[dmossu]

Hi! I am graduating college this summer (middle of August) and am thinking about beginning to prepare for the CPA exam!

Has anyone used both Roger and Becker to prepare? I currently have Becker provided free form work, but am afraid that I will learn more from the Roger lectures. I have a scholarship from Roger and can get the course for pretty cheap. Should I get both of these and use the lectures from Roger and the MC from Becker? In addition to this, has anyone use the Roger Audio Lectures? I have about an 35 minute commute to work and figured that they might be beneficial!

[Jimmy Dugan]

Do this only if you think Roger's lectures and book are better. The MCQ and Sims are virtually identical to Becker.

Have you done a trial with Roger to see how you like his lectures? If so, not the worst decision ever made to buy the program if you have a significant discount and simply don't like what you have with Becker. That said, many, many, many people have passed with Becker and it is really tough to beat FREE.

[alloverit]

Probably not. Rather than trying to close every gap/deficiency that a review program has by adding another program, you might be better off focusing on mastering what the ONE review program you ultimately choose has to offer.

The ninja program has some flexible, supplemental options you can add to whatever review program you choose that likely wouldn't set you back as much money or TIME as trying to use two competing review systems that will end up covering a lot of the same info anyway.

Best of luck

[RaulB]

@Alloverit- you need to have an open mind and adaptable for that though. I agree with you, but I could also understand why there can be students who want to maximize and do 2 courses. In reality, there is not a perfect course. Some don't believe in a large test bank, some have sucky lectures, etc. To do 1, the person has to have a mental fortitude and not worry about the weaknesses. Its tough. At least Ninja is the best program out there to do a supplement, if needed. Do I recommend doing 2 courses? Sure. Its what makes the person the happiest what counts at the end of the day. I would have a tough time dealing with 1 program and at the back of my mind I am thinking about the deficiences that it has.

[alloverit]

@Raul

It isn't about being open or close minded. It's about understanding the law of diminishing returns and acknowledging the time constraints involved in attempting to use two full courses. That's all.

[RaulB]

@Aloverit-

Please explain something. What law of diminishing returns are you referring to? You have to remember that not every person is created equal. Although using 2 courses could be overkill, it could still work for some people. With time constraints it all depends too. What if the person uses 1 course before going to course and then at night uses the other one? You never know. Overall it might not be recommended, but it's definitely doable if he or she cannot do only 1.

[Mike J]

This certificate is an investment for life. You know what you need. If what you currently have is not enough for you, then don't worry about the short-term economics. Read the features (and yes the costs) and pick something that appears to line up with your weaknesses. Some people don't like to take notes, others like myself do. Use what you think is useful.

[Jimmy Dugan]

Agree with Mike above, I guess don't be overly concerned with how much money you are spending on prep since the return on the CPA is great. I think the only issue with going with the second course is that it won't be everything you are looking for either; because none of them is perfect. It is easy to fool yourself into thinking that you need another course simply because you may not be understanding everything in your current course as quickly or completely as you'd like. The reality is that this stuff is hard, and that's going to be the case with the next course as well. Long story short: If money ain't a thang, knock yourself out. If it is, stick with what you have and know that it is more than adequate to prepare you for the exams.

[Recked]

I'd probably try to find which of the 2 best fit your learning style, and stick with that one.
The mnemonics/memory aides/terminology will be different between the 2 courses and for simplicity I think it would be best to stick with only one program as the main learning experience.
The question banks for both should be similar, but the answer explanations will probably refer to each courses specific learning tools.
I know when the Becker folks come on here with mnemonics I don't recognize I have no idea what they are talking about and cannot help them.
Both are excellent programs with great reputations, and both are more than enough to pass.
My understanding in the Becker videos are basically someone reading the book to you and telling you to highlight things. I opted for Roger's whiteboard lectures.
Best of luck on your journey.

[RaulB]

Recked- I have a question for you and it's in reference to your advise to the OP. The test bank questions are the same, however, the quantity varies. When this occurs and let's say that the course that the OP would go with let's say Roger what can he or she do in reference to getting more practice? I know that supplementing with Ninja is a great option, but what if he or she wants let's say multiple mock exams to practice from? The thing with these courses is that although any of them can help the candidate pass, there are some review companies that don't offer a lot of Multiple choice questions because they say that it's all about the Blueprints that matter the most for instance, Yaeger. It's pretty crazy that every single course has a different style and philosophy. In the ideal world sticking with 1 and riding it out is the way to go totally agree with that. The problem is if this course is not a believer in a lot of practice. That's where the conflict comes in because one course could be great at lectures with the white board like Roger and Yaeger, but then they might not have as much practice as let's say Becker, Gleim or Wiley for instance. If I gave my advice I would say go for 1 and ride it out, however, it's also easy for me to say because maybe that specific course sucks in another feature. I also tend to agree with Mike and Jimmy Dugan when they say that if money isn't an issue, then go for it. Just make sure to be systematic and know how to combine accordingly.

[Recked]

I personally never wanted to see the same question twice. I would only work through the test bank once, and then switch to a second provider.
I opted for Roger and then got a smoking deal on the Gleim TB on the side.
I only used Gleim TB for FAR and BEC I think. Some of the questions in Roger's course repeat, even if you select new questions only.
So to answer your question… Use one course to its full extent, and then if you think you need more pick up a second test bank like Ninja or Gleim.
You could also just rework your existing test bank, but like I said, I never went that option (except for doing review phase quizzes).

[alloverit]

@RaulB:

Diminishing return – If one review course gets you 70% of the way there, a second cannot duplicate that production. It's mathematically impossible. The best it can do is get you the remaining 30%….that is called a diminished return. Even if the first review course only gets you 30% to your goal that does NOT prove you need a second course. Rather, you need a DIFFERENT course. Hope that helps.

Also, If you read my original post you will note that I wrote “probably” not. I did NOT write “definitely” not.

[RaulB]

@Recked- Thanks so much for your advise! Very, very helpful. Do you remember if you ever did both additional test banks for FAR and BEC at the same time? For example, let's say you worked on an hr or two of M/C with 1 provider during the day and then at night you would tackle the other provider's test bank. If not, would this be recommended? I assume you didn't and instead went the route of you touched the second test bank when you completed the first one which was your main course.

The only thing about this strategy that I question is that I would think you need to go fast on your main course at most 2 months if possible way less and then do a month of test bank. Looking at your timeline, you really went fast and congrats on the passes! By the way you did it, that works out for sure. If one takes multiple months, however, that strategy may not work that well or what are your thoughts?

[Recked]

I did not use multiple test banks at the same time. I would exhaust one before moving on to the other.
As you work through the exams you will learn what does and does not work for you.
FAR was a beast and I had to re-learn how to efficiently study, so much wasted time on methods that did not work for me.
I did a hail mary for AUD and literally crammed the videos, and then as many MCQs as I could before exam day.
I ended up passing, so that became my method REG and BEC. REG was straight forward because I did the EA in 2013/2014, and worked in tax for 15 years.
BEC was a little trickier which is why I went to the Gleim course after I finished the Roger MCQs.
–
If you are studying a section for 8-10 weeks my advice would be to set aside a couple hours one day a week to hammer some cumulative MCQs. My single biggest regret on FAR was not keeping the concepts current in my mind. My 10days-2weeks of review ended up being a re-learning experience. Keep the stuff fresh, MAKE the time to do some cumulative quizzes.
I also preferred 10 question MCQs, or using Gleim's study mode to have immediate access to the answers after I selected an answer. Doing 30 question quizzes eats time by having to re-read each question in detail because you forgot what the question was asking, to determine why you got it wrong, or if you got it right for the right reason.

[Author]

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