[ttd]

Hello everyone,

I am just finishing up on the course requirements for the exam (this is my finals week actually), and decided to take a look at what I’m heading into, as my plan is to start reviewing for FAR next week. One of my classmates has mentioned that CPA exams are very different from what we learn in Intermediate Accounting, but when I took a look at the sample questions on FAR section, they seemed to be almost the same as Intermediate Accounting questions. So now I am a little confused – how similar/different is FAR section from Intermediate Accounting? If I have just recently gone through the lovely 1500 pages worth of Intermediate Accounting textbook, should I still invest in a review course for FAR? I am just a beginner here so would would appreciate any comments, so I can make wise decisions and not waste time/money.

[valueofnothing]

if you go to a legit school, they should be comparable. in my intermediate 2 class (usually taken junior year) the teacher's exams were literally made up of gleim CPA prep questions.

REG - 81
BEC - 88
AUD - 85
FAR - 81

[Anonymous]

College was a totally different ballgame. I've had to prepare classified balance sheets, Multiple-Step Income Statements, and Statement of Cash Flows. With the CPA exam, you don't have to do that. I agree with T-rex. The CPA exam has a lot of screwed up and poorly worded questions. Not to mention that they're tricky as hell and sometimes can be deceiving. So, it's all about getting used to this new style of questions.

So, don't think that just because you kicked butt on your college course, then you'll kick butt on the CPA exam. It doesn't work that way. I can tell you right now that I was only 1 of 3 people in a class of 40 in college that was able to get an A in Intermediate Accounting. Yet, you are looking at a guy who has failed FAR four times.

[Herbieherb]

@ value if your intermediate class was so legit you can take FAR now..why wait?

NEW YORK- DONE

[Anonymous]

@Herbieherb — agreed

[valueofnothing]

@herb

answer 1 – i didn't take financial 3 covering things like gov't, consolodations, etc, that are on the exam, and my memory isn't perfect so even topics that i have learned, i need to review

answer 2 – i sorta deserve that sassiness after the semi-arrogant post, but i stand by claiming that good college classes are great preparation. I took REG first because I was fresh outta corporate tax class (and personal was very familiar too due to a crazy tough teacher), and while i don't know if I passed or not yet, i was very familiar and comfortable with the material as i began prepping because of the courses. and when a college course is evaluating you using the same prep questions that many people are preparing with… whats the difference other benefiting from instruction along with the material?

REG - 81
BEC - 88
AUD - 85
FAR - 81

[Anonymous]

@valueofnothing- I wasn't being arrogant. In fact, I was directing my post towards the OP, not you. I was just giving my opinion. My apologies if my post came out the wrong way.

[valueofnothing]

@cpa no worries, i meant MY semi-arrogant post.

REG - 81
BEC - 88
AUD - 85
FAR - 81

[lovexly]

Definitely invest in a review course. FAR topics are a mile wide. Review courses will help you identify what type of topics and to what extent are they tested (difficulty level)

FAR - 83 - 05/23/2011
BEC - 85 - 07/02/2011
AUD - 79 - 08/13/2011
REG - scheduled Oct 10

[mike_terror]

@TTD, I'll be finishing my last quarter of undergrad during summer as well and will be in the same shoes as you. Which college's intermediate accounting course are you attending if you don't mind me asking.

[ttd]

@mike_terror,

Actually I finished my undergrad a long, long time ago – like years and years ago. In my original post I just said that I was finishing up on course requirements for this exam, but I guess everyone assumed that I meant as a college student.

I majored in Econ for undergrad and needed accounting course credits under CA jurisdictions. So I took just enough courses at UCLA Extension. We used Kieso 13th edition for our textbook, and although very, very long, I think the authors did a good job at going over the intermediate accounting concepts. And since my goal was already set to go for the exam after I'm done with the requirements, I was fairly motivated to actually read through the materials and make sense out of them. (Although I really don't consider myself better prepared than anyone else just starting out on studying for the exam. So please don't get me wrong. I get it now – college courses and CPA exam are two separate things.)

So if you are finishing up as an undergrad, you are way ahead of me. And I think it's great that you're thinking about taking the exam now, because it really takes a lot more effort if you try to do it after you've been out of school for a while. Some might say I'm not qualified to make this statement since I haven't even started studying for the exam yet, but I actually spent months studying earlier this year for another big exam. I had a tough, tough time trying to get my acadamic side of brain working again.

Sorry for the long answer to your short question. =)

[Anonymous]

I used the same book/same edition for my intermediate accounting class. In fact, I still have the book around here somewhere! You're right, they do a great job of explaining intermediate accounting concepts. You may be able to do self-study with the Kieso book and maybe like a Wiley book. I know a lot of people that went that route.

[mike_terror]

Kieso Intermediate Accounting 13ed. Oh dear lord how I hated that book. My school divided that book up into 2 classes, both professors that I took the class with had a very deep accent and made it extremely hard for me to follow in class. I tried putting in some hours hammering the book to get it into my head and boy did it take me a long time. I am so glad I finished that course. I was only a sophomore / junior at the time and to be honest, I wasn't taking my studies too seriously. Shame on me.

[Anonymous]

Ah, good ol' Kieso. I remember how much fun it was lugging that gigantic book around!! As I skim through that book now, I'm shocked at how much is NOT tested on the CPA exam. So, using the Keiso book as your CPA review book is not a good idea. Stick with the Wiley CPA Review book!

And yes, all my Accounting books in College are right on my shelf. I will never get rid of my Accounting books.

[Author]

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