[jordel03]

Good day,

I have two colleagues that passed the CPA exam telling me that they skipped the Becker videos and just read from the highlighted text available online. Being in a rush to get the CPA done, is it worth the effort to prolong the exam by watching the videos or is it a better strategy to just read the text? Thanks.

 

 

[Earla Riopel (NYCARE)]

I haven't had any access to Becker videos since 2008. I watched a few of their latest sample videos on YouTube, they haven't changed much.

Videos are great if you have time to watch them. Make sure though, while watching you're taking down notes. This is the one thing I missed last year's subscription with Ninja Plus (Bisk) videos. No worries, I have my subscription again, and intend to the use all the Ninja products I purchased this time.

Anyway, going back to your question. You can get away with it, if you are comfortable with the book. Also, you have a solid foundation of each topic, since Becker's instructors are not there to explain what's in the book.

The videos, books, notes and flashcards are just half the battle. The other half is being a good test-taker. To be good at it, you can start visiting the AICPA website, and do the Sample tests. Have access with the AICPA new released exams, likely these are already added with your Becker app.

During the exam, time management very important. Based on 2017 Q3 exams, especially FAR/REG/BEC, you need a 40-45/40-45/25-30/65-60/70-60 split, if possible. You can only do this if you are fast/accurate with MCQs testlets.

Good luck.

PS: If you need specific topic videos, check this link: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCWu1tVBhdmMeAI-pkJeaGjQ/playlists

[M123]

Most of us are/were in a rush to get the exams done. It's a false economy to rush and fail.

It's based on learning style and attention span. For example, I think watching 30 hours of video for FAR (I think it's around 30 not 20 as I thought before) in Becker – I'm more likely to pay attention the entire time then try to chew through the book with the same degree of retention. But others may enjoy reading more.

One option for you may be to do one chapter via video and one via reading and see which one felt more productive.

[Anonymous]

I think it depends what kind of learner you are. If you learn well without someone explaining things to you, I would recommend just reading the book and making your own highlights – though I would read everything, not just Becker highlighted text. I did that instead of watching videos for my last two exams and I scored the same, but studied much less.

[justa75pls]

I think it also depends on who's giving the lecture. If it's Tim Gearty, I don't see a point in watching because he really doesn't explain anything.

[Starved_Wolf]

I think it definitely depends on which section youre studying for. I was in a rush to get audit done so i skipped the videos and just read the text and did the mcqs and passed.

[Anonymous]

I always watched the lectures for whatever section I was studying for, except for my retakes, because I wasn't going to get a lot from reading the book on my own. That's just me though, I need to be taught the material before I make sense of things. It's important to be active during the lectures though, you have to take notes in your book or on the side so you have something to refer back to.

[jordel03]

Thank you everyone for your comments and suggestions. Doing some chapters by skipping the video and seeing the difference appears appealing. Will post my experience here once I take the FAR exam.

-Jorge D.

[Author]

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