DON'T use this website

DON’T go to this website

If you ever want to lose hope go to Reddit. The internet in general tbh (coming from some random guy on the internet 🤔). For many people the internet is the place to spread their personal anger onto others. Reddit is particularly bad for this and it is a shame.

But there is 1 thing I’d still reccomend about Reddit.

Reddit is an internet forum where people can go into different “sub-Reddits” for any topic imaginable. Of course there is a sub-reddit dedicated to the CPA exam and I would recommend you stay off of it.

I must admit, this sub-Reddit is much less toxic than many others and you can find some genuine discussion. But I still don’t think this is a website you should frequent for reliable and unbiased information on the CPA exam.

There is too much negativity and nuance. Someone who is struggling with the exams for any number of reasons goes on there and spews angry thoughts that may not be true and certainly won’t be helpful. And how well can someone’s unique situation be communicated through a reddit post? I rarely think you’re able to get much useful information from it. I just think that everything you get from reddit needs to be taken with a grain of salt. 🧂

However, there is one part of Reddit I will actually recommend (but please keep the prior warning in mind⚠️). There is a spreadsheet you can find on reddit that displays something called “The Becker Bump.” The Becker Bump is the idea that the score you get on your Becker Simulated Exam, will usually be lower than what you get on the actual CPA exam.

This spreadsheet is full of peoples’ Becker simulated exam scores, and their actual CPA Exam score. Most people notice at least a small increase in their score from the practice to the actual exam. Seeing this can be very reassuring if you just took a practice exam and did not do as well as you’d hoped. (Warning pt. 2: please take even this document with a grain of salt ⚠️🧂)

First and foremost, anyone can add their score so who knows if people are actually telling the truth. Secondly, I’m guessing most people who don’t pass the exam don’t go back to update this spreadsheet. People don’t like posting their failures. So that may skew the results.

So, although you can’t fully rely on anything you find on Reddit 🧂(or the internet for that matter) this spreadsheet can be helpful to look at to see examples of the Becker Bump and to provide some reassurance after a disappointing practice exam performance.

PS: I did experience the Becker Bump on all my exams. Can’t remember by how much but in my opinion the Becker Simulated Exams are great preparation.

Notes:

• Good luck to everyone trying to get BEC in before the format change! You got it! Stay calm and focused 🧘

• Contact me if interested in free CPA Exam Prep consulting! 🙂