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!

 

 

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.

 

3 Weeks Gone Already

I’m on a really tight schedule this time.  It’s 10 weeks again, but it’s hard to keep up with this schedule.   And unless I get ahead or take time off of work, I won’t have as much review time as I’ll need.  I’m sure I’ll take a day or two off.

I think that REG is more interesting to read overall than FAR or AUD.  But there are a lot of legal terms that I’m not familiar with, that I don’t remember from school.  I’m getting on average 68% on my first time through the online MCQs.  My study routine has been going like this:

1. Read overview and terms for the module in the Wiley book.
2. Read text and do MCQs in book when they indicate.
3. Do the sims in the book.
4. Read Focus Notes
5. Do online MCQs, and do ones answered incorrectly again.

So far there haven’t been any sims online.  Those are coming in the 5 taxation modules at the end.

I haven’t been taking notes, which worries me.  I keep thinking that the Focus Notes are good this time.  I plan on using those to review at the end before going through the online MCQs again.

I also have no idea about any kind of research questions yet.  I’m just concentrating on the material that I’m reading for now.

It’s so hard to study in the evenings.  I’m so tired every night.  The weekends are better, but still they go by so quickly.

According to my time estimates for each module, I’m about 37% through after finishing Module 30 (8th of 17).