[CPAGRIND]

NINJA Question –

I want to get serious about taking the CPA exam. My last review course was Roger. It expired and I did not pass any exams. I wanted to buy Becker at that time, but decided to go the cheaper route by choosing Roger.

Right now I’m thinking about getting Gleim or Becker. Everyone raves about Becker (I know most firms choose this program and employees get reimbursed).

This is not the case for me .I will have to use my own money. I can afford it ( it is a lot of money though!!).

Should I go with Becker ? Is it worth it? Is it really better than other review programs?

[If I can, u can too!]

Becker has an overall good program. It can be quite overwhelming to go through their rigor of study. As I feel they prepare for you to get 100 on the exam, they go into just about every topic you can be tested on and you could get lost in the mountains of topic. I only know Yaeger and Becker so my opinion is solely based on those.

I had used Yaeger for FAR, AUD, BEC and I used an old versions of Becker to listen on topics I had trouble on. Each program has its pros and cons so you should use the program to you advantage. I tell you no matter what program you choose to go with, you should put in ton of time.

Below is what I did that could perhaps be helpful for you.
1. Solve lots of problems (either Ninja, CPA Excel, Roger or Becker) and when you do them, think about what they're trying to teach you.
2. Read the book on your own (I had benefited getting few points by doing this b/c they sometimes test on topics each review does not cover)
3. Make your own recording of your formulas/notes and listen to them on your way to work (this will save you ton of time and help you to memorize formulas and concepts) <- this was quite helpful for my REG study.
4. I recorded the hours I put in each day so I can be honest with myself. I'd say anywhere between 15-20 each week is decent if you're working full time.
5. Use the discussion forum here to bounce off concepts, troubling questions, etc

Licensed CPA since Apr 16
Order in sequence of passing
FAR-71,71,79
BEC-80
REG-72,77
AUD-56,72,72,72,80! Thank you, thank you, thank you Lord!
FAR/BEC/AUD: Becker & Yaeger lectures (Wiley & Ninja MCQs). REG: Becker lectures (Ninja MCQs).

[jlee1086]

If you can do self-study, I say go with a cheaper course. But I went with Becker (even though I don't get reimbursed) because I can't. There's one catch though: some areas have better teachers than others. Do some research if live classes are your style. I wouldn't like Becker if I only judged on the online lectures.

Which course to pick also depends on your learning style. Where I live, Becker teachers will tell you what's heavily tested vs not much at all. It saved my life for my third try at FAR. Some people believe that's not a good way and you should study everything as if heavily tested. If you're one of them, Becker is not for you. Most people who say that do Gleim (not surprisingly). And that's the thing about study plans: half the battle is figuring out what works for you. I could tell certain people on this forum to do what I did but I'd be wrong.

FAR 57 (11/2014), 64 (1/2015), 79 (7/2015)
AUD 68 (2/2015), 79 (11/2015)
REG 79 (1/2016)
BEC 81 (4/2016)

[Author]

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