Posts tagged: CPA BEC

Final Review Process – CPA Exam

May 9, 2013, by No comments yet

 

Written By CPA Exam Blogger Erica T.

Before I sat for BEC, I blocked off a week of time to get a cumulative review of all the material. I hit all the multiple-choice questions in the book again, making flashcards of the ones that I struggled with a second time through. I also listened to the audio review on my iPhone in my car. That is one of my favorite tools. It helps you utilize your time efficiently. Even when you’re driving down the road, you can be listening to the concepts that will be on the test and not losing study time.

The weekend before I tested (on a Monday), I crammed like a madwoman. I spent every second that I could with my nose stuck in the book. I woke up early and stayed up late to study. On Sunday night about midnight, I couldn’t take anymore. I just closed the book, put my things by the door for the next day, and got a good night of sleep. To me, the final review was a lot less stressful than a first time review. You are familiar with the content and it’s just that, a review. I found this method to be effective for me. I tend to do well in a crunch. If I have any advice for a final review, it is to find what works for you. Each person is different in their study habits and this was the most effective way for me. I think another valuable piece of advice for someone studying for the CPA exam (and also working in the accounting field) is to have a little bit more common sense than I did and don’t schedule your exam one week before the tax deadline.

 

Deadlines – 4 Months To Prepare For BEC and AUD

April 4, 2013, by No comments yet

 

Written By Guest Blogger Jennifer K. for the Gleim CPA Blog.

I received my study guide and login for Gleim last Friday. I was excited to have a new method of preparing for the BEC exam. I have very little time to prepare because on July 31, 2013, I will lose credit for REG if I have not taken and passed both BEC and AUD. This leaves me a little over 4 months to prepare and pass both BEC and AUD.

I have to admit I am getting a little stressed. Sadly to say, I do have the added pressure of having been in this position before. I am determined to not let my passed sections expire without some serious efforts. I took and passed BEC back in early 2009. However, I started a new job in April of 2009 and my focus shifted to learning my new job responsibilities. Despite the fact that this was necessary, it still stings that I let my initial excitement and effort wane. Now, I look back and feel like I lost 4 years. I am hoping the Gleim CPA Review System will help me finally complete this lifetime goal.

So far, I have only worked through the first study unit of BEC – Corporate Governance. I received a 75% on my first attempt at the multiple-choice questions. I was feeling pretty good, then I answered the True/False study questions. I guess a 60% isn’t the worst I could get, but it sure didn’t instill a whole lot of confidence in my understanding of the material. Luckily, I have since taken several more multiple-choice tests, receiving scores between 75-90%. I am feeling pretty good now and ready to move on to the next study unit. I definitely need to find a way to get through them more quickly if I am going to make my deadline. Of course, I believe a more consistent study schedule will help.

My initial plan is to spend most of this weekend studying. My son will be starting his spring break, and we will have a break from his school/sports schedule. I am looking forward to being able to dig in and spend sequestered time with my new best friend. My plan is to attempt to work through Study Unit 10. This would put me in a good place for scheduling BEC in April. So far, my experience with the Gleim CPA Exam System is very good. I like the way the practice exams are setup. They have an authentic feel to them. I like all of the options that you have in setting up and following your study plan. I am still familiarizing myself with the Gleim System and hope to get an opportunity to use the audio portion of the system over the weekend.

 

Three Days Until the CPA BEC Exam

January 17, 2013, by No comments yet

Written By Guest Blogger Kathy R.

I have three days before my CPA BEC exam, and I am a bit anxious. I have completed almost half of the multiple-choice questions in the Test Prep software, and my scores are still the same. However, I do feel that I understand the material a little better than last week. I am concerned that my scores are less than seventy five percent (sixty-two to sixty-seven percent). On the positive side, my scores do not reflect the written portion of the exam. I was reminded yesterday that my scores may or may not be a representation of how I will perform on exam day.

At this point all I can do is continue to study and see what happens in a couple days. I will be answering multiple-choice questions until Friday. My plan for Friday is to redo the problems I printed out to ensure that I understand the concepts behind them. I plan to be in the bed by eleven o’clock and hope to be asleep by one. I purposely scheduled my exam for 9:00am to avoid the rush of individuals getting there at 8:00am. Hopefully, the later check-in time will help my anxiety stay at a reasonable level. I am hoping, wishing, and praying for a successful exam day. Maybe the universe will be on my side this coming test day. Wish me lots of luck.

 

First Week Studying for the BEC Exam

December 27, 2012, by No comments yet

Written By Guest Blogger Kathy R.

My first week of studying for the BEC exam is going extremely slow. I feel so overwhelmed with all the formulas that I have to understand, memorize, and know when to use. I have made note cards for the formulas and have attempted to review them daily. The problem I have is that most of the formulas are not logical for me, so the only way to learn them is with a lot of repetition. I am attempting to complete one subunit each day and I am struggling to keep the pace. On some days I feel very discouraged because I feel that my scores for the second set of multiple-choice questions should be higher. I have spoken with the Gleim support team and they have assured me that my scores are in the expected range for someone who is going through the material for the first time. I am trying to keep a positive attitude while I move forward with the BEC material.

My study plan for this week is to try and complete seven study units, review my formulas, and hope that my scores start to improve. This will give me the confidence I need to keep moving forward. I am very nervous about my exam at the end of the month due to the fact that I am struggling with the material. The question for me is will I or will I not be ready? If anyone has any study tips for BEC, please let me know. I am definitely open to any suggestions that may help me pass the BEC exam or help me move faster through the material. I am hoping that the material becomes easier to understand and that I regain my confidence in the upcoming weeks. Stay tuned for the BEC journey.

 

My Retake of the CPA Audit Exam

December 20, 2012, by No comments yet

Written By Guest Blogger Kathy R.

Finally, my retake of the CPA Audit exam is complete. I am hoping that I passed.

The day before the exam, I felt confident that I knew the material. I actually stopped studying/reviewing the material around 7:00 p.m. I did my best to go to bed before midnight, but of course my anxiety started to get the best of me and I did not go to bed until 2:00 a.m. My alarm clock went off at 6:00 a.m. After hitting the snooze button a couple of times, I got out of bed, showered, boiled 2 eggs, and made my wheat grass drink. I drove 40 minutes to the testing site to find a long line to check in. I started my exam around 8:00 a.m. For the most part, the exam was consistently paced. The multiple-choice questions were straightforward. Overall I felt the Audit exam was very similar to the Gleim CPA review material. I am definitely hoping, praying, and wishing for a passing score.

During my review process of the Audit material, I finally realized that I was missing questions because I was not reading the question carefully and identifying the key words. My new method for completing the multiple-choice questions is to read the question, then immediately take out the two answers that I feel are incorrect. Then I re-read the question and try to determine the one or two words in the sentence that will help me to answer the question correctly. When I started using the method described above, my scores started improving by approximately 15%. I started studying for the CPA Business exam yesterday, and this new method seems to be working for me.

Stay tuned for the results of my CPA Audit exam and my CPA Business exam. It would be wonderful to have at least one exam passed by the end of the year. Two exams passed would be the most wonderful end of the year present ever.

 

Looking Back At My CPA Exam – It’s All About The Timing

October 25, 2012, by No comments yet

Written By Guest Blogger Christine L.

Taking all four parts of the CPA exam in four months is not how most people choose to do it, but for me, it was logical that I try. I didn’t have a job; scheduling conflicts forced me to push graduation out a semester, and graduating in the summer didn’t sound that exciting. So I tried it. I did it, and it was hard. It would have been hard no matter how I did it, but I it could have been easier had I known some things I know now.

I already had some things to say about academics, but really, the academics were not harder than my classes. It’s the volume of these things that makes them hard. It took me more hours than I thought it would. Some study units took more than six hours, some took less, but on day one, I didn’t know how it would add up. There are people who will tell you that you can do it in half of the hours I spent. Of course first-time pass rates for these exams are not real high, and you might wonder if there is some relationship between these two facts. I wanted to pass more than I wanted to spend my time elsewhere. That sort of contradicts the part where I wanted to pass all four parts in four months, and this was an issue. I was always chasing after myself—if I take a break now, will I be able to make it up tomorrow? Studying for hours was never a problem. The problem is that I had to keep each day’s hours reasonable if I wanted to keep going for four months, but I miscalculated because my experience with the first exam led me to underestimate how many hours I’d spend on the last exam.

I didn’t spend enough time on REG. What I would do now is to take all the Gleim sample tests for every part first, and stat with the one with the lowest score and work down. You’d have to vary this though, depending on when the blackout month(s) fall into your planned schedule.

The real lesson I took away from this is that passing the CPA exams has as much to do with your life, your job, your school schedule, and your finances as it does with all that intellectual stuff. If you’ve taken 150 hours of accounting courses and done well, you’ve proven that you can handle the material. What’s left is about discipline and concentration and an awful lot of just keeping at it. Plan it out, think it through, know yourself, and let the test prep take care of itself.

 

And Then There Was One for John E.

October 9, 2012, by No comments yet

 

Written By Guest Blogger John E.

I love the fall season. I love it especially this year. My reason for welcoming this fall with open arms and optimism is that I have managed to pass three sections of the CPA exam. I am within reach of completion and finally becoming a Certified Public Accountant. I see the light at the end of a long and sacrificial journey. Forgive me for being philosophical, but I am coming off a high from recently receiving a passing score on the BEC section.

I could not be happier. I really wasn’t so sure about myself after the BEC exam. I didn’t feel as confident as I had been when I took the AUD exam. I still believe and have stated before: “These exams are designed to be long, tricky and to leave you with the feeling of confusion.”

I would recommend to anyone not to stress too much about what has already been done and cannot be undone. Just leave it in the test room and move on. What I mean is that you should forget about the exam until you receive your advisory score. Then make a decision. Try not to schedule the next section unless you know you passed the section you just took. Just wait for the score and then transition to the next part. Yes, it’s tough to retake a section of the exam. I can speak about this from experience. However, it is tougher to retake a section and find focus after you have begun studying new material. I say, “one step at a time.” The journey to become a CPA is not a sprint but a marathon.

 

Post-BEC Exam

October 8, 2012, by No comments yet

 

Written By Guest Blogger John E.

Exam day has finally passed. Time is now passing too slowly as I anticipate a score release in the next few days. Tropical storm/Hurricane Isaac may have pushed this back a few additional days. I ended up leaving the Prometric center with the same old feeling and asking myself the same question as I had before with FAR and AUD: “what just happened in there?” Regardless of how well you prepare yourself and all the awesome scores you log leading to the final days, you seem to leave a little bewildered and less assured than you were before you stepped into the testing center. These exams are designed to daze and confuse. Well, at least I think so. I am not saying that think I did bad. However, the mechanism of these exams seem to leave you with just a little bit of doubt. I studied very hard for BEC. I managed to log 126 hours preparing for it.

I remember leaving the testing center and running to my car to go over some questions that I wasn’t sure about. The good thing is that I have a pretty good memory. I was able to remember more than a few questions from the exam. I quickly referenced my Gleim book to determine whether I chose the right answer or not. I know that my findings at this point were irrelevant, but I was looking for a little peace of mind. After doing this, I started feeling better as I began to realize that I was in fact answering these questions correctly. Well, most of them at least. Overall, I would have to say I enjoyed studying for AUD better. Some of the concepts in BEC were just sticky for me. I really don’t see many of these subjects in my line of work. Good luck to those taking on BEC.

 

CPA Studying With So Much Going On In Life

October 8, 2012, by No comments yet

 

Written By Guest Blogger David G.

Studying is tough when there is so much going on in life, but focusing on completing the CPA exams tends to help me concentrate when I do not feel like taking time out to study. The one-month countdown clock to the exam starts tomorrow, and I will be at a football game in the evening. This weekend will be the third weekend in a row that I will have something going on. The previous two weekends I had to leave town on Friday afternoon and return on Sunday night because of a very sick relative. This weekend will hopefully be less stressful and happier. I plan to take my Gleim book with me and study before the game. I have planned to have several hours available to review and study with a few hours left before game time for rest and relaxation.

I made notes for the first couple of study units. I have the main points of SOX, and the acronyms for part one. For part two, I have written down the equations, definitions, and charts. These two sections are long and it takes a while to get through them, but from my understanding, these are two very important parts of the Business Environment and Concepts exam. I need to do all that I can to help me remember and this seems to help tremendously. Also, it serves as a way to review quickly when I begin my studies each day.

I’m at work now and it is time for me to head home to study before I go to my son’s first high school ballgame. He is in the band and is very excited. I sure could use this evening to study, but I guess I need to have my priorities in order.

 

Final Days before BEC

October 4, 2012, by No comments yet

 

Written By Guest Blogger John E.

I have just a few days before my BEC exam and I am feeling quite confident. I have been keeping up with the same final review strategy that I used in the past. I believe I am ready to take the exam. So far, my scores have been around 75%-90%. I still catch a few curve-ball questions every now and then. There is only so much you can retain. Even though I have already passed FAR, I feel the BEC is no exam to joke about. Yes, it is only 3 hours long, but this exam is the kitchen sink of all sections. As an accountant, this exam draws business knowledge that I do not use in my current practice, so applying these foreign concepts (such as macroeconomics, microeconomics, IT, and cost accounting) can be a real challenge at times.

Aside from final review and sitting for the exam, I am looking forward to a little time off before grades post so I can unwind and decompress from my CPA marathon. As I have stated before, I intend to pass all four sections within a six-month window. Yes, this is highly stressful, but possible. Beyond being pressure cooked for the past few months, house chores are slipping behind, and I have many errands to complete. I would like to stress the importance of having a spouse that supports you 100% during this time. You will need a strong support team along the way.