[Anonymous]

I have a Big 4 internship next June, and I would like to get a bit of a jump start on the CPA exam. I’d really like to attempt a section before my internship, basically as soon as I hit 120 hrs next spring, around late April/early May, I’d like to knock out one section. I know the Big 4 firms will cover your CPA materials if you have a FT offer in hand, but I don’t have one yet, and while I’m fairly certain they reimburse you for anything you bought if you do end up with an offer, I simply don’t have the cash to front several thousand dollars for the expensive materials/courses like Becker right now.

So basically, until the time that I potentially get a FT offer and have the ability to have my CPA exam materials paid for, is there a much cheaper resource out there that I can buy myself that will still give me a good chance at knocking out one (or two) section(s) before/after my internship, before I get reimbursed or paid for? I know Wiley makes the review books for dirt cheap and with great reviews, I was thinking of Frankensteining those books with the test bank and Ninja notes. Other options are the RogerCPA which is about $600/section or CPA excel “Video Self-Study” course which is about $425 a section with a student discount. These prices are pretty much the max I could lay out for it without really straining until I get reimbursed. I’m sure the Frankensteining method would be fine, but the lectures from Roger seem easier to pay attention to, as I tend to get bored, and CPAExcel has those bite sized sections which are good.

Fire away with any suggestions, I’m open to anything. I’ll probably end up just getting the Becker when the firm is ready to pay for it (unless I really prefer CPAExcel or Roger), but for I need something cheaper to lay out cash for.

Thanks in advance!

[mla1169]

Wiley & Ninja worked fine for me (I was in my MS program at the time)

However the CPA isn't really an exam you can start casually studying for 6+ months in advance. Its generally recommended 4-6 weeks (maybe up to 8 weeks) of studying per section. Most studying > 8 weeks in advance is likely to be forgotten as the time comes closer.

FAR- 77
AUD -49, 71, 84
REG -56,75!
BEC -75

Massachusetts CPA (non reporting) since 3/12.

[StephAV]

I would wait until you have the needed units to purchase your review course… I know Roger has a student discount. I beleive you can put down a deposit to lock in your student pricing. I really like Roger's course. His book is clear and concise, his lectures are entertaining and the course comes with Wiley books, software and access to the online test back. It is all only good for 1 year though, then you'd have to extend it (ie pay more).

I remember being overly eager to get started on the exam and my career. I graduated 8 years ago… I was totally burnt out on school, I was working on trying to get 150 units into 4 years, plus work PT and I was also very involved with our Accounting clubs on campus. It was all just too much. Went from school to like 3 weeks later starting my job in public accounting. After not passing the first three sections of the exam on my first try I gave up altogether… I was a no show for my last section. Moral of the story, don't over do it!

FAR - 7/13 - 72, 11/13- 74, 2/14- 82!!! Best score ever (for me)!!!
BEC - 1/14 - 75!!! Perfect score! First Pass! YAY!!!
AUD - 8/14 - 80!!!
REG - 5/14 - 72, 10/14 - 66, 1/15 - 78 - DONE FOREVER!!!
I did 5 of the UNA and CPAExcel classes to earn units.

[Anonymous]

KPMG's preferred study course is CPAExcel + Wiley TestBank, not sure if that really helps you out or not, but I think it at least goes to show it's a solid review course. I haven't taken any tests yet but I feel very good going in to REG. I really don't think you need the flashcards or hardcopy textbooks with CPAExcel, I think you can get the core study materials for a pretty decent price.

I can say with all the social stuff you'll be doing during your internship you probably won't be wanting to study much next summer. I'd probably just wait until next September when you get your FT offer and access to the review course for free. Passing a few sections is definitely doable while you're in school, I know a few kids who passed all four sections during our Masters program. But if you really want to start early, go for it!

[Anonymous]

I'm using Gleim which is less than $1000 for all 4 parts – book, online review, plus test bank of their own. I like the system from Gleim.

[Anonymous]

mla1169- “However the CPA isn't really an exam you can start casually studying for 6+ months in advance. Its generally recommended 4-6 weeks (maybe up to 8 weeks) of studying per section. Most studying > 8 weeks in advance is likely to be forgotten as the time comes closer”

Thanks for your advice. Maybe I will instead wait until a little closer to May to start studying then. I just really would love to squeeze in a section before my internship, but I'm not sure if its going to be possible to get my transcripts updated, apply, get a NTS, and schedule the test all in a month. I guess I may have to bit the bullet and wait till September 2014, but I'd really like to finish all the exams by the conclusion of my Master's, which would be May 2015, so I can relax and travel before FT work starts.

StephAV- Thanks for your input on RogerCPA. It seems like a great course, I have kind of a bad attention span, so mildly entertaining lecture may be more my style than just reading on my own.

As far as rushing, I just want to be done with all four sections before the conclusion of my Master's program so I can relax and travel before I start FT. If I took the first section in September 2014, I'm not sure if I could reasonably be done by May 2015

co10101- Thanks for the input on CPAExcel. I know of a couple people using it and they like it, particularly because the sections are small, so you can squeeze in study time on lunch breaks, before bed, etc. As far as wwaiing till september, basically like I said above to the other replies, I just really want to have it all done by the end of my Master's, so I would really like to knock out one section before my Master's begins if possible. There's a lot of things I want to do before I start FT, and I dont want the exam bogging me down. Starting life in a new city alone and having a new career will be enough of a challenge, so I'd rather not worry about the CPA.

clarissa- I haven't really looked into Gleim but I have heard some good things. I will check it out, thanks. This will really only be for one section before I get Becker from the firm.

Just a side note, I'd love to heard everyone's recommended schedule of examinations if anyone wanted to chime in, i.e. Section 1 in May 2014, Section 2 September 2014, or section 1 September 2014, etc. Its hard for me without knowing to realistically understand what is possible to take when and what not, keeping in mind I'd really love to be done completely by May 2015 or earlier (conclusion of my Master's)

[MrsBing]

If you know you're going to be reimbursed, Becker offers monthly payments at zero percent financing.

Becker, Wiley Test Bank, and Ninja 10 Point Combo!

FAR: 89
REG: 87
AUD: 92
BEC: 75
Ethics: 90

Licensed Arizona CPA

[Anonymous]

MrsBing- I'm pretty sure thats how it works, so maybe I'll do just that. I'd have to check with my firm to make sure its ok, but I'm pretty sure all the Big 4 do that.

[Anonymous]

Bumping this real quick

[overapplied]

I'm just using the Gleim books, and Ninja Note outlines.

I took advantage of the school discount, since I was still in classes when I purchased the books (and one of my instructors had registered for the discount). For me the books were roughly $64 each, so about $256 dollars. They also come with the Gleim practice test software (which gets you a mass of questions [2500 questions average for each section]).

The only downside is the software only updates for the calendar year (then they stop giving you updates). I have not found this to be a real problem.

I hate to say it but… I discovered that Half-Price books had the Gleim books and audio course review. This may be a better source of discount materials. I actually picked up the 2011 Gleim Audio for REG from Half-Price ($19.99) and have not found that it has many differences in numbers for the tax years. If you go the used book route I would be skeptical of the AUD material (since they just changed that exam).

AUD - 75 - 07/06/2012
FAR - 72, 74, 82 - 05/30/2013
BEC - 84 - 01/16/2013
REG - 60ish, 84 - 08/16/2013

CISA - Passed

[jeff]

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

[tomq04]

You can use Jeff's coupon along with the student discount. You can also skip the “books” which saves you somewhere between $100-$200, this isn't something they advertise until you actually select ‘I want the online text only” then you are reimbursed the $160 (or w/e) it was to buy the e-books. I ended up paying $1064 for CPA excel for all 4 courses.

I liked the price, and I like what i've gotten, but I haven't passed an exam yet…sooooo up to you 🙂

for what it's worth, my first exam is July 11, so I haven't taken one yet either.

REG- (1) 76
FAR- (2) 64, (5)74, (7)83 (Over achiever!)
AUD- (3) 70, (4) 75
BEC- (6) 75

[Anonymous]

tomq04- Thanks for your advice! Unfortunately, I have been told by someone that the firms do not reimburse for exam materials (and possibly also fees) that you incurred before receiving a FT offer. In this case, it would obviously make no sense for me to purchase anything before I receive and sign an offer, unless I went with something incredibly cheap, like JUST a wiley book and that website with the hundreds of free questions.

This would sort of derail my plans, as the soonest I'd be able to start taking the exam would be October 2014, after the internship, but I'm hoping even under that timeline, I could complete all four sections by the following April/May, when I complete my Master's

Link: Current CPAexcel Discount Codes

[Author]

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