[Ag12thman]

I really need anyone and/or everyone to chime in on this, please. If you have a certain review course that you are using or (and especially) if you have tried multiple review courses, could you please share what you liked and did not like about it or them?

I am having a very hard time trying to decide what course to use at this point. I have had Becker in the past, but it expired as I got yanked away from studies with unexpected life happenings that arose. I did not get to really get far into the material before that happened, tax season cranked up, I changed jobs, had a child, and the course eventually expired. So, I really have no experience with any review course and I will be paying for my course out of my own pocket. This is something I cannot afford to get wrong and need to go with a course I will have success with.

This is what I have gathered so far from other various threads I have run across:

1. Becker is way overpriced but seems to be most-used (mainly because many large firms seem to endorse it).
2. Gleim is far too thorough and time-consuming.
3. Roger is for those who need an instructor, but the practice question bank is not good.
4. CPA Excel has short lessons but many also show concern with the practice question bank.
5. Wiley – looks like the text is hard to read (small font, far too much info, etc.).
6. Yaeger – there is not a lot of talk about this one at all. Heard they have great student/customer support.
7. NINJA – most people use these products as supplements.
8. Other – There are others out there that I also do not see much talk on. (Surgent, Fast Forward Academy, etc.)

Thanks

in advance for any information, advice, and/or experiences you can share!

 

 

FAR: July 2016

[Anthony]

I'm surprised this isn't added: Gleim and CPAexcel offers unlimited access, for Gleim you need to buy the premium. This can be a pretty big factor for those who drop the exam because of life coming in the way and decided to return. No need to fork over money on expired material.

AUD - 82
BEC - 80
FAR - 81
REG - 82

FAR - 74 first attempt

[mtaylo24]

Just wanted to chime and say that Gleim's unlimited access is only until you pass. They make you pay again if your passing score expires 🙁

CPA (2017)

REG:  75

BEC:  76

FAR:  77

AUD: 78

 

CMA (2019)

P1: 380

P2: 360

AUD - 1st - 60 (12/12), 61 (2/13), 61 (8/13), 78! (11/15)
REG - 55 (2/16) 69 (5/16) Retake(8/16)
BEC - 71(5/16) Retake (9/16)
FAR - (8/16)

[Superdude3000]

I have both Rogers and Becker. The thing I would say is that with Rogers it is more streamlined. His program basically says “Ya, you can get a 90, but all you need is a 75 so lets just do that.” He gets the most important information across and his lectures really hammer the concepts home. His questions are ‘weak' relative to other review courses (although Beckers are the same it just they give you more of them), but they are completely similar to exam questions. So far in my exam experiences, the mcqs are not ‘out of this world' difficult as some of the review courses make them out to be. They are completely manageable, you either know the material or you don't. Rogers realizes this and I feel like the effectively ‘trim the fat'. You don't have to be a genius, just understand the major concepts. My opinion of course. Becker is great, but bang for your buck I think you can get more out of Rogers.

REG - 92 (1/17)

BEC - 82 (2/17)

AUD - 89 (5/17)

FAR - 94 (9/17)

Rogers Elite + Becker mcqs/sims for all 4 exams

WA State Ethics Exam - 83, 83, 90 (9/17)

AICPA Ethics Exam - 95 (9/17)

1-year of work - complete (11/18)

Licensed WA State CPA

[RE2PECT]

For me, the perfect review course would be Roger lectures and book, Ninja mcq, and Gleim sims.

"Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity."

Roger & Ninja

FAR: 75
AUD: 73, 81
BEC: 71, 73, 82
REG: 68, 82

FAR: 75 Roger & Ninja (notes/flashcards/audio/MCQ)
AUD: 73, 81
BEC: 71, retake 8/29
REG:

[Ag12thman]

*Bump* – Thanks for the responses so far. Are there any others?

FAR: July 2016

[CS]

Thanks for the original post and thank you all for your responses.

I am in a similar boat, and actually am tearing my brain as to which review course to go with.

I am taking FAR August 31st, and haven't started studying yet (just finished my last accounting course for exam/licensure credit a couple of weeks ago – taking a break until end of this week). Gleim is appealing because it seems to prepare a candidate the most especially with the new difficulty level (or supposed – I have no experience regarding this). However, my hesitation is that it is so thorough and detailed that I will not finish the material in time for the exam (including time for review etc.) I am also looking at Wiley, which I have some experience with.

I will supplement either with Ninja (everyone seems to be in agreement with Ninja material). I was thinking Wiley w/ Ninja + Gleim MC/SIMs.

 

 

[bhunt815]

I chose Becker because everyone I knew who had used Becker became CPA's. All of them. So, I used Becker and became a CPA. I am sure all of the review courses are awesome, but you can't argue with Becker's success rate. 2 retakes would more than make up the difference in price. 1 retake if you count your time at minimum wage.

Ninja's MCQ interface is fantastic. For an additional $49 it was so worth it.

AUD - 79
BEC - 81
FAR - 84
REG - 78

Becker Self Study supplemented with Ninja MCQ's for BEC and REG.

Licensed CPA in Louisiana.

FAR 04/11/2016 - 84
AUD 05/12/2016 - 79
BEC 07/06/2016 - 81
REG 08/29/2016

[Ag12thman]

@SBNY2K17 – We are definitely in the same boat.

@bhunt815 – Thanks for the advice / input. Everyone I have talked to who used Becker eventually became CPAs, too. Follow-up question: how did you use Becker? I mean, did you follow their suggest study approach or did you have a specific methodology you employed? Some people I talked to modified Becker’s suggest approach and some followed and did exactly as Becker suggested. Just curious.

FAR: July 2016

[bhunt815]

@ag12thman – I didn't study the “Becker way”. No one who works full time and has a family could ever devote that much time to studying. I'm more of a study-the-whole-thing-at-once studier. I watched all the lectures to get a refresher (I hadn't been in a classroom in 20 years) and then started doing MCQ's until my head hurt and my fingers bled. I would go back and spend some quality time on my weak areas as those became clearer during the process.

Write down every question you get wrong and study that every day. For FAR I likely had 50 pages of notes on things I got wrong.

AUD - 79
BEC - 81
FAR - 84
REG - 78

Becker Self Study supplemented with Ninja MCQ's for BEC and REG.

Licensed CPA in Louisiana.

FAR 04/11/2016 - 84
AUD 05/12/2016 - 79
BEC 07/06/2016 - 81
REG 08/29/2016

[Ag12thman]

Thanks @bhunt815 . I hear you on that – that is one of my concerns. I have a full-time job and family myself and I only have so much time to read, watch lectures, work problems, etc, too. However, I need those items available to me, too, as it has been a good while since I have been in a classroom (about 10 years or so), like you. I plan to study in the same fashion as you, primarily – with one key difference. Videos will put me to sleep and/or I’ll tune them out if the instructor is pretty boring or monotone (like I keep hearing about Angie Brown and even some about Mike Brown of Becker). So, I will probably have to skim over and/or read the books more than watch lectures.

A key point is I am paying out-of-pocket for the review course I will be using, so it’s a big deal for me and I am trying to be sure I am sure before buying. I will most definitely utilize Ninja MCQs as a supplement to whatever course I go with.

FAR: July 2016

[Ag12thman]

I have given one of the “other” programs (Surgent) a try recently (got access to a free trial period) and it seemed to work pretty nicely. The videos are pretty smooth and seem pretty good with Liz Kolar (one of the owners of the Surgent Review Course) and other CPAs presenting them. The textbook is nothing fancy, but provides/presents the essential concepts and information adequately. I just wonder if it's really just a fancier version of Ninja MCQ as @Anthony alluded to above. Does anyone know anything on this?

FAR: July 2016

[M123]

The best thing about Becker will be the coffee that Olinto gets me in NYC when I go there again. Otherwise, Ninja for the win. Their material is good but not THAT good. I think they're on a pedestal in an Encyclopedia Brittanica and Thomas Guide maps way. Rather precariously so.

AUD - 77
BEC - 81
FAR - 77
REG - 81

REG - 1. Becker only - fail (forgot to study depr - oops); 2. Becker only - Pass
FAR - 1. Becker only - fail; 2. added Ninja Notes and MCQ - Pass
AUD - 1. Becker videos; Ninja Notes, Audio, MCQ, Becker Notes - Pass
BEC - 1. Ninja Notes, Audio, MCQ, Becker Notes - Pass

[kpine1852]

I'm looking to purchase BEC materials soon once I'm done with REG. I'm currently using Becker but don't think I can afford it again… (only using it for REG because of the Becker Promise). I thought I read somewhere that Roger does not do a good job with BEC. Anyone find that to be true? I'm struggling to decide between Gleim or Roger. I'd appreciate yall's thoughts!

@Ag12thman have you made a decision yet? I hope you're able to find a program that works for you!

AUD: 74, 72
BEC: 67, 69, 76
FAR: 77
REG: 76

[Ag12thman]

@kpine1852 – I am right there with you brother/sister. I do not think I can swing the enormous price-tag for Becker again. I have been looking closely at all other providers. No, I have not yet decided as it is pretty difficult decision and has taken some good time to go through trial subscriptions with the various providers. Thank you for the very nice wishes! I wish the same to you – I hope you can find the one that fits your budget and, most importantly, will give you the greatest chance at success!

I keep seeing that you need to supplement Roger with Ninja, if you choose to go that route. It still sounds like his question bank is not quite the level of the other providers. That's the recommendation I have seen on this and other sites (to supplement with Ninja, that is). Gleim – they say it's very, very, very thorough and some say it's too thorough to the point that it takes a lot more time to get through book and problems. However, those that get through it seem to do very well on the Exam. Best of luck and please let me know (on this thread) of anything you come across that you might think would be helpful. Thanks again.

FAR: July 2016

[RE2PECT]

This is a great deal if you're looking to purchase Gleim's test banks.

 

 

"Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity."

Roger & Ninja

FAR: 75
AUD: 73, 81
BEC: 71, 73, 82
REG: 68, 82

FAR: 75 Roger & Ninja (notes/flashcards/audio/MCQ)
AUD: 73, 81
BEC: 71, retake 8/29
REG:

[Author]

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