Tips to passing the exam....

To give you some background on myself, I recently passed all 4 parts of the exam and I want give you some tips. If I can pass, anyone can pass. I was never the best accounting student, I realized through the whole process I really don't like accounting, and my time was limited working for a big 4. So if you are motivated, a good student, and have time, this should be easy for you. 

1) Do at least 1200 multiple choice questions per section. This sounds like allot, but it is only 24days of studying if you do 50 questions a day. I tried to do 10 questions in the morning 10 at lunch and 30 at night.

2) Spend most of your time doing questions. My personal system was to spend 15% of the time using Becker 2006 books to write down & memorize important concepts I thought would be tested. This also gave me a fundamental understanding. The other 85% of the time I did Gleim questions. Yes, I used Becker 2006 books to pass FAR in 2008, but the most recent Gleim questions. 

3) While Becker is great on lectures, you are not going to pass the test spending valuable time watching their 4hr lectures. This was my fatal flaw at first, I would have little time after work and I would watch the Becker lectures, then get too tired and not do questions.  I think the best value is paying $55 for just the Gleim questions of each part. Gleim will give you 1800 total questions and they are better than Becker. Gleim does not expire either. To buy the Gleim questions go to: http://www.gleim.com/accounting/products.php?cat=CPA

this is great if you are on a budget b/c you can spend $55 for questions for each part + $35 for a used book = $90x4= $360 and have the same chance of passing as someone that spent $2600.

4) You need to take a sample test from the AICPA before each test. It's only 5 questions and 1 simulation, but it helps. http://www.cpa-exam.org/AICPATutorial/Launch.htm

5) Becker does have 50 AICPA 2007 released questions for each part on their site for free. Go here: http://www.beckercpa.com/students/current/updates-downloads. cfm

6) To find 2006 & 2005 AICPA released questions google search it. Here are some search terms: "2006 aicpa released questions FINANCIAL" "AICPA Newly-Released questions 2005" 2005 is there, you just have to dig for them more.  

7) If you decide not to buy Gleim at all, you can download a demo for free. They will give you about 150-175 questions, and I found the regulation demo the most valuable b/c they let you demo all their ethics questions for regulation. This is 25% of the reg test. By doing every single question, I scored a 87 on the ethics part of the reg exam.

8) If you are getting harder & harder testlet questions during the exam, this is a good sign. It means you are getting the questions right. This will dispel the myth of why people feel terrible after a test and pass where someone thought the test was easy and failed. See page 4 of the following link: https://www.tsbpa.state.tx.us/pdffiles/cc0803.pdf

Remember, passing is all about MC questions, questions, questions. If you dont understand a concept, look it up in a book so you are not an exam drone and have a conceptual understanding. focus on the questions.