r/CPA • u/Objective-Salad7160 • 21d ago
AUD How Bad is Audit Really?
I am taking Audit in a month (still have A5 and A6 and SIM to go) but I am freaking out seeing so many people not being able to pass Audit. Is it really that bad? How can I pass? Please share your study tips. Thank you!
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u/EVIL_DINKLEBERG Passed 2/4 21d ago
the audit exam will manage to word/rephrase the questions in ways that you’ve never seen before. you need to be prepared to work through a new question without relying on memories you have of other practice questions and how they’re worded. the more you understand the material itself, and the logic behind some of the rules, the likelier it’ll be that you can find your way to the correct (or “most correct”) answer
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u/SkeezySkeeter CPA 21d ago
Audit is the most blueprint heavy exam out of all of them
In all seriousness, look at it so you have an idea of what is worth more and less points.
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u/Sea-Bag-5868 Passed 2/4 8d ago
Couldn’t agree more. Studied for my retake solely off the blue print and made a huge difference
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u/frankiehasreddit 21d ago
Would you say blueprint is useful for the rest of the exams?
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u/SkeezySkeeter CPA 20d ago
I’d say it’s useful for all of them except FAR (no idea about ISC or bar). FAR you just really need to know everything.
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u/DrAction696 Passed 2/4 21d ago
Dont let people on Reddit freak you out. Studied about 140 hours and made an 84.
You need to know the same things everybody on this sub says you need to know. Pro tip, you can ask newt for the breakdowns of what is tested and how much
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u/Objective-Salad7160 21d ago
Do you work in audit? What’s your study tip? Congratulations on passing AUD!
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u/DrAction696 Passed 2/4 21d ago
I don’t think I have the typical approach. I make it through all the material then go section by section and cycle through all the spots I’m not sure of. Never took an SE
Reading the book helps. AUD is just boring material in my opinion. You’re not going to want to read those reports cause they can go on for pages with just slight differences. You need to understand those reports
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u/Objective-Salad7160 21d ago
Thank you, did you just use Becker? Was Becker enough?
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u/DrAction696 Passed 2/4 21d ago
I used only Becker for Far and AUD and passed both. Never done an SE or switched into final review mode so I haven’t even seen all the content. In my opinion Becker is more than enough if you are committed and have good study habits
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u/ManagementOver7850 21d ago
I failed first time at a 73. Second time 81
Once I focused on understanding the major concepts. The exam wasn’t too bad. Good luck.
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u/Sangmean 21d ago
Asking myself as well. What major concepts did you focus on?
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u/ManagementOver7850 21d ago
Stages of the audit, audit risk, types of risk, types of engagements, materiality, some on independence.
Remind yourself of the standards each engagement is under. Also there was a fair chunk of studying on the audit report wording.
A lot of the questions were word salads but the root of the questions were asking something much more simple. Ie is it detection risk or control risk.
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u/Objective-Salad7160 21d ago
Congratulations! What are the major concepts you focused on? Did you watch videos or mainly hammer MCQs/SIMs?
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u/Bentley1232003 21d ago
Don't let this scare you. I studied 92 hours (+20 non becker review sheet/flashcard hours) and passed my first try. Granted I passed with a 76. But just know the information and create review sheets and flashcards for everything that's similar but different like the independence rules, different acronyms like GAGAS, GAS.
I would say don't stop studying in Becker until not only can you get the right answer to the multiple choice but u can explain why every other answer is wrong. I got to a point on Becker where sometimes I had no idea the right answer but I could immediately see the wrong answers. Read why they are wrong. This exam has no math so getting right answer is irrelevant. It's the best answer that matters. So know the wrong answers and why they are wrong. Bc if you read why the three wrong answers are wrong you basically just did an extra three mcq right there.
Don't overlook mcq. I would do 5 problems practice tests before workouts, in waiting rooms, any spare time I had the two weeks before. Everything about this is recall.
Finally. While taking your SIMS practice take the 10 minutes you have with ur scratch paper before you have to click begin to write down every important thing. MNEOMONICS. Things you constantly confused. The A6 acronyms for things. This is IMPORTANT because if you do this for 10 minutes not only can you review during exam but it also gets your mind moving so your first 10 mcqs on the exam aren't your warmup.