Becker CPA Review

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    Topic
  • #157856
    Vern
    Participant

    Could somebody give me some insight on Becker. I originally bought Gleim which is about to expire. I paid $600 total for all 4 parts of Gleim Online & test prep. I was offered this because of a student discount. I now have the option of renewing at 169 per part. I took Auditing on 5/26 and have no idea if I passed. I don’t know if I’m willing to spend another 3,000 for Becker. How guaranteed is it? They are now offering the class at a local college nearby. Is it worth the extra $500 to attend class? Everybody from work tells me it’s impossible to pass without Becker. I was scoring in the high 90’s for every question Gleim had to offer, but I don’t think I passed Auditing because of the sims. Could anybody compare Becker to Yaeger?

    Please Help

    Audit Passed
    FAR Passed
    REG Passed
    BEC ??

Viewing 15 replies - 1 through 15 (of 24 total)
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  • #229557
    75 CPA
    Participant

    Becker is a review course. Yaeger is a teaching course. Are you ready for a high speed and low drag course like Becker? I never was.

    I think of Becker as very expensive Cliff Notes. If you have the money, Becker has the most professional lectures and books. I love the mnemonics, for example. The lectures are fast paced and entertaining.

    Yaeger combines the best of Becker (lectures) and Gleim (organized multiple choice questions). Yaeger gives a short lecture and then reviews the multiple choice questions in the Wiley book.

    Yaeger is the only review course to go over multiple choice questions. Becker, Bisk and Gleim only give you a written explanation of the correct answer. Yaeger gives you a verbal explanation of the multiple choice questions. Additionally, Yaeger shows you why the multiple choice questions are tricky.

    I struggled for a year with Becker and Gleim. Five weeks before my FAR exam I was convinced that I would fail. Therefore, I ordered the Yaeger review class. Yaeger was the bridge that got me from Becker lectures to Gleim multiple choice questions. Yaeger did in five weeks what Becker and Gleim could not do in one year. The major advantage of Yaeger is that they drill down to hundreds of multiple choice questions. Becker does not do that.

    Yaeger has no peer when it comes to explaining multiple choice questions and simplifying the Wiley book. I would not have passed FAR without Yaeger. I cannot stress enough how important Yaeger is to your study plan!

    When I wanted to review Dollar-Value LIFO on page F4-60 of Becker. I listened to Becker's DVD on Inventory, and guess what? Peter Olinto does NOT review Dollar-Value LIFO! He told us to be sure that we reviewed it on our own! Additionally, the Bisk Hot Spot on Inventory does not even mention Dollar-Value LIFO. Only Yaeger reviews Dollar-Value LIFO. Yaeger has a three step approach to solving Dollar-Value LIFO. Therefore, I pulled out my Gleim Test Prep and I solved all 9 multiple choice using my notes from Yaeger.

    Becker always has their hands out for more money. Only 10% of the CPA candidates pass all four sections on the first try. I was not one of those candidates. I made the mistake of buying all four sections of Becker at one time. I never got to see two of the Becker sections because Becker expires after 18 months.

    There is no such thing as a free lunch with Becker materials after 18 months. If you fail a section you will have to come up with a lot of money, even if you sent in a performance report showing that you completed 100% of the lectures, and got 90% of the homework multiple choice questions correct. It is going to cost you $250 ($155 for new materials plus $95 shipping) per section ($1,000 total). If you did not send in a performance report, it will cost you a “discounted price” as a former student of $550 ($455 materials + $95 shipping charges). That is a total of $2,200 for all four sections! That is in addition to the almost $3,000 that you paid for all four sections the first time!

    One problem that I have with Becker is their lack of personal help. I have to come to this forum for help when Becker's explanations are not sufficient. When I do not understand something with Yaeger, I call up Dr. Phil Yaeger. He spent 1 1/2 hours with me over the phone for FAR!

    Most CPA candidates have trouble with Becker's chapter 3 (FAR) and chapter 5 (cost accounting, etc.). Both chapters are a piece of cake after you finish Yaeger! I use Yaeger as my teaching course and Becker as my quick review course AFTER I finish Yaeger. Becker always makes more sense after I finish Yaeger.

    Yaeger gives you the biggest bang for your buck. Give Dr. Phil Yaeger a call. You cannot beat the combination o f the Wiley book and Yaeger. Yaeger’s strength is going over the multiple choice questions in the Wiley textbook.

    P.S. Do NOT buy the “live” Becker classes. Those classes are not live. You will watch the same DVDs that you get for the home study program.

    #229558
    Vern
    Participant

    What about the passing rates? I tried talking to my Gleim counselor and she said she has no idea. Could anybody tell me which program has the highest passing rate? I'm willing to spend 200-300 hours of studying at each section as long as they tell me which program is best? I'm just afraid of wasted time

    Audit Passed
    FAR Passed
    REG Passed
    BEC ??

    #229559
    jeff
    Keymaster

    I would ignore “passing rates”…go with the course that fits your budget and your learning style. Also – input from others who have used the products you're considering are helpful.

    AUD - 79
    BEC - 80
    FAR - 76
    REG - 92
    Jeff Elliott, CPA (KS)
    NINJA CPA | NINJA CMA | NINJA CPE | Another71
    #229560
    Vern
    Participant

    Hi Jeff,

    So how much would Yaeger cost? Will they match student discounts? I had a coworker that graduated with his MBA that paid the same price as me (Gleim). Becker has a program that they will beat out a competitor if you are enrolled. I think I want Yaeger, but Gleim offers me a great price. Is it worth the extra money?

    Audit Passed
    FAR Passed
    REG Passed
    BEC ??

    #229561
    Anonymous
    Inactive

    I bought all 4 parts of Becker at the same time, I wish I hadn't done that, as now two have expired. I was ambitious at first thought I'd take all 4 parts in the 18 months Becker allows, but life got the better of me. I took Reg passed on the first try w/Becker, failed Audit. Then decided to try the Yagear Cram, moved my audit score up 13 points, and that's w/scoring weaker on Sims/WC. I decided I wasn't going to play around w/Becker anymore and decided to go w/Yager for BEC and FAR. I agree that Becker is just about money. I think its crazy that they're DVDs expire. Sometimes people can't take the exam in the alloted time given by Becker.

    #229562

    Vern,

    I personally like Becker. I feel that they are adequate at helping you perform your best. While it is true that the software expires…I was “innovative” and I am still using mine even though it expired on 6/1. I failed FAR…I truly believe it boiled down to my sim because I totally used the wrong formula…i figured it out when i got to my car. I failed BEC because I totally didnt think it would be that hard being MC and all. WRONG!!! I literally cried in the exam and i can only be mad at myself because there are tons of MC questions I didnt do for the homework because I was cocky I was like “I got this!” Pfft. no I didnt. Now I am restudying for BEC and this time I am working the book backwards because I really never got to the end of the book because I thought it would be easy.

    By the way, Becker did give me an extension to june 1st because I called them and told them that my last exam was 5/28 and my software originally expired on 5/1.

    As for choosing Becker, it was the only option available to me. As I was unemployed at the time, and every state has a program with the unemploymet office. They provide WIA (workforce investment act) funds to obtain certification. Here in IL you are allotted 5000 dollars. They told me to go to the computer and look up my certification and see who offered courses for it. Two were colleges and one was Becker. So I chose Becker and they paid for the in class classes, materials, il board of examiner fees, and NASBA fees. The only thing i paid for were my transcripts and I bought the becker flashcards off of EBAY.

    Passing rates…I agree with Jeff. Dont worry about that because people who pass put in the time and effort to pass. The review materials are just that. They are not magic. They dont appear before you during the exam and allow you to thumb thru them to find the answer. You have to sacrifice and study to be successful.

    Good Luck

    IL - BECKER=============> DONE
    REG - 80; FAR - 65,79; AUD - 53,78; BEC - 71,68, 75 (used becker and yaeger for 3rd BEC)Ethics 95

    I'M GONNA CELEBRATE AND LIVE MY LIFE SAYING AYE OH BABY LETS GO!!!!!

    #229563
    75 CPA
    Participant

    This is my experience: I bought the entire Becker program in their live mode six years ago. I had also recorded Becker's lectures for FAR. Additionally, I had the full current Gleim program. I was unaware that other review programs existed until I found a CPA forum. I called Dr. Yaeger a month before my FAR exam in 2008, and I realized that I would fail FAR, based upon studying out-of-date materials, etc. Additionally, I was really frustrated with Becker and Gleim. I had wasted a year of my life studying FAR with Gleim and an old version of Becker. I failed FAR in 2008 with a 68.

    I was impressed with Dr. Yaeger's helpful attitude when I called him a month before my FAR exam last year. I bought his FAR review 30 days before my FAR exam in August, 2008. However, it was the proverbial too little and too late. I rushed through Yaeger's program for FAR in 30 days. I was learning something new every hour! That was not a good sign.

    Becker’s FAR is not enough for Chapter 5. Becker's total lecture runtime for chapter 5 is only 3 hours and 43 minutes. Yaeger's total runtime over the same material (Modules 42b,43, 44, and 45) is 9 hours and 16 minutes!

    Cindy at Yaeger spends almost 3 hours on cost accounting alone. After trying to do Becker's Passmaster multiple choice questions for cost accounting, I had to use Yaeger's lectures in order to answer Becker's questions. Additionally, Becker made the formula for the FIFO approach to equivalent units more complicated and confusing than it has to be. Cindy at Yaeger made it so simple!

    #229564
    Anonymous
    Inactive

    While I haven't had any experience with Yaeger, I'm currently using Becker. I couldn't agree with everyone more that Becker is truly a review course. The depth of the material covered isn't fantastic, but in many regards it doesn't necessarily need to be.

    In my opinion, if you've recently completed college coursework for the material covered in each exam, you'll likely be just fine with Becker as it should still be somewhat fresh in your mind. However, with what I've heard about Yaeger, if it's been a little while or you'd like to study things more thoroughly – Yaeger is a great option (and arguably the price is right). Best of luck!

    #229565
    mh1086
    Participant

    Vern,

    I haven't used in any materials other than Becker, so this is purely my experience using Becker. I attended the live course from January to May 2010 and took all four sections of the exam within these two testing windows. I successfully passed 3 sections and am still waiting on the 4th. I purchased the flashcards as well, even though I didn't really use them that much. I watched the lectures at the class and went through the book again before I tried the MCQs. I did the MCQs 3x for audit and 2x for all the other sections. I didn't do too much work on the simulations, but there are many if you want to practice. I did both of the practice exams for each section before taking the exam.

    I think it's important to really just commit to whatever materials you buy, do whatever they ask of you. I know that with Becker, if you put in the time and work, it is very possible to pass! I barely had a life for the past 5 months, but if that means that I can be finished soon, I think it is worth it. I had a tendency to zone out during part of the live course due to its length and time (at night), but the notes are great. I wouldn't recommend rewatching the lectures, it seemed to be more helpful to go through the text again at home and work through any problems there. The live course was great to keep me on a schedule. No one is there checking to make sure you did your homework for the class, but it is emphasized multiple times per class. It was helpful to stay motivated by talking to other people at the class, easing some anxiety. The instructors I had at mine were really helpful too. We watched the lectures, but they would stop and add things or give us tips and hints and explain areas of confusion. To me, the live course was a valuable asset to have. The instructors would email you back if you emailed questions with explanations.

    I hope you find the course and materials you are looking for and that you pass! Good luck!

    FAR 82, AUD 91, REG 83, BEC 85, ETHICS 98

    #229566
    mh1086
    Participant

    Also: I know the price is steep. You can find a small discount ($300 or so) from your state's Society of CPAs.

    FAR 82, AUD 91, REG 83, BEC 85, ETHICS 98

    #229567
    Anonymous
    Inactive

    I used Becker's live class format and passed all four sections in one go after having been out of school for a decade. It worked great for my style of review.

    #229568

    You know us as candidates should voice this to the review people. They need to provide an excerpt, just 30 minutes, of their courses. I think if they attack it that way we can judge which one would be beneficial to us. In the long run, it will probably gain them a customer they never would have in the first place because now someone has identified with their teaching style. I must admit, I am curious to see what Yaegar is like. I think i am going to suggest this to becker. I truly enjoy the fact that their software pretty much duplicates the format of the exam. AWESOME. I only wish they would explain the 1000's of mc questions with a voice and not a written explanation, but i guess after awhile i can figure them out.

    IL - BECKER=============> DONE
    REG - 80; FAR - 65,79; AUD - 53,78; BEC - 71,68, 75 (used becker and yaeger for 3rd BEC)Ethics 95

    I'M GONNA CELEBRATE AND LIVE MY LIFE SAYING AYE OH BABY LETS GO!!!!!

    #229569
    Anonymous
    Inactive

    I thought Becker did explain w/a voice? Or is that only the questions you do along w/the lecture? I do recall not getting one right and hitting explanation and Steve Gearty explaining the answer

    #229570
    75 CPA
    Participant

    Bigmones

    Becker uses an audio to read the correct answer in the lectures. However, there is no explanation why the other answers are wrong,etc. This is an improvement over a few years ago when there was no audio. However, it falls short of Yaeger, Bob Monette (Bisk Hot Spots) and Lambers – Garland). Additionally, Becker has no verbal explanations for the passmaster or supplementary questions.

    #229571
    Anonymous
    Inactive

    Steve Gearty lawl

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