Faye is a NINJA CPA Blogger.
Hi NINJAs!
I just found out that I passed AUD with an 83! Thank God! I refreshed the screen just to make sure I am not seeing things. One more exam to go and I’ll be done.
Here are some of the things I learned from studying for this test.
1. Auditing is a very tricky test because of the way questions are worded. I feel like auditing tests my reading comprehension and knowledge of the material at the same time. I don’t have auditing experience and the last auditing class I took was 6 years ago. I forgot most of the material already so I have to find a strategy that will help me pass the test.
2. FAR and AUD are interrelated. If I could do it over again, I would have taken AUD right after FAR. Instead, I took BEC thinking it was an “easier” test. I noticed my review material has several FAR related MCQs and sims so made sure I re-read my FAR NINJA Notes before exam day.
3. Understand the concepts. I caught myself memorizing the answers instead of understanding the concepts. So I changed my strategy and asked myself “Why is the question correct?” and “Why are rest of the choices wrong?” for each question. Sometimes it’s just one word that makes a choice wrong.
4. Do the MCQ and sims at least twice. The more MCQ I did, the more comfortable and prepared I felt about the test. I did about 2,400 MCQ and about 150 sims. Each person is different. Some do less than that and still pass. Personally, doing tons of MCQ and doing them at least twice works the best for me.
5. As I’ve mentioned on my previous blog post, the NINJA method works for me. I think it’s a great method of studying and passing the exam on the first try.
Congratulations to all who passed. For those who didn’t make it, keep in mind that you are not alone in this journey. Another71 is an awesome CPA Exam Community with people who know exactly what you’re going through.
Don’t give up. Surround yourself with people who support your goals and encourage you. I wouldn’t have done it without my supporting husband, family, friends, and the Another 71 community.
Hi Faye! Thanks for sharing your story! I wanted to ask about how you reviewed the MCQ. Did you rewrite the questions and explanations? How in depth did you go?
Congrats Faye! I just recently passed the 4th and final part (aud for me) and only wish I would have known about this website/community while I was studying. I had a ton of support from my wife and family but a group of folks who were goin thru the same things would have been a great resource. I also want to say I completely agree about knowing 'concepts' on the AUD questions more than specific answers. AUD mcqs are the most tricky of any section in my opinion because all the answers are kind of correct.. And it's one word most of the time that makes it a wrong answer for that specific question. Once u get to a point where you can identify why the answers are wrong and narrow your response down that way (roughly 2000 mcqs for me) you are ready for the mcqs on the exam. Best of luck on your last section Faye and good luck to everybody else studying.. I never thought I was goin to get through it but that feeling when you get the last passing score is worth it all!
Hi Jennifer!I went through the first time and take notes as I go. I typed out my notes this time instead of handwriting them like I did in FAR and BEC. I marked which answers I got wrong so on the second round those questions will be my focus. On the second round, I redo the MCQ's this time with on my weak areas. I retyped my notes because they were still too long at this point becuase I have one set of notes using CPA Excel and another set of notes when I did the Wiley Test Bank questions. Good luck on your exams.
Hi Chris! Congrats on passing AUD! You're done with these exams! I completely agree with you that this website has been a big help. Almost everyone is very helpful and encouraging. Reading the forum and the blog posts assure me that I am not alone. Best of luck on your career!
Hi Faye, Congratulations on your success!! I have done my chartered accountancy from India 3 years ago. Now I started studying for CPA using Wiley Exam review (Books) for FAR and AUD as Becker lecture and other lectures are out of my budget. But I feel that specifically for Audit for the first Module itself I found that everything was similar to what I have studied before except the type of question which is MCQ and a bit of Language, in Indian CA we have subjective type of answers. In the first chapter itself I ended up answering wrong to most of the question although I knew the concept, this lowered my confidence and happiness and I felt discouraged and scared of getting failed. Can you please suggest me how should I work out on this problem and is wiley exam review good for me? I am working full time so targeting to study 3 hours per day on weekdays. Is this time sufficient to prepare myself for exams? Could you please suggest something additionally?