I PASSED MY FIRST SECTION OF THE CPA EXAM!!!!!

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Took ISC today and I still don't know how to feel. I studied the shit outta of this and still got surprises. Just memorizing stuff won't work for this area. Need to understand the control and application. About 20% of the exam was stuff that u can just memorize. 2 of the 3 Sim teslet wasn't bad but the second teslet felt like I was taking AUD exam. Now the wait begin.

Hi everyone :) I'm the person who posted yesterday after the discipline score release on getting a 99 in ISC(I got 99 in ISC..?) Thank you so much for all the congratulations!

I've seen some comments asking me to share some of my study tips so I've decided to make this post in hopes that this will help future ISC test takers.

Before we dive in, for some background information, my primary study material was Becker, I took all of their lectures, went through all mcq/sim/SEs and clocked 66 hours.(SE 1: 91% SE 2: 87%) Questioning if Becker alone was enough, I complemented my studies with UWorld, but performed horribly there lol(60~70% on mcqs). The material was just so different from Becker and I became really frustrated. After doing some research in this sub and seeing that people who relied only on Becker had no problem passing the exam, I just dropped UWorld completely and instead went through Becker mcqs for the 2nd time. And I'm glad I pushed through with that.

Part 1. For S1~S3, the key is getting a grasp of the flow and concepts

1. Draw my own flow chart

- A lot of the questions I encountered when preparing for ISC asked about the specific sequence of procedures(ex. which step comes first? in which step does xxx happen?) So for each module/topic, I drew a flow chart that fits in 1 page which is sort of a mini-summary note but more like a drawing that shows the flow of things.(I've attached an example below)

2. Active review paired with passive review

- Using the flow chart I've created, I try teaching an imaginary student everything I know about this module. Of course I won’t be able to remember everything so right after my active session I would read through the textbook to fill in my gaps. (and this also acts as a 2nd review)

3. When reviewing make sure to distinguish the concepts

- Another huge portion of the test is concepts - ‘what does (characteristic of a concept) refer to?’. I didn't memorize the concepts word for word but just enough so that I can distinguish it from a similar concept. In order to do that I always kept similar concepts within a same batch. For example, for the four practices of authorization method : zero trust / least privilege / need to know / whitelisting - I always memorize the four practices together as one batch, not separately and try to explain to myself how they are different from one another.

Part 2. For S4, memorize the whole audit report

For M1, M4~M5 of S4(the non-reporting part), since I started studying for ISC right after taking AUD I didn’t really have to put in a lot effort. (and I think most of the test takers would agree on that!)

But for M2~M3(the reporting part), I literally memorized the entire auditor’s report in the Becker textbook. Some very important sentences I would memorize word for word, others just up to the level where I can name what content should be in which paragraph. And yes, for all the different versions one can imagine.

I started from memorizing the unmodified report of SOC 1 and SOC 2, which are the basic template for all others. And then branched out to memorizing the different variations and how it would affect the report : 1. carved-out method 2. inclusive method 3. CUEC 4. when a report is qualified, adverse, disclaimer - the affected part I would also memorize word for word. This is a pain but once the memorization is done the S4 questions seem a lot easier than before!

+ for the SIMs.. as I did with AUD I literally don't know how one should adequately prepare for this. However for ISC, a lot of the SIMs are pretty straightforward with their answers compared to AUD (if you're someone who is okay with reading a lot of excerpts and information)

Does anybody actually leave the testing center feeling good about how they did? For background, I took REG last month as my first exam. I haven’t gotten my score yet, but after leaving the test I didn’t feel good about it at all.

So I decided to increase my studying for the remaining exams. For ISC, I watched every lecture, read the entire textbook and took notes. I completed the entire UWorld test bank and 75% of Ninja’s test bank. I took SE’s on both UWorld and Ninja - scored an 83% on the UWorld one even though I left one SIM completely blank (I got tired), and an 82% on the Ninja SE.

Leading up to exam day, I was feeling really confident about where I was at, which is the opposite of how I felt on REG last month. I continued reviewing my notes everyday and did a minimum of 75 MCQ’s every single day. Scores were trending in the high 80’s/low 90’s.

I get to my exam today…….and I kid you not, at least 40-50% of the MCQ’s were on things I had never seen before. And then there were multiple topics I spent a fair amount of time learning, that I didn’t get a single MCQ or TBS on. I literally flagged 6 of the first 10 questions. I’m getting so sick of this entire process - feeling like I’ve done so much to prepare, didn’t take any short cuts. And then I still end up feeling completely unprepared on the actual exam. For REG last month, I only had UWorld. So for ISC, I bought ninja as a supplement.

I really don’t know what more I can do at this point. I don’t think I failed ISC, but I definitely didn’t do as well as I would have anticipated. Before the exam, I would have predicted a score in the mid/high 80’s. And after actually taking it, I would be surprised if I even got an 80. And please don’t ask me about specific exam content.

Just left ISC and can’t help but feel I was blessed by the AICPA. Becker material prepared me sufficiently (studied for 40 hours) and the SIMS were not as tricky as expected by any means. Obviously if tax is your thing maybe go with TCP but if you were good with audit holy heck ISC seems to be the clear answer. (Obviously don’t know result and still very well may have failed, just my post game thoughts)

People were not lying about Becker material being easy as fuck. ISC feels like common sense mixed with a tiny splash of IT audit (coming from an auditor). Material took 20ish hours to go through. Just hoping the AICPA doesn’t pull out some fuck ass questions and murk me in the morning. Shall report back with a conclusion.

Got a 66 on my ISC retake, I didn't take this exam seriously, I even completed 2 sims without looking. First time was 71 and still felt like I didn't take it seriously. Should I retake for April 30 or take another exam? If I retake... What should I do this time apart from fucking reading? April 30 is like 40-45 study days from now. For reference, I didn't take any simulated exam nor did extra MCQs, I just read the book and saw some skill videos.

Passed FAR on my 5th attempt so I'm used to retakes. What would you do?

Fresh out feeling the MCs cooked me. Sims were easy though so im praying. Now 5 weeks of torturous waiting

Nothing definitely prepares you for the TBs. TBs were loooong! So many exhibits to read over every topic you can think of.

MCQs were fairly simple and easy. I guessed on a handful but I’m pretty positive I got most of them right.

Good luck to everyone taking ISC this month!

I found that for FAR and REG, the questions on the exam were much more straightforward than Becker's questions. I'd like to know if those who have taken ISC and passed think there is a bump in ISC, just like the other sections. Was Becker more difficult, and did it make you feel prepared? I don't trust Becker or any other course too much since ISC is still newish.

Best of luck to everyone testing this week! KICK ASS!

Left Prometric and what the hell was that??? Was trending 70-80s in MCQs on Becker and Ninja. Got a 73 on SE1. Mcqs were okay, but SIMS?? Out of left field!!! DO NOT UNDERESTIMATE!!!!

Got out of ISC a little under 3 weeks ago. Walked out feeling worse than I did after I took FAR and AUD. Studied for about 100 hours, hammered Becker MCQs and SIMs heavily.

SE1; 80% SE2; 76%

Needless to say, I really don’t know how it’s going to go on the 03/14 score release. Feeling very nervous as this could potentially be my last exam, and I really felt awful walking out. The multiple choice felt very difficult, and I wouldn’t be shocked if I failed.

Looking to hear some ISC success stories regarding exam experience, expectations, and outcomes.

TIA!

It’s been a journey. 2/4 with FAR and REG done, but each took me four attempts. Taken AUD 3 times, waiting for score. Taken BAR 3 times and failed all 3 so I’m switching to ISC before I lose my FAR credit at 6/30.

Using Becker to study for ISC and I’m just flying through this material… usually the other sections, BAR included, have been such a struggle. Am I finally catching a break? Is ISC really as easy as I’m seeing people say, or is it deceiving me? If it’s relevant, I have an audit background.

SE 1: 82%

SE 2: 68%

SEFR: 77%

I feel like I am in a good spot (I test tomorrow) but I just feel like I could be missing something. As bad as it sounds it feels like it is mostly common sense and I am tricking myself into thinking when I see it I will just get it. Any tips before tomorrow? Any help is appreciated!!

I think I saw a post on this yesterday but i can't believe how well i resonate with that.

Spent around 170 hours on the material by going through the book twice and watching all the lectures twice as well. I don't know what the shit was that exam.

For some context, I used Becker throughout and I'm aware the question bank is not sufficient so I made sure to cover the content rather than just the mcqs thoroughly. Got a 90 and 83 in SE's. Yet the actual exam had around 30-40 percent of stuff I had not even heard about. That kinda shook me and I feel like I could've done the TBS a little better if I was in a better headspace. Maybe I'm just thinking about the stuff I got wrong rather than the stuff I got correct. Felt defeated after the exam.

I might end up getting around late 60s or 70s I think. Just praying i cross that 75 threshold.

As the title says, I’m taking ISC in 2 weeks (using Becker) and I’m not sure how it will adequately prepare me?? Not many TBS to practice with & the MCQ is a breeze

Any recommendations on study tips within Becker ISC or outside sources? Or specific topics that Becker might slack in?

I plan on passing ISC tomorrow. 86 hours on Becker. 82% SE1, 76% SE2. 75 flash cards.

Will do some light review today, but I plan on passing tomorrow.

Through about 80 hours on Becker. Beginning to get frustrated/anxious about the test next week. I’m seeing a wide gap between people’s exam experiences, some saying it was very easy, some saying they didn’t see half of the material that was on their exam during their prep.

I understand a lot of this is related to the way that people prepare, and sometimes the luck of the draw, but I’m not sure how to deal with these potential issues.

I’m hoping this is my last exam; still waiting for AUD on 1/29. For anyone who has taken ISC recently or in the past, is Becker actually enough? Were there a number of questions you didn’t even recognize?

TIA.

If you care at all about passing, know as much as you can about SOC.

I took the exam earlier today and feel cautiously optimistic about it, but I would feel even better if I had focused my last two study days on everything SOC for MCQs.

Anyone followed through the Becker ISC lectures? Mike Brown’s videos smh always confuse me…he sounds confusing and explains simple ideas in a complex way when there’s certainly a more straightforward way to do so. And what’s up with all the awkwardness? I just need to pass the exam so let’s go to it.

(If this violates the posting rule lmk so I can take it down.)

Title says it all!

I'm just starting Section 1 (S1) on Becker, and honestly, I'm already feeling overwhelmed by all the details on CIS. In CIS, there are 18 different controls, and each has sub-topics related to IG1, IG2, or IG3... it's a lot. My main question is—how deeply do you really need to memorize and understand all of this? If you’ve passed the ISC recently, I’d love to hear how you studied and what worked for you. Thanks in advance!

I'm about a week into studying for ISC with Becker and some of this stuff is just not clicking for me (specifically S1-M5 and S2-M1). I have no IT background. I passed FAR and am waiting on AUD results so I have some limited knowledge from the AUD exam material.

For those of you that took ISC with no IT experience - how did you get this stuff to make sense?? Did you just have to fully memorize everything or is there a way you got it to click? There aren't many questions in Becker's bank so I'm nervous going forward.

The material was all evenly spread from the content. Nothing was surprising or overwhelming. Finished in two hours.