[smac854]

I am not sure how to begin my studies for the CPA exam. I graduated with a bachelors in finance back in 2002 and while in school also completed all the necessary accounting courses to be able qualify for the CPA exam in the future. Once I had graduated from college I got a job in finance and have not used much my accounting skills that were covered in these classes and have probably forgotten the majority of the material. My question is should I consider taking these accounting courses again or should I look into a review course? If a review course would be better, what course would be best for a person who probably will need to learn most of the accounting material again and has been out of school for a while?

[sarah210]

Don't take more college classes, take a CPA exam review course. Each section of the exam covers material that is 3-4 college classes worth of info, so it is a lot more efficient to use an exam review course. I'm using becker and I really like it. Just look around online for sample videos of the teachers for each course and see what you like best.

REG- 53, 91
BEC- 88
FAR- 62, 85
AUD- 85

Ethics- 93

[Anonymous]

Roger CPA Review teaches as if you've never seen the material before. Watch his demo videos to see if you can handle his teaching style.

[Anonymous]

Our situations sound similar… I graduated in 2001 and have been out of the work force since 2005. The exam is definitely doable with just a review course. I used Yaeger and passed the first 3 I've taken on the first try. I know there are a lot of Becker fans on this site, but trust me – you need a course that teaches and not just reviews. I think Becker is more suited towards recent college grads who remember a lot from their coursework. I don't know much about Roger, but I would watch the demos on both the Roger and Yaeger websites. Personally, I'm a big fan of Yaeger and highly recommend them.

The good news is is your Finance background will be very helpful when you take BEC!!

[Anonymous]

I graduated in 1999. Although I use Roger, I like listening to Yeager's podcasts. And if I really need motivation, I listen to Jeff's podcasts.

[jelly]

Don't take more classes. A review course is definitely more efficient, more up-to-date than what's being taught oncampus nowadays, and better targets what the test pinpoints.

Couldn't pass again!

[Anonymous]

Just take CPA reviews. I know some of my colleagues at a Big 4 firm that are CPAs who just practiced with MCQs/SIMS using Becker and passed the exams in 1 take each. I've used Becker (exorbitant pricing) and CPAexcel (comes with an iPad/iPhone (smartphone) app). Good luck!

[Heidi-O]

I am in the same situation as you are. Same time period too. I think the inherent problem with taking accounting courses to “update” your knowledge, would be the speed and focus of the class. It wouldn't just be learning accounting, it would probably include power point presentations, research papers and everyone's favorite “Team Work”. You need to “Update” your knowledge – not relearn it.

I have Becker and quite honestly, I get frustrated with it. It does review information – which is fine if you already have the base skill in that area – it's when you run across something that you haven't used since college. There isn't any “teaching” in it – at least to me there wasn't. I had to use additional resources (an accounting book from the University, I registered with the AICPA (they give you 6 months free access to the FASB codes if you are a qualified CPA exam candidate) and I lived on the “Another 71” website for support.

As additional MCQ study material, I got the Wiley CPA FAR test bank for my phone (it doesn't have simulation on the phone version but the explanations are good). This really came in handy when I had some idle time waiting (Drs office, car repair, dinner with relatives – you can hide it on your lap!)

My study plan involved tackling FAR first. My reasoning was that it was the basis for accounting and that it seemed to be the most difficult section (based on several posts) due to the volume of information that you need to learn. (IFRS, FASB, SEC, GOVT, NFP, etc.).

I got my test results back for FAR and I passed it. I thought I had failed it when I left, but I didn't.

It's a lot of work, requires a lot of dedication, endless MCQs and it helps tremendously to have support from people that have or are going through the same thing. Another 71 has been a great resource for me – everyone has different learning styles and it gives you a chance to see what resources are available.

Hope this helps. 🙂

FAR Aug 2012 79
AUD Oct 2012 84
REG Aug 2013 87
BEC Jan 2013 80

[testsz]

Hey Apbandj:

If you don't mind me asking, have you found a job in Accounting yet? Being out of the workforce for 7 years seems like an awful long time to get back into it (worse yet the Accounting industry).

[Anonymous]

@testz – I'm not looking for a job right now… I'm a stay-at-home mom but am planning to go back to work in a year or 2. I wanted to get the CPA exam out of the way now because 1) I don't know how people with families find the time to work FT and study and 2) I wanted to show potential employers my accounting knowledge was up-to-date.

[testsz]

@apbandj,

Awesome. Yeah, I don't understand how people with families study and work FT. I am sitting at home with 24 hours in a day to get this thing over with and its still a freaking struggle!

[Heidi-O]

I keep telling myself, if it was easy, everyone would have a CPA!

That's how I am trying to get through Audit…. GEEZ the amount of memorization!!

And as far as family, work and study – good luck! It's tough, I have a lot of respect for people that are trying to do that!

FAR Aug 2012 79
AUD Oct 2012 84
REG Aug 2013 87
BEC Jan 2013 80

[Author]

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