was able to complete that in a few hours.  It was actually very interesting and will be useful in the workplace.  I’ve been working a long time and in accounting for over 20 years, and of course I’ve been faced with ethical dilemmas.  The course gives you a step-by-step method that helps you to determine whether you are facing an ethical situation and if so, what to do about it.

I also completed a draft of the CPA license application.  I need to re-do it in ink and have my boss sign the work experience page so that it’s ready to go when I get my results, assuming I pass.  If I don’t, well OMG I’m so burned out now as it is….

And now we’re going into holiday season – no rest for me (well I did get in some TV watching and book -reading).

 

 

 

One Week Left

I’m nervous.  I was doing great practicing MCQs online by doing 20 random questions at a time.  I was getting on average 95% correct.  So I started working on MCQs that I had gotten wrong previously, since the system keeps track.  I was still doing pretty well.  But then I worked the 40 question practice exam in the Wiley book.  These were the 2011 released AICPA questions.  They started out easy but then got harder and harder, and then I got to the last one which was on process costing and I couldn’t figure it out.  I got very close, but had one part of the calculation wrong.  I ended up with 73% correct on that sample and now I’m worried.

I know after previous exams, I said next time I would spend less time working MCQs that I already knew just so I can keep getting high scores on practice exams, and spend more time memorizing and studying my weak areas.  Taking MCQs online is so satisfying though, and memorizing is so hard for me.  And it’s worked so far.  But today I’m going to focus on areas that I struggle with, make notes and maybe more note cards.  This weekend is heavy studying and then I have next Friday off of work which is the day before the exam.  I’ve done that the last 3 times and it’s worked well.

The other scary part which I mentioned before is the writing section.  I just don’t know how to study for that except to do the samples and try to remember those concepts well enough to write about them.  I’m just going to concentrate on learning everything that I possibly can and then wing it.  I do want to have a format in mind, like opening and closing generic sentences, but I’m not going to try to memorize any concepts from the samples.

My life outside of the CPA is getting messy.  My house is neglected, I need clothes for work, I need to see people, I need to work out more and eat better, I have projects at work that need extra attention and time, I want to watch some TV.  But like I tell people, “when I’m sitting in the exam center taking the exam, I’m NOT going to be saying, ‘this is so easy, I wish I had spent more time cleaning house!'”  So life has to wait a little longer.

 

 

Only 3 Weeks to Go!

I feel like I’ve been slacking off, although I’m every bit as nervous as I was with the other exams.  And I really need this to be over after this.  Work is so demanding and I have no personal life!

I’ve been having crazy dreams.  Last night I had one about the exam.  I was in the exam center and I fell asleep right after finishing the 3rd testlet.  I woke up and realized I only had about 20 minutes left to do the 3 writing sims.  At first I thought it would be impossible, but I quickly decided I could at least do well on one and start another, and hopefully the one I couldn’t do was a pretest question.  But then the system wouldn’t let me into the testlet and I kept trying and finally called in the proctor and it was totally malfunctioning.  Well, I guess I gave up and was upset for getting this far and knowing I would have to take it over again.  I was so upset.  But then I found out it was only a sample test I was taking in preparation of taking the exam.  Then I woke up.  Gah!

With 3 weeks left, I’m reviewing the material, making some notes to cram from, and retaking all the online MCQs.  I’m through the 3rd of the 8 modules and need to hurry to get through my review of the remaining 5 in one week so I can do the practice tests in the book and do a ton of random MCQs in the 2 weeks up to the exam.  I don’t feel like I’m mastering anything and the writing section is freaking me out.  I’m much better at choosing from multiple choice than trying to write about an entire concept.  I don’t even have a good essay format in my head.  I see myself taking a day off work next week.  OK back to studying.

 

 

4th Week of 10 for BEC

This is the end of 4 study weeks already.  I’ll be finishing the 6th of 8 modules today.  But I haven’t really worked on my writing skills yet except for reading the sample question and answers in the text.  The online sims don’t have suggested answers.  I’m not sure how I’m going to prepare for these, but I think I’m going to wait until I’m through all the modules and MCQs once before I work on that.  I know how to write but I need to know a formula for the layout so I don’t choke and also I want to try to master the concepts in the samples.  I never really master any topic to the point I could elaborate orally, but I can answer from mutiple choice answers well enough.  This worries me.

I’m surprised at all of the formulas and calculations I have to know for this exam.  Some I never heard of before, but others are review, like the financial ratios.  I’m going to make flashcards of these and I think it’s in my best interest to know these really well.

I think I’ve allowed enough time to get through this in 10 weeks.  Of course there’s always stuff that comes up that gets in the way of study time, but I have to be selfish about this and put myself first most of the time.  But I have taken time out to help my husband build our giant shed, my son look for a new home (his first), and stay late at work when I need to.  I’ve been keeping up on my household chores which my husband has less time for because of the shed.  My supposed flower gardens are horrendous.  I’m bad at that anyhow, and this year I haven’t touched them once.  And with the hot dry summer, the gardens are ugly.  Oh well, so much to do once I finally get the CPA!

 

 

 

 

 

Last One – BEC!

I’m giving myself 10 weeks again.  This is the same time of year as when I first started with FAR in 2011.  I’m already signed up and scheduled to take the exam on Saturday, October 27th.

I’m already on the 4th of 8 modules in BEC.  So far, it doesn’t seem horrible.  There is a good amount of info that was covered in the other sections, just in different ways and maybe not as in depth.

I’m really worried about the essays, though.  I feel that I can write well enough, but to write about any topic at length scares me.  I can figure out MCQs and calculations, but to talk about a topic?  Heck no!  What I’m doing now is just reading the essays in the book and online to get an idea of the format, and then I’ll see how well I can write these once I feel that I know the topics well enough to write about them. 

I looked into what’s involved in the ethics exam.  It’s open book.  I read a tip on another71 that one can print a PDF of the exam and answer the questions while viewing the tutorial or material or whatever the format is.  Something else to buy – online.

Then I looked at the application for the license and continuing ed requirements.  Everyone renews at the same time, not according to one’s own schedule.  The first 3-year period from when you get your license requires no ed.  So, lucky for me, I will be getting my license right after the 3-year renewal, so I will be good for close to 3 years.  That’s good news!  I don’t know if I’ll get my actual license by the end of 2012, but that’s ok.  I’ll have my certificate.  By the time all the scores get to the right places, and the application gets processed, well, I don’t know how long that takes, but it’s OK. 

But I’m getting ahead of myself now – I need to concentrate on passing BEC!

 

 

 

What?!! I passed!

I started hearing on Twitter, where I watch for score releases, that people were already receiving their scores.  I was expecting to get mine on Monday, August 6th, but it was Saturday night and I went ahead and checked since I was so anxious.  And it was another surprise – 87 on REG!  I can’t believe it considering how I thought I bombed at least 2 of the sims.  But it goes to show that my study method is working and I don’t have to feel like I’ve mastered everything before going for it.

I’m so, so relieved.  I ordered my materials for BEC and will start studying next week.  I’m shooting for the end of October, with a 10-week plan.  It’s my last exam, and I’m not taking any chances.  Even though it appears to be less material, I’m going to continue with the full 10 weeks.  It allows more time for interruptions, too.  Although, this time I should be pretty clear of distractions.

I looked into the ethics exam and that seem to be pretty easy.  You can print the test and answer the questions while watching the lecture.  You need 90% to pass with 3 tries.  Sounds easy since it’s open book.

Well, that’s all I care to say about REG – on to the next!

Well it’s over…

I’m not happy with the exam.  I feel blindsided!  Of all the things I studied and know, all the notecards and notes and memorizing, and they hit me hard on subjects I wasn’t prepared for.  Argh!  And they weren’t difficult subjects, I just didn’t focus on them.

I got through the first testlet OK, and the second one definitely seemed harder, so I guess I did well enough on the first testlet.  But nothing was easy, and just like on my other two exams, the questions are not the ones I’m used to practicing.  I had to use the solutions approach and try to make the best choices.

I took a break after testlet three which took < 5 minutes and started in on the sims.  Holy cow!  I looked at the first one and immediately got upset because I didn’t think I could answer any of it, so I quickly looked at the other 5 and thought, “I have no idea how I’m going to get through these!”  2 were on topics I was totally unprepared for, one had a variable that I otherwise could have answered easily but didn’t know how to apply that variable.  I started thinking that I could never get my CPA because I could never learn enough to prepare me for anything they could throw at me.  I felt like giving up.

But I remembered what my husband told me, just one question at a time and get through it, so I went to the first sim and worked on it as best I could and moved through each of them.  After I had gone through each of them once, I started working on them again using the research tab to look up answers, but the information was not that detailed or easy to find (like in AUD).  I’m pretty sure I got the one research sim correct.  I think I got one-half right, which would have totally been wrong if I hadn’t found the rule in the research tab.  But it was only part of the rule.  I think I had 1-1/2 hours left for the sims, and I used all of it.  For the MCQs, I think I moved ahead without reviewing my answers except for maybe the first testlet.

Anyhow, I pray that one of the 2 sims that I didn’t know at all is a pre-test question.  The same for the MCQs, that the pre-test questions were the hardest ones and are disregarded.  The thought of taking REG again (or any of them if I run out of time) is so disturbing.  I plan on starting to study for BEC mid-August in order to take it by the end of October.  Economics, yuck!

I wrote down the topics of each of the sims just in case I do have to take it over, but chances are I wouldn’t get those again.  So frustrating!  And I have a month to wait for my score!  Nerve-wracking!

Oh well, I cleaned up my “study table” (dining room), and I’m on to getting ready for my 2-week vacation in Colorado starting next weekend.  So it’s a little bit of a relief at least to have studying removed from my daily grind and have something fun to do for a change.

Last Day

I’ve hardly posted while studying for REG.  I’ve been doing nothing but working and studying.  I’m ignoring people and I know I’m looking rude.  I don’t care, I just need to pass.

So, tomorrow is the day.  I had this idea that I could master everything, or then later memorize all the important concepts and lists.  But whenever I thought I had something down or memorized, by the time I came back to it, it had faded.  I don’t know if my memory is that bad or if I expect too much.  Steven advised me to not memorize too much, and I know he’s right.  Why did I think I could?

Yesterday, I was at work and I was showing a guy, who is studying for his 2nd exam, all of my notecards.  He said, “wow, we do go about this differently.  I focus on doing MCQs more than anything.”  And I realized he was right and I was certainly making a mistake.  Because for the first two exams, I relied mainly on MCQs.  I did do some memorizing and note-taking, and worked the sims more than once, but I’m pretty sure it was the MCQs that mostly contributed to my passing scores.

So last night and today, I’ve been doing nothing but MCQs online.  My scores are good.  I’m still not entirely happy with the way the questions are selected randomly for sample tests.  It seems like I’m doing a lot of repeat questions.  I’m torn between doing “Bookmarked” questions (the ones I’ve gotten wrong at least once) and just choosing “All.”  I found that if I choose 17, I get one from each of the 17 modules.  I’ve been doing sets of 20 questions, and alternating with “All” questions and “Bookmarked” questions.  My average is 89% which is great.  But I hope I’ve been given enough variety.  They sure seem easier than the first time around and the second (review) round.  I guess that’s good.

So, that’s how it’s been going.  My exam is at 11:30AM tomorrow (Saturday).  My eating schedule will be off.  I’ll have to eat my last food/meal at 10:00 so I can leave around 10:30.  It’s only a half-hour drive, but they’d gotten me in early for the other two exams, so that would be fine.  Better than late!

No caffeine this time.  I quit a few weeks ago.  Not great timing in the middle of a study session, but I found it wasn’t doing me any good.  I was so tired every evening and couldn’t get up in the morning.  That’s gotten a bit better.

All that’s left for me to do is to go online and go through the sample tutorial and get my IDs and NTS ready.  And I guess I’m ready.  Yikes!

 

 

2 Weeks ’til REG!

I took the day off work today to catch up.  I was feeling really stressed and behind schedule.  I’ve had way more intrusions this time than with FAR and AUD.  I guess it’s the time of year or I’d been slacking off.  Well, both.  Today was really productive.  I finished the first round on all the modules.  Now I have 2 full weeks to review.  I’m not sure if I’ll do the sample exam in the book, or if I’ll just do a million MCQs.

I did skip the book MCQs for the last 2 modules.  I’m not sure if it makes a difference.  The online MCQs are just way more efficient and for some reason, I don’t get as sleepy.  I took a ton of notes on Corporate Taxation, (29 handwritten pages).  But I don’t know if that was worthwhile either.  I’m sure it helps me learn.  Some modules I took notes and some none at all.  The Focus Notes have been really helpful, but no way would they be enough on their own.

Tomorrow I have a wedding to go to but I plan on trying to get some studying done along with chores.  Then I hope Sunday I can get a lot of studying in, too.  I hope I retained a lot on the first round of studying!

 

Yikes! Only 3 weeks left!

My anxiety is rising!  The last 5 modules on taxation are killers!  Plus, trying to escape from human interaction this time of year is tough.  I’m always a day or two behind schedule.  Work slowed down a little this week, and I was able to get in a little stuyding there, but not much.  Friday brought on all kinds of new things to deal with, and I can count that out next week.  So, I’m taking Friday off next week for a full study day.

When I studied for FAR, I didn’t do any of the book MCQs.  And I passed.  Then when I studied for AUD, I found that the Wiley modules were broken down into sections where you stop and take MCQs in the book for each section.  Since I had more time, I went ahead and did all the book MCQs.  I got a higher score on AUD.

So I thought this was a good plan for REG, but didn’t realize how much time was really involved.  The MCQs take longer to answer, and it’s taking me longer to get through the reading of every module.  I’m getting in the 60’s the first time around on the online MCQs, and that’s after doing all the book MCQs first.  I really want to skip the book MCQs due to time constraints, but it’s not a good idea.  I’m finishing up Partnership Taxation today and will start on Corporate Taxation and then after that, there’s one more module on Other Taxation Topics.  Then I’ll do all the online reasearch sims.  Then review.  I only allowed 16 hours of review practice, but I think I’m going to need more.  More time off work if need be.

After the exam, I’ll only have one week to get ready for a 2-week vacation.  I have shopping that I need to do, but I just don’t see it happening.  Oh well!  I probably won’t care once we’re on our way.  I’ll just be happy for the break.  Then 2 weeks after we return, I’ll start studying for BEC.  Unfortunately right now, the light I see at the end of the tunnel is an oncoming train.