[matt]

Hi All,

In early-2014 I’ll begin studying for the CPA exam and I need help purchasing materials. I’m currently 28 years old and have an MBA.

Here is some pertinent information concerning the factors used in making the decision.

Cost – I’ll be paying for the materials out of my own pocket. With that said, I’d like to minimize the cost (who doesn’t?), but if paying $3,300 gives me the best chance for success I’ll gladly spend the money. I was originally just going to bite the bullet and buy the Becker course for $3,300 because of the reputation, but am questioning that plan now.

Educational/Professional Background – I’m taking the exam in MA and have never worked in public accounting. In fact, I just began working in accounting within the past few years. My undergrad was in finance/economics and my MBA was in operations. I fell into accounting by mistake and began to love it! I currently work as a Sr. Revenue Accountant for a large software company in a suburb of Boston. I’m taking the final required accounting credits as we speak and will be finished in December of this year.

Work – I work around 45-50 hours a week at the previously mentioned software company and closer to 60 during quarter-ends. With that said, being able to bang out a quick 30 minutes here and there during lunch or before work is key.

Personal – My wife is newly pregnant and is due in July 2014. Not sure what relevance that has to making a decision on prep materials but it’s just another constraint on my time.

With all this said, I can’t be the first busy professional with a family who has studied for the CPA exam. What programs have people used in the past that have proven successful? I see that some people go the Becker route, some go with CPAexcel, and some buy bits and pieces from different programs.

Thank you to everyone and anyone who responds to this post. Your guidance and assistance is deeply appreciated!

FAR: 89
BEC: 88
REG: 81
AUD: 76

CPAexcel, NINJA 10 point combo, & NINJA MCQ

"Pain is temporary, it may last for a minute, or an hour, or a day, or even a year...but eventually it will subside and something else will take its place. If I quit however, it will last forever."

[Tncincy]

The cheapest you can get is Wiley books and test bank and supplement with Ninja audio and notes. Each program have an evaluation period to test drive. There are some good programs to use without spending $3,000 or more. But, how you learn is more important than money. So research, then decide. If you study you will pass not matter what route you take.

It begins with a 75
Been here too long as a cheerleader....ready to pass

[mla1169]

When I passed the exam I was working 50 hours per week, worked at kohls during Christmas, was taking 2 online classes per semester and PTA mom, Girl Scout leader, yadda yadda mommy stuff.

I used Wiley and the ninja notes.

Are you going for a non-reporting license because you have a grad degree or will you be looking for a public accounting job to meet the experience requirement?

FAR- 77
AUD -49, 71, 84
REG -56,75!
BEC -75

Massachusetts CPA (non reporting) since 3/12.

[mla1169]

When I passed the exam I was working 50 hours per week, worked at kohls during Christmas, was taking 2 online classes per semester and PTA mom, Girl Scout leader, yadda yadda mommy stuff.

I used Wiley and the ninja notes.

Are you going for a non-reporting license because you have a grad degree or will you be looking for a public accounting job to meet the experience requirement?

FAR- 77
AUD -49, 71, 84
REG -56,75!
BEC -75

Massachusetts CPA (non reporting) since 3/12.

[jrosen92770]

If you have the resources and the self discipline, I would go with Becker's Self Study. My situation is kind of similar, but I am 43 and have been out of school for quite some time.

BEC - 5/26/2013 75
REG - 8/31/2013 82
AUD - 11/24/2013 74, 2/9/2014 92
FAR - 5/25/2014 85

NY CPA

[jrosen92770]

If you have the resources and the self discipline, I would go with Becker's Self Study. My situation is kind of similar, but I am 43 and have been out of school for quite some time.

BEC - 5/26/2013 75
REG - 8/31/2013 82
AUD - 11/24/2013 74, 2/9/2014 92
FAR - 5/25/2014 85

NY CPA

[Anonymous]

Do what Jeff says and demo the course. Narrow down your choices to 2 or 3 then demo them and really pay attention. I love Roger after choosing Yaeger because his videos are short and to the point of what you need. Roger has a good study time table on his website for how to pass in 3 mo., 6 mo., etc.

A friend who worked full time in accounting did CPA excel and really liked it. However, she had a 4.0 in accounting. Another friend is using Becker, studying 4 plus hours a day and got a 74 on FAR and AUD using Becker.

It really comes down to your study habits and how you will best learn. I don't think there is a “Best” course out there. Whatever you do, supplement with Ninja or WTB if your course does not come with WTB.

[Anonymous]

Do what Jeff says and demo the course. Narrow down your choices to 2 or 3 then demo them and really pay attention. I love Roger after choosing Yaeger because his videos are short and to the point of what you need. Roger has a good study time table on his website for how to pass in 3 mo., 6 mo., etc.

A friend who worked full time in accounting did CPA excel and really liked it. However, she had a 4.0 in accounting. Another friend is using Becker, studying 4 plus hours a day and got a 74 on FAR and AUD using Becker.

It really comes down to your study habits and how you will best learn. I don't think there is a “Best” course out there. Whatever you do, supplement with Ninja or WTB if your course does not come with WTB.

[Anonymous]

Becker is overrated from what I've seen. I know plenty of people failing left and right with Becker it all depends on how you use the prep software and the time you put into it.

[Anonymous]

Becker is overrated from what I've seen. I know plenty of people failing left and right with Becker it all depends on how you use the prep software and the time you put into it.

[zieba]

I know some who purchased Becker second hand, at a considerable discount (craigs, ebay?). One other friend purchased it from a “reseller”. I believe the whole package there is just under $1,200. Everything seemed legit when I checked it out, regular reg codes, updates, etc… he's been using it for 10+ months now with no problems.

AUD - 75*, 88 done 5/14! (*exp)
BEC - 74 , 77
REG - 65 , 76 (10 point combooo!!)
FAR - 69 , 75

Dr: perseverance
Dr: intelligence
Dr: luck
. Cr: . advisory score

[zieba]

I know some who purchased Becker second hand, at a considerable discount (craigs, ebay?). One other friend purchased it from a “reseller”. I believe the whole package there is just under $1,200. Everything seemed legit when I checked it out, regular reg codes, updates, etc… he's been using it for 10+ months now with no problems.

AUD - 75*, 88 done 5/14! (*exp)
BEC - 74 , 77
REG - 65 , 76 (10 point combooo!!)
FAR - 69 , 75

Dr: perseverance
Dr: intelligence
Dr: luck
. Cr: . advisory score

[Anonymous]

Like others have said, the key is finding the material that you personally learn best from. Try trial lectures, 14-day trials, whatever you can find, and see which ones you feel like you learn the most from.

However, if you're looking to pass with the most efficient curriculum (IE requires fewest hours of study), I don't think you can beat Wiley. Of course, Wiley is all I used, and I passed all 4 on the first try, so I'm slightly biased. 😉 But, because there's no lengthy lectures, study time is cut down to just what's needed – reading the book to learn the material and doing practice questions to reinforce it. Many of the review courses boast hundreds of hours of lectures, and then have a book in addition to the lectures…but the Wiley books took me 20-35 hours to read depending on which book it was. So, for a busy person, I think that Wiley is an attractive option. However, all of your learning would be out of books, and they're written to convey information quickly, not to be entertaining. 😛 So, especially since you're in college classes right now, try to think how well you would do with just your textbook. Maybe try reading ahead a week in one of your classes. Can you understand it and do the homework? Or do you need the lecturer? If you can do well with a textbook, Wiley is a golden opportunity, but if you think you would do better with the lectures, then go for lectures!

The key to choosing a curriculum is to figure out what works well for you personally to learn the material. Every curriculum out there has a lot of people that pass with it, and a lot that fail with it. When you ask for advice, people will swear by the one that got passes for them – like me with Wiley. But at the end of the day, the best curriculum is that one that you learn the most from!

Good luck and congrats on all the exciting things happening in your life! I have a niece or nephew due in July too. 🙂

[Anonymous]

Like others have said, the key is finding the material that you personally learn best from. Try trial lectures, 14-day trials, whatever you can find, and see which ones you feel like you learn the most from.

However, if you're looking to pass with the most efficient curriculum (IE requires fewest hours of study), I don't think you can beat Wiley. Of course, Wiley is all I used, and I passed all 4 on the first try, so I'm slightly biased. 😉 But, because there's no lengthy lectures, study time is cut down to just what's needed – reading the book to learn the material and doing practice questions to reinforce it. Many of the review courses boast hundreds of hours of lectures, and then have a book in addition to the lectures…but the Wiley books took me 20-35 hours to read depending on which book it was. So, for a busy person, I think that Wiley is an attractive option. However, all of your learning would be out of books, and they're written to convey information quickly, not to be entertaining. 😛 So, especially since you're in college classes right now, try to think how well you would do with just your textbook. Maybe try reading ahead a week in one of your classes. Can you understand it and do the homework? Or do you need the lecturer? If you can do well with a textbook, Wiley is a golden opportunity, but if you think you would do better with the lectures, then go for lectures!

The key to choosing a curriculum is to figure out what works well for you personally to learn the material. Every curriculum out there has a lot of people that pass with it, and a lot that fail with it. When you ask for advice, people will swear by the one that got passes for them – like me with Wiley. But at the end of the day, the best curriculum is that one that you learn the most from!

Good luck and congrats on all the exciting things happening in your life! I have a niece or nephew due in July too. 🙂

[matt]

First off – Thanks to everyone for the responses!

@mla1169 – Yes, I'm doing an non-reporting license. If I ever decide to work in public I can convert to reporting, but at this stage in my career I highly doubt it.

I spent a few hours playing around with CPAexcel, watched a few videos on various programs, and made a spreadsheet detailing the pros and cons of each program.

I ended up going with CPAexcel for a few reasons. First is the cost relative to the Becker. Second is that I like the structure of the program. Third is that they're giving away an iPad with the “Gold Medal” package. Fourth is that I did the live chat and they threw in the Wiley test bank. I felt that the biggest gripe of CPAexcel was the inferiority of the test questions so the Wiley test bank will hopefully solve all of that.

I know some like one program and others like a different program but a recurring theme I've seen is people saying, “doesn't matter which program you choose, just stick with it”, so I think that is the determining factor of success and failure….time shall tell.

Also, it is comforting to know that so many of you have been able to juggle personal and professional demands and still be successful in your studying!

Thank you all so much for your time and assistance. I'm looking forward to using the forum and the another71 community as an assistant over the next year or so!

FAR: 89
BEC: 88
REG: 81
AUD: 76

CPAexcel, NINJA 10 point combo, & NINJA MCQ

"Pain is temporary, it may last for a minute, or an hour, or a day, or even a year...but eventually it will subside and something else will take its place. If I quit however, it will last forever."

[matt]

First off – Thanks to everyone for the responses!

@mla1169 – Yes, I'm doing an non-reporting license. If I ever decide to work in public I can convert to reporting, but at this stage in my career I highly doubt it.

I spent a few hours playing around with CPAexcel, watched a few videos on various programs, and made a spreadsheet detailing the pros and cons of each program.

I ended up going with CPAexcel for a few reasons. First is the cost relative to the Becker. Second is that I like the structure of the program. Third is that they're giving away an iPad with the “Gold Medal” package. Fourth is that I did the live chat and they threw in the Wiley test bank. I felt that the biggest gripe of CPAexcel was the inferiority of the test questions so the Wiley test bank will hopefully solve all of that.

I know some like one program and others like a different program but a recurring theme I've seen is people saying, “doesn't matter which program you choose, just stick with it”, so I think that is the determining factor of success and failure….time shall tell.

Also, it is comforting to know that so many of you have been able to juggle personal and professional demands and still be successful in your studying!

Thank you all so much for your time and assistance. I'm looking forward to using the forum and the another71 community as an assistant over the next year or so!

FAR: 89
BEC: 88
REG: 81
AUD: 76

CPAexcel, NINJA 10 point combo, & NINJA MCQ

"Pain is temporary, it may last for a minute, or an hour, or a day, or even a year...but eventually it will subside and something else will take its place. If I quit however, it will last forever."

[Author]

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