Monday, January 30, 2012

How Fast Do You Need to Work the Exam?


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January 30, 2012

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Lesson 111

From:  Joe

(1) – Okay, it is still early but I am delighted to report that our traffic (in terms of pages viewed) is up by over 24 percent in 2012 compared to the same period in 2011.   That is fantastic.   And, since we do not advertise, this has to be because you folks obviously like us and take the time to tell others about us.   One way you can do that is to forward this newsletter via the link at the end of the newsletter. Thanks!   Thanks a million! 


(2) – Here is a modified version of a posting I made recently on our CPAreviewforFREE Facebook page:

The more you know about the CPA Exam the more likely you are to pass. I am always amazed by how many candidates walk into the test site a bit confused by the process.   Trust me, on the day you take any part of the CPA Exam, you only want one thing on your mind:   getting the points you need to pass.   Any degree of confusion makes achieving that goal more difficult.  

The Candidate Bulletin is the official handbook for individuals who plan to take the Uniform Certified Public Accountant (CPA) Examination.   They have written and modified it enough now so that it covers virtually anything you might want to know about the exam.   It covers such topics as how to apply, how and when to schedule the examination, what rules are in effect at test centers, when to expect scores, and what topics are covered on the examination. It also includes information about the examination structure, the roles and responsibilities of CPA Examination partners (the AICPA, NASBA, and Prometric), and board of accountancy contact information. You can download the Candidate Bulletin or by going to the AICPA exam website and clicking on “For Candidates.”


(3) – This was also placed on our Facebook page although I have rewritten some parts.

If we boil things down to the very basics, there are only three reasons why people fail to pass a part of the CPA exam. At some point, you need to think about all three.  
----First, candidates that fail to get 75 might not have yet attained quite enough understanding of the material. As we all know, there are many tough topics covered on each exam. Your knowledge has to be quite broad.   And, it has to be really there.  
----Second, the candidate knows enough to pass but makes too many careless mistakes during the exam.   We all make a few of those but you cannot afford to make many.   I have graded enough tests over the past 41 years to realize that people can be incredibly careless. 
----Third, while taking the exam, the candidate does not manage the time well.   Candidates either rush through too quickly (making careless mistakes) or they go slowly so that they are not able to finish on time. 

I want to look at time management today.   As you prepare for the exam, it is important occasionally to practice at the speed you need on the CPA Exam to get a feel for what is required.  If you practice like you are crawling, it is hard to sprint when you get to the real exam.

So, how fast do you need to work during the CPA Exam?  

Let’s take financial accounting (FAR) and auditing and attestation (AUD) as examples.   Both of these sections have seven task-based simulations.   If we assume you can complete each of those seven in 10 minutes (probably a reasonable goal if you really hustle), then you have to work the 90 multiple-choice questions at an average rate of about 1 minute and 50 seconds each.   That should show you why time management is important.   As you practice, see how close to that speed you can get.   Please don’t get obsessed by that goal but gradually work to get faster and faster so you’ll be ready when it is time to take the CPA Exam.   You can eventually move up to the speed you need but you do have to learn to stay focused and keep pushing.   Speed is a good thing to practice to make sure you are ready on test day.   On our website, our questions are probably a bit harder than average because we want you to learn more than enough.   For that reason, when working FAR or AUD on www.CPAreviewforFREE.com, you will probably want to shoot for an average of one question every 2 minutes or maybe every 2 ½ minutes.

Regulation (REG) only takes 3 hours and you have 72 multiple-choice questions and six task-based simulations.   If the task-based simulations take 10 minutes each, that leaves 120 minutes for the multiple-choice questions or 1minute and 40 seconds each.   That’s a little shorter time frame but the REG questions tend to be a bit less complex so that is still a doable goal.

BEC also only has 3 hours and you get 72 multiple-choice questions along with three written communication questions.   Assuming the written communication questions take 20 minutes each, you can still finish the multiple-choice questions if you are able to work them at a one minute and 40 second rate.  

It is not that these rates are good or bad.  They simply alert you to the speed you need to achieve to get through the exam at the moment you run out of time.


(4) – My good friend Paul Clikeman who teaches Auditing here at the University of Richmond told this story to his class yesterday as they began to prepare for their first examination in about a week.  He then conveyed the story to me over lunch at Taco Bell.

The New York Giants and the New England Patriots are going to play in the Super Bowl in about ten days.   When did those players earn the right to play for the championship?   You may think they earned that right last Sunday when they beat a couple of other good teams.   But, the truth is, they earned this right last summer when they worked out in very hot weight rooms and practiced under a blistering sun learning how to run plays correctly.   That was months ago but the work they did then is just now paying off.   There is never any guarantee that a person is going to win.   Things do happen.   But you can stack the odds in your favor by doing the work so that you are well prepared.   It is easy for a football player to slack off in the summer when there are no games being played and the championship seems forever a way.   Only individuals with true dedication are able to do the work and get themselves ready in plenty of time.

You have a test coming up.   You can put it off; you can procrastinate.   You can wait until the last minute.   You can always find something more interesting to do.   But, if you do, the information will just be jumbled up in your head when you start the test.   If you truly want to do well, if you truly want to be a winner, you’ll get this material learned and get it learned well in advance.  You’ll start doing the work now.   You’ll have the energy to do the work before it becomes an emergency.   That is not easy but that’s how you stack the odds in your favor.  

Tom Brady and Eli Manning have a game to play in 10 days.   What do you think they are doing today?   Do you think they are playing videos games and lying around?   My guess is that they are working as hard as they possibly can to be ready and at their very best.   My guess is that they are watching films and practicing plays as hard as they can because they both want to be champions.   They both want to be winners.

If you want to win, prove it!!!   Don’t just say you want to win – prove it!!!   Start getting yourself ready for the exam now so that when you walk into the room on test day, you’ve got the odds stacked in your favor that you will walk out a winner.


(5) – Practice – and, now, as always, here are a couple of practice questions.   Assume each one adds a point.  Go get ‘em.

FAR

Company A and Company Z start operations this year and both are identical in every way except that Company A used a periodic FIFO system for its inventory while Company Z used a perpetual FIFO system for its inventory.    They each bought 1,000 units for $30 each and sold 800 for $40 each.   They each then bought 1,000 more units for $40 each and sold 800 for $50 each.   Finally, they each bought 1,000 more units for $50 each and sold 700 for $60 each.   What is the difference in their reported net income figures?
A.   Company A’s net income will be $7,000 higher than Company Z’s net income
B.   Company Z’s net income will be $7,000 higher than Company A’s net income
C.   Company A’s net income will be $4,200 lower than Company Z’s net income
D.   Company A and Company Z will report the same net income


Answer is D

Periodic and perpetual FIFO systems always arrive at the same reported figures for ending inventory and cost of goods sold.   Thus, the net income totals are the same.   That is not true for either LIFO or averaging.   Here, under either periodic or perpetual, inventory purchases are 3,000 units costing $120,000 ($30,000 + $40,000 + $50,000).   Because 2,300 units are sold (800 + 800 + 700), the ending inventory is 700 units.  Under FIFO, those remaining units always have the cost of the last units acquired during the year or $50 each for a total of $35,000.   Cost of goods sold is $120,000 less $35,000 or $85,000.  


Auditing

The Holthouser Company reports inventory on its balance sheet at $435,000.   In examining this company’s financial statements, the independent auditing firm is least likely to be concerned about which of the following?
A.   This inventory contains some damaged items.
B.   A portion of this inventory is not on hand in the company’s warehouse.
C.   The age of the inventory has increased rather significantly since the previous year.
D.   The physical inventory was taken by individuals who were not properly trained.


Answer is B

The independent auditor is most concerned about issues that could indicate the presence of a material misstatement.   If inventory is damaged or old, the reported value will likely require reduction.   If that reduction has not been made (or not been made properly), the reported balance can be materially misstated.   If the physical count was incorrectly taken, the balance may also be wrong by a material amount.   However, inventory is often not physically being held by a company.   The goods may be out on consignment, for example, or in transit.   The mere failure to be in the warehouse does not signify a likely misstatement. 


Regulation

In federal income tax laws, what is the significance of a Section 179 expense?
A.   A Section 179 expense can only be taken by companies that have been in business for less than five years.
B.   A Section 179 expense is one that relates to research and development costs.
C.   A Section 179 expense is a specified amount of the cost of qualifying personal property that can be expensed at the time of acquisition rather than capitalized.
D.   A Section 179 expense is a contribution that is made to a charitable organization that can be expensed for tax purposes even though it is not spent to generate revenue.


Answer is C

To encourage smaller companies to buy more machinery and equipment, a specified amount of the cost (within certain limitations) of qualifying personal property can be expensed at the time of acquisition rather than being capitalized and depreciated over a set period.


BEC

The Adventure Corporation wants to issue $10 million in bonds to finance the construction of a new warehouse.   Company officials believe that interest rates might well fall over the next two years.   Thus, they fear that they will be stuck paying a rate of interest that is higher than the market rate for a long period of time.   Which type of bond should they consider to reduce this interest rate risk?
A.   Zero coupon bonds
B.   Serial bonds
C.   Floating rate bonds
D.   Term bonds


Answer is C

Normally, the interest rates to be paid on a bond are set by the bond indenture and will not change.   However, with a floating rate bond, the interest to be paid is adjusted every period as the prevailing rates move up and down.   A zero coupon bond pays no cash interest but is sold at a deep discount.   A term bond pays interest periodically with the face value paid in full on the maturity date.   A serial bond pays both interest and principal each period over the life of the bond.

Have a great week!!!

Joe Hoyle
President and CoFounder
CPA review for FREE







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