Kaplan CPA Review: The Pros And Cons

Kaplan Review is huge in standardized test market, and one of the CFA study guide top sellers through the Schweser brand. How about Kaplan CPA Review?

In fact, no one really talks about Kaplan CPA –  Do they cover CPA exam at all? Are they good? Let’s take a look.

I have to profess that I don’t have first-hand experience in Kaplan CPA. I do get a review from a kind “industry insider” who told me that Kaplan has been pretty fickle about its CPA review program — for the last 20 years the company has launched big and then withdrawn from their CPA review program at least 5 times…

Anyway, just to be fair to Kaplan I have done a review on their products based on the demo provided, as well as the feedback from 30+ users that I have contact with via my mini course.

So, why Kaplan in the first place?

You Get The BEC Course Free!

Updated by Stephanie on Nov 5, 2010: Sorry – their free BEC offer has expired. Thanks Maria for notifying me.

Kaplan CPA Review – Course Description

Kaplan Live Online Review Courses

• Weekly real-time online classes, with interaction with instructor in the virtual classroom
• Classes are recorded and are available for 24/7 review
• 24 months access to online tools

Self-Study Online Review Courses

• Online courses from the most recent recording
• One-on-one instructor access: they promise an answer by an instructor within 24 hours
• Self-paced study anytime, anywhere, and on your own schedule
• 24 months access to online tools

Demo of Videos

Kaplan does not allow us to share their videos directly here, but you can check out the demos at YouTube.

The Pros And Cons

So let’s take a look into why you should (or shouldn’t) pick Kaplan:

Pros

• They have an interesting service called “Instructor-led Office Hours“, essentially a CPA is available online and real-time to guide you and answer questions.
• Audio CD and (arguably) flashcards are good. If they fit your style of learning, go for it.

Cons

• Book Is An Encyclopedia. Taking BEC as an example, the book has 25 chapters vs Becker’s 5 chapters. It has like 800 pages vs Wiley’s 400 pages. If it is even more comprehensive than Wiley, Kaplan goes way overboard. I heard people say Wiley reads like a dictionary. If so, Kaplan would be an encyclopedia.
• Video instruction is so-so… especially if there are much better alternatives out there. Do check out the demos yourself
• I was told that online instructor to answer questions from students are often not reachable or you have to wait for a few days to get back the answers.

With That, Are You Planning To Try Out Kaplan CPA Review?

Here is the link to Kaplan CPA Review.

If you remain undecided, you may take a look at the CPA Exam Review Course Comparison page for the pros and cons of each major CPA review course.

I’d love to hear what you think about Kaplan as well. Please drop a note below. Thanks!
 

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