[Anonymous]

hey Everyone,

I recently started at a firm and plan on taking the exam. I have the Becker self study review. I have decided to take FAR first since i know this one will be tough. I have about an hour commute so i was curious if it would be beneficial to add in audio cds for studying when driving. If so, what ones do you recommend? Since busy season is coming, i plan to take the exam after busy season. Any advice would be appreciated.

[yankeeaccountant]

@bdelgaudio

I haven't used audio cd's, but I would say a one hour commute is a great opportunity to study. Since I didn't have the audio cd's I would bring my laptop when driving and listen to a lecture. I think grabbing all the opportunities you can makes it worthwhile. I think you will have to check out the thread on CPA Review Programs to get info on the audio cd's.

I have used Becker, Yaeger, and Roger. Everybody has their favorite. For FAR, I really liked Yaeger. I thought Cindy did a great job. Yaeger and Roger are more teaching programs, Becker is more review. It all depends on you. Check out youtube to see some samples or better yet go to their websites to get a listen.

Best of luck.

[KasiaS]

I used niu correspondence and that is an audio course (mp3) which I very highly recommend. I have a 1:20 commute each way so I listened to the lectures. It's definitely awesome to take advantage of this time to do something constructive. Even if you're half listening, you'll still pick up on a lot of material.

FAR 88 (07/15/11)
BEC 83 (08/31/11)
AUD 81 (10/15/11)
REG 83 (11/26/11)

Used NIU Correspondence CPA Review

[That Cartoon Mouse]

I've never used an audio course, but it seems like a great option for your commute. One thing you may consider, especially if money is an issue AND you're already satisfied with the material in your main study course AND you have sufficient time, is to record your own CDs.

If you have a Mac, then you can do this all in garageband; I'm sure there's comparable free software for PC (certainly if you had to buy a USB mic at Target, it would come with software). Then just record yourself reading the chapters, giving definitions, explaining mnemonics, etc. CDRs are relatively cheap so you don't have to wait till you've recorded everything to burn a chapter.

I did this when studying cost accounting in school (not for the CPA exam) when I just had to remember 20,000 definitions. It worked out pretty okay.

If this sounds too complicated, spend the money on the audio CDs. They're a lot cheaper than another NTS.

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

[Anonymous]

Thanks everyone!

[vince3151]

To bdelgaudio

After about (2) years I passed all four sections. FAR gave me the most trouble, I took it (6) times. I used Gleim FAR audio review for my 1 hr each way commute. I was going to list these on EBay for $20- but if you think you can benefit from them and feel you will use them, I will mail them to you free of charge. Be well !!

BEC - 76, 77
REG- 75
AUD- 63, 67, 71, 76
FAR- 61, 67, 69, 74, 78

[vince3151]

By the way……they are 2010 originals not copies in a case

BEC - 76, 77
REG- 75
AUD- 63, 67, 71, 76
FAR- 61, 67, 69, 74, 78

[Anonymous]

One caveat though – I used the Bisk audio CD's for Audit and they were so dry that it was very hard to stay focused on them. I also thought they needed to carry a warning “do not use this product while driving or operating heavy machinery”….

Seriously though, if you do decide to go audio, I do not recommend the Bisk set. The delivery is very monotone.

Good luck!

[Author]

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