[Oceanman]

For those that use Becker CPA Review…defend it

I just finished taking FAR a couple of hours ago and that test was a beast. This was my first of the exams and I prepared using Becker.

I should preface by saying that I understand every exam is different. I don’t mean to scare anyone about to take the test either. I think that the Becker review is ok, and you will do fine, just not as good as advertised.

My question is for people that have used Becker for multiple exams and believe it is worth it. While I’m not saying that I failed, I really don’t think I did as well as I should have considering how much I studied (pretty much 5-6 days a week for at least 5-7 hrs per day for 7 weeks). I also have a very strong academic background for financial accounting classes. After taking the test I feel that the actual Becker review did not help very much. Most of the subjects that the class really emphasized were not heavily tested. Some were not tested at all. I understand that it is a broad test of an extensive list of subjects but I feel that it did not adequately prepare me for the exam. How well I did on the exam had most to do with the knowledge I had before I started studying as well as picking up little details from the Becker text that weren’t emphasized or even covered.

My point is that while I understand they cannot prepare you for every single possible question, I don’t believe it was worth nearly the $3000 I pd for every section of review materials. I think I would have been just as well off buying the cheapest review book and reading it over several times on my own so that I would have as much knowledge as possible. Rather than wasting time listening to the lectures I could have read and re-read the text to focus on the small details that I felt were so important on the actual exam. I also think that the practice m/c questions were ok but by no means extensive and I wasted a lot of time learning how to do problems I never saw on the exam

Has anyone else felt like this after an exam? I have done some research into other reviews but can anyone else suggest another one that they felt was good? I am taking auditing next (in this window) but am strongly considering returning Becker for the above reasons.

I know it’s a rant and a half but I really don’t feel great about my exam experience relative to my preparation.

Created with Compare Ninja

FAR-92
AUD-94
REG-87
BEC-(April)

[Anonymous]

I used Becker and passed all 4 parts on my first attempt. I purchased the whole deal before I found this site and so much support for Yaeger. I agree that your review course has to match your learning style. If you are struggling with Becker, then take an honest look at your study habits: are you dedicating the time and effort you should be to this task? If so, then maybe you do need to try another review program.

In addition to Becker, I used and LOVED Jeff's notes and Club 75!

[Anonymous]

I only used Becker because it was provided by my Big 4 employer. I can tell you with 100% certainty that I would not have selected it as a review program if I had to purchase it on my own. Like a PP said, I think I could have made anything work…I have a friend I met when I went back to school to get my accounting hours who only used the Gleim texts/questions and passed the CIA, CPA and CMA all on his first try. I think CPA review materials are VERY subjective as what works for one person might not work for another. We all have different study styles–I personally only watch each lecture once and skim the text because doing MCQs is how I learn best. I can't say I would defend *or* rebut Becker's quality, but I did have some issues that lead me to a less positive review of the software.

For FAR, I had a both a defective CD-ROM *and* book that they refused to replace. The CD ROM would not download lectures 5-8 (which are probably the hardest collectively) and my book was missing several pages in random places throughout the text. I had to self study through those chapters with the half-a$$ Becker book, a Gleim book that I had already purchased and a Bisk book that someone lent me. It was a piece-mealed effort. I barely did any of the Becker supplemental problems, instead focusing on Gleim's test bank. I used Becker progress exams and the two finals to gauge where I was in my studies. I studied about 20 hours a week for 5-6 weeks and walked out of the exam feeling defeated. Needless to say, I give Becker some, but not a significant amount of credit for my FAR score (and an F- for customer service). Another Becker FAIL was that both of my written communication tabs for my AUD exam covered the same topic, a topic that was not covered by Becker. I was lucky that it was something I had studied in my audit classes; however my instant recall isn't what it once was.

So, I guess I can say I'm kind of indifferent. I use it because I have it, but I don't think it's the key to my success.

[PSU06]

I cannot say whether Becker is good or not, but the cost for the course is ridiculous –unless your employer pays for it! I used Yaeger. I studied and passed all the exams in July/August. I think Yaeger is great, but I also did what I needed to do to pass. Considering I paid somewhere around 1/3 of the cost of Becker, I am very happy with my choice to use Yaeger.

FAR - 7/7/10 - 94
BEC - 7/24/10 - 77
AUD - 8/17/10 - 97
REG - 8/31/10 - 80

[herbert7890]

congrats PSU, You got amazing scores!.

FAR 88 - BEC 86 - AUD 90 - REG 85

[studyingismynewhobby]

I used Becker for both FAR & AUD and was planning a wedding reception during that time. I did everything they suggested MCQ 90+ 2x each, read the book 2x, watched all lectures, read all supplemental text.

If you're good with Becker's teaching style if you do what they suggest I think it seriously improves your chances and you will pass. However, I sure didn't trust it before I got my results for my first exam. Felt horrible coming out like they hadn't prepared me, I was pleasantly surprised during score releases.

I also paid for it myself, but probably would have considered other material if I had not bought all 4 at once and had found this site earlier in my study program.

FAR - 87
AUD - 88
BEC - 88
REG - waiting

[herbert7890]

I paid half the price, because I live in Puerto Rico

FAR 88 - BEC 86 - AUD 90 - REG 85

[75 CPA]

The biggest bang for the buck is Yaeger (Cindy and Dr. Phil Yaeger) for FAR, REG and BEC, and Lambers (http://www.Lambers.com)(Garland) for AUD.

I have tried most of the CPA exam review programs, including Becker, Yaeger, Lambers, Bisk, Roger, Kaplan and Gleim. Becker is a good review program, especially for AUD, but Becker is the most expensive program and it expires after 18 months. Yaeger and Lambers are the best teaching programs, period!

My hat goes off to Dr. Phil Yaeger and Cindy for helping me pass all of the CPA exams. My last exam was on July 9th, but it all seems like a distant memory.

Good luck to all CPA candidates. If you are dedicated to doing whatever it takes to pass these exams, no matter how long it takes, you will pass all four exams within the 18 month window.

[Anonymous]

I used Becker. My scores defend it.

To address your other concern, I probably would have passed with scores just as high if I had used another review course. You pay about $1,500 extra compared to competitor review courses. I don't know how other review courses are handled, but I think what separates Becker from the competition are the live lectures.

I haven't read all of the posts here, but people have different studying goals. I wanted to complete the entire exam over the summer, and I accomplished just that.

With my scores, I still came out of 3/4 exams (not REG) feeling like I failed, especially FAR. I even got on the phone with two of my friends who took the exam around the same time I did and we all thought Becker was crap because we thought we had all just failed. That was for our 1st exam, FAR.

In the end, all review courses will structure your studying to pass the same exam. No review course can claim to be so amazingly different than the other unless they take the exam for you. There is no magic way to present study materials to charge extra for, that's just good advertising on Becker's part.

[Oceanman]

Thanks again for all the posts everyone. As a few of you have stated, I really wish that I would have found this site before I bought the materials. This site is truly the greatest resource for CPA candidates.

FAR-92
AUD-94
REG-87
BEC-(April)

[75orbust]

If I was at a firm that paid for my review materials I would have probably used Becker because the results speak for themselves but I don't and I was fine with that. I used Kaplan and had a discount so I only paid about $500 for the study materials. They provide everything- online archieved lectures, textbooks, MP3 files for listening while driving, huge MCQ bank online, lot of simulations, and flashcards. I decided to take the test over time and not have to forgo things I wanted to do but just had the goal to pass before 2011. I figured I had to get a year of experience before I could get licensed anyway so what was the rush. I passed all on the first try and Kaplan did prepare me well I think. I don't think I ever studied on a weekend and rarely had to say no to doing something because I had to study. I got a little time at work and studied at lunch or in the evenings. Not trying to brag but sounds like I am in the minority in the CPA exam review world to be able to say that.

I have heard mixed things about several different review materials from people at our firm and I think it basically comes down to the effort you put in and how well you can take a test, as well as your ability to retain information from college, working, and the review materials. Although this test is unlike most in the vastness of the material it covers because it forced me to change my study habits from memorizing the material in the day or two leading up to a test like in college to really learning the material and being able to adjust on exam day to different questions and reason through things well.

If you put in the time to learn the material in whatever review you get, you will pass. There is no magic formula for success that Beckers $3000 gives you, it may just help you pass quicker and give you more assurance with higher scores but unless you are in the running for the Watts Sells, who really cares if you get a 99 or a 75 anyway. Your license does not show your scores!!!! Even though I like a little cushion to help ease the mind during the lag time between taking it and getting your scores, Kaplan had little words of advice throughout the textboooks that said stuff like “ANY SCORE OVER 75 MEANS YOU OVER STUDIED!” or something to that effect. Which sounds stupid but really its correct, because in the end its just a PASS/FAIL test.

FAR-1/04- 86 KAPLAN Review
REG-5/12- 89 MN Licensed CPA
BEC-7/17- 81 ETHICS - 100
AUD-8/31- 85

[Anonymous]

I used Becker and scored 93, 94, 94, 97. I can't complain. I had been out of college for a decade almost and had forgotten most of it. I felt like I failed 3 of the 4 sections walking out of the testing center. I swore I failed REG and was ready to start restudying (it was my 97 section). I got damn near a perfect score walking out swearing I failed. Give your score a chance, it might surprise you.

I liked Becker. It was extremely well organized. In places (BEC-5 as pointed out above) I wish there were more examples. There are few topics they could do better on. Overall thought they prepared me well for the exam. There were a couple of oddball questions in each section but not enough to impact me.

[Jan_in_WI]

Late chiming in here, but I'll share my two cents. I'm using Becker (paid for out-of-pocket), and so far scored a 94 on FAR and 99 on AUD. I studied hard. Years ago, I bought some Gleim, Bisk, and Wiley materials, but never made time to study and never took the exams. Part of the reason I didn't sign up was that I felt completely overwhelmed at the volume of material covered. I think Wiley's materials in particular are too detailed and over the top. I appreciate Becker's more condensed approach. The goal is to pass the exam on the first try, and so far, it's working for me.

I will say that after the FAR exam (my first section), I felt ticked off walking out, as I did not think I had enough preparation for some of the detail required on the sims. I seriously thought I might not have passed. I had run out of time and left one of the research questions blank. It took days for me to come around and realize that this exam is not an ordinary test and that I shouldn't expect to walk out feeling like I aced the thing. First of all, it's adaptive. Second, not all of the questions are scored. Third, the sims and multiple choice, and written communication are weighted, so not every answer is of equal importance. I began to think through that maybe I had performed better than I thought. Boy, was I happy when I received my score.

Remember, this is not a normal test or exam, like we've all taken in college. It's a whole different game. The key is to learn to play the game. No matter which study materials you use, passing is achievable. When studying and while taking the exam, focus on maximizing points, i.e. don't spend forever trying to figure out one multiple choice question at the expense of time you could be devoting to more right answers on other multiple choice questions. Also, a study strategy is important no matter which review materials you're using.

After I took the FAR exam, I had a better idea of how to prepare for the AUD section. My studying became much more streatmlined, and I did a better job of organizing my materials. I also incorporated constant review as I worked through the content. I actually think the “how” is just as important as the “what” when it comes to passing these exams. The materials are just a tool toward achieving a goal. They are not the end-all in and of themselves.

Becker's strengths are their videos and pass keys within the text. I also found their flashcards to be extremely helpful, especially for theory stuff. I did not purchase their final review product. One complaint I do have with Becker is the need to manually write in the text updates, especially for REG. I know it would require a lot of printings on their part to keep everything current, but I am annoyed to have to spend so much time with that after I've spent so much more on their review products comparatively.

My goal is to pass each section on the first try and be done with this all. Becker has worked well for me so far. If all goes as planned, I will have passed all four parts within six months.

FAR - 94 (7/10)
AUD - 99 (8/20)
REG - 99 (10/15)
BEC - 88 (11/20)

[Anonymous]

.. wait till you get your score.. Becker over prepares for every exam. They want to try their best to put you the best position, no matter what question you are given. I like ‘am. I was mad after BEC because of certain topics that I had gotten, that Becker was severely lacking, however they still prepared me enough to pass!

I took FAR today.. I hope it will be a passing score.. fingers crossed… There were a lot of topics I studied in Becker that were no where close to being on the exam and VICE VERSA.. I had an entire sim that was barely mentioned in Becker.. still hoping for a passing score and will Thank Becker all the way!

[TheNeverEndingStory]

Oceanman- I haven't had the pleasure of using Yaeger but Becker has done alright by me. In order to get the full benefit of it you have to go through the entire course. If you half-a$$ it you will be destroyed on the exam. The same probably holds true for Yaeger. Now even if you studied fully you have to remember this is the CPA exam which is known for psyching out even the smartest of students. So before you Becker Bash see how you did on the exam and then if you don't get what you were hoping for then by all means Yaeger bomb Becker and make the switch. Til then focus on the next exam with the same zeal as you did with FAR.

BEC-Passed, Reg-Passed, Aud-Passed, FAR- Nov 30, 2010 -PASSED

[tax_vixen]

Becker: I can't argue with FREE.

This comment brought to you by tax_vixen's employer.

But really, we'll see how I feel after taking FAR this week. Don't feel comfortable that I have the real concepts down….

AUD - 92 :: REG - 99 :: FAR - 92 :: BEC - 82

[Author]

Replies