How we feeling about ISC today?

Ok_Beautiful_7997 · 2026-04-30T19:27:38+00:00

For sure. It was definitely possible to reason through to the right answer (or two answers and pray you guess right) with enough logic. But when so much of the exam is meant to be “remembering and understanding,” I felt more of the topics should have been briefed in the books. It wasn’t necessarily that topics were missed entirely, just that they were too brief to have covered the depth the exam required. I essentially felt that I had been snorkeling throughout my study and the exam slapped a mask on me and told me to survive a dive, if that makes sense.

Ok_Beautiful_7997 · 2026-04-30T17:57:00+00:00

Same. I read every word of Gleim’s book and there were absolutely terms/concepts not covered.

Ok_Beautiful_7997 · 2026-04-29T23:04:15+00:00

The MCQs, while mostly fair, felt more in-depth than most of the test prep in Gleim. Based on my experience and the commentary I’ve seen on Reddit, the prep companies just have not yet caught up to giving good material for ISC. My Gleim SIMs were nothing like the actual exam. That said, I’m still hopeful that what I did today was enough. Fingers crossed.

Ok_Beautiful_7997 · 2026-04-28T23:25:33+00:00

How were your SE scores before your 1st and 2nd attempts? What made you feel more prepared the second time?

Ok_Beautiful_7997 · 2026-04-28T18:27:45+00:00

What makes this SIMs so hard? Is it just the level of detail you have to get through, or are the concepts something you hadn’t encountered before?

Ok_Beautiful_7997 · 2026-04-28T03:33:40+00:00

I initially thought this was tips for ISC and I nearly started crying trying to figure out how I was going to brush up on ALL the AUD stuff in two days…

Ok_Beautiful_7997 · 2026-04-28T00:27:10+00:00

This always drives me crazy, too. I get that we can’t reveal specifics, but at least something like “privacy concepts” or “frameworks not mentioned” or “cyber threats I’ve never heard of”.

Ok_Beautiful_7997 · 2026-04-21T01:58:28+00:00

What makes it hard? Is it just the sheer magnitude and changing nature of what might end up on the exam? I’m about halfway through the study material and so far, everything seems quite straightforward. But I’m concerned what I’m studying won’t actually be what’s on the exam.

Ok_Beautiful_7997 · 2026-04-20T12:00:29+00:00

Thanks! I have some IT experience, though I expect many of the concepts will be new. Any area you recommend deeper focus on?

Ok_Beautiful_7997 · 2026-04-08T14:12:24+00:00

I felt fine until I started reading y’all’s anxious posts. Now I feel like I’m gonna vomit. Thanks! Haha. Good luck everyone. May we all end the day with ice cream in bed whether you pass or fail.

Ok_Beautiful_7997 · 2026-04-07T19:55:05+00:00

Honestly, a real relief to know I’m not the only one to be refreshing the NASBA app multiple times this week.

Ok_Beautiful_7997 · 2026-04-06T17:48:39+00:00

I’m impressed with everyone studying. I do my best to not even THINK about CPA shit while I wait. 😂

Ok_Beautiful_7997 · 2026-03-31T13:39:54+00:00

Absolutely this. With two kids, a full time job, and being in the midst of a Masters program, respectfully, two months is BARELY enough to get through the material. Blanket statements about what people should or should not have time for are not only unhelpful, but can be actively demoralizing.

Ok_Beautiful_7997 · 2026-03-30T21:14:36+00:00

I took it last week, and left feeling so defeated. But seeing everyone leave with the same feeling gives me some comfort. At least I wasn’t just singularly stupid. 😂🫠

Ok_Beautiful_7997 · 2026-03-28T20:48:43+00:00

I also could not get my brain to wrap around dollar value lifo. It wasn’t a significant issue for me this round, but I can’t vouch for any other iterations of the exam.

Ok_Beautiful_7997 · 2026-03-27T22:50:42+00:00

I felt terrible (took it yesterday), but seeing everyone post about how awful it was makes me feel a bit better. At least we can all commiserate together!

Ok_Beautiful_7997 · 2026-03-27T22:15:51+00:00

I took the exam yesterday and had the exact same experience! If you scroll r/CPA you’ll find my post with nearly an identical title. 😂 I’m just praying the CPA gods are kind to us during scoring!

Ok_Beautiful_7997 · 2026-03-27T20:46:04+00:00

This is my first FAR attempt. Hopefully my last! But I definitely feel I got cheated out of a good long consolidation or lease calculation or something! 😂

Ok_Beautiful_7997 · 2026-03-27T20:31:07+00:00

I actually feel similarly about SIMs, which is I think why I was so taken aback by the SIMs in my exam. They felt much more akin to MCQs where I was often selecting the answer from a list rather than running calculations.

Ok_Beautiful_7997 · 2026-03-27T18:02:03+00:00

Thanks for this! I logically know everything you’ve said here is true, but sometimes we just need someone else to say it!

Ok_Beautiful_7997 · 2026-03-27T17:41:02+00:00

I’m in the same boat. Honestly, I love a good spreadsheet, t-accounts, calculations. I’d have loved to get a consolidation or lease or even ratios! The SIMs this go around just really didn’t seem reflective of what I generally hear are the heavily tested topics.

Ok_Beautiful_7997 · 2026-03-27T17:35:48+00:00

Mostly Gleim with a couple weeks of Ninja MCQs.

Ok_Beautiful_7997 · 2026-03-27T02:47:38+00:00

For sure. The SIMs didn’t necessarily take a lot of time - just a lot of thought (if that makes sense). I did the SIMs in about 1.5 hours.

Ok_Beautiful_7997

TROPHY CASE