Here is my analysis on the pros and cons of the CPA Exam review courses based on my own experience, sharing of friends working in Big 4, and comments from participants in all major accounting forums.
Let Me Find The Best Course For You
I don’t believe in people who say their course is the absolute best, because different courses cater different needs. But I am confident that you will find one that suit you the best here.
Becker | Bisk | Wiley | Gleim | Yaeger | Lambers | Roger | Kaplan | CPAExcel | CPA Review For Free
You can also go straight to My Recommendation here
Becker CPA Review
Strengths
- Excellent lecture notes, MCs and software. The materials are comprehensive and user-friendly.
- Big 4 endorsement. The live lectures are recommended by the Big 4.
- Materials constantly kept updated. Becker has a professional team to update the materials on a very regular basis. Their proof-reading is also done well so there are few typos and errors. If there are errors, Becker does a good job in posting in their website and letting everyone to see.
Weaknesses
- Overpriced. If you are paying full price on your own you are subsidizing those who get deep discounts from their employers through Becker’s partner program. Not Fair!
- Live classes way overrated. They show you a DVD in a classroom, tell you to “circle this, highlight that” for 8 hours straight. Quality of “lecturers” (whose main job is to turn on and off the DVD) is really mixed. Check out my experience at the Becker CPA Review Course.
- Expensive re-take. Software license expires in 12 months and this is often not enough time for many candidates. Re-take of classes costs $1,000+ (50% of retail price) with harsh attendance rate which I find ridiculous.
Recommendation
SKIP Becker. They do have great notes, but so do Yaeger (for lectures) and Wiley / Gleim (practice tests). Live classes are a waste of time, for me at least.
Bisk CPA Review
Strengths
- Recommended by Big 4. Recommended by 2 of the Big 4 for self-study courses.
- Bob Monette, one of the instructors, is legendary and is a nationally recognized CPA expert.
- Money-back guarantee is available for the software products — if you complete the course and fail the exam, you can get all the money back (see limitation below).
- Interesting features on CD on exam test customization and diagnostics.
Weakness
- Really mixed reviews: especially on Bisk CPA’s classic series. Many students believe Bisk is not enough to prepare for the exam and that the materials are not updated as frequently as other competitors (notably Becker and Wiley).
- The text book is exactly the same as the CD — so make sure you don’t buy both (CD is better)
- The other lecturers aren’t as good
- The money-back gurarantee is very restrictive — so restrictive that I don’t think many of us can ever qualify
Recommendation
- Can’t think of a reason to pick Bisk when competitors are offering more at a better price — make sure you read the pros and cons of all programs below.
- Check out my evaluation on Bisk CPA Review
Wiley CPA Review
Strengths
- Authority in practice tests. The homework and simulations are very popular and proved to be useful for many CPA candidates. Even competitors (Yaeger and Roger) choose Wiley to bundle-sell as supplementary material.
- It’s cheap! The software costs ~$79 (all 4 costs $229) — a good bargain in the world of CPA exam prep course.
Weaknesses
- Book is overwhelming. Especially when there is no guided review, it is very discouraging to go over the entire guide. Too much material in my opinion.
Recommendation
- Get the software, not the book.
- If you are an accounting major you may be tempted to get yourself only a Wiley book. But in order to pass the CPA exam, you need both knowledge AND tactics. The tactics covered in the Wiley book is too general in my opinion.
- Check out my evaluation on Wiley CPA Review
Gleim CPA Review
Strengths
- Great practice tests. Practice tests being very organized. Good supplementary to lecture-heavy courses.
- Thoughfully designed. Some readers find the Gleim Online merely a voice over a powerpoint presentation, but I can see that as long as you understand how the Gleim “system” works, it’s really not an issue at all. I really like the way that Gleim teaches student how to self-study for the exam.
- Affordable. The full 4-part CPA Review System costs below $1,000 — cheapest among the major providers.
Weaknesses
- No lecture — the Gleim online is an audio-visual presentation instead of a video featuring a lecturer. I am fine but I understand that many students need to “see a face” to learn a concept.
- Books can be over whelming – it’s very detailed. While some of my readers really like the comprehensiveness, others seem to think it’s too lengthy. You will need to pick and choose what is necessary for you to study.
Recommendation
- Great choice for the disciplined and those who are good at self-study.
- You can choose to get only the practice test software as supplementary material, if Wiley is not (or not enough) for you.
- Check out my evaluation on Gleim CPA Review
Yaeger CPA Review
Strengths
- Champion of the old-school approach. If you like someone who writes on the board and explains concept to you in the old-fashioned way, you’d appreciate Yaeger. I personally like the way they “hold your hand” and explain the multiple choice questions and possible tricks.
- Live phone support. This is quite unique, and you can often reach and talk to the owner (Phil Yaeger) himself.
- Good value for money. One of the most affordable guided review courses out there.
Weaknesses
- Old school. Obviously this can be a turn-off for some people.
- Somewhat disorganized. There are times when you would expect the team to retape the video (e.g. a typo on the white board, or the guy accidentally talked to his wife…) but Yaeger just let it go live. The ones I spotted did not affect the quality of the course itself but I can see some candidates find it annoying.
Recommendation
- Great for people who need help in accounting concepts, or a “real person” that can explain things to you (by phone).
- Check out the demo to see if you are fine with the old-school teaching style. No worries on lecture notes etc because everyone says it’s good. They also provide quality supplementary materials from Wiley.
- Check out my evaluation on Yaeger CPA Review
Lambers CPA Review
Strengths
- The ipod format is a “must-buy” if you are busy and want to utilize all your “dead time” during commute and between meetings and children’s naps.
Weaknesses
- Low key or not good? You don’t see a lot of past students actively promoting their products other than the ipod format, but it could be a reason of its low-key approach. Afterall, 200,000+ CPA candidates have picked Lambers for the past 43 years.
Recommendations
- Get Lambers if you like the ipod idea.
- Check out my evaluation on Lambers CPA Review
Roger CPA Review
Strengths
- Entertaining lectures: Roger Philipp (the founder) is passionate in teaching his students. His style is so unique that many of his students are die-hard fans.
- Quality Is Guaranteed. Roger writes his own notes. He also lectures for every class so you know for sure who is teaching you.
- Free Sit-In Allowed For Live Classes. Prospective students are allowed to sit in class for the first 2 hours for free, which I think is long enough for you to understand whether the teaching fits your needs.
Weaknesses
- Some access restrictions. 12 months access for online format and no viewing restrictions. 5 pre-programmed viewings, but you can call and have them reset at any time.
- Relatively slow response in message forum (main help channel) and no live phone help.
- Is it a one-man band? You may wonder if Roger can keep up with the expansion and quality. At one point it was a one-man band, but has since grown to become a 30+ strong team.
Recommendations
- If you like a passionate instructor that can even make accounting somewhat interesting, then give Roger CPA a try.
- Check out my evaluation on Roger CPA Review
Kaplan CPA Review
Strengths
- Established name: Kaplan is well known for standardized test preparation, and its Schewser brand is an authority in CFA exam preparation.
Weaknesses
- Too comprehensive: If Wiley / Gleim book is a dictionary, Kaplan is an encyclopedia.
- No one talks about Kaplan CPA: If you are good, people talk about it. But it is difficult to find any discussion at all on Kaplan CPA…
Recommendations
- Can’t think of a reason to recommend Kaplan, at least for now.
- Check out my evaluation on Kaplan CPA Review
CPAExcel
Strengths
- Bite-sized lectures: This is a god-send for those who hate long lectures as much as I do. The lecture length ranges from a couple of minutes to ~ 30 minutes. A more efficient way to learn in my opinion.
- Unlimited upgrade: Most generous in the industry — a real, no-gimmick no-nonsense offer. No more pressure of not finishing within 12 months and have to pay an extra $1,000 for a retake!
- State-of-the-art technology: CPAexcel fully utilizes the online capability and churns out personalized exam plan and a collection of diagnostic charts and analysis for you, which I (as a financial analyst by profession) finds very attractive.
Weaknesses
- A Bit Confusing At First… candidates can pick and choose the offering and I find it quite intimidating when I first visited the site. But then when you think about it, the fact that they give you a choice could be a good thing, if you are willing to spend some time to navigate around and learn about the various offers.
- Better Suited For The PC-based learner. Since everything is delivered online or DVD, if you are a type of learner who needs “live support” (a real person to explain something to you, either in person or by phone); or if you are accustomed to highlighting, circling and dropping notes on the side of the textbooks, then CPAexcel may not fit your learning style.
- Lower Profile. Given how unique and efficient the program seems to be, I am surprised that not many people talk about CPAexcel. At the same time, I recently realize that some forums are baised towards a few CPA courses they like. So while it is hard to get second-opinions through forums I don’t think this is a big deal.
Recommendations
- Another highly recommended program – users achieve 87% passing rate and the course is endorsed by one of the Big 4.
- Especially suitable for busy candidates juggling with work/family commitments.
- Feel free to check out my evaluation on CPAexcel
CPA Review For Free
Strengths
- The questions are quite comprehensive and signing up is easy. There is no string attached (they may promote an ebook or something but they aren’t annoying)
- Some of the practice questions e.g. Information Technology within BEC are very helpful.
Weaknesses
- You can’t work on the questions in the Exam Mode: that is, do all the questions, time it, and get a score.
- I may not have spent enough time to make a firm conclusion, but I think the overall “usefulness” or relevancy of the questions is not as high as the other paid providers. Afterall, it does take a lot of resources to keep the materials updated.
Recommendation
Definitely a site that you want to bookmark to get some extra MCs to work on in the future, but I personally wouldn’t rely solely on CPA Review For Free for my study.
You can check out my evaluation on CPA Review For Free here.
My General Recommendations
OK. I try to keep this list as objective as I can, but since many of you are asking which provider I generally prefer (and I have a hard time keeping it with responding to comments, let alone emails), here you go…
Go For Yaeger CPA If You Want To:
- Have an instructor to walk through hundreds of multiple choices with you
- Get an excellent value for money (good lecture, unlimited access, live phone help, quality homework)
- Learn from someone with an impressive record (88% passing rate)
Go For CPAexcel If You Want To:
- Study in short intervals by watching the bite-sized lectures
- Track how much you study and how well you study using CPAexcel’s robust system
- Have no worries about any extra cost if you decide to take some time off or need a retake
OK! Thanks for going through this long post with me. I hope you will be able to make a decision today with this information. Let me know how it goes. Good luck!
If you have a quick question, comment or if you would like to share your experience in any of the review courses above, please go over to our Facebook page. See you there!
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Hi, Stephanie,
Thank you for your comment about my post on the “How to qualify for PA CPA exam.” One more question need your help. Recently, I use Becker for my BEC study, and its homework seems not that hard, as the teachers cover almost all the points in the lecture. Then I find out a free website: http://www.cpareviewforfree.com . I register online, and do their test. I had to say, really frustrating, I almost got more than a half of the questions wrong. Not sure whether the questions on that web is too hard, or Becker chooses too many straight forward questions. Please let me know whether I need to use more than one material for the study. Thanks a lot.
Hello Alex,
Hmm… which BEC sub-topic did you try in CPA review for free? (by the way I wrote about the CPAreviewforfree here.) If it’s IT, then it’s pretty normal because Becker seems to underprepare candidates in this particular area. For other areas it shouldn’t be too bad.
If you have time I’d recommend that you get a Wiley software CD and work on more practice questions… you can get a good discount at Amazon. Otherwise, many candidates do find CPA Review For Free useful.
Keep working on the problems — this is the best way to do it!
Regards, stephanie
Hi, Stephanie,
Wow your site is overwhelming! A lot of useful information(: Thanks for clearing a lot of questions!
I have a question though, I’m trying to pass BEC in Nov (since its going to get harder in 2011). I was thinking of getting the Wiley book, software, and the Yaeger lecture. Is that enough? I know the schedule is tight but do you think its worth a try?
Thanks for the advice and time!
Claudia J
Hi Claudia,
Thanks for your kind words – I am really glad you find the site helpful.
Getting Yaeger + Wiley sounds like a good plan (by the way, Wiley books + software come with the standard Yaeger purchase, so no need to buy separately).
But the more important thing is that you stick with a study plan and work on (1) the MC questions as suggested by Yaeger and (2) the rest in the Wiley software as much as you can. The more you practice, the higher the chance of success in my opinion.
For IT, I’ll also recommend you try the free questions at cpareviewforfree.com. This is a site run by a nice guy who owned his CPA review course before selling out to Kaplan. They are really free — no strings attached as far as I know.
Best of luck! hope you can make it before 2010! Stephanie
Hi, Stephanie,
I tried the Supply and Demand part. After I re-do the questions very carefully, I found out the good result of BEC homework is because I just listen the lecture, while when I do the CPA review for free, somethings get mess up. Thank you for the good tip of the IT part, I will pay attention to that. By the way, Becker have the Appendix for several charpter, how important is that? Do I need to go through these readings? Thanks a lot.
Hi Alex,
Great to know you score fine afterall. No worries then!
Back then when I studied with Becker I skipped all the appendices and managed to pass. So I don’t think it’s necessary (for BEC at least). Actually, for FAR/AUD there is a page on financial ratios which can be helpful. That’s the only appendix page I referenced to.
Cheers,
Stephanie
Hi, Stephanie,
Thank you for your reply. I would like to mention an advantage of CPA review for free. For us who work and prepare the exams. It is easy to log online and take a small test while working, make sure you remember everything you study at home (using Becker or Wiley). The website making a small break at work useful for preparing the test.
Thanks.
Thanks Alex! I’ll quote you on my evaluation page of CPA Review For Free. Hope it’s ok? Stephanie
Hi, Stephanie,
Thank you for your suggestion, very helpful. Of course you can quote my thoughts about CPA Review for Free. I’m glad that I can help. Cheers.
Great Alex. You’ll see it here now
Stephanie
It has been so hard to decide between the reviews. Its like they all are apples but one is a grannysmith, the next is a gala and the last is a red delicious, same but different. I don’t have the money to spend on a review and it not work. If I havta get a loan to add to the mountain of student loans I want it to be the right one. Your site helped me so much, and I trusted your evaluations because your not a commissioned voice.
Thanks
Thanks Marla! I am so glad you find the review unbiased. I do try hard to make sure I include both pros and cons for each program.
Whichever course you pick, I wish you all the best! Stephanie
Hi Stephaine,
I am Chartered Accountant from India and I want to pursue the CPA course.I have my friends in US who are working there as CPA’s. I wanted to know if my CA degree would be of any use in pursuing the CPA course.Will I get any exemptions in the papers to be written or any waiver in the examination or registration fees ? What are my chances of getting a job in the US after completing my CPA degree? I am going to finance my studies on my own which coaching institute do you think will be the best for me , here in India ?
Regards,
sanjay
Hi Sanjay,
The CA was very helpful in the state of Colorado before Nov 2009 when you get automatically qualified for the exam. But now the state requires candidates to go through the foreign credential evaluation process. They do general give ~40 credits from CA (I heard from my readers) so it’s still considered an edge.
Michigan still allow you to get qualified with CA certificate alone, but please pay special attention to the working requirements as it is rather strict. You can find out the details for Colorado and Michigan here.
Hope it gives you some info to start with… STephanei
Hi Stephanie,
Do you have a review or analysis of ExamMatrix? If not, do you have any quick thoughts about their review course?
Thanks,
yes i wanna know about examatrix too
i am studying day and night for FAR and i still not feeling well … i am physically sick from studying ( i am not kidding) .. i like exammatrix concept of keeping the material fresh by the structure of their software.. but i don’t wanna experiment by paying lol… anyone has positive results with exammatrix for FAR? they have sweet deal going on right now… please contact me if you are studying from exammatrix toronto_troubleshooter@yahoo.com
Hello Stephanie,
What the different between 2008 (or earlier) Becker review and the current 2010 Becker review? I can only afford to buy it on ebay and the older version is much cheaper than current version.
Hi Dang,
I don’t know the details, but there are accounting rule updates here and there so this should be the main changes. I personally think it is ok to use the old ones as long as you aim at a “higher” passing score yourself (like 80-85) to compensate for the mistakes made due to the new change of rules.
Otherwise, just pick other CPA review courses — many candidates pass each year using any one of the above.
Hope it helps! Stephanie
Hi Stephanie,
I signed up to do my financial exam on Nov 30th of 2010, and I did it the first time was on April of 2010 with Gleim material, I didn’t pass it, found it very tough lecture and too much info to learn, then I got Becker CD with the book, I haven’t started to study for my Nov exam, but I’m lost because my friend suggested me to buy Roger as his way is interesting comapre to gleim and Becker, I don’t want to spend too much ( $400) on Roger and then fail again, what do you suggest me to do, I’m really lost and almost 5 more weeks to do my Financial test??
thanks alot for all the info and replies,
Nour
Hi Nour,
If you’ve got the Becker material, I’d stick with it. As you said, you have already invested a lot in the courses! Becker works for many candidates and their materials are pretty good. The only thing I don’t like is the price and the live classes (which isn’t applicable to you anyway).
Just focus on studying and get it done with in Nov. Best of luck! Stephanie
Hi Stephanie,
I’m so glad that I found your website…I just wish I found it a year and a half ago! In September 2009, my friend and I decided to finally re-sit for the exam. Coming from the Big 4, we really only knew of three different sources for review materials and decided on the Bisk self study materials. Being the huge procrastinators that we are, we only re-registered last week! We briefly heard about the changes effective January 1st, but only started researching the details recently and realized that we are royally in trouble!
I’m thinking that we have the following options:
1. Purchase the re-vamped 2011 materials from Bisk (they will give us a slight discount)
2. Use the 2009-2010 Bisk materials and supplement them with the 2011 materials from Wiley
3. Make a complete switch to Yaeger (that’s really intrigued us)
I’m wavering more with options 2 and 3. With the Yaeger materials, the text and CDs are Wileys, and the only real difference are the “old school” lectures and handouts. Is that correct?
In any case, your input would really help us right now.
Janelle
Hi Janelle,
Thanks a lot for your kind words on my site. I am really glad you find it helpful (though a little bit late!)
First of all, do you like Bisk or find it helpful?
If it’s so-so or you think it is part of the reason of the retake, then yes I encourage you to explore option 2-3.
Between 2 and 3, it would depend on whether you’ll like someone to go over the accounting concepts and explain the reasoning behind the MCs, or you are fine with figuring out yourself. If former, pick 3; if latter, pick 2.
Yes for Yaeger old school is their style. And many people like how they explain the MC questions and that they have a “hotline” that you can call and talk to a real instructor, even after office hours. But please do check out the demo on their site first because the style is not everyone’s cup of tea. Cindy Simpson gets raving reviews from all my readers, but Dr. Yaeger and other instructors get mixed reviews (on the way they talk — content wise no problem).
Here is my Yaeger evaluation and this one brings you directly to Yaeger CPA review site.
Hope it helps, and all the best to you and your friend! Stephanie
Hi Stephanie,
Yes, I actually like the Bisk books. The last time I sat for BEC and audit (4 years ago…I scored 74s on both parts…if only I studied for another week or two! Ugh. Anyway, what I like is that they have plans for studying and preparing for the exam. For example, if you plan to study for two parts (FAR and BEC), they provide a schedule of which chapters you need to cover week by week, over the course of 20 weeks or so. They have plans for one part, two, three, or all four. It just helps when everything can get so overwhelming and you just don’t know how you’re going to accomplish everything and understand and retain it all!
Interestingly enough, I also took the Becker’s live classes right out of college and agree with you that it is way overrated. Luckily I was a rep for them as a student and the fees were completely waived.
After viewing the Yaeger demos, we’re most likely going to make the switch. In reality, we’ll have three sources of materials: 2010 Bisk, Yaeger DVDs and handouts, and the Wiley books/CD testbank (which comes with the Yaeger program). I know that Wiley’s books don’t provide the “plan of attack” so I’ll try to adapt the Bisk plans to the Yaeger/Wiley program and hopefully with our dedication and determination…we’ll find success!
Thanks so much again. Your site provides us with so much hope!
Take care,
Janelle
Hi Janelle – sorry to reply late (out of country) but thanks a lot for your detailed story. I always love to know more about my reader so thanks.
Glad to know your plan and even happier than you make the switch after doing all the necessary checking of the demo. Best of luck to you guys!
By the way, love how you describe the “plan of attack”. You certainly need this for the CPA exam
Stephanie
Hi Stephanie.
Thank you so much for this creating this site. It is great! Thank you for helping us sort through the information and the hype.
I listened to the Yaegar and Kaplan demos and I think I will learn best from the Kaplan videos. After reading the posts on this page, I have decided to also get the Wiley software and/or books. Do you think I should get the book along with the software? Will the books add much value? Also, the Wiley software has been getting bad reviews on Amazon. Users have said it contains many errors, even calculation errors. Have you heard any negative reviews from users of the software? Are the benefits significant enough to justify the purchase? Would it be better to get the books and use free online simulations?
Hi Amy,
Thanks for your note! From what I know Kaplan’s materials are even more comprehensive than Wiley so you probably don’t need to get a Wiley book.
Yes there are comments on errors and typos in both Wiley books and software. Having said that, these are relatively minor in my opinion because the overall quality of the questions themselves are fine. I am not trying to pomote Wiley but the fact that there aren’t any platforms for other review books can explain the reason why there are more (good and bad) comments on Wiley vs others… you know what I mean.
All in all Wiley is still the best selling software for CPA exam and apart from the fact that Wiley is a huge publisher, there should be some reason behind it. Alternatively, you can get Gleim’s software which I think get generally good reviews. You can check out CPAreviewforfree.com for extra questions as well.
As far as I know there isn’t a free online simulation platform… maybe it’s something you can suggest to Joe Hoyle at CPAreviewforfree
Cheers,
Stephanie
Hi Stephanie,
Thank you for the information.
I pretty much set for Yaeger now, but have questions about their courses. I am going to graduate this December and have pretty high GPA. This is my first attempt to study CPA exams. Yaeger has the home study course and the cram course. I wonder how those two classes are different and whether I need both or just the home study course.
I appreciate your suggestions.
Best regards,
June
Hi June,
Congratulations to your graduation in Dec. And I am glad you are planning ahead. No wonder you are a top student
Anyway, on Yaeger, I think it is better to get the home study course because the cram course is mostly for retakers who need 5-10 points to pass in the next attempt. Also, cram courses do not include the “hotline” service that they are famous for.
In any case, either one is enough.
Cheers, Stephanie
Hi, Stephanie.
Your site is very helpful and I felt quite relieved finding answers. You mentioned you have a non-accounting degree , took only one basic accounting class and was qualified for the exam(not to mention you passed it on first try!). I have a non-accounting degree and currently taking my first accounting course. I’ve been searching how I can get the required 24 semester credits in accounting and eventually prepare for the exam. I’m wondering if I’m on the right track or will end up wasting my time and money taking accounting courses when I can proceed with the review courses and qualify for the exam. Community colleges have limited accounting courses and I can’t afford to go to a state university paying more than $200 per unit. I hope you can help me with my dilemma.
Hi CB,
For the CPA review courses, if they are offered via an accredited university it can be counted. This is great but not a lot of universities carries “other people”‘s courses so it is hard to find one that fits your location and schedule. Please note that review courses offered in commercial setting / home-study courses cannot be counted.
Other than that, yeah, you’ll need to take those accounting courses to get qualified… in my case, I did take one or two accounting courses from school but the rest I had to take courses somewhere else. Cheers, Stephanie
Hello Stephanie,
Which one has a unlimited time on DVD and/or audio lecture? Due to retrainted budget, I have turned to Ebay hoping to get a good deal. I have spent more than $300 already, but I got (except for flashcard) are boogus and expired items that didn’t even work. It’s so discourage, but I didn’t want to give it up or at least not yet. So if you know any CPA review provider out there with an unlimited lecture that I can purchase used or cheap new, then please let me know.
Thank you.
Hi Dang,
Yes eBay is no good. I have another reader who had the same experience.
I understand that Yaeger’s DVD will not get expired, but the thing is that it won’t get updated either being a DVD. CPAexcel is better in this aspect because it is online and you get free updates with no expiration date. In terms of price, Yaeger is probably cheaper, but CPAexcel has this free update advantage.
Hope it helps! Stephanie
Hi Gigi,
Thanks for your note. I honestly think the above is one of the most comprehensive presentations on the subject — I did take a lot of time thinking through and asking advices from readers and industry insiders.
You are right I do prefer Yaeger, but as the owner of this site I need to present my opinion up-front (otherwise I’ll get too many emails for recommendations). Hope you understand.
Anyway, what you can do is to ignore Yaeger and see who else you prefer? Or you can check out this page on how to pick a CPA review course wisely where I try to write in a different perspective as the request of another reader.
Lastly, if I have to pick between Kaplan and CPAexcel… definitely CPAexcel, with bite-sized, more user-friendly lectures and unlimited upgrade.
Cheers, Stephanie
Hi Stephanie;
I am very impressed with your website and appreciate the time you put into relying to all the questions on the various topics.
Would you say that the Becker Review Course is enough to prepare for the CPA exam and no further courses would be required. Have you used any other additional material for your exam preparation?
Thank you
Hi Stephanie;
I am very impressed with your website and appreciate the time you put into replying to all the questions on the various topics.
Would you say that the Becker Review Course is enough to prepare for the CPA exam and no further courses would be required. Have you used any other additional material for your exam preparation?
Thank you
Have you heard anything about ExamMetrix?
After evaluating several prominent CPA review courses, a Big 4 Public Accounting Firm recently selected CPAexcel’s Video Gold Medal Course as the exclusive online/offline Review Course for its staff in 2011. You can now choose CPAexcel knowing it’s the top of its class.
I called and they told me that will release the name of the company on Jan. 1 to who picked CPAexcel as their exclusive provider.
Hi Stephanie –
Question: I have 3 parts passed and lack Financial. I cannot seem to pass Financial…have made between 65 and 70 the last few times I’ve taken it. I have used Becker up to this point but I guess Becker doesn’t work for me when it comes to Financial. I have a 2008 book. What do you suggest I buy as a supplement or a replacement for my 2008 Becker book? I am hoping to take and PASS in January 2011. I need to buy a book/CD soon so I can start studying again but really don’t know much about the other reviews out there. And I don’t want to pay $900 for a 2011 book/CD combo from Becker. I know about the new content and know my 2008 Becker book won’t be adequate…or it might not apply at all! What would you recommend?
(FYI – I am good at self study, do like Becker’s concise content in the books but the audio classes are useless to me)
Thank you, you save me from spending more than $3,000.00 with the Becker review. Good Job.
Thanks again,
rlie
Hi rlie,
Glad to hear that! Stephanie
About Becker CPA review. This is concerning post # 13 & 14. I have not read every post, but I will set you straight about Becker. I graduated from Keller Graduate School of Management with a MAFM/CPA emphasis. Keller owns Becker. If you take Becker through Becker it is not accredited and you can not get financial aid. If you take Becker through Keller it is accredited and you can get financial aid.
Keller has a MAFM/CFA emphasis. You go through the Stalla program. Keller owns Stalla.
Hi Stephanie,
After reading your site, I was set for Yaeger but after visiting and calling Yaeger, I realized you did not mention some key weaknesses for Yaeger. If the candidate does not pass, and they want to try out next 2 years for example, if CPA exams stays the same next year, you can use the same exact thing, but if you happen to take a long break for2- 3 years, you have to buy everything again. Customer service from the Yaeger sucks, they get frustrated very easily if you don’t jump and choose their programs. Hope you will post this so everyone can read it .
Hi Mark,
This is an excellent point — I should really mention somewhere that by taking Becker through Keller you can get credits and financial aid. I will mention it at least in the Becker page.
Hi Rode,
I appreciate you point out the weakness of Yaeger. Noted on the point of buying everything again if you take a long break. I think this is probably the case for all CPA Review Course except maybe for CPAexcel? Need to double check.
Then, on the poor customer service, I am sorry to hear that. Did you mean that they quickly become not helpful if you don’t sound you want to purchase their course right away? I actually would love to have you elaborate more on this because supposedly, customer service is Yaeger’s selling point and if this is not true I need to alert people on this.
Thanks, Stephanie
Hi Stephanie, I respect and appreciate all your insights about the various review courses. So far, I have used Becker for BEC and AUD and have passed both the first time around with scores in the 80′s.
Anyway, two things I really appreciate about Becker (which I feel have been significant to my success so far) are the following:
1) the Becker MC questions are timed so you can practice solving them and track your improvement by your timed results
2) the simulations are dead on very realistic representations of what you will see on the real exam – so again, you can really get the feel of the functionalities and will have few surprises.
How does Yaeger compare in terms of these two areas?
However, I will probably stick with Becker for FAR and REG, but I am very intrigued by Yaeger and will definitely look into it more. I may recommend Yaeger for my friend who is trying to pass the CPA exam but has a very limited Accounting and Audit background.
Thank you so much!
Stephanie — I love the layout of your site. Very easy to navigate around. Only one small suggestion. When you list your posts and comments, it would easier if you reversed the order to show most recent to oldest posts.
Hi Roman,
Yaeger uses Wiley materials (they focus on the teaching) so that would be a Wiley vs Becker comparison.
I agree that Becker is pretty good – in terms of usefulness I would think both of them are probably the best. Becker is more user friendly so if this is put into consideration, Becker is slightly better in my opinion.
If you have a good accounting background and don’t need much explanation in terms of someone to go through MCs with you, and don’t mind the hefty price Becker should be a great choice.
Hi Bonni,
Thanks for your suggestion — I am not sure if I can show this comment in reverse order but I agree that it would be more user-friendly. Will give it a try! Stephanie
Stephanie,
Amazing site! I am now just re-starting this venture back into becoming a CPA and this is exactly what I needed as a guide for preparation. THANKS
Question. I am 5 years removed from a single general graduate level course in accounting and 10 years removed from a pre-SOX accounting degree. I have been working primarily as a financial analyst and now as a senior management consultant (for a real estate firm) and have not used many accounting concepts in my day to day over the past 5+ years. I’m finally agressively pursuing certification in California and was wondering what the best prep program would be for someone like me.
I hate the 4-8 hour lecture BUT …. I do need the structured setting to help get me re-ramped on accounting concepts. I was initially thinking Becker but was blown away by price. Through your review, I was really thinking about a combination Yaeger and CPAExcel (been getting emails from them for about 5 years now
. However, I am not sure what the best approach should be. Is Yaegar the strongest formal setting (in your opinion) and is CPAExcel the stronger supplemental for someone who has been removed from accounting for awhile? I have seen a lot of talk about Gleim and Wiley but I thought that was more directed to recent grads …. not those “old-heads” who have been working for more than a decade like myself. Any feedback would be helpful.
Thanks,
Anthony
I have taken audit using Roger’s and passed. I found the lectures helpful on some of the more boring topics. On the additional audits (Governmental etc.) it was a little too short, but I passed, so no complaining.
For FAR I started with Roger and found it to be too unorganized (Besides that, in the ifrs videos even the lecturer doesn’t understand what he is saying). I wanted a course that would neatly package the concepts, the journal entries etc.. I purchase Bisk and I am quite pleased. I think the under-prepared rap that it gets, comes from people understanding that the videos will teach it all. However that is not the case. The textbook teaches it all and the videos are there to work through the difficult concepts.
Stephanie, i so desperately need ur help and its very urgent coz i realy need to make a choice as early as possible.. cn u email me ur phone no so dt i can give u a call at the tym of ur convenience. ur help would be appreciated.. please get me back to me as early as possible..
Hi Stephanie:
Thank you so much; I found the site very informative. I came across the Yaeger review some time ago and was very much interested. However, I live in The Bahamas and no one here had heard of it. Nonetheless, I thought I had made up my mind this morning after reading your recommendations. So, I went on Yaeger’s site and looked at the products but discovered that they are using Wiley’s textbooks. This contradicts your recommendation not to purchase these texts because they are overwhelming. I’d appreciate if you would kindly give me your position on my concern. Thanks.
After taking the Becker CPA review course some 18 years ago and didn’t pass. I now wanted to try Yaeger. I’m thinking of purchasing the 4-part Home Study course and was wondering if I also need to purchase the Webcast CRAM course. I’m trying to save some money here because I lost my job. Your insight would be greatly appreciated.
Hi Stephanie,
I completed 3 yr Bachelor of Commerce Degree and 2 years of MBA Finance from a reputed university in India. I have 2 yrs work experience in Finance company in India. Currently I am in US on H4 visa. I am planning to sit for CPA exam. I am staying in Maryland, am I eligible in Maryland state or should I have to go to any other state that qualifies me for the exam?
It would be great help if you can provide me some details about the CPA exam and opportunities in US after I complete the exam.
Hi Stephanie,
I am on a budget, jobless, and want to utilize the Becker review courses 2009 edition. I am totally aware that the examination has changed in 2011. Are these textbooks (2009 edition) no longer useful? Moreover, If I could indeed use these textbooks to prepare for the exam, what other learning materials/tools could I purchase to supplement my form of attack? In advance, thanks for your help and God Bless!
Hi Stephanie,
If you have finished the due digilence on CPA Passmaster , please do let me know if they are genuine or not.
Thanks….InderJyot
Hi Inderjyot,
You can get my writeup on CPA Passmaster here.
Cheers,
Stephanie
I’ve started learning with Yaeger homestudy for several modules, the presentation of Cynthia is really good, I can learn something after her lectures.
However, the customer service is terrible, a staff called Bonni Yaeger who has bad temper, be careful.
Hi Yiquan,
Thanks a lot for the comment. I especially appreciate “negative” comments because this is something I need to alert readers if this is indeed the case. So maybe that’s what Rode meant (comment on Dec 15)… I will put a note on Yaeger’s page.
Hi Steven,
Thanks for sharing your experience with Roger. I especially like the way you provide the details so it is easier for us to visualize what’s good and what’s not. And I like your point on how textbook teaches many things but the video help to explain difficult concepts.
Stephanie
Stephanie, I plan on sitting for the FAR section within the next 6 months. So far I only have Bisk 2009-2010 book so I know I need some updated material. I have a newborn at home and I spend some time in my car. I need to make the most of my time with some type of audio material. What would you recommend? I was thinking about just getting Gleim 2011 book, MCQ cd, and audio cds. On the other hand, I could watch Yaegar dvd while I’m spending time with the baby. I find it difficult to get into my book while on baby duty.
This comment was forwarded to me, so I will respond.
If you can watch the DVD’s, that would help. As for audios’s, we are working on them. The FAR should be done by the end of the month. Listening to them is great, but we do not consider these as a “stand alone” CPA Review course. They work best when used in conjunction with our comprehensive HomeStudy course.
Check out our demos, (HomeStudy, CRAM and audio) and see what will work best for you.
Bonni Yaeger @ Team Yaeger
Hi Stephanie,
I have passed 3 sections of the exam within 6 months at the first time with grades around 90. But I’m struggling withe the AUD section (don’t want to mention I worked as an auditor the last 7 years in Europe and now in the US). I have just failed for a second time with the exact same result of 73. So far I have only used the Wiley books and the Wiley test bank and I have to say, I don’t feel enough prepared with this solution for AUD. Especially the opinion part and responsibilities of a CPA are somewhat short in my opinion. Reading on your excellent website I’m thinking about the Gleim practice test since I’m already so close to pass the AUD section and I don’t want to rob a bank. However I’m feeling I have some deficits in AUD and only additional questions might not fix the problem. The Gleim solution also includes a textbook. How good is this textbook? I definitely don’t want to have another review book like Wiley and I’m looking for some teaching. Based on my experience I’m better studying with an online-course or video. Studying just from a book is not my best approach.
Thank you
Chris
Hi Stephanie:
I passed the BEC and REG sections. I used to have the Becker book for review. Now I used the Bisk books which I found is too complicated and mixed as you said. I tried the Wiley online bank these periods and found it is not enough for me. My audit section failed several times and each time the simulation is weak. I don’t know which software or other materials can strenghthen my weakness. Otherwise is there any other alternatives for the Wiley on line software? By the way, If I have some individual questions, where I seek for the help? I appreciate for your early reply as I am ready to sit for the April or May exam for other two parts.
Thank you
Wendy
Hi Stephanie,
I am planning to take Financial and Audit in August using the Becker CPA Review(already began my preparations) but reading the reviews and doing some research i get the feeling that Yaeger is a much better option but the thing is i dont think i have enough time to get yaeger and start from scratch… I know that you think Yaeger is alot better but still do you think if i put in the effort using becker i would have good enough chance of passing the exam??
Hi Rohan,
Sure just stick with Becker — in fact Becker is pretty good if you don’t mind the price!
Many candidates pass by taking Becker (and in fact, all the CPa review courses featured here). All of them are good — so no worries you will pass if you study hard and with the right strategy.
Cheers
Stephanie
Any recommendation if you’re a Canadian CA studying for the equivalency exam?
Hello I have a quick question. I’m only 18 and I’m just starting my freshman year as an accounting major and I was wondering should I start studying for the CPA exam now with the 2011 material? even though I wont be taking the test for at least 5 years as I still have to get my bachelors degree and masters in accounting. So is it a good idea to start studying now?
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