[mesco1]

I apologize if this question is asked frequently but I could not find any recent threads with the information like what I’m seeking. I work FT (corporate accounting) and am finishing my last two undergraduate courses this fall to get over the 150 hour hump. I took 18 credit hours this summer while working to get the bulk of the credits out of the way so that I could spend time studying this fall (I graduated in May). It has been a rough summer but I knew the reward would be worth it.

Now with additional free time I’m looking to begin studying and aggressively tackling the exam. I have heard a lot of different things as far as what is the best path of studying. I will be paying out of pocket so Becker is out of the question. I have cash to purchase Becker, but think spending over 3,000 on a review course alone will not be worth it with the competitive options available. I would rather put some of that money towards registration fees/exam fees, etc.

What would you spend on a review course if you were looking to spend around $1,500? My short term search is showing me the way to Wiley books coupled with Ninja but is this still the best course of action?

Any advice would be great. Thanks in advance.

[the LAST Coffee]

I was the same as you. I bought Roger CPA course for $1485, they often give you discounts. I also used Ninja MCQs (just for FAR at the moment, I bought each section as I get to them).

I haven't actually took an exam yet but mine is in 6 days and I feel pretty good about my studying. I believe people just choose Becker because it gets more advertised. I mean, if you follow what it tells you to do, you'll pass. But that rule applies for any course you pick in my opinion. Plus Roger is a great lecturer.

My 0.02.

FAR 84 (AUG '15)
BEC 83 (AUG '15)
AUD 79 (OCT '15)
REG 71, 78! (NOV '15, FEB '16)

[FIFOisbetterthanLIFO]

I will agree with rdpitka. Roger's lectures/books along with Ninja MCQs is probably a pretty solid way to go. I would call Roger up and tell them that you are ready to drop $1400 on a review course and that you would prefer it was his. See if they will give it to you. Fortunately, more competition is making these CPA review courses a little more competitive.

FAR - Passed (82)
BEC - Passed (76)
AUD - Passed (89)
REG - Passed! (81)
AICPA Ethics

Licensed CPA

[Skynet]

Go on Tinder and look for someone who is also studying for the CPA exams and willing to let you borrow their materials.

Go steady with them until you finish all your exams.

If they complain that you are not spending enough time with them, you can always use the “The CPA exams takes too much of my time excuse.”

Kill two bird with one stone : )

[Anonymous]

Roger review. Basic course. Add ninja mcq for all sections. Add audio lectures for the really tough one(s). For me, this was REG. Then, cheap beer and whiskey, so it never really feels like you are studying. Should save you about $1000 off Becker, and you'll be much more prepared. Take that $1000 and ask a stripper to show you where it goes when you pass your final section.

[Skynet]

Audit_This – That was actually my plan, until I decided on Gleim instead of Rogers.

[silvercamaro77]

I've used Becker, Yaeger, and NINJA and NINJA is by far my favorite and is the most reasonable priced. Make sure whichever option you go with includes updates until you pass as that's where the costs can really bite you. Fortunately it seems that they're trending that way, but there are several that still don't offer that.

AUD- 95
FAR- 75
BEC- 83
REG- 85

Officially done! Exclusively used NINJA for BEC, REG, and FAR

[Anonymous]

I used CPA excel for my studying. If you purchase as a student you get a discount also. It will fit your budget and is an excellent materials package. All I used was the videos and questions, I don't remember what package level that was. I also added the NINJA MCQ for REG since I don't do any tax work at my job.

Good Luck

[Anonymous]

100% Gleim. A former coworker recommended it because many of her current coworkers were using it. I paid about $900 for the full course (googled and found a 10% discount), including books and online access to tons of MCQs and SIMs. I wasn't confident that Gleim would take me there as I'd heard so little about it, but I am so glad I chose Gleim. Passed all 4 sections on the first try and my worst score was an 85 (I felt comfortable with BEC so I skipped reading the chapters but did the rest of the work). They'll keep sending you books every time there's an update within the limit (a year and a half?) for shipping only. All in all, my best and worst score were 2 points apart – how's that for consistency?

I have yet to find a single incorrect MCQ in Gleim. I have found mistakes in pretty much every other review I have used (which I used primarily to test my knowledge from an outside set of questions).

[Anonymous]

I bought CPA Excel – the most basic version you can buy. It didn't come with books or videos, just an online program. I used it for REG and BEC. It cost around $700. Then I got a new job that paid for my study materials so I moved on to Becker. I do like Becker better, but I wouldn't have paid full price for it.

[Mamabear]

I suggest Wiley books (or Ninja, but I can't vouch for them because they were not out when I sat for my exams), Ninja Notes, and Ninja MCQ. I don't recall how much Ninja Notes are because I blogged for Another71 and received mine for free in exchange for blogging. Ninja MCQ is $47 for a 3 month subscription for one part. Wiley books are around $50-$60 each. You could pass the exam spending around $500-$700 if you follow that method. I used Wiley books for AUD retake, FAR, and REG. I used Ninja MCQ for REG. Both of my fails were due to lack of preparation and not the materials.

CPA Exam - Finally DONE (November 2014)
BEC (08/10/13) 80
AUD (08/24/13) 65 (11/13/13) 85
FAR (04/12/14) 81
REG (07/19/14) 69 (11/29/14) 87!!

[ruthnla]

CPA Excel provides a nice 20% student discount. The silver course is $1,272 when the student discount is applied. Plus, in July they have a $100 off so you'd end up paying $1,172 if you bought it by the end of July. It's been very very effective.

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.

[Tuffy11111]

I picked Wiley because they give you updates until you pass the exam. It worked out great for me because I screwed around for a year after I picked it up until I finally figured out a good study method. Had I gotten Becker, I would have basically had all that money go down the drain. I realize that's my own fault, but never having your membership expire is a great perk of an already very cheap program.

BEC - 83 7/25
REG - 76 5/2/15
AUD - Hopefully before MY Audit...7/5?
FAR - 83 5/2/16

[mesco1]

Thanks for the input everyone. What is the consensus on gleim? Is it considered on par with Roger/Wiley CPA Excel?

[Anonymous]

I'm using Gleim and I love it I'm not sure compared to other courses but my roommate was using Becker and with Gleim I was learning things she said weren't even touched on that actually were tested on in my real exam. For the price and as long as you can self study Gleim has been great for me. The MCQ and Sims are awesome and you can even break each unit down into subunits to see your weak areas.

[Author]

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