[macasleep]

I work full time and have family members that need medical care. My study plan is 1-1.5 hour per weeknight with Friday off. Saturday 6 hours, and Sunday 4 hours. I will adjust accordingly.

I like a CPA review course that explains the topic well, MCQs and SIMs that prepare me for the actual exam experience. I’m scared of SIMS for some reason. I know I will have to do a lot of practice for MCQ and SIMS. I know it’s an ordeal but I truly want the exam out of the way.

I’m leaning toward Gleim because I’m on a budget and heard that the textbook explains the topics well. Roger’s lecture is engaging. Wiley and Becker not so good with their lectures and textbooks? Which one helps you understand why you got the answer wrong instead of just memorizing the answer since you’ve seen it so many times?

I thought about combining Gleim textbooks/lectures with NINJA. I’m going to sign up for the Gleim free trial but I think a 2 week trial doesn’t cover the experience of someone who has gone through a review course and exam.

Please share and advise. I appreciate it.

[allusuc]

I’m using Roger now. But roger doesn’t have authoritative literature built in like Becker and the others. Lectures are great though

[RoseMarie]

I use Roger mostly and supplement with NINJA for the notes because I personally don't take notes. I love Rogers lectures compared to other courses I did trials for. Becker was absolute crap lecture wise in my opinion and being that I am an auditory learner it instantly made that one a no go for me. I didn't care for Gleim or Wily. Surgent would have been my second choice for the main program if I hadn't chosen Roger.

[CH89]

Hi There!

I use Wiley and supplement it with Ninja. I like Wiley because of their bite sized lessons. Their FAR lectures I thought were good, but I found it better for me to read their text book instead. I feel their text books do a good job in going into detail. I have also found that for the majority of the MCQs for Wiley, they do provide why a particular answer is wrong, and why this answer is right, which I like. Try them all out and see which one best fits your studying needs. Which ever one you choose, I would definitely suggest using Ninja along with it.

[Jimmy Dugan]

For every person here that loves Becker, there is another that hates Becker and loves Roger, Gleim, or [insert course name here]. They all have their advantages and disadvantages.

Get the free trials and try them out. Pick the one you like the most.

[Recked]

Highly recommend using all the free trials before putting down the cash.
I went with Roger basic course, and Gleim physical textbooks and test bank.
Figure out your learning style first, then see which course best fits the learning style.
After you do the free trials you will get coupon codes, and you can always call and ask for a discount.
If you go with Gleim be sure to ask for Debbie.

[46inchvert]

I agree with Recked above. I personally use Becker and it gets the job done. My best friend used Rogers and it got him a CPA license. It's all about personal preference. Try the free trials and write down a list of pros and cons. Then make a decision. Good luck!

[Professor Farnsworth]

You said something very important about Roger's lectures being engaging. I use Roger and I can tell you the lectures are the most important part of a review course. You will sit through hours of lectures and if they are boring and terrible you'll hate every moment of it, I honestly can't imagine sitting through 40 hours of boring FAR lectures. Roger's lectures are really good, he is funny, engaging, fills the lectures with funny stories and examples from his career… Really enjoyable to watch. I truly believe he has the best lectures among the CPA review courses. Try the free trial, watch a few lectures, solve a few MCQs and see if you like it!

[inviteyou]

To me the review courses are similar to my skincare regime. My cleanser is by Korres, my toner is by REN, my moisturizer is by PTR and my weekly mask is by Aveda. As you can tell I don't use one brand to cover all four needs. I originally purchased and used Wiley for all four CPA sections but when I wasn't passing I finally figured it wasn't the operator it was the manual–finally it wasn't me (well maybe a little).

Wiley helped me with REG and BEC but didn't carry me over the top for FAR and AUD.  Towards the end of studying for BEC I switched to Youtube lectures from Darius Clark, some of Roger's free lectures on Youtube, and Farhat Lectures. Farhat was so helpful, especially for Cost Accounting. For FAR I used Wiley but signed up for Farhat's course for 30 days as a supplement and felt that put me over the edge to pass. For AUD, I left Wiley altogether and purchased Gleim's AUD test bank and highly recommend it. Gleim's TBS were relevant and helped me to retain the information whereas Wiley's TBS were unnecessarily difficult to me and still didn't feel prepared when I went to take AUD. Gleim's TBS were much more similar in look and content on AUD. And Gleim allows you to drill questions by specific topics, such as Reviews, Examinations, etc. whereas Wiley drills by broad categories and the MCQ's weren't close to the actual CPA exam questions like Gleim's. I felt much more prepared taking AUD with Gleim and only studied for two weeks and passed on the first try with Gleim. Of course while studying AUD with Gleim I had wished I started with it initially but hindsight is 20/20–we live and learn, right? Also, the approach you take to study AUD can be completely different than studying for FAR, BEC or REG.
 
If you don't pass the first time review your weak areas, reassess and re-evaluate and consider the fact that you may need to switch review course providers. It's a risky move because it involves paying more money, but in the end it may be worth it. It was for me, and I only wish I had done it sooner because it would've saved me a lot of heartache.

[Author]

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