[Nuffsaid]

Hey all,

Starting a study program for FAR and curious about opinions on textbooks. I’m comfortable with self study and have looked at the various options and trying to decide which textbook covers the material the most efficiently. I have the Wiley 2014 book, and while it’s well-written and comprehensive, there is very little in the way of guidance as to what particular areas are most important. I’d like a program that hones in on the areas that need to be covered in the interest of saving time and studying more efficiently. Are there any programs that are perhaps less comprehensive and more focused, but still cover everything? How about GLEIM or Fast Forward?

[Anonymous]

The difficulty with the CPA exam is that it can cover everything. Especially for FAR. I used the Wiley books and am a big fan, but regardless of what study-source you choose, FAR will have an overwhelming amount of material and they won't really be able to focus in on the “most important topics”.

Basically your options boil down to two things: A study program that tries to pick the most important and will result in the exam having questions on topics you haven't studied, or a study program that admits it doesn't know what the most important areas are and will prepare you for everything on your exam as well as things not on your exam. I prefer to have seen everything and have a fighting chance for each question, so I loved Wiley; some people prefer to be more certain they'll ace what they've seen and know they'll be simply guessing on some topics.

I'm not sure which textbooks are best for fewer-topics approaches. It seems to me like generally lectures just highlight the topics they consider important, but usually the textbook goes more in-depth with everything. (Just based on the conversations I've read on here – I've never used a lecture-based program.)

[Anonymous]

The difficulty with the CPA exam is that it can cover everything. Especially for FAR. I used the Wiley books and am a big fan, but regardless of what study-source you choose, FAR will have an overwhelming amount of material and they won't really be able to focus in on the “most important topics”.

Basically your options boil down to two things: A study program that tries to pick the most important and will result in the exam having questions on topics you haven't studied, or a study program that admits it doesn't know what the most important areas are and will prepare you for everything on your exam as well as things not on your exam. I prefer to have seen everything and have a fighting chance for each question, so I loved Wiley; some people prefer to be more certain they'll ace what they've seen and know they'll be simply guessing on some topics.

I'm not sure which textbooks are best for fewer-topics approaches. It seems to me like generally lectures just highlight the topics they consider important, but usually the textbook goes more in-depth with everything. (Just based on the conversations I've read on here – I've never used a lecture-based program.)

[thehip41]

I am using Gleim textbooks.

It seems like it's not as in detail as Becker, but it gives a lot of information.

If you are looking for more of a review course, then Gleim is solid.

FAR - 83
AUD - 73 92
BEC - 83
REG - 88

Licensed CPA in the state of Michigan

[thehip41]

I am using Gleim textbooks.

It seems like it's not as in detail as Becker, but it gives a lot of information.

If you are looking for more of a review course, then Gleim is solid.

FAR - 83
AUD - 73 92
BEC - 83
REG - 88

Licensed CPA in the state of Michigan

[Study Monk]

I think that the Becker book is good for FAR. You can pick up a 2013 book on Ebay without having to spend big bucks and compliment it with Wiley Test Bank.

I spoke to an ancient wise man who sent me on a mushroom induced journey through an ancient forest to find the key to passing the CPA exam. A talking spider monkey told me to throw the last of my drinking water in the dirt to find what I was looking for. So I followed his instructions and the following message appeared in the soil:

"Do 5000 multiple choice questions for each section"

[Study Monk]

I think that the Becker book is good for FAR. You can pick up a 2013 book on Ebay without having to spend big bucks and compliment it with Wiley Test Bank.

I spoke to an ancient wise man who sent me on a mushroom induced journey through an ancient forest to find the key to passing the CPA exam. A talking spider monkey told me to throw the last of my drinking water in the dirt to find what I was looking for. So I followed his instructions and the following message appeared in the soil:

"Do 5000 multiple choice questions for each section"

[Nuffsaid]

Thanks for the replies. I think I'm going to check out Gleim and FFA. Since I have the Wiley book, I can refer to it later if I need more depth on a particular topic, but I'd like to get the ball rolling more quickly and have a less voluminous amount of material to deal with, for now.

[Nuffsaid]

Thanks for the replies. I think I'm going to check out Gleim and FFA. Since I have the Wiley book, I can refer to it later if I need more depth on a particular topic, but I'd like to get the ball rolling more quickly and have a less voluminous amount of material to deal with, for now.

[Author]

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