[Anonymous]

I am thinking about investing in one of the two above products for my FAR exam in August. At the end of the day the prices are about equal, does anyone have any recommendations as to which product they would use? I am currently using/have been using the Becker review course, if that makes any difference.

[magic_8_ball_did_i_pass]

My two cents would be see if you can find a a blurb on it somewhere. Like youtube. That way you can make an educated answer. People are going to tell you why they believe one is better than the other. But only you can make the decision as to what works best for you. I would call becker and see if they have some type of free demonstration online. then i would base my decision on what looks like a better investment for me.

IL - BECKER=============> DONE
REG - 80; FAR - 65,79; AUD - 53,78; BEC - 71,68, 75 (used becker and yaeger for 3rd BEC)Ethics 95

I'M GONNA CELEBRATE AND LIVE MY LIFE SAYING AYE OH BABY LETS GO!!!!!

[Anonymous]

Thanks for the advice– it is sound. I was just hoping to get some insight from fellow candidates who have used/are using them now for feedback.

[mike01]

Created with Compare Ninja

[Anonymous]

Thanks Mike, I'll look into it for sure. I just feel like I'll need that extra few points that a “cram” program can offer. My last test, I felt like I couldn't really do much more in the days leading up to the exam. Hopefully the “cram” program will alleviate that issue.

[whitesoxfancpa]

Becker Final Review is good, but it's just that…review. They assume you know the concepts well already. If you are having trouble in a particular area, it won't help. It's strictly a refresher that hits the big, big areas. Some areas are completely skipped in Final Review. Only the big points are hit upon. The practice questions are great. They drive home the main points well. I like it because I can take a day or two right before the exam and have all the important things fresh in my head.

Overall I like it. I've used it for AUD and FAR and have it for the other two sections as well.

AUD 96 FAR 95 REG 94 BEC 88

[Anonymous]

I like the sound of that overall review– I am scheduled for it on a Tuesday, so that final weekend beforehand would be excellent for a product that would give me a good final “overall review” approach.

[Anonymous]

how long is the review for Becker in terms of Time for FAR? I know Yaeger is 17 hrs (which is a lot to go over in a weekend)

[whitesoxfancpa]

CAcpahopeful,

There are 15 sections (or items or topics…whatever they call them).

They vary a little, but I'd say the average is a 25 minute lecture and 12-15 multiple choice questions. Probably around eight of them also have a simulation.

So I'd say the total time would be around the same as the Yaeger one. Maybe a little less than the 17 hours.

AUD 96 FAR 95 REG 94 BEC 88

[Anonymous]

@whitesoxfancpa- Thanks for the information. Did you use it for your recent FAR test? How did that exam go for you?

Go Phils!

[whitesoxfancpa]

Yep, I used it for my FAR exam. I thought it was pretty helpful. The thing with FAR is there is so much material that even if you do a final review on your own, it might be 7-10 days since you've seen F1 and F2 material. So doing Becker's Final Review puts all the material in your head within a day or two of the exam. That's the important thing for me. Some might ask why I'd pay hundreds of dollars just to have the same information I have already spit back at me all at once. Well, because I only want to take each of these exams once and I feel the cost outweighs the benefit. It's a giant summary of the most crucial information jammed into your head just in time for the exam.

The exam went well. I expected a nightmare. It wasn't bad at all. I had PLENTY of time for everything, including three pee breaks and a water/Doritos break. After the first couple testlets it became clear to me that I had plenty of time. I think I had almost three hours remaining after the first two. All in all I really think I passed. I didn't see much that was unfamiliar and I had a few things stick in my mind that I wasn't sure if I answered right. I came home and looked them up and I think I got them all right.

Nice Phils wins the last couple games!

Go White Sox (Peavy being out is a real buzzkill, though).

AUD 96 FAR 95 REG 94 BEC 88

[Anonymous]

whitesox – sounds like you did very well with FAR. You must have been very comfortable with the topics. Did you think it Audit was a “trickier” exam?

I am currently watching the Becker FAR Final Review. It is great. The multiple choice questions are killing me though. They really make you think about the material backwards and forwards. Dennis Green annoys me for some reason. I think he spits a lot when he talks.

[Anonymous]

That is great to hear that you were satisfied with the Final Review, and that the exam went well for you. Hopefully REG treats you better than it did to me. I studied like mad for 8+ weeks, and then I got to the exam and it was stuff I had never seen before, which was a total surprise. The mnemonics from Becker– I didn't use a single one (take that for what it's worth). But anyway, when you were prepping for FAR, did you go through all 9 lectures and then come back to the MCQ's t the end? What I've done so far is watch the first three lectures, take notes, then do the MCQ's. I'm thinking I should keep going straight through until I finish all the lectures, but some have advised me to go back and review the HW after every 3 lectures…

(Off topic– Injuries are killer. Peavy is a heck of a ball player, and it's unfortunate that he's out. Although the Phillies know how that feels this year.)

[whitesoxfancpa]

CPAWannaBe,

AUD was trickier, but I found the Becker questions to be tricker than questions on the actual exam. If you could do the Becker questions, you should be fine. I did not find AUD very difficult after going through Becker. I felt very well-prepared.

Yes, the MC questions on Final Review are difficult. Warning: The governmental ones are a killer! I went into the exam not knowing how to compute a lot of them and felt I still did well on the questions on my actual exam. They were easier than Becker's Final Review questions.

AUD 96 FAR 95 REG 94 BEC 88

[whitesoxfancpa]

RoyHalladay,

I hope REG doesn't treat me badly. All I can do is prepare like I did for the others and hope for the best.

The way I prepared for FAR (and did for AUD and will for the other sections as well) is to watch the lectures in bite-sized pieces, then do the homework. Watch the next part, do the homework for that part, etc. I don't worry about right or wrong answers, as this is my first time through. I just try to apply what I just saw to the questions. So a lecture with the corresponding homework takes me two study says (if I do 3 hours each day). Days 3 and 4 I read through the chapter, absorb the material much better this time, and then work the homework questions again and really nail it down. Day 5 I do supplemental questions and the simulation. Then it's onto the next lecture. I don't look back at previous chapters at all until after I've gotten through all of them once. I've been advised this may not be the smartest move, but I feel it's better to nail down all sections once before reviewing a previous section. As long as I give myself enough time and have a schedule to follow, I always have plenty of time at the end to go back and review each chapter and re-work the questions.

I think it's nuts to do all the lectures before attempting homework. If I were you, I'd do one section fully at a time before doing the next. That means lecture, reading/skimming the book if you choose, homework questions, supplemental questions, and simulations. And like I said, I personally break it down even further. Becker's lectures are usually broken down into around five or so little lectures, so I watch the lecture and do the homework immediately after. It keeps me from getting bored through a 3.5 hour lecture.

AUD 96 FAR 95 REG 94 BEC 88

[FARbehind]

whitesoxfan,

Are you kidding me? You had 3 pee breaks, one Doritos break and still 3 hours left for the sims??? Are you sure you sat for FAR?…

I don't eat or drink anything when I go to take FAR, don't take any breaks and still run out of time and after the notification that my time is over my last screen dissapears. And I still fail.. Something is to be said about efficiency…

aud,bec,reg-passed
far-->75 Done!!!!!
ethics-100

[Author]

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