[drew little]

I am about to set a date to take FAR. All I have to study with is NINJA. I see so many posts in this forum referencing the Becker books. Am I missing something? Is Ninja not supposed to be thorough enough to do well?

[cpa1982]

There are people who passed CPA exams with NINJA only. Many use Becker because either they choose to use becker or their firm pay for Becker program. Roger and Wiley CPA review courses are popular also.

[Goingallin]

You'll get mixed reviews about Becker. Mostly bc it is overpriced (I agree), however I was able to pass FAR and BEC by simply studying the multiple choice questions at first attempt. That speaks volume I think. Some would argue I passed bc I studied but I'm thinking if the material did not cover the subject well, I wouldn't have passed simply by doing homework questions without ever touching the books or listening to the lectures. I know of people that paid for Wiley and for whatever reasons could not pass the exam and ended up paying for Becker. I've been chewed up on here whenever I say anything positive about Becker, however I use this forum as a motivation and also to gain valuable insights so I want to offer my own experience that hopefully will help another. I'm taking AUD next and will let you know how that goes.

I haven't used ninja or know of anyone personally that did however ive heard from members on here that Ninja helped.

[Skynet]

Unless I was working for a big 4 firm, no way was I going to be able to afford over $3K for Becker.

I spent less than $1K for Gleim and was able to pass all 4 exam consecutively. With Gleim's highest package costing $1600, it's still a bargain out there.

[mschnei42]

Becker is the gold standard. It's all you need.

AUD: 98
FAR: 95
REG: July 11, 2016
BEC: August 8, 2016

[Spartans92]

it depends on how you learn and what you like best. Sometimes I feel becker doesn't explain enough like with FAR sometimes they pull a number out of nowhere and doesn't explain where it came from. Im a becker user and I dont hate it but dont Love it… I prefer Ninja and have been supplementing. Didnt get to use it too much for my FAR retake so will see when score release next month.

BEC- PASS

[drew little]

Thanks Everyone

[Goingallin]

another point I want to make is if you are the type that learn best by reading through the text books than I think any material should be sufficient. For me, I don't retain much when reading straight through, the multiple choice questions help me understand why a question is right or wrong so it keeps me thinking and not fall asleep. My friends that have invested in Becker do not want to read the books either so Becker is the only route “we” think would allow us to pass with this study method. Since we can afford the price tag n want to finish fast, I don't see the point of using something else. Ninja I believe is use as a supplement not the main study material. I could be wrong.

btw I would take everything you read here about the study materials with a grain of salt. It wouldn't be surprising if some companies use this forum as a means to advertise their products and create fictitious candidates. If you know of people in your personal life that have experience such as your friends or coworkers or boss, those are your best resources.

Good luck. I'm hoping to end my journey soon.

[mschnei42]

I apologize for coming across as an advocate for Becker. My firm paid for it, and I couldn't afford any other supplements. More MCQ practice is always better, so if you have the cash, definitely expand your horizons (: You can undoubtedly pass with any program you choose, but your study habits are the most important factor (not the test prep package).

AUD: 98
FAR: 95
REG: July 11, 2016
BEC: August 8, 2016

[wakefern58]

Hey @Spartans92,

Little off topic here but what did you do to increase your REG score so much? Any advice would be great since my test is coming up, thank you!

[Anonymous]

I bought Becker as it came highly recommended and my company will pay for it once I pass…I feel like if Becker and Ninja had a baby it would be the best program! I love the stats in Ninja and being to able to drill down subsections. The look and feel of it is a bit better in Becker. The combination of the two has been beneficial. I guess we will see on Saturday!

[Anonymous]

The review courses all have their respective faults in addition to their strengths. I don't think there's a vendor out there with a perfect program. As an informed consumer who doesn't like to spend money when he doesn't have to, or doesn't like to spend a cent more than required, I looked at Becker, Gleim, and Roger. The thing that stuck out about Becker was that their study materials just looked rather boring. Ditto for Gleim – and many people have commented about how hard Gleim's program is. And, many people said that the Becker videos were not always helpful and that the lecturers were often annoying. Roger's was the one I ended up buying. It's not perfect, but it has the best reputation. Price-wise, it's in the lower-middle ($1,900) between Gleim ($1,000) and Becker ($3,700). If for no other reason than the cost, I would stay away from Becker. It's clear to me that they're not the #1 anymore, even though they're probably the oldest of all the vendors.

The only one I haven't heard anything about is this new one called Surgent. I don't know anyone who has used it. They offer 50% off if you flunked your exams after having bought another vendor's product.

The comment above about some vendors using this forum to plug their own products is very likely true. Within the past day or two, some twit posted on one of the other threads that they used Gleim and prepped for and passed one of the exams in a week.

[jeff]

Since it was brought up – NINJA is a complete study course or supplement. It has a full textbook, study videos, full MCQ package…and supplementary things like audios/notes, etc.

Jeff Elliott, CPA (KS) | Another71 | NINJA CPA | NINJA CMA | NINJA CPE

[aaronmo]

I only used Becker…can't comment on it contrasted with anything else. Becker, generally, worked for me. I liked it less for BEC and REG than some other areas, but I've heard similar complaints about the others. I picked Becker based on reputation. I don't regret that choice, but they have their flaws as well.

[Author]

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