Practical Tips on Passing FAR CPA Exam with Becker (21 pt score increase!)

I hope this information helps you in any way, and sorry about my pandemic hair if that is distracting though I'm sure some of you understand lol
disclaimer: I started studying for FAR the second week of June and found out I received my passing score on August 25 after retesting on August 15 so about a 2.5 month process overall

[@asadqamar7703]

Thank you for a very helpful video. I feel a lot more comfortable knowing that I am not the only one who struggled with this exam. Your tips will be implemented :)

[@oscarlpf1]

I was very helpful to hear your story. I'm a slow learner too; it was nice to hear another slow learner to say it out loud. I'm studying for the FAR exam too, don't expect to pass it on the first try at all. Maybe it'll take me 4 times to pass it, I don't care; passing the 4 CPA exams is my only path to go back into accounting. I got my bachelor's in accounting 7 years ago, but currently I work in a gas station 27 hours weekly to pay my very basic expenses, long and sad story. Besides those 27 hours weekly all I do is studying for the FAR exam because I can't afford to do anything else. Once I heard a lady took the CPA exams 19 times to pass the 4 of them. I'm 45 years old now, so maybe I'll break that record.

[@zakikhan814]

Keep your head up. Take good notes, review them once a week while progressing thru new material. I took a break from these exams for a few months to re-organize my methods. I started exercising when i get overwhelmed and its been great help

[@bilbojumper]

@Oscar P I'm rooting for you! Im also hoping to pass soon haven't taken any of the exams yet but am scheduled too in September.

[@gduke25]

You should check out Farhat lectures. He does supplemental teaching for what you might have forgotten in school. It doesn't replace your CPA review, but goes along with it. It's $38/month. Also, I would get a job doing accounting work anywhere. Maybe as a staff accountant doing taxes or something. Just to get around people who are CPA's and get your head in the industry. My first job was working at gas station and I'm so glad to be out. *I don't have my CPA yet, just FYI, but Farhat is a great teacher if you need help understanding a topic that the CPA review course assumes you already know.

[@zakariahaque221]

Oscar did you pass?

[@naomi-and-the-sun]

What is the saying? Fall down 7 times, get up 8? In other words, never give up because you can do this! Doesn’t matter your age, race, occupation, etc. I like the story about the lady who took it 19 times that you mentioned in your comment. Hold on to that hope, and make sure you believe in your ability to pass, even if you are a slow learner like me. I hope your CPA journey has progressed since you first wrote this comment. If not, keep trying!

[@karinaschonbrun5211]

Thank you for the great advice. I've been struggling to come up with a plan, and I get so overwhelmed. I like your strategy so far.

[@naomi-and-the-sun]

It is super overwhelming isn’t it?? It’s best to commit to a plan once you come up with one and see how it goes! You can always readjust if you don’t like the outcome!

[@briandampman7429]

I'm in the same boat. I started studying for my first exam (FAR) almost 4 weeks now and had to re-start already because I felt my method was incomplete and ineffective. Thank you for your tips!

[@naomi-and-the-sun]

No shame in starting over, totally been there myself!

[@averagegamer1043]

sitting for FAR this saturday! Thank you for sharing your experience!

[@naomi-and-the-sun]

Good luck go get ‘em!!! 🙌

[@smallbeans101]

How did it go??

[@AmRonPaulian]

Congratulations! I just received my score yesterday and by grace of god and against all odds, I passed FAR for the second time! This time I was not ready for the test but I decided not to quit or delay the exam anymore. I used UWorld Roger CPA course review. I completed the review of only 2 chapters out of 22. I skimmed through some of the remaining chapters. The exam was heavily focused on Governmental and non-profit accounting which I was not prepared for 😂. But to my surprise, I passed this exam with a 76! 3 more exams to go 💪🏻

[@naomi-and-the-sun]

Wow that’s really great news!! I always think it doesn’t matter at all how messy the process can get a pass is a pass 😂 Congrats, hope you can celebrate and have a boost of confidence for this next one!

[@yenyerita]

Well congratulations!! I cant believe you pass like that lol! Please do share your routine, tips and tricks. I girl is desperate after 12 years of being out of college 🥲

[@naomi-and-the-sun]

@@yenyerita Thank you! That’s amazing that you are doing this after being out of school. I’m not even sure I could do that and even struggled as it is starting the exams right after graduating. You have the best attitude and is so important for these exams - sounds crazy but I think it’s the driving factor to pass. Good luck!!

[@unknownsponge14]

Great advice.

[@Zeevibeslyrics]

Thank you

[@someonefromsomewhere6650]

I am planning to do CPA from India. This video just got recommended to me

[@sleeplessnight4986]

I was in the same situation and I got 55 too, and I swung the exam after the 1st testlet as well. Im studying for the retake now

[@naomi-and-the-sun]

Yes it was disappointing at first, but definitely not the end of the world! You’ve got this!

[@danieljackson405]

Hi great video! One question, do you recommend buying the supplemental question that Becker offers for $599?

[@naomi-and-the-sun]

Hello, and thank you! Sorry for the late reply here. I’m hoping if you no longer need this question answered, that it might help someone else. I wouldn’t recommend any supplemental material offered by Becker in. Y opinion. I think their course is sufficient to pass each exam section. I hope this helps!

[@mohamedbarrie3702]

I found myself here after getting a 69 on FAR. Now i need to get back to studying. My problem had been timing. I'm a slow test taker. I spent too much time on MCQ and didn't have enough time complete the SIM and felt like I rushed through the ones I completed.

[@naomi-and-the-sun]

I totally get it. I always felt super rushed during the exams and never completed any of the exams until the last second. I think the trick to getting through it more quickly sounds oversimplified, but it does work. Try and go with the first answer choice you think of, rather than spending too much time getting bogged down between two different answers. Don’t change your answer unless you are absolutely sure it’s the correct one. J learned this technique in a test taking class years ago. Apparently there’s studies that show that changing answers in multiple choice is usually the wrong course of action. I hope this kind of helps!

[@anissacrump8866]

Hi! Just came across your video. Thinking about changing my studying habits for FAR. How long did it take for you to study for FAR the first time?

[@naomi-and-the-sun]

Hey! I was trying to keep up with my classmates who were in a CPA class and take my exam within 4-6 weeks of studying. I was not in that class but didn’t have any other way to gauge how fast/slow I should be studying… and well, I guess none of that really mattered in the end because I got way off course due to having to retake so many of the exams. With that being said, just go at the pace you feel comfortable with but definitely try to set a goal for your test date and stick with it if you can. If you can’t, don’t try to force yourself to take the test when you’re not ready, I did that as well and it was a lot of the reason why I had to retake so many times - comparing my progress with others and getting distracted from my own progress and unique schedule. Sorry if this was not a complete answer but also I think it’s great that you’re reevaluating how you’re setting up your study path if you don’t think it’s working. That will help in the long run!

[@oliviaier]

Thank you for the helpful tips and positivity! I failed my first time with a 62 and I'm studying to retest. Can I get clarification on the timing-so did you get your failing score back and then retest within 2-3 weeks or?

[@mattdon6937]

I’m in a similar situation rn. Seeing this was posted 3 months ago. Did you end up retaking it and what was ur strategy to raise it the 15 points? Any advice helpful. Thanks

[@naomi-and-the-sun]

Hey I’m sorry for responding late to this. I hope your CPA journey has progressed! But to answer your question, yes I tried to retest within 2-3 weeks exactly. It mainly consisted of working lots of MCQ’s and also trying to focus on my weak points that I struggled with from my failing exam.

[@aide766]

Did you take notes on the questions you got wrong when you did the cumulative mcq, or did you just answer multiple choice to get re-exposure to the topics? Thnx!🙂

[@naomi-and-the-sun]

I didn't take notes, but I did go back and re-read parts of the book for questions I kept missing in the cumulative mcq to try and find my weak points and apply that knowledge to the ones I got wrong. Hope this helps, and definitely just do trial/error to find what you think works best for you! Good luck! :D

[@aide766]

@NDW yes, it does! I’ve come to learn this whole process is trial and error. 😅

[@1gueranancy]

Hi! Will you recommend the Becker review, I noticed that every one who uses Becker pass or most of you tube videos used Becker review.

[@naomi-and-the-sun]

Hey! My firm didn't pay for the Becker Final Review so I can't speak to that, but I may recommend Ninja if you're looking for a more cost-affordable supplement for your review (it's only $67 a month). Otherwise I can't say I've heard bad things about Becker Final Review and would say it's worth looking into. Hope this helps!

[@1gueranancy]

@@naomi-and-the-sun have you done BEC?

[@naomi-and-the-sun]

@@1gueranancy Not fully, I'm working on BEC right now though and testing next Wednesday

[@sheenlu9832]

how long do you spend on each 33 questions when you practice or even in the real exam ?

[@naomi-and-the-sun]

I try and give myself an hour for each multiple choice testlet and 2 hours for the sims altogether. These numbers are just based on what I think my strengths/weaknesses are since I know I take longer on multiple choice and need to earn my points there since I'm not great at sims. Hope this helps!

[@sheenlu9832]

@@naomi-and-the-sun i failed with a 70, this is my first try :(, very sad now.

[@naomi-and-the-sun]

@@sheenlu9832 Hey you're so close you're going to pass! I just got a 71 back for audit, my third try... Just don't give up and you will get there!

[@sheenlu9832]

@@naomi-and-the-sun thank you ! I want to take it soon but don’t want to risk it. How did you do while you practice your mcqs for FAr. What’s your accuracy rate?

[@naomi-and-the-sun]

@@sheenlu9832 Once you've identified your weak areas and worked on those, I would be okay with anything from 70-80% in a set of practice questions since the ones on the exam seemed much easier than Becker for FAR specifically.

[@kb7242]

How long did you study for your retake before you took FAR again? I'm in the same boat, just found out that I got a 55😔

[@derrimariela]

She said 2-3 weeks!

[@LowkeyNaji]

Did you find the skills practice useful or just a waste of time ?

[@naomi-and-the-sun]

I thought they were useful! If I'm ever short on time though I don't always attempt them by myself and will look at the solutions to understand the problems. It worked best for me with FAR especially since I struggled with this exam personally.

[@ritjai5482]

Becker is 799 dollar for FAR

[@naomi-and-the-sun]

Wow, there are other options out there that are more affordable for sure. I had pretty good success switching to Surgent for two other sections of the CPA which I think is much cheaper than Becker.

[@lovelybev1465]

Did you practice sims a lot?

[@naomi-and-the-sun]

No I only went through them once in my review by watching the tutorials. I know they can be really helpful to other people though, but I spent the bulk of my effort on multiple choice and really trying to understand why I would miss a question.

[@lovelybev1465]

@@naomi-and-the-sun I’m still trying to figure out the recipe. I got a 60 on my last exam and my retake on the 31st. I know more than before just not sure if it’s enough. I got a 62 on the Becker mock so I think I’ll just keep going through questions. No Christmas break for me 😂😂😂

[@naomi-and-the-sun]

@@lovelybev1465 Finding out what works for me has been the hardest part about this process so far! I've heard that trying out different sorts of strategies like reading, writing, watching videos, doing questions, etc. (basically a combination of all of the above) is more effective than just sticking to one thing (like multiple choice only) and helps to switch things up. I get bored doing so many sets of questions that sometimes I move onto reading the book out loud, trying to keep myself from falling asleep lol

[@zakariahaque221]

Hi did you pass all 4?

[@naomi-and-the-sun]

Yes took a little longer than expected but made it across the finish line after about a year