r/CPA

Planning to buy coursework for pursuing CPA. Considering Becker's pro package but seems to be very expensive at the $2,600 price point. Any good alternatives. I need basic course material, e-books and mcqs.

I just took Becker’s simulated exam 1 and got a 26%. I thought I would’ve done better since I had an hour and 40 mins remaining. I didn’t go over my questions.

I’m taking FAR in 37 days. I went through all the questions for each section and module once. I’ve been reviewing and going through each section trying to achieve 80% on mcqs and sims. I have near 120 hours of studying strictly from mcqs, sims and practice exams. I study for 4 hours a day, 2 hours each for mcq and sims. I don’t watch any of the concept videos.

Is there anything I should do differently? When I review incorrect questions I write what I should do and repeat the question again after two days. Has anyone else been in a similar situation? Every time I look and see how other people have done on the simulated exams all I see are higher scores :(

pretty much what the title says... I took FAR for the first time on 5/30 and failed with a 72. I retook it on 6/29 and am currently waiting to get my result on 7/9. if all goes according to plan, (really praying it does because that shit has been a huge struggle) and I pass this time, is it recommend that I study for AUD next? or REG followed by TCP and leave AUD for last? I've read from numerous posts that AUD seems to be another beast of its own, so I'm debating whether I should get it over with or leave it/deal with the other exams

I heard everyone saying how FAR is the most difficult, how many tries it took them to pass, etc., but it honestly wasn't too bad --- I did pass on my first try. Now, AUD turned out to be the beast for me. I had my third take last week, and it could go either way, honestly.

Curious to hear what other people found the most difficult. Always surprised when I hear people say REG since that one seems to have a noticeably higher pass rate than the other core sections.

For reference, I’ve passed FAR, REG, and AUD with 86,87,79 respectively.

I thought TCP was like an auto pass, I felt solid leaving the test but seeing in this group that a lot kore people than I thought don’t pass has me stressed out.

The sims were lengthy compared to Becker but feel like I managed.

54 (bombed every sim), 69, 79 on the 3 sim exams. Averaged like 78% on the MCQs across the 3 sims

has anyone had an issues with taking a test on the last test day of the testing window? I am trying to decide when to take TCP and i am leaning towards 7/30-31 but would hate to run into an issue with not getting my score back in time and having to wait till the next score release. has anyone else experienced this?

Passed all the tests, done with CPA, and i’m tired of accounting and don’t feel like doing it anymore. Anyone else feel this way?

I don't even know where to start anymore.

I failed FAR twice. The first time I got a 51, and the second time I got a 61. I know that's an improvement, but it honestly doesn't feel like enough. I feel stuck. I study with becker, but for my second retake i was using uworld as well but now thats expired.

To make things harder, I'm currently pregnant, and between the exhaustion, nausea, and everything else that comes with the first trimester, I have almost no motivation to study. Every time I open my notes, I feel overwhelmed because I don't even know where to begin anymore.

Part of me wonders if I'm studying the wrong way. Another part of me just feels mentally drained after failing twice.

Has anyone been in a similar situation? Especially if you've had to study during pregnancy or while dealing with something physically and emotionally exhausting?

How did you get yourself back on track? Did you completely change your study method? How did you decide what to focus on after multiple failed attempts?

I could really use some advice, encouragement, or even just hearing that someone else has been here and eventually passed. Right now it feels impossible.

I’m not sure why I didn’t get mine. Is anyone in the same boat?

Retook REG the other day, felt way better than the first time but now I’m getting anxious waiting for the score release. I heard if you think u passed, u failed and if u think that u failed, u passed. I really don’t want to retake REG ahhhhhhhhh

I’m a project manager by trade and have been doing this for almost 10 years.

Due to how bad the job market is I took on an accounts payable role because I wasn’t getting any traction with PM applications, however I took a 53% pay cut.

I’ve currently accepted another accounting role in another organization that will pay more than I’m making now but is still a pay cut relevant to the PM job.

I’ve seen these accounting roles as something to help me float above water in the meantime but I’m considering fully switching to accounting and perhaps getting my CPA.

I’m fully aware of people with experience in the accounting/finance world are also struggling to land a job but I’m also tired of PM applications being overfilled with people with no experience as a project manager and the consistent long interview. Which I’m well aware accounting also has at least with the prestigious firms.

I know it might be a few years until I make the salary I was making as a PM.

Would now be a good time to switch and go for my CPA or should i stick to my current plan and keep looking for PM roles?

I will be taking FAR tomorrow afternoon, and I feel pretty confident for the most part. SE1 I got a 75 even and SE2 I got an 80 with a few mistakes that I feel have been corrected. I am just looking for advice on what works for you guys during test day, what didn’t work, how’s the wording of questions compared to Becker, what’s the diff between Becker TBS and Exam TBS, all that good stuff.

hi guys! i’m really looking for advice here. i failed the first time i took FAR back in october with a 72. i studied getting back into studying because of the defeat i felt. the past month ive been doing at least 50 MCQs a day and i average about a 70% at this point. the past week i went through each of the 6 sections and did the flashcards and a practice test averaging about a 60-70 for all of them but i will admit my full attention wasn’t necessarily on it the whole time so stupid mistakes were made on those. i’m planning to take a practice exam today and every day this week to prepare for the exam friday but what do you guys think i should do? should i not do a practice exam every day and just do 50-100 random MCQ or should i do personalized with becker? does anyone have a study guide they think would help if i read through before the test? do you think im not in a good enough place to take the exam? let me know. thanks everyone!

update: i got a 74% on the becker final review practice exam but didn’t feel very confident on a lot on the answers as i was going through it

On Mini Exam 1, I got 41%, but honestly I didn’t really try because I wanted to see what the questions were like and wasn’t familiar with the format.
On Mini Exam 2 (F3 & F4), I scored 64% overall:
F3: 83%
F4: 55%
SIMs: 70%
MCQs: 59%
Is this around where most people are before moving on, or should I be aiming for a higher score before continuing? What were your Mini Exam scores compared to your actual FAR exam result?

Sorry, I need to vent lol but exam is on Monday and I’ve honestly lost all interest in studying this past week. I thought I could push through after failing my third attempt a couple of weeks ago but my God I’m so OVER IT! I can’t wait to move on to FAR after this I’m genuinely so sick and tired of AUD it makes me wanna crash out.

I had a great meeting with Taryn Bauer from the AICPA this past Tuesday and wanted to share a few takeaways that I think will help clear up some confusion. She is the senior manager of CPA exam compliance, and she and her team reviews all these platforms to determine who may be soliciting or breaking the confidentiality agreement.

Here’s a few things we spoke about

1. The Reddit account u/Western_Taco

Some of you may remember that there was a Reddit account claiming to be Ms. Bauer on Reddit stating that this subreddit is in violation of Solicitation. One of the first questions I asked was whether the Reddit account u/Western_Taco was actually affiliated with the AICPA. Taryn confirmed that the account is operated by someone on her team.

2. General discussion vs. protected exam content

We discussed where the line is between general discussion and protected exam content.

High-level statements such as:
“I saw bonds on my exam.”
“I had a lease simulation.”
“Governmental accounting showed up.”

are discussing topics that are already publicly disclosed in the CPA Exam Blueprint.

The issue arises when candidates begin discussing the specifics of exam questions, problems, answer choices, or other protected exam content. That’s where candidates risk violating the confidentiality agreement they accepted before taking the exam.

3. Soliciting exam content

One of the biggest concerns from the AICPA’s perspective is solicitation.

Examples would include asking another candidate:
“Did you get this question?”
“What answer did you choose?”
“What SIMs did you have?”
“Can you tell me what was tested?”

Trying to obtain or exchange protected exam content after the exam is exactly what the confidentiality agreement is intended to prevent. Exam content is defined as “questions, problems, and suggested answers.”

4. A suggestion for the future

One recommendation I made was for the AICPA to publish a Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) document with practical examples of what is and isn’t permitted under the confidentiality agreement.

I think having more concrete, real-world examples would help candidates feel much more confident about staying compliant while still being able to discuss their overall testing experience.

So here’s the request she had for us, the members of the cpa candidate community: what questions do you have that you’d like AICPA to review and answer regarding the confidentiality agreement when it comes to you and the exam?

Also if you have any questions feel free to ask them and I can see if it was discussed in our call.

Hey guys

This is my first attempt at my first CPA exam section. I’m one month out from taking the Audit section and I currently use Becker as a study tool. I am asking for any study tips, information, suggestions, advice, ANYTHING that could guide me on what I need to focus my attention on for the exam. What are topics that you’ve seen in the exam that are more difficult? Should I be focusing more on MCS or TBS when studying? Do the flashcards actually help? Any advice is greatly welcomed and appreciated. 🫶🏻

what purchases or setup is essential for studying?

Hey chat .. I would like to know how much time should I allocate /bifurcate to Mqcs and Sims so that I can attempt everything on exam .