CPA Exam Tips

Please note that these methods worked for me, you may need to modify them to
suit your learning style.
Below is a copy/paste of my FAR experience that I wrote on the CPAnet forum:
Mostly everyone on the forum has said that time management is critical in FAR. So I
made sure I track my time. Ideally, I told myself I will take 45 per testlet in MCQ's. This
way, it will leave me a good 1 hour and 45 minutes for the sims. The first testlet was
fairly manageable and I finished it in 40 minutes. The second set of MCQs were horrible
and I took 55 minutes to finish it. Assuming I didn't do so well in the second one, the
third one was moderate, and I took 40 minutes. So I ended up being on track with 1
hour and 45 minutes for sims. The first sim took 1 hour and the second one was 45
minutes. I was able to finish it with 1 minute and 55 seconds remaining.
My advice, manage your time very carefully, because those mcq calculations can easily
eat up all your time. Also, even if you mark your mcqs for review, don't go back and
review them. When answering the mcq, I told myself that this is my only shot, no going
back and correcting the answer. This way, I saved myself some time for the sims. If you
don't know it the first time you see it, chances are you will not know it in the second go
around.
I wouldn't say that there is any one chapter that is more important than the other. I had
all random stuff thrown at me.
So go in there with full confidence and show them that you know your material.
Here are more details and suggestions...While reading it, keep in mind that everyone
has a different learning method. This one worked for me, but you may need to modify it.
For FAR, you need to have a somewhat different approach than for other exams.
The magic here is to know EVERYTHING! The best study tip for FAR is to study
everything!
My personal experience...During the actual exam simulations, I got a tab from almost
every chapter! So don't take anything lightly.
Speed plays an important factor for each and every exam, but it is even more crucial
when it comes to FAR. I finished FAR 1 minute and 55 seconds earlier!
If you don't want to run out of time, make sure you get enough practice ahead of time,
so you know your material very well. Even though I was unsure for a few MCQs, I did
NOT review them because I knew I'd be short on time. I have heard from several people
who successfully passed FAR was that they did not review their MCQs. Taking the time
to review your MCQs just means that you will have less time in simulations. So you