专业老师给参加AICPA考试考生的几点建议

　　FAR

　　FAR covers major ASC/FASB; candidates find that its loading is very heavy. Hot topics for task-based questions include

　　1.    Accounting changes in estimation, principle and reporting entity; correction of error

　　2.    Long-life assets amortization and depreciation method in straight-line, declining balance, sum of year digits, group/composite etc.

　　3.    Deferred tax assets

　　4.    Share issuance and stock holder’s equity

　　5.    Fair market value accounting and financial instrument: securities for trading, available for sales and held to maturity

　　6.    Sales VS aging analysis in bad debt provision

　　7.    Bond amortization premium VS discount and interest rate

　　8.    Governmental accounting in reconciling net assets between government activity and balance sheet

　　9.    Book-keeping for not-for-profit organization
 

　　AUD

　　AUD has only 5 big topics, but the exam lasts 4.5 hours for now. Most candidates find it not difficult. Hot topics include drafting different type of audited reports, Becker CPA has an excellent reporting tree for it. Planning and supervision is also heavy tested. Most likely you will encounter MC questions. During gathering evidence, you need to understand the major accounting cycles, you are very likely to see one or two task-based questions drawn from this area. The rest covers IT audit and sampling technique, do not try to memorize those statistical formula; just to know how to interpret it;  you may see some MC questions and be part of the task-based questions.
 

　　BEC

　　BEC covers from economics to financial management, capital budgeting, risk management, performance *uation and variance analysis. Focus your effect on financial management in current assets, liabilities, capital budgeting in NPV, payback period, IRR, PI; Risk management in single assets, portfolio assets, risk and return, CAPM and WACC; cost allocation in step-method, EUP, ABC; decision analysis in make VS buy, sell VS process further, add VS discontinue a segment, special order, breakeven point analysis.

　　The above list is not exclusive, but comprehensive up to now. Any examination changes over time. Do not take it for granted for everything.

　　I summarize it based on my interview with students and from my over 3 years tutoring experience in AICPA exam preparation course in Beijing, Shanghai and Shenzhen.

　　Please update me if you have more up to date information at singleungli@hotmail.com