Is Becker CPA Review really THAT phenomenal?

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  • #181736
    Anonymous
    Inactive

    It just seems no matter who I talk to or what I read, so many people seem to swear by Becker CPA Review. I simply can not afford the $3400+ for Becker and I am looking at getting Wiley CPAexcel which after discounts/promo codes I can get for about $1150 or so. Am I going to regret purchasing Wiley down the road and wishing I had just spent the money on Becker?

    I’ve never really been “great” at accounting as a whole, have mainly pushed a B in most all of my theory classes, with all of my Intermediate 1&2 and Advanced courses being very difficult for me and struggling to get a C. This has made me very worrisome about the FAR section of the exam and I am just really wanting something really thorough and explanatory to help me out. Right now I have a Gleim Financial Accounting ‘Exam Questions and Explanations’ book for FAR that I purchased to help me out with my Government course, and I try to work through the MCQs and am just having a very hard time. I am graduating in December and I plan to purchase the materials not too long after graduation and shooting for a February test date for FAR. I plan to be working part-time but do not want anything full-time right now so I can focus on studying.

    Knowing my background, will CPAexcel be a good choice, or is it for more advanced and familiar users compared to Becker?

Viewing 15 replies - 1 through 15 (of 38 total)
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  • #469796
    Anonymous
    Inactive

    I'm not familiar with CPAExcel much, but my advice in general would be to compare several curriculums which are within your price range and see which one you feel like you will learn best from. People swear by whatever got a pass for them, from what I've gathered… Becker is one of the most well-known, so has a lot of people swearing by it, but personally, I don't like what I've seen of it. If I'd decided to get a video course, I would have gotten Roger for $1695. Becker was never an option due to the cost, but I listened to a couple sample lectures from Roger and thought his was pretty good. Personally, I used Wiley. I passed 4 tests, first-try, with Wiley. So, since that's what I passed with, I'd swear by it. But…I also recognize that all of these programs are good. The key is to find the program that will best facilitate your ability to learn. Video lectures weren't best for me – a book with all the dry, boring information in one place was best for me…so I swear by Wiley. My advice to others, though, is always to compare the materials that are available and find one that really suits you. If you feel like you can understand and learned from the sample lecture, it's probably a winner!

    Some names to look into: Yaegar, Roger, CPAExcel, Gleim, Becker (even though it's ridiculous 😛 ), Wiley, and I can't think of any others off-hand. Another71's materials are useful, too, but at present are just a supplement rather than a full course, so that's why I didn't put NINJA in the list. Once you pick a main course, if you have some spare cash, they can be helpful, but there's not a full course available at the moment (unless I missed a big announcement 😛 ).

    #469847
    Anonymous
    Inactive
    #469798
    jeff
    Keymaster

    Created with Compare Ninja

    AUD - 79
    BEC - 80
    FAR - 76
    REG - 92
    Jeff Elliott, CPA (KS)
    NINJA CPA | NINJA CMA | NINJA CPE | Another71
    #469849
    jeff
    Keymaster
    AUD - 79
    BEC - 80
    FAR - 76
    REG - 92
    Jeff Elliott, CPA (KS)
    NINJA CPA | NINJA CMA | NINJA CPE | Another71
    #469799
    jlough
    Member

    I've used Becker (Exam Attempt #1 which resulted in 6 fails and 1 pass) and CPAExcel (Exam Attempt #2, which has been 2 for 2 so far).

    From what I've seen, Becker goes much more indepth on the topics. CPAExcel assumes that you have a better understanding of the topics from the start. Becker focuses more on pointing out the areas that are tested heavily and uses mnemonics. CPAExcel focuses on making sure you understand the topics and aren't just memorizing.

    I've been successful so far with CPAExcel because of their “bite sized lessons”- each lesson is anywhere from 5 minutes to 2 hours. It makes it easier to slip in some studying here and there- and it's perfect for a person (like me) who has trouble concentrating for hours on end. I also like that it never expires unlike Becker.

    Since you are a recent grad, many of the exam topics will be fresh in your head and I think as long as you have access to some supplemental study materials to beef up topics that CPAExcel doesn't explain too much, you would be fine with it.

    F- 7/13- 84
    R- 10/13- 79
    A- 11/13- 99
    B- 1/14- 86

    Licensed in PA- 3/20/2014

    This exam ALMOST defeated me back in 2006-2008, but I came back and WON!

    #469851
    jlough
    Member

    I've used Becker (Exam Attempt #1 which resulted in 6 fails and 1 pass) and CPAExcel (Exam Attempt #2, which has been 2 for 2 so far).

    From what I've seen, Becker goes much more indepth on the topics. CPAExcel assumes that you have a better understanding of the topics from the start. Becker focuses more on pointing out the areas that are tested heavily and uses mnemonics. CPAExcel focuses on making sure you understand the topics and aren't just memorizing.

    I've been successful so far with CPAExcel because of their “bite sized lessons”- each lesson is anywhere from 5 minutes to 2 hours. It makes it easier to slip in some studying here and there- and it's perfect for a person (like me) who has trouble concentrating for hours on end. I also like that it never expires unlike Becker.

    Since you are a recent grad, many of the exam topics will be fresh in your head and I think as long as you have access to some supplemental study materials to beef up topics that CPAExcel doesn't explain too much, you would be fine with it.

    F- 7/13- 84
    R- 10/13- 79
    A- 11/13- 99
    B- 1/14- 86

    Licensed in PA- 3/20/2014

    This exam ALMOST defeated me back in 2006-2008, but I came back and WON!

    #469801
    MrsBing
    Member

    I've heard Yaeger is good because it's more of a teaching course instead of a review course and they use Wiley. If my company wasn't paying for Becker, I was going to go for Yaeger.

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

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

    Licensed Arizona CPA

    #469853
    MrsBing
    Member

    I've heard Yaeger is good because it's more of a teaching course instead of a review course and they use Wiley. If my company wasn't paying for Becker, I was going to go for Yaeger.

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

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

    Licensed Arizona CPA

    #469803
    Study Monk
    Member

    Becker books are the easiest to read in my opinion. Learning from the Wiley books is kind of depressing.

    I like Yaeger's videos because for the most part I feel like they are actually trying to teach the material. The amount of explanations you get from them doing a few hundred actual multiple choice questions is way better than Becker's explain the Becker book model.

    I kind of think that Yaegers and Rogers formats aren't a full course in a way. They basically explain the Wiley material but they don't have multiple choice questions outside the Wiley Test Bank. However the lectures can be highly valuable if you have been out of school or accounting for a while. If I was trying to save money I would probably skip buying the lectures for sections where the material is not to complex for me to understand. I went through the first few chapters of audit forexample before I decided to start with FAR and I found the material in audit easy to understand. However Yaeger has helped me out on the FAR material even with the full Becker course.

    I just started doing Becker's multiple choice problems and I feel that they do a good job of expanding on the information from the book. They seem to test the material in multiple ways. If I get enough time to fully understand the questions they will be a valuable resource. Gleim and CPAexcel are the two main Becker replacements as far as test banks. I noticed good scores from people who took both courses.

    I personally don't feel like buying used CPA material is unethical. Selling it might be another story if you agreed not to in a terms of use agreement. If I was on a budget I would buy a used becker book for each section and the wiley test bank. I would also buy used yaeger videos and the related wiley book for subjects that were not easy for me to understand(REG and FAR for me). This recommendation would probably cost you $200-$250 per section if you got Yaeger for all sections. EBAY would be the place to look.

    I spoke to an ancient wise man who sent me on a mushroom induced journey through an ancient forest to find the key to passing the CPA exam. A talking spider monkey told me to throw the last of my drinking water in the dirt to find what I was looking for. So I followed his instructions and the following message appeared in the soil:

    "Do 5000 multiple choice questions for each section"

    #469856
    Study Monk
    Member

    Becker books are the easiest to read in my opinion. Learning from the Wiley books is kind of depressing.

    I like Yaeger's videos because for the most part I feel like they are actually trying to teach the material. The amount of explanations you get from them doing a few hundred actual multiple choice questions is way better than Becker's explain the Becker book model.

    I kind of think that Yaegers and Rogers formats aren't a full course in a way. They basically explain the Wiley material but they don't have multiple choice questions outside the Wiley Test Bank. However the lectures can be highly valuable if you have been out of school or accounting for a while. If I was trying to save money I would probably skip buying the lectures for sections where the material is not to complex for me to understand. I went through the first few chapters of audit forexample before I decided to start with FAR and I found the material in audit easy to understand. However Yaeger has helped me out on the FAR material even with the full Becker course.

    I just started doing Becker's multiple choice problems and I feel that they do a good job of expanding on the information from the book. They seem to test the material in multiple ways. If I get enough time to fully understand the questions they will be a valuable resource. Gleim and CPAexcel are the two main Becker replacements as far as test banks. I noticed good scores from people who took both courses.

    I personally don't feel like buying used CPA material is unethical. Selling it might be another story if you agreed not to in a terms of use agreement. If I was on a budget I would buy a used becker book for each section and the wiley test bank. I would also buy used yaeger videos and the related wiley book for subjects that were not easy for me to understand(REG and FAR for me). This recommendation would probably cost you $200-$250 per section if you got Yaeger for all sections. EBAY would be the place to look.

    I spoke to an ancient wise man who sent me on a mushroom induced journey through an ancient forest to find the key to passing the CPA exam. A talking spider monkey told me to throw the last of my drinking water in the dirt to find what I was looking for. So I followed his instructions and the following message appeared in the soil:

    "Do 5000 multiple choice questions for each section"

    #469805
    calicpa
    Participant

    I'm 3 for 4 with cpaexcel. I would def. recommend it over becker if you are tight on money. I was in the same position and glad i got cpaexcel. Def. get wiley test bank as well.

    BEC - 84, 4/6/13
    AUD - 77, 5/28/13
    REG - 83, 4/12/14
    FAR - 83, 10/3/13

    Ethics - 90% 4/24/13

    150 unit education requirement met!
    Work experience met!

    #469858
    calicpa
    Participant

    I'm 3 for 4 with cpaexcel. I would def. recommend it over becker if you are tight on money. I was in the same position and glad i got cpaexcel. Def. get wiley test bank as well.

    BEC - 84, 4/6/13
    AUD - 77, 5/28/13
    REG - 83, 4/12/14
    FAR - 83, 10/3/13

    Ethics - 90% 4/24/13

    150 unit education requirement met!
    Work experience met!

    #469807

    I started using CPA Excel but found that it didn't keep my attention for long. I then switched to Roger CPA and it is much more engaging and I don't dread studying like I did with CPAExcel.

    I suggest you watch as many demos as you can for each to see what would fit your studying style. Everyone is different.

    #469860

    I started using CPA Excel but found that it didn't keep my attention for long. I then switched to Roger CPA and it is much more engaging and I don't dread studying like I did with CPAExcel.

    I suggest you watch as many demos as you can for each to see what would fit your studying style. Everyone is different.

    #469809
    gt5717b
    Participant

    I've used Yaeger thus far and have been pretty pleased with them.

    If you're worried about paying so much for Becker, maybe look at one of the other programs (Yaeger, Rogers, Gleim, CPAExcel, etc.) and supplement those with NINJA products. It would be cheaper on the whole and you'd be exposed to different teaching techniques and angles. Personally, with my AUD retake, I used some of Jeff's free AUD materials which really helped shore up an area or two that kept confusing me with Yaeger. Sometimes you just need a fresh perspective on a topic to really “get it.”

    REG - 89
    FAR - 84
    AUD - 73, 86
    BEC - 89

    GA Licensed CPA

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