Oh no! KasiaS, did you hear that?! The first anecdotal evidence of a bad experience with NIU. I think KasiaS might be crushed now.
@jsi – If you can get Becker for $1,700, I think you should jump all over that. Becker was great for all four sections and there are a number of us that used Becker and passed all four on the first try.
Really though, you should take a look at each of the demos and decide which product you think you can sit through for hours and hours.
I mean I liked the NIU program but unfortunately it did not work for me. It looks like I'll be going with Becker, thanks for the help! Has anyone tried Yaeger tho?
I used Becker and have failed audit four times, the last time I used Ninja notes as well. So it's really different for each person. I would rather take BEC four times than have to take audit again. I'm not really sure how I should be approaching my next stab at it. I NEED to pass next month and do not want to dish out hundreds more on study material. The material is the same from all the review courses, so I just need to start looking at what I have differently-maybe I'll start from the back of the book. I'm going to pick up a Wiley book from the library tomorrow, hopefully that will be enough to start making everything fall into place.
If you did not pass with the Best jsimi118 – NIU CPA Review – you should call their office. Because they work with you until you pass. I know this from experience.
Did KasiaS ever read this? She is a huge proponent of the NIU review course on this site and I'm sure she'll have some helpful insight. KasiaS where you at girl!?
Take a look at cpaexcel.com. I am using it and I like it. The best part, your course expires one year after you pass all four parts with no fine prints. The lessons are broken into small pieces which makes it easy to understand. You can try for free for 15 days and if didn't like it you don't need to buy it.
I recently was taking classes to finish up the 150hr requirement and one of the other students in my class recommended the NIU review. He did a few internships at a Big 4 and a lot of people he spoke to at work about reviews said that it was spot on. He was going to sign up with them after things settled with his new job.
I gave them a ring and got a little info: It's a little more expensive than other univ. reviews, but they do provide all materials you'll need. DePaul has a review which is cheaper but you've got to pay for all the books, so it's kinda in-line. The total study time to cover all chapters for FAR (I will be taking this first) is 54 hrs and they suggest you do it twice, so you're looking at about 108 total hours of study. I'm working part time so I can easily study about 30 hrs a week and I'm giving myself 2 months total. I'll be doing the MP3 course while following along in the book as opposed to in-class. I have my smartphone with me at all times and I plan on re-listening whenever I'm on the train, working out, etc….
I'm in no way endorsing the product now but I'll let you guys know what I think in a few weeks. This will be my first review course and the first time taking any of the CPA exams.
I also noticed that Kasia is kinda the only person who talks about this review, no offense of course!
No offense taken at all and I'm not in the least crushed. NIU is spectacular and I still stand by my reviews – nothing is a “one size fits all” product so I'm not surprised that there is someone in this world that's not happy with NIU. Just as there are plenty of people that bash Yeager, Becker, Gleim, etc. Some love their respective courses while others fail using the same tools. It could be that you're just a visual person and need an actual in-class course or a 100% video course to grasp the concepts.
It is a shame that someone didn't pass using this course but that doesn't mean it isn't good. I'm by no means exceptional and it worked for me.
.