Business Law And Taxation Cpa Reviewer Pdf Editor

“Proposal: Compulsory Bond Purchase as Compromise to Income Tax Rate Increases,” with Kristen. Gray, DePaul Business & Commercial Law Journal, Fall 2009, Vol. “A Call for Progressive Taxation of Home Energy Use,” Tax Notes, October 2008, Vol. “The Effect of the U.S. Stimulus Tax.

How do we identify the best CPA review courses? Some based on brand. Others based on price, number of products, apps, freebies, gimmicks The fact is, there is no absolute best.

Start narrowing down the choice based on your background, budget and learning style. Then, sign up for the free trials. I am going to show you how. Hey Stephanie, this helped a lot.

I found Yaeger a couple of months ago and was interested in taking it, anyone who answers cpa questions over the phone wins hands down. A question, though: For some reason I seem to still have all my textbooks from accounting. Audit from 2008, Tax 2009, Cost 2009, FAR books are the oldest from 2006, also Business law 2008.

I know the CPA review tests recent updates, but it seems silly to say they’re useless for the CPA exam. Went to FSU, if that’s relevant, had a 3.5 gpa. Prefer the study solo appr0ach, with the ability to call or email someone with occasional questions. What would you recommend for someone who still has their textbooks, and can still remember most of the material somewhat? Hi Will, If this is the case, why don’t you get a Gleim software for one section first (cheap, around $30 I think?). Study the section as if you are preparing for the exam, and hit the MC questions right away. If you can get say 70% of them right for the first time, then I would think you don’t need any review courses.

Just keep doing it until you get a 100% correct and for the right reason. The alternative is to get a Wiley software; but in case you get a lower score and you sign up for Yaeger, they will give you a Wiley software so it’s kind of a waste. As far as I know, I don’t think there is a “tutor” who only answers questions on the CPA exam without selling the CPA review books I guess it doesn’t make business sense 🙂 Anyway, let me know how it goes! Hi Stephanie, Thank you for this wonderful website. I got a lot of good information about the CPA Review materials from you.

Today is July 28, 2010 already. Is it too late for me to apply CPA exam (I’m in California.)? I mean I’m just thinking about the exam these two days that maybe I should take the exam before all the changes on Jan. 1st, 2011 starts to affect. (I thought I would wait and work first to get hands on experience before taking the CPA.

But, California’s unemployement rate is quite high. I can’t get a full-time job, not even an internship. So I have some free time right now). I think it makes good sense to take FAR first. But, I’m concerned I won’t be able to pass it in 2010 since there are only a few months left. Then, I’ll have to prepare for the new material in 2011 with extra workload/new materials. What do you think?

Should I take other subjects first in 2010 or postpone the entire exam to 2011? My second question is: the “18 months” starts to click ONLY after the first subject is passed? Does it mean if it takes me twice to pass the very first subject I choose to take, the “18 months” starts to count from the date I pass(the second try)? I am a little bit confused by this rule.

I just graduated in May, 2010. I think I’m just an average “B” student in accounting courses(however, I got “A” in auditing class after lots of time investment on studying. It’s just pure memorization. Maybe that’s why I got “A”). I think I’m lack of confidence to take the CPA exam.

But, my accouting professor encourages students to take it once no matter what. He said if we don’t try at least once, we might be regret someday. Are those who passed the CPA exam usually the top accounting students ( the first half of the “A” students)?

Even though I just graduated in May 2010, I finished all my accounting courses in Fall 2009. So it’s been a while.

Does Yaeger’s material really teach us from the basic? Is Becker’s lecture notes a part of its product bundle or is it distributed in a live classroom setting only? I’m just thinking about to purchase an used one on ebay if I can find it. Yesterday I saw its 2010 CPA Review materialwas $699 down from $2800. But, today I can’t find it. Thank you very much in advance for your time and patience to read my post.

I really appreciate your suggention. Hope to hear from you soon. Hi Sab, Thanks a lot for your kind note on my site! Responding to your questions (1) whether to take the CPA exam in 2010: yes, this is one of the FAQs.

My personal opinion is to get rid of as many of the sections as possible given the uncertainty that you are a recent accounting graduate (while memory still sort of fresh) If in case you don’t pass FAR, my understanding from various CPA review courses (notably Yaeger, Becker and Roger) is that the 2011 syllabus is more like an addition of materials rather than a change of materials, so at least your study won’t get “wasted” and all you need is to study the IFRS (international financial reporting) bit, which of course is annoying but is doable. So in short, yes I would encourage you to take FAR and try your best to get it passed within 2010, but if you need a retake it’s not a huge deal. (2) the 18-month window: yes it starts to count once you PASS your first section.

In other words, if you fail it doesn’t count. So it makes sense to get rid of the toughest one first which in my opinion is FAR. (3) Whether only A student can pass CPA exam: oh no don’t worry CPA exam is a very different animal than the regular accounting exams in colleges. It covers a very board range of topics but it doesn’t go deep at all in most of these topics.

(4) Yaeger only teaches the stuff required for the CPa exam, so it’s hard to say whether it is basic or not, because it’s not complete in my opinion. But it’s similar case for all the major CPA exam review courses. (5) Becker: I think they have an online version so you don’t need to attend live courses to get the notes. But self-study/online version costs the same I think so you can consider the notes themselves costing $2800. For second hand notes, yes it is much cheaper but you will have the pressure to get it passed within this year because next year the stuff could be quite different and as a second-hand purchaser you won’t have any discount to buy the extra new materials you might need for the 2011 format. So it is something you need to consider. Hope it helps!

Hey Stephanie this is amazing thanks for all the tipsmy question is can you elaborate you mentioned “they don’t go very deep at all in most of these topics.” in an earlier postso if a student was still in college and taking an exam on 3 chapters of tax, a student taking the cpa would be tested on more or less half of that same material, content-wise (say you were assigned 100 pages of the textbook, the cpa exam would cut down what you’re responsible for to 75 pages or so?? Also do you have any comment on why there is a disconnect between accounting in college and cpa exam? Why cant we just take the cpa exam after college and do away with all these review companies we should be ready theniguess because they want us to work for a while before we actually get the license+?? Hi John, Glad you find the site useful for you! I have no affiliation with the CPA exam at all, but my guess would be that since they have to cram everything they want to test you in one big exam, they have to randomly pick a little bit here and there to make sure at least you have some understanding on the important topics. I would think that if they are given the “luxury” to test you in multiple of exams, the format would probably be much closer to the ones we experience in college. Another of my guess is that since the test is now computerized, the format has to be one that can be easily graded by computers.

That’s why the majority is multiple choice with the remaining a “simulation” questions (which essentially is also MCs). There is a written communication tab but it counts for only 10%.

Because of the multiple choice format the tactics become very different from say a midterm/exam handgraded by the professor and the TA. That’s why I said it is quite a different animal than the ones we have in the college days. Having said that, if you spend time in college learning accounting and business you will have a much easier time tackling the CPA exam than someone like myself who has only taken accounting 101. Hope it helps!

Hi Stephanie, Many thanks for such a wonderfull site u have prepared for all the CPA aspirants and CPAs. And Thanks to you as an individual for helping and encouraging others. I would like to ask about course material of all the four papers. Is it going to be provided by the Colorado board (if i choose that state for CPA) or i will have to arrange seperately.

In case they dont provide the course material then from whom i should purchase the material and how much it will cost me approximatey. If you have any other suggestion on this then please tell me.

Hi Vipula, Do you mean the CPA review course that teaches you how to tackle the exam itself, or the accounting courses used to fulfill the educational requirements? The above is the CPA review course for the sole purpose of preparing for the exam and does not contribute to fulfilling the exam requirements.

For this you will have to take a course at any accredited college/university and you can do it either online or offline. I’ve got a lot of questions on this recently so I plan to write something about it. (I will make an announcement in the mini course, and probably to say something on the side bar) Stephanie. Thank God I found your site.

I am still in school and planning on taking the CPA sometime next year and I am truly overwhelmed and discouraged. I am currently researching review/prep courses and it is overwhelming. My professors seem to always recommend the Gleim books, and although its cheap I find it, (the books at least) boring and yes too comprehensive. For awhile I thought Becker was the only (besides Gleim) review course out there, (they’re heavily represented on my campus).

I am now leaning towards Roger and Yaeger,( the latter I am now researching). Thanks for your recommendation Stephanie. Sorry, first post had errors. Hi Mike, You are most welcome! On Rigos, actually my boss took their courses way back (like 15 years ago, and it was a live class) and got 4 parts passed on her first try. But she was the only one or two who managed to do that in her class This is the only information I get on Rigos (I tried to search the term on major CPA exam forums, but not much luck).

Somehow they are no longer as popular but if you can gather some good reviews from a few others, go ahead. As for the 2011 CPA exam, I guess my honest answer is I have no idea. In fact, I don’t think anyone has a clue including the examiners.

But what I know from them is that they may adjust the passing score accordingly in the first few months of 2011 such that the CPA exam pass rate remains more or less the same (at round 50%). They promise that they will be very transparent in terms of the pass rate, passing score adjustment and so on by publishing the data on their site at cpa-exam.org. If you haven’t already, please take a look my writeup on the. Cheers, Stephanie. Hi Andrew, Thanks for your comment for the site and I am really happy that you find the info helpful. Isn’t it amazing that professors around the country seem to stick with Gleim? But I guess Gleim is very academic and that back then when they were candidates themselves there weren’t that many review course providers around.

Anyway, either Roger or Yaeger will be good! Roger is a bit more expensive starting from this year (I haven’t updated my Roger CPA page yet, but they had a pretty big price increase for the live classes) but Roger has his unique way of teaching which can be quite appealing. And of course I like Yaeger as you can see all over this site 🙂 Don’t worry once you pick one CPA review provider and focus on it, things won’t be as overwhelming. Best of luck to the exam next year! Cheers, Stephanie. Stephanie, You’re doing a great job of maintaining this site. As a CPA aspirant, I am in the phase of choosing a review program and am confused.

Becker, with all the negatives, on the face of it looks to me as the most prepared as regards the new changes in 2011. Besides, they are still the big name in the business. Having said that, I’m not someone who can cram and study for an exam using mnemonics. And reading these comments tell me that Becker does exactly that – plus I have bought Becker books and attended 2 classes in India in2007 (though I didn’t study anything and moved on to other things in life soon). Yaeger, on the other hand, is cheaper and carries your recommendation and thats what is making me consider this.

But I’m scared – (1) its not a program heard by many people – even those in the accounting academic profession. (2) Not sure of their preparedness for changes in 2011. So, I have a question – in your review, you state that handouts are very good. Does that mean that they cover all that Becker does – in terms of content and quality of questions? Also, I would love to hear from anybody who has actually used this review course and has benefitted – yup, I read the testimonials, but we all know testimonials on the webpage of the provider may be no good. I was also wondering why there is no ‘comments’ section at the end of your evaluation on Yaeger’s review.

I was hoping to find some comments from other users. One last question, I have Becker’s 2007 materials. Do you think I could use those in conjunction with Wiley’s & Yaeger’s notes – or you think I could just throw the becker old notes (in case I sign up for yaeger or roger or something else). Thanks so much for your responses in the past. You’ve been really quick. You’ve been very inspiring!

Thanks Ramya. Hi Ramya, Thanks for your note and I am happy you are spending time to pick the right course for you. On Becker, yes I agree with what you said On Yaeger, I totally understand your concern as well, because I haven’t heard of them before as well. Here is what you can do: 1. Go to the various CPA exam forum and search “yaeger” and you can get a collective of the program (actually, any program). Depending on how much thread you want to read, it could take a while but you can certainly get the feel from past users.

Watch the demo on their site and see if you like their teaching style. Yes from the last time I looked at the DVDs, they should be covering the stuff you need to pass the exam. On 2011, honestly I think every course provider can only try their best based on the new course guideline provided by AICPA. I would think they are pretty much the same in this aspect.

I will keep an eye on people’s comment though at the beginning of the year. Lastly, on the endorsement of Big 4 on Becker, I think there are lots of reason part of it is that they endorse the program way before there are any choices (so there is a relationship); then, I am just blind guessing, but I am willing to bet that Becker gives a big discount to them to maintain this relationship Becker does say they have “partnerships” with 1,500 institution.

My interpretation of this is discount offers. Anyway, Becker’s lecture notes is still excellent as I mention above. So in the eyes of the Big 4, why not. Just my guesstimate and 2 cents 🙂 Best of luck in searching the right review course for you! Stephanie P.S.

By the way, I have no idea why there is no comment on the Yaeger page. I wonder myself but this is something out of my control. I did ask some readers who used the Yaeger review to give me comments, but they always just reply to the email instead of posting here I will try again! Hi Jeff, Understand that you have irregular schedule, but is it possible for you to say watch a DVD or something?

The only concern with just the Wiley books is that it can’t be integrated with other study approach so it is typically less effective. If you can at least watch some DVD at home, then Yaeger is a good complement to Wiley. If you can only spend say half an hour each time on the study, then CPAexcel could be good because of the bite-sized lectures.

Otherwise, Lambers has a ipod course which could be handy Sorry it might sound even more confusing for you anyway my recommendation is if you want a direct answer. Cheers, Stephanie. Hello, First and foremost, I must mention that you have complied much-needed, value-adding information in this webpage!

It looks like you have put into words what most people like me have only given a cursory look at or, have thought about, but have not been able to break down into directly comparable bullet points. Really good stuff! I am composing this post to ask you about your experiences with the AICPA Ethics Exam. I plan on taking my final section of the CPA Exam, the Auditing and Attestation Section, next week. After this, the only remaining barrier left would be the (not so dreaded?) Ethics Exam. I understand that you can purchase either the TEXT version or the CD version from the AICPA webpage.

Then you can take the exam online and see you score immediately. Could you please tell me which form you would recommend and why? I guess for me, whichever form that is easier to navigate during the open book exam seems to be the better choice, and I would also like to be able to take my exam ONLINE. At this point, I don’t even know how I should approach this exam.

Should I study A LOT first then take the exam, or just skim through the material first and then answer each question while taking advantage of the open book aspect of the exam? I would greatly appreciate your reply. I don’t understand why they let us take the Ethics Exam online privately; I bet the most UNethical people are loving this leeway (as they are getting together with their friends and family – just joking of course). Hello Russell, thanks a lot for your kind note! I am glad you find the site helpful. There is more discussion on the here, but I would think taking it online is more convenient. It’s only 40 questions now (back then when I took it it was 75 questions) and it’s really not that bad.

If you go through the comment section of that page a reader mentioned that you can sort of skim through the material and hit the questions immediately. So don’t worry it’s not that difficult at all, and you can have 3 attempts (and if you contact AICPA, they will let you try again).

Congrats on being almost done with the exam! Hi Vicki, How is your schedule and commitment? If you have a relatively “easy” job and not much family commitment, then yes you should give it a try. But if you have to take care of kids and work >50 hours per week with occasional overtime then it would be tough It also depends on whether you are familiar with the concepts. If let’s say you are not an accounting major and both financial accounting and tax are totally new to you, then you might want to postpone either one.

An alternative is to exchange one with BEC which *generally* is easier for candidates. And in any case please make a study plan and stick with it! Hope it helps, Stephanie. Hi Stephanie, I am planning to buy Yeager review course (Bundle Buy) for preparing for CPA exam. I would like to know do i need to buy anything from any other review course or Yeager would be sufficient to pass the CPA exam. I would like to apprear for all the 4 paper in one shot so based on your experience can u guide me how much time it will take to prepare for all the four papers.

Currenly i m at Home and can spare alomst 5 hours a day for preparation. I m an average student in study with accouting backround. Thanks in Advance. Hi Vipula, Based on the feedback of my readers, it seems like Yaeger is sufficient as long as you do as many practice questions from the Wiley book as possible.

If you are super diligent you can consider getting Gleim as well (but let’s do it later, only when you think you have the extra time) Again, if you are very disciplined, you can probably get prepared within 6 months to sit for the 4 parts in one go. Generally you might need up to 1 year to study for that so it really depends how motivated you are. Given you have the accounting background it should be easier for you. Hope it helps? Hi Mike, Hmm on AUD, do you think it’s because of lack of study time, lack of motivation or you simply get tricked by the questions?

(if you work in the CPA firm, you must be very familiar with the concepts so this should be the issue). I would think that if you get a, work on your weakest areas (based on the report) and see whether you are able to get them all right (and for the right reason) after a few attempts. If somehow you still can’t get it, then it’s worthwhile to get because they explain the MC questions in detail and where the tricky areas are etc. Best of luck to your next attempt! Hi Numan, Theoretically, CPA is a title most applicable for public accounting (i.e. Auditing) firms, but from what I heard from my readers recently, many corporations are looking for a CPA title among the candidates. So it is definitely useful.

Having said that, many accountants can secure a job without the title so the CPA qualification is not like “mandatory” in order to get an accounting/finance job in the US. Is it a big hassle for you to go to the US and take the exam? Htc Fastboot Drivers Windows 10 there. Also, do you think you can qualify for from any state? This would be 2 important questions for you to consider whether to start your CPA journey.

You may also find this page for useful. Hope it helps – just come back if I can be helpful.

Cheers, Stephanie. Hi Numan, Thanks for your kind note! Well it has been enjoyable (and a good break from my day job and kids) running this site 🙂 And on the general note of using the CPA title to find a job in the state I would think while it definitely helps, it is not a guaranteed ticket if you know what I mean. Is it possible for you to work in Big 4 in Pakistan (not sure if they have presence there)? It would be much easier for you to arrange a transfer or something like that within the organization. Alternatively, any US-based corporations in Pakistan might work.

Anyway, if you are aiming for the Big 4, you can check out my recommendation on this book — the steps and tips to break into Big 4 / big accounting firms. Cheers, Stephanie. Dear Stephanie, Thanks for the information. It is really amazing to see how you could spare time for people, besides doing a job and looking after 2 kids. Thank you for this.

I get almost eaten up by just one kid of mine. Coming to US is not a problem. I have got a business visa (5 year; multiple).

So I can come and go anytime for the exam. Also, i can study day and night for the exam and that is not a major problem. My concern was just that if i take the step towards attempting the CPA, will it help me getting a sponsoring employer in the US? With my current visa, I can only visit for business purpose, and not for work. I want to move to the US with my family. I hope CPA will help me in that, because my current qualifications i.e. CA and ACCA do not seem to be very useful in US.

Nauman, you can sit for the exam under Colorado Board, if you are a CA from another country, they would allow you to sit for the CPA exam. Also, NASBA will be allowing candidates to take the exam outside of the US in near future. I am not sure when they will include Pakistan. But i have heard they have included Japan so far. I live in Canada but since i live at the border, for me travelling to the States is easy so i am not too concerned. Stephanie, i am struggling with FAR and forgetting whatever i have learned in last two weeks.

I haven’t bought the Flashpoint CPA stuff yet. Since i spent thousands of dollars on material already, i feel guilty spending more on the stuff. Hi Farhan, Thanks for your help for Nauman. Much appreciated! Also, it’s good that you remind me of the. I have done a quick writeup for those who are interested. Yes FAR is the most overwhelming of all!

Why don’t you tackle one sub-section at a time — after reading/listening to the lecture, work on the practice questions for the concepts to sink in. This tactic works for me pretty well. Yeah don’t worry about getting extra materials if you have existing ones already. Keep working hard! Stephanie: Is the clearance sale for $799 at CPA Passmaster genuine? I am not sure if that website, CPA Passmaster, that is selling Becker products for half the price is genuine.

Can you help me here? My Becker software is expired but Becker is asking a huge amount of money plus a registration fee before they will renew the software for me as a former Becker student which, I think, is unfair. The CPA Passmaster website is offering to renew my software for $100. Is that genuine and do you know of anyone who who has done business with them? Has any of your forumers tried them? I have all the 2009 Becker Notes and the CD, the only thing I need is the MC and the simulation in the Passmaster. I am only interested in the extension of the software.

Thank you also for the info on Wiley and Gleim. I took the live fastpass class with Becker and it’s a complete waste of time. Please advise me on that CPA Passmaster website and their products. Hi Kontopia, You are dropping me a note at the *perfect time* because I am in the final stage of due diligence on CPA Passmaster.

I don’t want to give my recommendation (or the lack of) before my full investigation but I promise to have it done by next week. So please wait for a few more days. If I do recommend this Becker reseller I will feature it prominently in the header at the top of my website. I’m sure you won’t miss it 🙂 Please come back next week and have a look! Stephanie P.S. Sorry to hear about your experience at Becker live class.

I can totally hear you. I set up this site mainly to tell people there are other options. Stephanie: I love your website. It’s the only place I have found that gives honest, thoughtful reviews of different CPA review options. Others seem to be too biased.

I am a recent grad, again (undergrad in accounting in Dec 08 and a MBA Aug 10). I now want to go after the CPA certification and am pretty motivated to get it. I am very disciplined I took my entire MBA program online and graduated with a 3.9 gpa (and it was a very good, accredited university). I am unsure of which review program to go after. Everyone I have talked to has used Becker, but they took the exam 5+ or 10+ years ago and got it discounted. I know Becker is great, I am impressed with their website but they are also extremely expensive and are really out of my budget.

I can not seem to find another program that strikes me as much as Becker does though. I do not want to do live classes, or online for that matter. I am better at self-study. I do not mind reading or watching lecturers at home (as long as they aren’t boring and long).

Do you have any suggestions on review courses that have good self-study programs and they won’t break my poor bank account?? Maybe ones that have a good mixture of text and software even? (If there is such a thing out there for me). Thank you for any advice you give 🙂. Hi Zachary, Thanks for your kind note!

I am honored that this site is seen as “honest and thoughtful” because this is the goal I am trying to achieve for this site. I would say you can focus on the following 3 CPA study material: If you are very disciplined and self-motivated (sounds like you are!), then Wiley should be good for you and you can get the here. If you are looking for a more integrated approach, has bite-sized classes and you can sign up for a free trial and see if you like it. Their program has just been endorsed by 1 of the big 4, and they are considerably cheaper than Becker. Lastly, is always good if you are looking for lots of explanation on the actual multiple choice questions you are working on. The lectures are presented in DVD that you can watch at home.

The filming is a bit “unpolished” but that’s why you get it at a much cheaper price than Becker. Hope it helps! Would be interested to see which course/materials you end up choosing. And all the best to your exam! Hi Stephanie; I am very impressed with your website and am grateful that you took the time to put it together.

I was a chief accountant of smb’s in Russia. I was planning to sign up for Yaeger, but they told me that I need to take several US tax courses first. ( I have taken financial and business accounting at a community college but nothing specifically on taxes.) Do you know what courses are either required by NASBA or the California Board of Accountancy or recommended before taking the CPA exam? Hi Stephanie, Just wanted to drop a quick note about CPAexcel. My story isn’t entirely unique, but somewhat different. I’ve worked as an accountant for 40 years – I’m 58 years old.

I’m actually working part time and could retire. As a personal goal, I decided in late April (2010) to sit for the CPA exam. It’s, obviously, tough for someone with an MBA which was received 10 years ago. Using CPAexcel and the Wiley software, I passed BEC the first try, taken July 1, 2010 – Score 86. I’m so excited I can’t believe it!!

CPAexcel is absolutely great. Wiley was a supplemental study tool only. The folks behind CPAexcel are intelligent and always there to help. Thanks for the forum. Hi Stephanie, I took your recommendation and have been using Yaeger since the end of August. I’m in the middle of studying for FAR. I believe there are 3 teachers for this course.

Cindy (who mainly teaches FAR) is excellent. She has a great sense of humor and she hammers points home so you won’t forget. On a multiple choice problem, she will go over the wrong choices and explain why they are wrong. She will also tell you for said MC question, what other questions the CPA could ask based on the topic. She really knows her stuff backwards and forwards and tries her bast to get you to her level of understanding accounting. HOWEVER, the other teachers SUCK.

Phil is so monotone and boring. And it’s more than that. Home Work Handbuilt Shelter Pdf Writer.

He doesn’t go into nearly the detail that Cindy does. Not only is Cindy more entertaining, but she’s a better teacher: plain and simple. Phil does not go over the wrong MC questions, which really bothers me because on the CPA exam there are often at least 2 answers that seem reasonably correct. Phil also say “all right” every 5 seconds. It’s like when a teenager says “like” all the time. Maybe not that bad but almost.

He probably says “all right” as much as one of those dumb athletes say “you know” before every sentence. The 3rd guy I haven’t taken instruction from yet but I saw the beginning of one of his lectures and he seems worse than Phil. So, not having taken the other courses yet, I would recommend only taking Yaeger for FAR (Cindy mostly teaches FAR but occasionally you will get the brutal Phil and the other guy).

I haven’t experienced too much of Phil’s teaching so any reader can take my comments with that in mind. I just finished Phil’s lecture on pensions. He did a decent job explaining the material prior to going into examples but I don’t like the way he covers the multiple choice. The other teacher also seem to do a better job of teaching test taking techniques. I guess I haven’t listened to enough lectures from Phil to completely comment on his style but I definitely feel confident saying Cindy is the superior teacher. Now the 3rd guy I just got done listening to his lecture on leases.

He is actually not bad. He also does Auditing apparently. He is pretty dry and deadpan but he is good at emphasizing certain points of emphasis. Does Phil only teach REG? That would be good because I think that is the section I feel most confident.

Hi Stephanie, I’m coming from Hong Kong, and I’ve been struggle for choosing Becker and Yaeger. With confirmation with Becker, there will be no live classes offered in HK starting from 2011, but we can still buy their material in HK, the cost is similar to United States. It’s no doubt that Becker is most expensive one, I don’t know is it worth or not. For Yaeger, I’m not sure the video lectures offer by them is update or not, as you know there are some changes for 2011 exam.

And I’ve no idea about the CRAM series though I’ve read their website info. Hi Kenneth, I personally don’t like Becker live classes anyway so it’s good that you’ll be choosing Becker self-study vs Yaeger. I have written a page specially on becker vs yaeger CPA review. Please see if it’s helpful for you?

By the way, your experience will be able to count if your work experience is supervised / verified by CPA from US, and possibly from Canada and Australia (depend on which state). Whether it has to be supervised or not will also be dependent on the state you apply to. Just let me know if you have further questions!

Hi Stephanie! So I’m scheduled to take REG on October 29.

Using the Yeager CPA review materials, I’ve already managed to get through a significant amount of material. However, I’m kind of worried because Prof Yaeger seems to skip a lot of things in the Wiley Book. From my experience, I managed to pass FAR and AUD (with a reasonable margins – 94, 89) because of fine details that I studied from the Wiley Book and CPAExcel. Do you have any knowledge of how much dependable Yaeger is? I mean, if he says to skip that section, then is there really a “reasonable probability” that the section won’t be in the test? I bought the Yaeger course because of the efficiency it offers, but am worried on it’s effectiveness and scope I appreciate any help or guidance!

Thank you very much, Nico. Hello Nico, Nice to hear from you again! Yes your concern is certainly understandable. I understand Dr. Yaeger specifically skips those parts that has lower importance in the exam. This is the way to do it for people with limited time. So I would recommend that you follow the direction and get the basic done first; then if you have more time, you can still work on the rest of Wiley, but at least for time management wise this makes the most sense and you can feel more comfortable because the most important things got covered.

An industry expert (who works for another CPA review course) told me Yaeger is among his favorites. That’s why I feel comfortable recommending the course to my readers. If you have any other thoughts on Yaeger (good or bad) please let me know so I can get a more comprehensive view on this course. And all the best to the studying and passing of REG! 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:. 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 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. 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 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! 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 and here. Hope it gives you some info to start with STephanei. 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 Stephanie, I’m so glad that I found your websiteI 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. 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 and this one brings you directly to Yaeger CPA review site. Hope it helps, and all the best to you and your friend! Hi Stephanie, Yes, I actually like the Bisk books.

The last time I sat for BEC and audit (4 years agoI scored 74s on both partsif only I studied for another week or two! 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 determinationwe’ll find success! Thanks so much again. Your site provides us with so much hope!

Take care, Janelle. Hi Stephanie. Thank you so much for this creating this site.

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.

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. 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 – Question: I have 3 parts passed and lack Financial. I cannot seem to pass Financialhave 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 adequateor 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). 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!

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, 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. 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. 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 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, 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. 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 Marie, Are you talking about IQEX?

Can try CPAexcel’s course. I don’t know whether it’s good but for CPA exam review at least, CPAexcel is great. Please check out Hi Dil, I would say at least work on the MCs in the video and make sure you get them right for the right reason. Then, move on to the rest of the Wiley MCs. Normally, the more MCs you tackle, the more “covered” you are.

Ideally get all of them done; if not possible, work on the topics that are heavily tested. Hope it helps! I have been using Becker. After the test, I felt like Becker review goes over a many little details (on lecture) and the MCQ is much complex than in the test.

It ends up that I spent too much time on all the difficult questions when I studied and I forgot the simple questions which I had in the real test. I felt like I already study really hard but I still can’t pass (very discourage and not giving up). I need another material to help me to pass the tests.

With my working hour and family, I need something can go to the point and I still remember the previous chapter when I move to the next chapter. I’m thinking Gleim or CPAExcel.

In your opinion, which one is better for my need? Do you have any other suggestion. Thank you so much. Hi, I noticed that you have been pushing Gleim as a good choice, but a cousin of mine from his experience says it wasn’t the best choice for him. I considered Becker but its quit expensive. So now I think I’m going for CPAexcel. This is my first time though to start studying for CPA.

I am a Bachelor in accounting graduate I took one subject about taxes at university. I think I am more in to studying from books. Although I wouldn’t mind studying some from an application on a laptop or some presentations. What do you think?

I’m seeking some advice in here. Hi elnaz, nice to hear from you. Yes Jeff runs another71.com.

It’s a great CPA exam community there as well. His site is more for US candidates vs my site. He is selling his Ninja CPA practice questions which I believe is the same database as Exammatrix. As to which course is best for you, it depends on your budget, educational background learning style. The ones that I personally recommend are listed at the top of the page, each with the pricing information. Everyone wants to get the best deal, but you have to make sure that you are fine with the studying style.

Otherwise, a retake will end up to be more expensive. Regards, Stephanie. I am working and want to start studying for the CPA exam. I was going to get Roger CPA but after watching the sample videos, this guy is interesting but talks very fast. I have to rewind over and over to catch what he saids sometimes. I was thinking about getting Becker CPA review because I heard that they got test writers for the CPA exam working for them. So they get the test bank made up very similar to the actual CPA exam.

I don’t know if this is true but this is what the Becker CPA rep told me at my school. Now after your analysis of the different options I am thinking about the CPA excel but I don’t have much info about them. What do you think would be the best for me? Hi David, it’s good that you have doing research and which course is best suited for you. Your comment is one of the most common on Roger, and I agree with you. On Becker, honestly I am not too sure how useful that is because (1) there are lots of test writers, (2) many review courses hire them anyway (it’s not that hard to find these people to work for them), and (3) Becker’s practice questions are good but I find that they are too similar to the lecture notes, as in you may have a false sense of comfort that you have prepared so well and then when the actual exam has something off track, you really get off-guard. Wiley and Gleim may have questions that are slightly more diversified and can train you to think on your feet (it’s more painful to go through them, esp Gleim, but that’s the purpose).

Just my two cents 🙂 For CPAexcel, I encourage you to sign up for their 14-day trial and see if you like it. It is the best way to know whether it works for you. If you have further questions please let me know. Cheers, Stephanie.

Hi Stephanie, Thanks you so much for the detailed guidance via your descriptive website. I am an Auditor working in Big 4. I gave BEC n AUD attempt in Oct last year and scored in late sixty’s. And now(this October) I scored early seventies. Wanted to know where am I lacking. I purchased the Beckers material last year and have gone through the entire material almost 7-8 times including the 1400 or so MCQs on the website.

I also did questions from CPA review for free course content. I think my weak point is the simulations. So, I need your guidance about how should I proceed ahead like when should I give my next attempt and what course material should I consider(something like CPA review for free) Waiting for your response and direction. Hi Elnaz, The fear of retaking and restudying the materials is enough to drive me work hard and pass the exams 🙂 My working hours were long back then, usually back home around 8pm. So I could only study in the weekends. I did study for pretty much the whole day on Saturdays and Sundays. In terms of which review course to use, I took Becker live classes but I was so fed up with it that I stopped attending the classes and missed at least 1 month of the class.

I switched to self-study with the help of Wiley books. Back then there were no other review courses in my area (and online courses weren’t available). If I were to choose again in 2014, I would choose either CPAexcel, Gleim or Yaeger. Roger is pretty good too. • augustine sm says. Hi Stephanie, Thank you for the detailed information about various courses.

I live in MA for the last 3 years on a dependent visa. I don’t have any accounting educational background; I have a bachelor degree(3 yrs) in Maths and a Masters in computer application (3 yrs) from my home country. I also don’t have any work experience in Accounting field. I know CPA is a difficult one to crack, but I have full confidence on my learning capability.

I am yet to send my transcripts for evaluation. So as of this moment, I do’t know how many credits I have, and I am not sure what extra courses should I take before applying for CPA. So, can you please shed some light on that. Also, how difficult it is for a person with no accounting background to pass CPA. Yes, I was good in studies, but the last time I did any serious study was 13-14 years ago!! Sincerely, Augustine SM.

Hi Augustine, thanks for your note. As a math major I think you will find accounting relatively straightforward (it’s a set of rules). But in order to get qualified for the exam, I am afraid you need to have a minimum number of accounting courses as well as a minimum 4-year bachelor degree. So for you this is more of a bottle neck because I don’t know if you are willing to take extra course for that.

In fact, it would be most efficient to get a master’s degree in accounting to fulfill both the degree and minimum accounting requirements. Here is more info on the educational requirements for your reference. Hi Paulo, thanks for your note! You are right that Gleim doesn’t have final review. It is basically a summary of all the topics covered, some with highlights in the heavily tested topics. Gleim does have a mock exam (they call it exam rehearsal) and I think it’s good enough. I personally don’t think final review is a must because I recommend spending the last week or so going through the practice questions one has done wrong previously, rather than reading the entire materials (be it the full or cram course) again.

Focus on your weaker areas is the best approach in my own opinion. Hope it helps! Hi Stephanie, I am Kedar Kokate from India. I wish to give CPA exams. I have already evaluated my transcripts from NASBA.

And a Chartered Accountant. NASBA has given me total credits of 160.25 semester hours and hence I qualify to give exams from Oregon State. I confirmed from Oregon Board also and they say that I qualify to give exams as far as educational requirements are concerned. Meanwhile I want to ask whether I shall go ahead with Oregon Board?

My intension of doing CPA is only for career growth which will add international credentials to my name. I dont intend to practice. Do you suggest me taking up exams from Oregon Board.

I wish to give them in Oct/Nov 15. Presently I am working as a Manager-Finance & Controlling in a German MNC. Thanks in advance.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you. Best Regards, Kedar Kokate. Hi Stephanie, I was trying to order Gleim Books and online access from your site because it gives us a 10% discount.

Also at the initial order stage it shows the discounted price of USD 1169 on Gleim site. But while one proceeds by updating address and come to a page of payment it shows us the original price of USD 1299 and not USD 1169. I wanted to know why it is so? They are not adding the shipping cost to USD 1169. I am taking the delivery in USA, Chicago.

Hence within USA its free delivery cost. But when I go to payment option it asks me to pay USD 1299. Does it mean that the offer of 10% discount is not valid anymore? Thanks in advance for your reply. Thanks & best Regards, Kedar Kokate.

Hello Stephanie, First of all, thanks for this detailed review. I have a couple of questions regarding my situation and would like for you to help me if that’s possible. I haven’t worked in accounting so I don’t have much hands on experience in the field, I have worked as a Collection Rep. However I have a bachelors degree (completed in 2010) in Accounting (136 credit hours earned) and an MBA (completed in 2014) in Marketing (42 credit hours earned).

My question is if my MBA credit hours would be taken into consideration on the 150 credit hours? I live on the US Territory of Puerto Rico and over here the only two CPA reviews that offer in person classes are Beckers and Lambers. Both of them cost basically the same over here so I guess that it basically goes down to content. Which one do you recommend?

I honestly didn’t have any knowledge of the other reviews besides the two mentioned in my previous question. Two CPA reviews that I see you mention a lot on the comments are Yaeger and Gleim. Since I have read here that the in person classes aren’t a big asset, which one of those two or another do you recommend? Should I take advantage of the price offer Yaeger has at $997.00? Thanks in advance for your help!! Hi Jose, Thanks for your note.

Yes I am quite sure your MBA can be counted. If not sure, you can always apply first and so you know you are definitely qualified. The NTS (i.e. Admission ticket) gives you 6 months to schedule for the exam. On the review courses, many candidates take online self-study courses these days, because the exam itself is 100% computerized anyway and why not practicing in a simulated testing environment at the comfort of your home.

You are right I personally like Gleim and Yaeger (as well as CPAexcel), but the most important thing for you is to understand your own needs based on your learning style, background and budget. Yaeger generally explains well so it will help refresh your accounting knowledge. I am not sure if the $997 offer includes wiley test bank or their own beta test prep software.

I do know and thorough reviewed Wiley’s (which I like a lot) but haven’t looked into Yaeger test prep yet. So I can’t comment on that particular part.

You can click on the Yaeger link below and take a closer look. Yaeger doesn’t have free trials like the others (CPAexcel and Gleim have free trials), so please at least check out the demos on their website before buying. All the best! Cheers, Stephanie.

Hello Stephanie I was just reviewing CPA review courses these days. I just wanted to confirm one thing. I shall be glad if you or any other member of the group has the information on following.

The basic difference between the Gold and Platinum two courses is the following three items. Wiley Platinum CPA Review Course: Online Test Bank Flash Cards (print) Focus Notes (print or eBook) I have read some where that the flash cards and focus notes are also included in Gold package but only in electronic form i-e prints are not available. I wanted to confirm whether the Online test bank is also included in Gold package in electronic form. I was wondering what CPA Review course would you recommend for me. 1) I have a high level of reading learning disability “dyslexia”. 2) I have to read things multiple times before I understand it.

3) I need 25% more extra time in any exam. If the exam is essay writing I need some one write for me or special soft wear cause my hand writing is difficult to read especially in time concern. Does the CPA exam give extra time for these kind of people has medical report?

4) I am deep level learner and I spend extra time for that and I have MSc degree and I graduated couple of years ago. 5) I have to read things multiple times before I understand it. My strategy for attempt this preparation is to spend 6 month “5 hrs. Daily studying” to observe and refresh the accounting concept and then go for practise the exam.

So non-limit access to review is important to me and the review should contain most of accounting concept since I graduate couple a year ago from UK. I read all the review but honestly I am not sure.

I am thinking to have Gleim review in the beginning and Wiley CPA exam review test-bank after 6 month. What do you think about it please advice me. If it possible send me on my email. Many thanks for your help and cooperation.

Hi Mo, first of all I admire your determination to take on this challenge for the CPA exam. Understanding you prefer to communicate in email so I will make this brief, and we can have all the followups in email (given the large volume it takes me much longer to respond over there though) On the essay, it only shows up in one out of the four exam parts, and everything is typed on the computer. Would that actually help? On whether the examiner will allow special arrangement of your situation, please contact them directly because they are the one to make a decision. I think you can try contact NAsBa first and see if they have the response.

It generally takes them at least a few days to get back to you. On which review materials is most suitable, it’s hard for me to tell but since you mention deep learning my gut feeling is that you can try gleim. They have a free trial with no time limit (but limit your access to the first module) so you can take the time to check out all features. Their team is also very customer friendly and they are genuinely nice people from my many years of contact with them.

Hope it helps! You can reach me at stephanie[@]ipassthecpaexam.com. Hi Stephanie, Thank you for posting your detailed analysis and comparison of the different CPA review courses available out there. But I need your expert advice on choosing the review course that best suit my situation. I am an international candidate who recently migrated here in California with a full time job. I graduated 20 years ago with a BS Accountancy degree but haven’t practiced my degree since I went into business right after college so that means I vaguely remember my accounting concepts.

My CPA friends here say that Becker is the best but upon reading your reviews I am now having doubts about Becker. I hope to hear from you very soon as I am planning to start my review this month. I don’t want to jeopardize my chances of making it big here by making the wrong decisions. Thank you so much in advance for everything! Hi Ana, I suggest you take a look into Gleim Review system.

They have lots of info (probably more than you need) so at least you have enough content to reference to, but at the same time, if you find out that you are familiar with some of the topics, you can skip the reading materials of that particular topic. The system will guide you along the way.

They also have the largest database of test prep software which I find very helpful. And the best thing is that you can sign up for their free trial — it’s full access without time limit (but limited to the first study unit). Pretty generous offer for free trials in my opinion. Hope it helps! Can sign up free trial at the bottom of this page: Regards, Stephanie.

Hi Stephanie, Awesome site. I already have CPA Excel, purchased that 2 years ago, but still did not have chance to study because of some family issues. First my father passed way, then last year my daughter was diagnosed with autoimmune disease and I supposed to be with her in the hospital every three weeks. I and whole my family were in shock because of her. Now after 14 times in hospital treatments she is better and I tried to back on the CPA track again. However, before that I purchased the CPA Excel program, which is until pass. At that time i started to study, but after this happened I do not remember anything.

Now, I tried to motivate my self and start again. The question is together with CPA Excel am I need any other supplement, for example Gleim, because they have a lot of multiple choice questions? Now, I planning to go with FAR first. Also, before when I was learning, I noticed that I forgot everything so fast.

For example, I studied the first lesson, did the MCQ and when I went to the 10th question, I did not remember anything from the first one. In that regards, I would like your opinion. I was in school 7 years ago, forgot a lot of things and do not understand some of the concepts, because of that I was thinking Yaeger, they have old school explanations. All of these courses are expensive, and that is why I am still thinking which of these courses will be the best for me as a additional supplement or maybe just go with Wiley books. I still hesitate with that.

I would appreciate your tips and advices about that. Thank you in advance, Kim. Hi Kim, the last 2 years must be quite difficult, but I am so glad you are back on track and that your family is doing better! On the review courses, since you have CPAexcel, why don’t you give it a try again and see how you do first? As you said, the courses are expensive. Let’s see how you do in the practice questions and if you think you need supplement, you can always get it then.

Gleim is a good choice as their questions are quite different. I would forget everything if I were you (2 years + difficult time!) so don’t worry let’s start all over. 7 years after graduation is not a problem at all. I recently chatted with a reader, who will take 4 parts together this coming May, and he’s 70!! If you need any motivation, just drop a note 🙂 You can do it! Dear Stephanie, I came accross with your website because I am searching about the best CPA Reviewer. I passed my CMA last year and now I am planning to add a CPA qualification as another credential for better career growth.

I am contemplating between enrolling in a Review Institute offering Interactive classes using the wiley books which will costs me double compared to just buying any of the CPA review packages for self study which you have recommended above. I attended the orientation from this institute and as part of their service, they will guide me through the application and evaluation process of my credentials which they said I qualify for New Hampshire state board for I am a graduate of a 4- year course Degree in Bachelor of Science in Accountancy(Philippines). With these regard, I want to make sure if I am really qualify to take the exam first before anything else and what would you suggest: enrolling in a review institute or buy the full review course materials for my self study?

Are these materials enough to study and pass the CPA exam? Thank you and all the best. Hi Christine, Thanks for your note, and congratulations in passing the CMA exam! For New Hampshire, I honestly wouldn’t recommend New Hampshire these days. It used to be popular because it required the least number of accounting courses (which is not relevant to you anyway as a accounting major). After the change last July, it requires 2 years of relevant experience if you are a bachelor holder. It is reasonable but a slightly stricter requirement than many other states.

If you don’t have a graduate degree, then all you need to do is to make up for the remaining required 30 credit hours in non-degree, ad hoc courses. Once you have the required 150 credit hours, it’s much easier to pick a state that works also for fulfilling your experience. Here is more info for your consideration. It may sound complicated, but you don’t need to rely on others to make a decision that may or may not work. There are source documents that you can refer to in the posts below.

And you can always come back with more questions 🙂. Hi Stephanie, Thank you for your reply. I found out that Guam is offering some flexibility with regards to the Education and Experience requirements for International candidates like me as long as I don’t mind having an “inactive license” afterwards. Can you explain this?

Do I need to get some Federal Taxation courses in order to sit for exam? I graduated with a Degree of Bachelor of Science in Accountancy(4yr course) and been working as an Accountant for 10+yrs. I am currently living in UAE. Hello Stephanie, I am very glad that i came across our site. It is really helpful in getting to know about CPA exam. I have couple of questions. I have earned a Bachelor’s degree from University of Washington.

And i applied for Montana state to sit for CPA exam in July and August 2015. However, they said that i am not eligible to sit for CPA because of Education deficiency of 1 quarter hour in accounting. Can i sit for CPA exam in July and August 2015 simultaneously while registered for accounting course to fulfill the education deficiency? I mean can i show Certificate of enrollment(COE) as proof of enrollment. Or should i complete the education requirement of 1 quarter hour first, to sit for CPA exam? In case, if they don’t accept the COE for Montana state, is it possible for them to transfer the application from Montana to Alaska state? I am thinking Alaska state because the education requirement can be fulfilled after taking the CPA exam.

Thanks in advance, Illa. Hi Illa, thanks for your note! I believe Montana does want to you complete that particular course first if it says you are not eligible to sit for the exam without it.

I am not sure how to transfer an application because usually people transfer exam credit (after passing the exam but don’t want to register there). It is best to ask Alaska State Board on this directly. You will likely need to pay extra fees because I can’t see how one state is willing to hand over its revenue (registration fee) to the other states I would instead get that 1 credit hour done and then take the exam. By the way, Montana does require 150 credit hours to get the certificate or license. Just want to make sure you know that. Regards, Stephanie.

Hello Stephanie, Question for you. I have a BS in Business Admin. I worked my degree that I have plenty of accounting credits (36) so that I am eligible to sit for the CPA exam. However, I do not have the required credit hours to be certified (as the state I want to be certified in is PA which requires 150). Which of the following paths would be better for me to take: take the CPA exam and, hopefully, pass it, then go for more education (go for a MBA), or go for the MBA first and then take the exam? I was leaning toward the CPA first as I graduated from college in 2014, so many of the concepts are still fresh in my mind enough.

However, I’ve heard that there is a limited amount of time between passing the exam and being certified that I don’t want to run up against if I took the exam first. Thanks in advance. Hi Stephanie, Thanks for your detailed comments on those CPA reviews, but my case is kind of special, and I still don’t know which reviews is suit for me most. And would you please give me some advises. I was graduated from Cleveland State University major in Accounting in 2002. And then I back to Hong Kong to work till now.

I am planning to take CPA exam and thinking to get the CPA certificate in Delaware State Board. Since I left my school life more than 10 years, I am wondering which review courses works best for myself as I lost most of my accounting knowledge. (My job is regarding Internal Audit). Regards, Priscilla.

Hi Priscilla, thanks for your note. Understand some accounting may have gone rusty but it should come back to you once you start studying, no worries. I think most of the ones listed above would be suitable give your work still involves accounting/auditing. I encourage that you sign up for those with free trials (namely Gleim, CPAexcel and Roger) and see which one you prefer. It is a much better learning experience if you like the materials and the video instructors. Please let me know if it works; if not you can always come back to me.

Best of luck! By the way, why Delaware? Hello, I just moved in New York last February. I recently passed my CPA examination last October 2014, but it was in the Philippines. I also want to take CPA examination here in New York for my better future. But the problem is, i don’t know where to start.

I do not have friends here whom i can ask about this. I also heard that i need to get my credentials evaluated first if i am eligible to take the exam since i took my bachelors degree in the philippines. Can you help me? Thank you and i really appreciate it. By the way, if incase that for example the result of the credentials evaluation is not favorable and i need to get the 30 credit hours for me to qualify for the 150 credit hours req, how long will it take for me to finish that 30 credit hours?

I also get my bachelor’s degree of accounting with a 5-year curriculum program. Do you have an idea if my credentials will qualify for the 150 hours req? And there is also a plan that my brother and i are moving to nevada in 2 yrs, what if i get my license here in new york, does that mean i also need to get license in nevada and start the process from the very start again? I mean the evaluation procedure as i am an international candidate. Thank you so much for the help, i really appreciate your website:) Godbless! • Stephanie Ng says.

Hello, 30 credit hours approximately equals one year of study. You can speed it up or slow it down depending on how many courses you want to take at the same time. With 5 year degree, you might be able to get 150 credit hours, so I suggest you get an evaluation report and know for sure. Both NY and Nevada are substantially equivalent state so it shouldn’t be a problem of transferring licenses, but you might want to check with Nevada in advance, just to make sure. Hope it helps!

Stephanie • Jing Monta says. The moment i receive the NTS, i have 6 months to schedule my exam.

For example, i receive the nts on january, i have until june to schedule my exam right? But can i schedule my first exam on january 2017? Or i should take the next exam period right away, july-aug. (the next exam period after june). Sorry for my questions, i am scheduling my plans for nextyear and see if i can manage it. Thanks for the help. Your effort to reply to each one of us is really a great help.

Thank you:) • Stephanie Ng says. Okay i’ll just get first my evaluation report thru Josef and Silny Assoc. But im also confused with the $377 license fee and the $800 fee that covers the registration fee and exam fee. I sent an email to my state board but as of now i havent received replies yet. Do you have an idea of these fees? On which is the one i should be paying first.

Im nervous, i fear that i might do some actions which are not right. And paying fees which are not really required. Thank you so much.

• Stephanie Ng says. Hi Jing, don’ worry. They won’t disqualify you because you haven’t paid the corrrect fees, but it’s prudent for you to check it out first. Some state boards don’t respond until a week later (sometimes need a follow up email).

The $800-ish fee should be the one that needs to be paid first. Different states have different ways to pay this (some directly to NASBA, others through state boards) so I can’t generalize. The $377, if it is license fee, is the one you pay once you become a CPA, that is, after all the exams and verification of your experience.

Don’t worry about that for now. You should be able to check online (for some states at least) to see the application status. If not, you can email them and see if you have filed everything. Regards, Stephanie • Jing Monta says. Hi, I am sooo confused between Wiley Cpaexcel and Gleim. I have been purchasing the Wiley books since 2009. I graduated my MBA/ACC from the university of phoenix.

I want to sit for my cpa exam in 2016. I would like to start my review asap, but am worried that the textbooks in either courses right now will be from 2015. I am a person who likes to self study. Also, I have a full time job. So, any feedback in which course to take and when to start my review will be greatly helpful.

I have found this website extremely helpful in at least boiling down my choices to the 2 options. Please advise. Thanks for the note YJ. Yes this is great questions, because the answer is yes and no. Wiley CPAexcel is the overall brand, but for most of us this refers to the premium, fully-integrated product that Wiley is offering. Major products are textbook, practice questions and video instructions. This is the basically the package from the original CPAexcel, which Wiley acquired in 2012.

Wiley CPA review is the “original” Wiley product, consisting of (1) text books and (2) practice questions, known as the test bank, and (3) focus notes which is like a spiral-bound notes for final review. This is now sold under an official name of self-study pack. Please note that the CPAexcel and Wiley text books + practice questions are two different sets. However, if you are to get the “platinum” version of Wiley CPAexcel, they include the Wiley test bank and Wiley focused notes in the package. So for this platinum course you have a combination of the two. I will try to rewrite the above with clearer explanation.

Thanks for your questions and feedback. Hope it’s helpful for you for now! Regards, Stephanie.

Hi Ritika, There could be courses offered by local universities, but it’s hard for me to recommend live lectures because I can’t keep track of the lectures. Lecturers are the reason why we like live courses, but they switch around that’s why I generally prefer online courses where I know for sure who’s teaching and that I have personally reviewed the courses. On Roger, yes they do have a chat room called the Homework Help Center with several technical staff (CPAs) answering questions. Hope it helps! Hi Stephanie, I was hoping to get some advice from you. I’ve tried to take the CPA exams over and over again but haven’t passed.

I know this is due to my lack of discipline. I plan on making a real gung-ho approach this time around. I’ve only done Becker in the past. Although I no longer have access to the lectures, I still have the 2014 Becker books for FAR, AUD, BEC, and REG.

Do you think this would be sufficient in terms of reading material? If so, would you suggest only purchasing test questions?

Which software would you recommend for me if I can use the Becker 2014 books but need practice questions and simulations? Thanks so much for your help!

Hi John, thanks for your note! You should be able to sit for the exam with a BS degree but ultimately you need 150 credit hours (i.e. 30 more credit hours) to get the license. You can get them as non-degree courses in any community colleges nearby, or through an online course. So this shouldn’t be an issue.

For CPA review course, as an accounting major you are pretty ok in any of these! I suggest that you sign up for the free trials (Wiley CPAexcel, Gleim and Roger have it) and see for yourself the one that fits you the best. They all have great pass rates among their students so any one of them are good choices. Regards, Stephanie. Hello, I would like to thank you for the wonderful and helpful website you have.

I have a bachelor in accounting and I graduated in 2011. I am ready to tackle the CPA exams but I am not sure about my strategy. I have decided to take BEC as my first exam by the end of February so that I would have a less challenging start. I have few questions and I would greatly appreciate your opinion.

What if I pass some parts of CPA before the changes on 2017 and some after? How many hours would you suggest it is needed for each specific part? What study material would you recommend for me? (I have been out of school for few years and I have a full time job. I need something good and affordable and preferably does not get expired).

Finally, what was your method of studying? Did you watch lectures? Look forward to your response. Hi Kevin, Thanks for your note, and it’s great to know you’ve decided to give CPA a try! Sure, do pick the part you are more comfortable with.

On your question, it’s totally fine that you pass some parts before 2017. The only difference is that you have to be tested in a new format. Looking at what happened in the last big update (in 2011), the pass rate of the very first window did drop a bit, but after that, it went back up again. Typically people spend 100-150 hours on the longer parts (FAR and REG), and 50-80 hours on AUD and BEC. But it largely depends on the expertise and knowledge base of each candidate. Overall you can expect to spend 300-400 hours.

Actively practicing auditors or tax accountants would spend less time than that. The exam is increasingly focus on the application of concepts (rather than the memorization of concepts) so the fact that you have been out of school for a while is less of a concern these days. You may need more time in the memorization but you will likely do better in the simulation questions given your real-world experience. In terms of picking a review course, I encourage that you sign up for the ones with free trials, that is, Gleim, Roger and CPAexcel.

They happen to be my 3 favorites anyway (partly because they are confident of their projects and don’t mind giving you free trials). They are all good but the teaching style is different. It’s very important to pick a style that you are comfortable with. Best of luck!

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