Hello, my Becker materials will be expiring soon and have thus far been unsuccessful at the CPA exam. If I were to do ninja book, ninja notes, and ninja MCQ, would that be enough to pass assuming I put in the time and effort?
You can pass by just doing MCQs. Some people have passed just by reading the text (although that's less common). It's all up to how you approach your studies. Good luck!
The thing is everyone is different. Other than expiring, what about Becker is resulting in unsuccessful results? I would submit that it's crucial that you figure that out before trying a new plan.
Personally, I have used Becker videos for 2/4 sections and will continue to do so, but I have a low-ish regard for their videos. They focus so much on “highlight” or “box off” without explaining the concepts. I'd rather have a book that is already “boxed off” and have an instructor actually explain the content. It's funny, when Olinto speaks I get reams of notes. The others just don't have “it”.
Given the relatively low (but not immaterial) value of their videos, I do think the right candidate can finish without the vids but would have to be that kind of learner.
My strategy:
* Watch vids and take notes in Evernote while watching. I don't “box off” anything in the book. Just try to write down what they DO say other than “highlight” or “underline”.
* Work on problems (now Ninja only)
* Continue to take notes on problems
* Curate notes (connect dots between sections and topic, etc)
* Work on more problems
* I first highlight my curated notes red for what I don't think I'll recall then for final review I'll highlight the most critical red notes in blue.
Don't put too much weight on this until I pass the other 2 sections.
Yes but video lectures do help in big picture concepts. Sometimes its easy to skip them and think they are not helpful, they become VERY helpful for those trouble topics you are stuck on by “Stepping by” from just simply problem solving/reading.
There are tonssss of videos on youtube, esp on Financial Accounting, that can help bridge your NINJA materials, etc… Just take it with a grain of salt tho and vet it with materials that you know are most current and make sure the videos are at least still relevant. I used the link below alot just to give me big picture stuff. Again, don't want to stress enough to check if its still relevant, but for the most part, the ideas are still VERY relevant.
I really mostly watched videos on trouble topics, if the topic seems not too crazy for you, i would suggest ignoring video learning on that.
For me, videos give a nice context for what's most important with the material and helps link all of the material together. However, it's time consuming and not necessary. Like has been mentioned, you should figure out why you didn't pass before so that you can address that deficiency more specifically. What seems to work is having multiple forms of material and to be actively involved in the learning, which is why MCQs are so helpful.
Thanks for the feedback. If I were to go full NINJA, book, notes, MCQ, would that work? I only ask because people often mix in their Becker study materials with NINJA.
I'm a big fan of the full NINJA method. I used CPAexcel for my first 4 attempts, and full NINJA for my last. I like reading the book at your own pace, listening to the audio, and then going straight to practice questions.
“I only ask because people often mix in their Becker study materials with NINJA.”
This observation could lead to the wrong conclusion. In my case, I chose Becker because it's been used by thousands (millions) and it's provided by my firm and many others. In retrospect, I wish I did just one section first then evaluate if it was for me. Now to fulfill the obligation of my commitment to finish, I use it – “a craftsman never blames his tools”.
So in this case – use of Ninja and other materials isn't the “killer combination” but a supplement for a system that is otherwise unsuitable for me (but great for others – to each their own).
I would heartily not recommend my path but say people should try what works for them and commit to one section at a time if needed rather than buying the 4 section bundle.
Probably, but u better do some reading. Some of Becker's lectures are informative and help tie concepts together. But other lectures, such as those with Angie Brown, are absolutely terrible and downright depressing. However, Peter O'linto does a nice job with his lectures and I do not recommend skipping his. Goodluck
Agree with some other posts above, it is 100% dependent on your learning style. If you are a mostly auditory learner, then use the audio feature provided by your review course, or *listen to* Youtube videos. Roger's course has a lot of complimentary Youtube vids. If you learn more visually or are kinesthetic learner (like to take notes) then videos might help you.
Some people pass these exams only by working a ton of problems/questions. Some people do everything under the moon – vids, audio, notes, problems, flash cards…..
From my humble perspective, videos are only going to get you so far. They're good for identifying highly-tested things on the exams. Roger often says “Write this down or highlight it because they love to test on it”. That's a plus. And, for the TBS's, it's good to watch a big problem being worked from start to finish. BUT – watching and listening is only about five percent of the battle. If you have the skills already, you can answer the questions easily. If not, you're best off watching a video one time and then spending 90 percent of your study time working questions/problems on your own (and then comparing your work with the solutions if you need to.) Hands-on is the only way to get thru these things.
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