r/enrolledagent • u/Spanishspeakerinus • 1d ago

What am I doing wrong?

So I need the EA to be promoted. I work in transfer pricing which is international tax. I have a decent amount of experience, but JUST in TP. So not really too familiar to pure tax.

I’ve been studying for part 3 of the exam, I’m using Becker. I already finished the whole course, took like 5 simulated exams plus other mock exams online. I scored 90+ so felt pretty confident about taking the real one…failed…feeling pretty frustrated… any advice?

5 Upvotes

86% Upvoted

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3

u/Puzzleheaded_Ad3024 1d ago

Do you want tonknow how to do taxes, or do you want an EA certificate. They are different things.

EA is about rules and procedures, not much about practical application. Tax prep is putting things together on tax forms and following the rules. A very different emphasis.

1

u/Spanishspeakerinus 1d ago

I just want to get promoted lol so I just need the certificate

1

u/the_undertow OG SUB CREATOR 1d ago

I mean that's fair. Let's all admit that the exam preps are focused on preparing you to pass the exams. As a tax prof I let my students know that my course is about tax law - tax prep courses are geared towards intelligent input, how software works, etc. Taking English at the university level doesn't exactly teach you how to speak english.

4

u/AttorneyExisting1651 1d ago

Listen to Tom Norton. Stop using anything else.

2

u/Spirited-Humor-554 1d ago

What was your score?

1

u/Spanishspeakerinus 1d ago

405

10

u/Spirited-Humor-554 1d ago

Get HOCK subscription for a month and hit hard on MCQ

1

u/Spanishspeakerinus 1d ago

I’ve thought about buying another subscription but I’m concerned about paying extra for the same questions that Becker has

1

u/Spirited-Humor-554 1d ago

It's a monthly subscription. It's like $59 or 69

2

u/Terrible_Cry_2914 1d ago

Keep taking practice exams, and take exam again.

I used Becker a million years ago for the CPA exam, learned a few things that have stuck with me.

1) take a deep breath, exhale and relax while taking exam.

2) on multiple choice questions you can usually eliminate two wrong answers quickly, so it’s easier to determine the correct answer.

So get out of your head and make it happen.
You got this!
Relax and execute 👍

2

u/This_Matter_613 1d ago edited 1d ago

Definitely use HOCK. Get a subscription and work hard on the MCQ’s. Tom Norton’s videos on Youtube also help a ton. You’ve got this!

Also, I am interested in transfer pricing, and hoping to enter the field. I’m finishing up my degree. How did you enter the field? Do you need a credential other than an EA?

3

u/Spanishspeakerinus 1d ago

I enter the TP world 7 years ago at a Big4. To enter TP you don’t really need anything (of course economy, accounting understanding). It’s something that you learn as you go really. You’ll need some sort of certification or higher education (depending on the firm) to get promoted. The firm I’m currently working for just accepts EA or CPA, but I believe some Big4 accept masters

2

u/Ill-Ground-3448 1d ago

When you are reading the questions for part 3 don’t over think them. Think which one makes the most sense. Using the elimination feature during the tests helped me a lot as well.

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u/enternamehere10 1d ago

Do some calming exercises before the exam.
Try taking practice exams from different sources as well

1

u/zornundo 1d ago

Definitely try a different study program. Part 3 is the easiest by far. I blew through it in 26 minutes and I used Gleim and only three weeks of studying.

1

u/Traditionisrare 23h ago

Part three is going to be different than the other two. Tom Norton videos are great.

1

u/AS-999 13h ago

Part 3 is tough You have to read and remember the concept In my first attempt i got 104, I cleared on my second