[GSU-CPA]

I just graduated in December with dual degree (Accounting and Management) and have my 150 credit hours. I applied to sit for the exam and now i am looking for courses to take.

I am trying to figure out if Becker is worth it because i have to pay it with my own money. Right now i have 25k a year job which deals a bit with accounting and i love it but clearly it doesnt pay much. I am trying to decide if its worth paying top dollar 3360 for becker. I would have to finance it so the payments would be 190 a month. I can afford it but again thats a lot of money considering how much i make now so i was wondering if there is another program that is cheaper but as good as Becker.

My main goal is to pass the exam which is why i am staying at this job and not looking to work for big 4. I dont think i could pass it working 50-60 hrs at big 4. Also i love my current job and i will try and stay here if i can once i pass my CPA exam.

Do you guys have any advice? Do you think i should just try to get into big 4 since they will give me free Becker. I know its very hard to pass CPA exam while working for the big 4.

REG-77
BEC -Waiting on score May 5th
AUD - May 30
FAR - Q3 depending on if i pass above two in Q2

[Study Monk]

Probably not worth it. You can definitely pass with the Wiley program or save $1500 by getting cpaexcel. I prefer Becker to Wiley but its not worth the extra couple of thousand dollars for people on a budget.

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"

[Study Monk]

Probably not worth it. You can definitely pass with the Wiley program or save $1500 by getting cpaexcel. I prefer Becker to Wiley but its not worth the extra couple of thousand dollars for people on a budget.

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"

[san4596]

This is a recurring topic on A71. So, here is the most common answer to your question. Many study programs allow you to test drive their materials for FREE. You should research each one to find what fits your study ability. Here is my perspective:

1) From my personal experience, I wasted the money on Becker and it did not fit me. The videos mainly consist of highlight this and highlight that. It was also pretty easy to memorize the answers to all the Becker questions, which is a really bad thing. I made a good run for it too. I would study 3 hours a night at the library, and 8-10 hours on the weekend. BECKER RUNS OUT AFTER 18 MONTHS!!! The program completely shuts down, and you cannot access any of the information on your computer.

2) Now, my study type is read, notes, and mcq's. Videos go in one ear and out the other, which is a big waste of time. I purchased the complete Wiley set that includes books, focus notes, and one year of the test bank. I am 2 for 3 using Wiley, but the failed test was my fault for not taking time for review. Plus, I paid less than $500 for Wiley.

CPA EXAM: DONE!!!!
Ethics Course: Passed
Application Mailed: 3/16/15
Professional Conduct Exam: 97
Certification Date: 4/2/15!!!

[san4596]

This is a recurring topic on A71. So, here is the most common answer to your question. Many study programs allow you to test drive their materials for FREE. You should research each one to find what fits your study ability. Here is my perspective:

1) From my personal experience, I wasted the money on Becker and it did not fit me. The videos mainly consist of highlight this and highlight that. It was also pretty easy to memorize the answers to all the Becker questions, which is a really bad thing. I made a good run for it too. I would study 3 hours a night at the library, and 8-10 hours on the weekend. BECKER RUNS OUT AFTER 18 MONTHS!!! The program completely shuts down, and you cannot access any of the information on your computer.

2) Now, my study type is read, notes, and mcq's. Videos go in one ear and out the other, which is a big waste of time. I purchased the complete Wiley set that includes books, focus notes, and one year of the test bank. I am 2 for 3 using Wiley, but the failed test was my fault for not taking time for review. Plus, I paid less than $500 for Wiley.

CPA EXAM: DONE!!!!
Ethics Course: Passed
Application Mailed: 3/16/15
Professional Conduct Exam: 97
Certification Date: 4/2/15!!!

[Anonymous]

I am spending my own money and I am just using the Wiley test bank and books. I think it would be hard for me to justify spending so much money. It seems like the biggest difference between doing what I am doing and doing Becker is that they have video lectures. If you want lectures you can get them for much cheaper than Becker charges.

No matter how much you pay, I really think it just comes down to sitting in front of the test bank and answering a bunch of MCQs and doing some sims out of the book. I am not sure paying more money will make that process any less difficult. You will have to put in the work. I have found that youtube has some really good free videos on things I was struggling to understand.

[Anonymous]

I am spending my own money and I am just using the Wiley test bank and books. I think it would be hard for me to justify spending so much money. It seems like the biggest difference between doing what I am doing and doing Becker is that they have video lectures. If you want lectures you can get them for much cheaper than Becker charges.

No matter how much you pay, I really think it just comes down to sitting in front of the test bank and answering a bunch of MCQs and doing some sims out of the book. I am not sure paying more money will make that process any less difficult. You will have to put in the work. I have found that youtube has some really good free videos on things I was struggling to understand.

[jfreelov]

I passed all four tests mainly with Wiley books and Wiley Test Bank. Books are about $50 each and test bank around 100 so total cost for study materials was about $600.

FAR - 71, 94
BEC - 91
REG - 51, 88
AUD - 89

[jfreelov]

I passed all four tests mainly with Wiley books and Wiley Test Bank. Books are about $50 each and test bank around 100 so total cost for study materials was about $600.

FAR - 71, 94
BEC - 91
REG - 51, 88
AUD - 89

[Anonymous]

Ripoff…go with wiley and supplement with ninja

[Anonymous]

Ripoff…go with wiley and supplement with ninja

[Ajaz0810]

If you're financing this yourself and don't have a lot of money DO NOT GET BECKER unless you like to throw money down the drain. But definitely do your research on which program you would like by coming here and viewing their demos on YouTube. I originally got the yaeger video for FAR because of all the positive reviews but as I went through them I realized I didn't learn or remember things off of a video. To me videos are overrated. I believe in reading, taking noted, and doing MCQs. For that gleim is great for me. And it's only around 900 dollars for all 4 parts. I am supplementing it with the 10 point combo which includes notes and the wiley test bank. So it's going to cost a few hundred more dollars. But in the end it wouldn't matter which review course to use if you can't study and I mean study hard. Good luck.

FAR 62, 66, 78
AUD 66, 55, 74, 72
BEC 79
REG

[Ajaz0810]

If you're financing this yourself and don't have a lot of money DO NOT GET BECKER unless you like to throw money down the drain. But definitely do your research on which program you would like by coming here and viewing their demos on YouTube. I originally got the yaeger video for FAR because of all the positive reviews but as I went through them I realized I didn't learn or remember things off of a video. To me videos are overrated. I believe in reading, taking noted, and doing MCQs. For that gleim is great for me. And it's only around 900 dollars for all 4 parts. I am supplementing it with the 10 point combo which includes notes and the wiley test bank. So it's going to cost a few hundred more dollars. But in the end it wouldn't matter which review course to use if you can't study and I mean study hard. Good luck.

FAR 62, 66, 78
AUD 66, 55, 74, 72
BEC 79
REG

[jeff]

How to choose a CPA Review Course:

https://www.another71.com/cpa-exam-survival-guide/

AUD - 79
BEC - 80
FAR - 76
REG - 92

Jeff Elliott, CPA (KS)
NINJA CPA | NINJA CMA | NINJA CPE | Another71

[jeff]

How to choose a CPA Review Course:

https://www.another71.com/cpa-exam-survival-guide/

AUD - 79
BEC - 80
FAR - 76
REG - 92

Jeff Elliott, CPA (KS)
NINJA CPA | NINJA CMA | NINJA CPE | Another71

[Matt]

In my opinion, Becker is worth the extra cost. There's a reason they are able to charge the amount of money that they are charging. If it wasn't an effective review course they couldn't justify charging $3,360. I wasn't very good at accounting in college so I figured I'd take a shot using Becker. Maybe people who understand accounting very well can get by with a different review course. Unfortunately I had to fork up the $$ myself but so far it's been worth it and if I end up passing it will pay for itself in no time.

REG: 78 (5/31/2013)
AUD: 59 (8/31/2013); 81 (10/8/2013)
BEC: 80 (12/5/2013)
FAR: 2/28/2014

[Author]

Replies