[mbbransc]

In the interest of full disclosure, I passed FAR and BEC on the first try, and failed AUD and REG with 74s using Roger.

Since Becker is generally used as the measuring stick, I thought I’d throw my opinion out there for new CPA seekers considering their options. Also consider that with Roger you receive the Wiley Test Bank and the Wiley Test Books in addition to the Roger Textbooks. With Becker, you receive their test bank.

First and foremost when comparing Roger CPA Review and Becker CPA Review, you’ll notice a glaring different in style. Roger is that wacky college friend you had that was always good for a laugh, even if you were not in the mood. Can he be annoying and over the top? Sure, but this is the CPA we are studying for. We need someone over the top to keep our interest for the untold hours we invest. Becker is more in line with the uptight straight A friend who blushes at PG-13 movies but still tries to be clever with his antics, no matter how worn out they are. While he’s laughing at every ‘clever’ joke he tells, you simply smile politely then roll your eyes.

Sure Roger is more flashy and outgoing, but when you get down to brass tacks, what’s more important? Style, or substance? Well substance, of course.

When going through the Roger lectures and material, I was surprised how much I actually learned. I don’t mean I was able to recite the lectures 6-weeks later verbatim. I mean I understood what I was talking about and could apply the topic to different subjects. Yes, there are several (OK, MANY!!) memory aids Roger gives you to help you retain all the information but lets face it, it really is a ton of information.

So needless to say, I was (am) a big fan of Roger CPA Review. But after two narrow losses, I felt I needed something extra. In regards to AUD, I was sure I knew the material well enough but I had simply memorized all the Wiley Test Bank questions. So I got another Test Bank. That was enough to get me over the hump and pass AUD. They have pretty sophisticated software to help you narrow in on your weak areas while maintaining the knowledge you’ve already proven to have retained. But by the time I returned my attention to REG, it had been a long time since I’d seen the information. And I was SO CLOSE to being done with the entire CPA Exam that I didn’t want to mess around. I decided that I was going to all out and spend the large lump sum on Becker REG Review and be done. After all, so many ppl swear by Becker and they charge twice as much as anyone else, it must be better! And with me having previously purchased a competitor’s program, Becker gave me 1/2 off.

Link: Current CPAexcel Discount Codes

So the first day of Becker review Tim comes on and tells me how he’s going to get me past this CPA Exam. He’s a bit uptight, dry and dorky, but he’s Becker, so he must be great. I am fully ready to be taught all I’ll need to pass. Then something strange happens. Tim disappears and slides pop-up. I still hear Tim’s voice but I’m just looking at slides. Confused, I pay closer attention. I see/hear Tim literally reading the text to me. Ever so helpful he throws out memory reinforcements like “Highlight the title” and “Underline the last line”… but he’s literally reading the text to me. Now, I don’t know where you are in your walk of life but I’m a 36 year old MBA graduate. I don’t need someone to read me this textbook. I can read it myself. I’m very much a visual learning and I keep waiting for someone to TEACH me!!!

A little disturbed by this delivery style, I sign up for local classes (all day on weekends). It HAS to be better because it’s in person, right? Well, no, not really. While certainly not as dry as Tim, the teachers are stuck in the Becker ways of “highlight here” and “underline here” as they read the text to me… in person. I feel like my 4-yr old in Storytime at our local library.

The Becker Test Bank was pretty solid. There are a few questions that overlap what Wiley offers but there is a large variety of the same question asked differently (much of the CPA exam depends on reading comprehension; what is the question asking versus what you think the question is asking). I thought that was very beneficial.

The last two weeks of my REG studies, I reviewed my Rogers textbooks. I used Roger memory aids instead of the Becker ones because Roger explained how to use them, not just reciting the words. I feel I got value out of the Becker Test Bank, but nothing at all out of the videos and text.

So there you are. That’s my opinion. Everyone has their own opinion but I wanted to share mine since I’ve personally used different review courses. If you asked me which review course is better, it’s hands down Roger. If you ask which is the better value based on price, it’s ridiculously in favor of Roger. I know Becker has the reputation (and inflated prices) but you’re buying effective advertising instead of the better value/product.

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FAR - PASSED
BEC - PASSED
AUD - PASSED
REG - 74
<sigh>