[pacific1]

So I keep hearing people talking about UWorld Roger CPA Review Cram, I am really curious if people thought it really, really helped? Is it just the 8 hour lecture that you get? I am flat broke and spending anymore money on this bloody test/prep materials is the last thing I want to do but if enough people think it is wonderful maybe I can give it a try. Also, at what point did you watch the cram, a couple days before the exam???

Any advice is appreciated, I really cannot afford to blow more money on this but if it really does help pass then it would be worth it.

[porschify]

Im using the CRAM as a main source of studying (along with the NINJA notes and Wiley test bank) for the REG section. If you only plan to use it for a week, I do not think it is worth it. I really enjoy the course, and I think it does go over everything that is tested according to the AICPA COSO's. Roger keeps me interested and I think that is important in any course. How to make the material relate to the student so they use and understand it is very important, and I think Roger does that well. The price is $195, which is a little more than a section of the exam.

If you arent using another other courses then I think it is a great buy, if you have already spent money on another course I would stick with the other course and focus on MCQ. If you arent using the Wiley test bank then I would purchase that instead, as I feel doing thousands of MCQ's and understanding them gives a better value.

REG- 81
BEC- 72,76
AUD- 67,88
FAR- 78

Done!

[Anonymous]

I used the Yaeger Cram for FAR, so I can't speak specifically for Roger. However, I think the Cram definitely helped me obtain the score I did on FAR. Here's what I did…

– Watched all the Home Study DVD's and took notes

– Watched the Cram DVD for one section and scored at least 70% on the related MCQ's before moving onto the next section

– For my final review, I rewatched all the Cram DVD's over a 4 day period. I did not do any MCQ's during my final review, but rather focused on my flash cards with formulas and journal entries.

I think the Cram is helpful for longer sections like FAR (and maybe REG which I have never seen that material so I don't know). I am taking AUD next and most likely won't purchase the Cram for that.

I justified spending the money on a Cram for FAR because if I didn't pass on the first try, I would be spending almost as much on a retake and dealing with the pain of restudying.

[Anonymous]

I didn't take the cram but I used Roger's regular course for FAR and I think it was sufficient (even though I came up short with my points). I didn't feel like I had any major surprises during the test. Plus I think everyone on this forum scared me so much that I was already prepared for what I had coming to me.

Roger gives a detailed plan on how to have success using his course BUT you must do what he says. No skipping stuff during your review (like I did)! I spent the recommended time but got lazy on on two topics during my review hoping I could get away with knowing just the basics. Bad move. Of course one of those topics came up as an entire sim (which I skipped).

I would like to hear other peoples comments about the cram too because I'm not opposed to it. I just feel like he gives you enough information during his regular course (especially if your short on $$).

[That Cartoon Mouse]

I used Roger live and then did the cram for FAR and AUD mostly because I had four weeks to study for both of these tests. I think I realized that I would not be able to complete all of the Wiley/Roger homework in the time I had left, so the cram helped me focus and keep the big themes in my head. After I did the Cram, I took a Wiley exam and did the homework for the sections that I scored poorly on.

You get a book with the cram which is a more compressed form of Roger's main book. I haven't compared them side-by-side, but I think all the same material is in both — it's just less verbose in the Cram (and the Live book is not particularly verbose).

I think that if I had time to complete all of the homework from the Live books I wouldn't have needed the Cram, which is to say I think that it really depends on your timeframe and your current study regimen. I think the Cram is best is you already have a decent regimen and you just want to solidify things. If you're not doing anything and you want the Cram to be your everything it won't work. But this goes along with my general feeling about the exams — you have to put the hours in; the study course is just there to help you put the hours in.

If you have a pretty good handle on the material then the Cram will definitely help you remember the most important things, but it is not a study course by itself.

That said, I passed both FAR and AUD and I think Roger's Cram definitely put me over the top.

REG 82 (10/07/11)
BEC 88 (11/01/11)
FAR 86 (11/21/11)
AUD 82 (11/30/11)
----------
Roger CPA Review, live & cram course

[pacific1]

Thank you everyone for your comments, I really appreciate your input!

[jomarie]

I have both Roger's Cram and Roger's regular course for FAR. I liked them both. The only thing for me was I kept running out of time watching the lectures. Roger's Cram for FAR is 16 hours long, the others are 8 hours. I think that's what hurt me with preparing for FAR. Between that and running out of time to do MCQs.

Started sitting in May 2002, on and off. But since 2008 I've been nonstop and my scores are....
AUD - 39, 48, 56, 65, 68, 73, 76!!! (Finally passed in Oct 2011!!!) Becker, NINJA, & Wiley
REG - 75 (Lost Credit) 72, 68, 73, 75 (Passed again in Aug 2011) Becker, NINJA, & Wiley
FAR - 65, 68, 75 (Lost Credit) 68, 73, 73, 80 (Passed again in May 2012) Roger, NINJA, & Wiley
BEC - 65, 68, 71, 72, 72, 71, 76 (Lost Credit)- 70, 76!!!! I AM DONE!!! - Roger, NINJA, & Wiley
After 10 long years of studying, I AM DONE!!!! Finally a Licensed CPA in the State of New York!!

[rmm91909]

@ apbandj – so you watched all the lectures and took notes and then right away started watching the cram before doing the assigned questions? I have both the homestudy and the cram and I just finished the homestudy lectures. I like your approach.

[Anonymous]

@rmm – you got it. It took me a while to get through all 51 hours of HomeStudy lectures though, so by the time I finished my last DVD I didn't have much recollection of what was in the first DVD. I tried doing the MCQ's without watching the CRAM first, and my scores were terrible b/c I couldn't remember anything! Because of the volume of material in FAR, I think the key for me was to have a constant refresher. I also learn best by listening and watching someone else solve problems, so watching the HomeStudy once and the CRAM twice definitely helped me. There was no way I could watch the 51 hour HomeStudy more than once, so that's why I'm glad I decided to go with the CRAM. I'm also glad I spread my final review out over 4 days, because after about 4 hours of watching DVD's I stop paying attention.

[rmm91909]

Thanks! I agree it has taken me about a month to watch the whole homestudy. I know that I do not remember much of anything from the beginning so I think I am taking your approach. I need to pass this is one shot and this sounds like the type of way I would learn. Thanks for sharing!!

[Anonymous]

No prob – best of luck to you!

[Whenindoubt]

I'd def recommend Roger Cram for REG. It was just what I needed while studying for my retake of REG. Plus it's fairly entertaining. I used it for two weeks and found it to be worth it's weight in gold.

Good luck!!

BEC: 75 11/8/10
AUD: 89 2/22/11
FAR: 78 5/17/11
REG: 72, 83 10/17/11
DONE!!!!

[Anonymous]

@pacific1
After hearing good reviews from people here, I purchased Roger cram for my second go at BEC. I only (ordered and) got it a few days before my exam, and therefore had limited time to use it, but for whatever I did get to use it, it was very beneficial. I also used Becker, NINJA notes, Wiley – so the Roger cram was a supplement. But I definitely thought it was worth the money.
If I didn't pass BEC again, I would probably start with the cram and then work my way again through the other review material I have.

[Author]

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