Returning Surgent CPA Review

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    Topic
  • #2333310
    Asja
    Participant

    Hello…

    I am a stay at home mom…Graduated with Accounting degree in 2013…been all over the place since then…now after having two kids, reality set in, and I realize that I will regret not doing the CPA license.

    Excitedly, I ordered Surgent, but after looking over it and trying to study, honestly, I will be getting a refund…I just can’t do it…I am a perfectoinist when it comes to raising my kids and they need me. Dishes, cooking, laundry, need me…I don’t have much help other than evenings and weekends from my husband, but then it is family time…

    I really want to challenge myself, and get a good job, and get a CPA license so that I can work from home eventually…I really don’t want to put my kids into daycare, at least not before the age of three…they will be at that age in two years…So I have to figure out a way to get a job that pays more than what a nanny charges…

    I don’t think I can do the exams without working for a CPA firm first. It has been too long since I took the accounting courses, and too long since I held even an accounts payable clerk job…I need to be exposed to the real world scenareos, I guess. I just need practical experience, even if it is just boring number crunching…I can’t do it alone…

    Is it possible and wouldn’t it make more sense to get a job for a CPA without passing any exams first? I thought it would give me an edge to apply for a CPA-related job with having passed the exams, but I don’t think that is possible for me…Isn’t an employer more likely to hire someone who has passed at least some of the exams? Or am I just being too ambitious for my own good?

    Also, anyone have experience with returning Surgent materials? I can’t believe they are going to charge a $300 cancellation fee…It didn’t turn out to be what I thought.

     
    “surgent-cpa-review”/
     

    “The strongest of all warriors are these two — Time and Patience.” ― Leo Tolstoy (War and Peace)
Viewing 6 replies - 1 through 6 (of 6 total)
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  • #2334567
    TommyL
    Participant

    Studying for the CPA, especially when you have a family, requires sacrifice. What I would suggest is having a long conversation with your husband and let him know that this is important for you. Let him know that you would really appreciate his help in the evenings/weekends so you can squeeze in a couple of hours to study (2 hours on a weekday and 12-16 hours on the weekends is more than enough)

    Also, don't worry about work experience when studying for the CPA. In my personal opinion, the knowledge i gained from work had minimal relevance to my studies. Sure it helped me understand debits and credits more, and gave me some exposure to balance sheet and P&L accounts, but I could have done that by reading a finance accounting book for a few days.

    However, if you are not planning on studying right now due to your kid's age, or just want to get the feel of accounting before you decide that this is what you want as a career., you most definitely do not need a CPA license to get started. I started as a simple AR clerk, to a staff accountant, to a senior accountant without a CPA license or an accounting degree. All you need to do is remember your training, show that you are passionate about the field, and let your superiors know that you are indeed working towards a CPA license to improve yourself.

    Good luck!

    AUD - 81
    BEC - 84
    FAR - 78
    REG - 86
    Goals
    #2343420
    Jr
    Participant

    Becker is the way to go, I started off with Wiley and failed FAR twice, wiley had too much unnecessary information. Becker had just enough. Not saying you are guaranteed a passing score by using Becker (must put in the studying hours), but I recommend Becker from my experience. Its pricier but worth the investment.

    #2343879
    rahee
    Participant

    You don't need to work/have relevant experience to pass the exams. For the actual license, you will need a certain # of hours in public accounting (depending on state). In my experience, public accounting is far from “boring number crunching”. It's actually a very dynamic field, and you need to be prepared to put in extra hours, work simultaneously on multiple projects, and even sometimes come in on the weekends. I suggest you study full time since you already have a lot on your plate to begin with. For the cpa review course–i recommend switching to becker. It's expensive upfront, but worth investment if you're serious about passing.

    AUD - 84
    BEC - 81
    FAR - 82
    REG - 79
    Rahee
    #2346168
    Asja
    Participant

    Yeah, I couldn't return Surgent without them charging me a $300 fee, even though I realized I made a mistake only several days after making the payment

    …I really did realize I should have gone with Becker…I called them and asked if they can do something about the $300, they said no…SO, I have to stick to Surgent…Maybe I will sign up for the Ninja too, then…

    I guess I have to trust Surgent's system, apparently it saves a lot of study time. But, when they said that there is a coach involved – that really helped me to decide to do the purchase…And when they didn't call at the scheduled time, I thought maybe they would call the following Monday…When they didn't call then, I e-mailed their sales rep several times, and never got a reply (but they always replied when I was doing the free trial, of course)…Now, I found th e-mail of the said “coach” and e-mailed him…And I didn't get a response still. I feel kind of stupid. I was stuck on a question and e-mail him my issue, and nope, nada!

    How in-depth is Ninja? Anyone know?

    Thanks…

    “The strongest of all warriors are these two — Time and Patience.” ― Leo Tolstoy (War and Peace)
    #2346351
    Motivated2019
    Participant

    @ROZE, wanted to share my experience with the Surgent's system. I have passed 2 sections so far (Hopefully 3- I got a 71 on FAR last quarter and retook it last week). I like their breakdown of topics and most of the lecture videos. I tried out a couple of other provider's free trials, and made a decision based on the time saving promise.
    I only had a one call with my coach, and she basically just told me about the features: how to access session log to review and get the printable pdfs from video lectures. Other than that, I have been trusting the system and figuring out my needs on my own.

    I would think that supplementing Ninja is a great idea, but first you might wanna go through the practice questions on Surgent to track down where you need to focus. Hope this helps!

    #2346957
    Asja
    Participant

    @Motivated….Thanks…the coach e-mailed me and I Got a response about a question…I'm really scared of failing FAR. It has been like 12 years since I took those intermediate accounting courses…Really have alot to review… I didn't know that Surgent is for those who just need to brush up on it…I asked them if it is good for someone who has been out of school for many years…They said, it is perefct!

     
    “free-cpa-exam-notes”
     

    “The strongest of all warriors are these two — Time and Patience.” ― Leo Tolstoy (War and Peace)
Viewing 6 replies - 1 through 6 (of 6 total)
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