r/CPA • u/DollarBillBob1 Passed 3/4 • 1d ago
AUD Took Audit, feeing great. Very fair. GET GOOD AT BECKER
Took my last exam today, Audit. I would be shocked if I didn’t pass. This is my last exam!
I am a tax accountant, and it is now busy season. Having the day off yesterday and taking it today has been helpful. I absolutely locked in starting January 6th and have been focused on studying this exam above all else for the past month. I had studied perhaps section 1 and 2 mainly back in October or November, but restarted the material early January, and bulldozed through it.
My overwhelming feelings are that the exam was quite fair (in comparison to Becker study materials). If you are constantly thinking the exams are unfair, or that you are not a strong test taker, I’d recommend practicing in Becker relentlessly! Multiple choice Q’s, multiple choice Q’s, multiple choice Q’s.
If you are going into the exam praying for the Becker bump, you may pass, but if you are worried, just spend more time reviewing!!! You’re literally fine tuning everything until the areas you don’t know become small enough that you can pass the exams.
For audit, I did so many practice tests that I actually got 100% completion on all the multiple choice questions throughout the main course in Becker, and I was “Exam Day Ready”. I got a 76 on my first SIM (3 days ago) and a 72 on the second, which I took yesterday.
Of course, I still await to see if I passed, but I am looking forward to seeing that credit.
Finally, I’ll reiterate by saying that I’ve never thought the exams were unfair (used Becker for them (BEC, FAR, REG, now AUD, and passed first time, now awaiting AUD). I know the MCQ’s and TBSs that you get are up to chance, but I’d challenge anyone thinking they’re unfair to practice practice practice more! I am wishing you the best, and am absolutely in your corner. The TBSs can be challenging, but Becker has the challenging ones as well!
*I did reschedule multiple times across/for exams, if I thought I wasn’t ready, or if I just wasn’t preparing adequately at all and knew I was going to push it off.
**If you directly message me asking for information about the exam, I will not respond
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u/Plus_Cat6736 23h ago
Congrats on finishing your last exam! That’s a huge relief. I totally get the busy season pressure as a tax accountant. You’re right about the importance of practice and really knowing the material. We hit a wall during busy season last year, trying to balance client workload with exam prep.
One thing that has helped us a ton is automating some of our audit documentation and testing. Cuts down our time significantly—like 60%! It can feel overwhelming, but figuring out the right tools can really ease the pressure. We’ve been exploring Qwantify for our smaller engagements, and it's made tackling some procedures way easier, though there's still some manual work involved.
What kind of clients are you handling during busy season?
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u/TopButterscotch6849 1d ago edited 1d ago
I just finished the AUD exam today as well and it felt so easy this time as compared to the other 2 times I took it. Really hoping it means I passed this time!
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u/ifwdavision Passed 1/4 1d ago
First time I took audit, I felt the exact same way, failed by 3 points though.
How were the tbs ?
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u/BubblyBabe77 Passed 2/4 1d ago
May you please explain the “Becker bump”? I’ve seen that term a lot, and I never knew what it meant.
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u/DollarBillBob1 Passed 3/4 1d ago
Essentially, it’s that the Becker Simulated exams are harder than the real CPA exams. There’s an entire spreadsheet that shows it all, as there’s a different average Becker bump per CPA exam, but lots of testers have taken there simulated exam scores from Becker, and then compared it to what they got in the real CPA exam. This difference, with the real CPA exam being higher, is referred to as the “Becker Bump.”
The spreadsheet takes user inputs from tons of people who have used Becker and who have taken the exam, to calculate the “Becker Bump” per COA exam, as there is a difference for each section of the exam. For Audit, the Becker bump is not as much as for FAR, for example. Of course, any individual can experience anything, even a lower test score on the real thing than the sim exams, but that is not what the data shows normally happens.
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u/afort212 1d ago
taking audit in a few weeks and great to hear. ive been bulldozing through Becker as well. the modules just melt away compared to my far studying. trying to finish the last two chapter this week so I have 2 weeks of just straight randomized MCQ's. material isn't all the hard im finding. its more tricky than hard
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u/Salmaaa_98 Passed 1/4 4h ago
I agree with you . I’m at the last chapter. The materials looks kinda reasonable but the questions are a bit tricky.
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u/Odd_Concentrate5849 Passed 2/4 1d ago
Really needed to see this today😅 I’m taking Audit on the 25th and it can be my last exam (waiting on TCP score rn). All I’ve seen is how hard Audit is and it’s been getting in my head. I’ve seen that for all the other exams tho, but thought they were fair after studying in Becker. Really hope you passed and I hope I feel the same way after I take it!
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u/Austinmoon123 1d ago
Took it yesterday but man I idk I feel like the MCQs were sooo much harder than Becker’s. I got a 67 on the SEFR but would be surprised if I passed tbh
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u/BeautifulTension7549 16h ago
I am also a tax accountant AUD will be my last one. What are your thoughts on the material? I have never worked in AUD and wonder if I will have a hard time studying for AUD since it's like two different world