[OnTheWayToCPA2015]

Hello everyone, I will be purchasing a CPA prep course this week and I’am having trouble deciding on which one to purchase. Please give me your opinion on which prep courses you believe are the most useful. So far I have considered purchasing CPAexcel platinum and supplementing with the Ninja 10 point combo. I would love to purchase Becker but it’s a little pricey! For those of you that have solely used CPAexcel as your perp course, did you feel it was sufficient?

[Lost1]

your title doesn't attract any clicks lol

I think it doesn't matter what you study with, if you put in the time and efforts, any CPA exam material is sufficient. Go with what you can afford.

"If you can do it, I can do it better."

[jenpen]

I have both the Wiley platinum package and the Ninja 10 point combo. I didn't find Ninja until right before sitting for AUD the second time, so I used just Wiley for that. I know a lot of my problem was the way I studied, but I didn't feel prepared enough for AUD.

Now for REG, I wasn't understanding the material for some reason on Wiley and that made my decision to break down and purchase Ninja. I am really enjoying the Ninja materials and have been using them pretty exclusively, and just watching some videos and answering some questions with Wiley.

My advice would be this – when you are ready to start studying, test out the programs. Use all the samples, get a feel for the books, watch videos, everything you can do. I didn't do it, but wish that I had since I don't feel like Wiley is really a good fit for me.

Also – if you are going to get the Ninja 10 point combo, then you really don't need the platinum package, in my opinion. That package includes focus notes and flashcards, neither of which I really use (especially the flashcards). You will get the Ninja notes and flash cards with the combo package, so you might be able to get a cheaper Wiley package by eliminating those items.

Good luck!

AUD - 56 - 68 - 61 - 9/8/16
REG - 75
FAR - 7/15/16
BEC - TBD

Wiley CPAexcel and NINJA 10 Point Combo

[OnTheWayToCPA2015]

Lost1 I realize that now it's my first time posting on Another71 so I'm still getting familiar, thank you for responding!

Jenpen4, thank you so much for your feedback! I know Wiley CPAexcel has a free 14 day trial so I will probably sign up for it to get a feel of how it works. I know I probably won't be using the flash cards or watching any of the videos. I would really only want CPAexcel for the books and multiple choice questions. I've heard the audio, notes, and MCQ from ninja are great so that's . From what I've read on several other threads here most peoples advice for tackling these exams is to do as many multiple choice questions as possible. Again, I really appreciate your feedback up until now I was set on buying the platinum package but I don't think I will anymore. Thank you!

[Last Chance CPA]

CPAExcel videos (minus Pam Smith) are awful. You will be bored to death. You will have to supplement it with something…at least I did. I used CPAExcel, WTB, Ninja MCQ/Notes/Audio for most of the sections. CPAExcel, if used properly, and if you come in with a pretty good understanding of the material, is a perfectly suitable product for the self-learner.

Videos are really, really bad though!

FAR - 76
AUD - 75
BEC - 75
REG - 76

Now I need some experience!!! And some networking...

[OnTheWayToCPA2015]

@Last Chance CPA … I haven't even looked at any CPA exam prep materials yet but based on courses I have taken throughout college I know the videos will not help me. I have never been able to absorb anything in any class past 15-20 min of lecture, after that I just take notes and review them when I study on my own. I learn better from reading and practicing problems than I do from someone lecturing or explaining topics to me. Also two of the partners at the firm I work for said that they never bothered listening to any of the lectures while studying for the CPA exams they just hammered through MCQ's. I guess everyone learns in different ways and based on what you and jenpen4 have recommended I think it would be a waste to purchase the CPAexcel platinum package as I will not be utilizing all of the materials. Congrats on passing three sections and thank you for taking the time to answer my question, I really appreciate it!

[Rose0521]

Well based on your “I have never been able to absorb anything in any class past 15-20 min of lecture” I would say CPAexcel would probably be a better fit for you than Becker CPA. I had Becker at first which was 4 hours of looking at lectures with a highlighter and then moving on to the MCQ, whereas compared to CPAexcel, the lecture lasts at most 30 minutes, some are just like 10 minutes. Becker didn't really work for me for some reason even when I went to live classes so I'm not sure what went wrong there. After a few tests, I gave up on the exam and went back to school for my MS and it expired so I went on to CPAexcel Gold since there was no expiration dates and I didn't have to sit in front of a computer looking at the lecture for 4 hours. If you're still not sure, take it for a spin since CPAexcel does give you a free trial for 14 days.

BEC - 83
AUD - ?
REG - ?
FAR - ?

Just keep trying!

[ruthnla]

CPA Excel Silver is great if you don't care about videos.

CPA (MN) officially NOW DONE AS OF 8/4/15:
* FAR – 79 (11/2014)
* BEC – 82 (1/2013; lapsed 2014), 71 (10/2014), 83 (7/11/15)
* REG – 89 (11/2012; lapsed 2014), 79 (10/2014)
* AUD – 74 (11/2013), 72 (4/2014), 89 (8/2014)

Ethics - 91 (7/15/15)

Used CPA Excel Silver and CPA Excel Iphone App. From 2012 to mid-2014 I was also in law school fulltime while working fulltime.

[OnTheWayToCPA2015]

@Rose0521 that sounds like it would work for me. I will be starting my 14 day trial over the weekend so I can start getting familiar with the format. Good luck on your exams!

@ruthnia did you strictly used CPAexcel silver & the IPhone app for your exam prep or did you supplement with other materials? Congrats on passing your exams!

Thank you to the both of you for responding your feedback helps so much!

[Author]

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