Alright, so I took a nice "vacation" week from work after back to back year end clients.  This vacation includes 10 hours a day of studying for FAR which I take Saturday.  This thing seems like a monster, I feel I have a decent understanding of all the major topics, it's just the nitty gritty things.  I feel like if I get lucky, I can pass this thing.

My question is, do you guys feel it's ok to study without doing any practice SIMS?  I've gone 3 for 3 so far without doing much SIM work because I find that if you know the material inside and out (as Peter Olinto would say) you can handle it in any format.  Just wondering if anyone has taken this approach.  I've watched all the Becker Lectures twice, did all the homework problems twice, and now I'm on to Bisk homework problems before a 2 day cram-a-thon start tomorrow morning at 9. 

This certificate better be worth all the time it consumes and stress it causes!

For what it's worth I have never done a practice simulation, and I've gotten through AUD & REG.  I highly doubt that I passed FAR, but I don't think doing practice simulations would have put me over the top.  I have the same thoughts as you (and Peter Olinto)!  Just know the material inside & out and you should be fine with both MCQs & sims.  In fact, Tim Gearty said (I think about Audit), that to show you really know the material, it's a good idea to try to answer your homework MCQs without looking at the choices.  That, to me, is lots more meaningful than practicing a simulation.  For those who have never done an exam with a simulation, it may be a good idea to go over one just to see what it's like, but I wouldn't go crazy over it.

Jams wrote: i would not agree on that, i know that knowing material would help doing MCQ's and sims both, but by doing sims the concepts become much more clear, i would say MCQ's cannot concise the whole topic into one single sum and thats why sims clears so many little confusions one might have. its not only about getting used to the format. i got a sim in exam which i could do comfortably in short time because i had practiced it, i was really happy with that. i would have still cracked it, but it would take me more time, which i didn't have.

I do agree, a concept would become more clear when you don't have 4 choices below and you are forced to answer a question with you own answer (I hope that made sense!).  I just feel like the odds are against you that a practice simulation will resemble one you will see on the actual exam, and I would rather focus on MCQs, and trying to answer them without looking at the answers.  But of course, as with anything, you have to go with whatever works for you.

By the way, Jams, I hope you kicked FAR right in the butt :)