[Neonep]

Hey guys, this is the 1st time I’ve been on here in years. About 4-5 years ago I tried to take the CPA exam, I passed BEC on the 3rd try and then failed REG 4 times before my BEC score expired and decided I didn’t want to do this anymore.

Now I’m considering trying again. What are the best review courses. I had Becker in the past but it expired and once it did I couldn’t renew it and they asked me to purchase the entire course again. I don’t want that to happen again. Which other review courses really good and helped you guys pass the exam. Also any other advice or comments that you guys can offer about anything regarding the exam please let me know.

Thank You all.

[CH89]

I think it is hard to answer which is the best review course, since everyone has different study habits and such. I would suggest checking them all out if possible. They should offer a free trial period.

I use Wiley supplemented with Ninja. While I have only passed 1 exam so far, I can say Wiley is certainly good enough to help you pass. Again, it all comes down to what your preferences are. Wiley offers some nice bite sized lesson, and they have some pretty good lectures for FAR (Haven't checked out the others, since I prefer to read). Wiley has a nice sized test bank, depending on which package you purchase, but some of the explanations are lacking.

AUD - 84
BEC - 82
FAR - 76
REG - 79

What a journey! It took me 12 attempts, do not give up, keep going! Praise God!

Passed Exams: 8/25/2020

Licensed in Pa: 11/24/2020

[Recked]

Every course is a bit different. They will all get you passed the finish line, but some might better fit your learning style better than others.
I suggest you try Wiley, Gleim, Surgent, Becker, Ninja and Roger. They all offer a free sample, and they usually send you a coupon code after your free trial expires.
If you are not in a rush, you might also find some sales around the July 4th holiday.
Read lots of reviews on here, I stumbled on some Roger CPA videos on youtube when searching for a topic I did not understand in an old Lambers book, and then I did more research on here.
Roger has the best videos if that's your learning style. That whiteboard took me back to the college days and really helped the concepts click for me.
Gleim has a pretty detailed book that almost reads as bullet points, and a good testbank. I did not like their videos at all, but its a good choice for the self-studier.
Wiley has videos that I found not as engaging as the Roger course, but lots of people like it.
Some courses offer access until you pass guarantee, but watch out for the loop holes. I chose to pay for a course I thought would work for me, without the guarantee. To each their own.
If you find one that fits you best, you might hate your life just a little less as you go through the process.
Internet research is free, all it costs is time. Did in, do the research, make an informed decision with no buyers regret, then commit to it.
You got this! Good luck!
–
Also, MCQs MCQs MCQs. This isn't like college where you can read the book and pass the test. This one takes practice. You can see an example of the hours and numbers of MCQs in my sig below.

Memento Mori - Kingston NY CPA & EA (SUNY Albany 2002)

FAR-93 11/9/17 (10wks, 250 hrs, Roger 1800+ MCQs, Gleim TB 600+MCQs, SIMs)
AUD-88 12/7/17 (3 wks, 85 hrs, Roger 1000 MCQs no SIMs hail mary)
REG-96 1/18/18 (6 wks, 110 hrs, 1400 MCQs, no SIMs)
BEC-91 2/16/18 (4wks, 90 hrs, 1240 MCQs)

[krstnam]

Welcome back! I agree with Recked, it just depends on what you’re comfortable with and what your learning style is. I passed BEC and REG with Becker supplementing with NINJA. I passed FAR and AUD using Wiley supplementing with Gliem test bank. I passed BEC the second time using mostly the Gliem test bank and ended up supplementing with the Wiley course for areas I was struggling with. I’m doing REG now with the Gliem test bank only.

Wiley is good for people like me who can’t sit and do long lectures or long study sessions. I don’t think the Wiley material alone was enough to get me a pass but it was valuable bc it worked well with my study style. I took AUD 3x and then bought Wiley and I was able to pass. I took FAR 5x and was able to get a pass after adding Wiley. Full disclosure I didn’t read all the lectures or completely follow their study plan, I just used it for my weak areas because they simplify it pretty well.

Good luck!

I'm going to be the person who says "I finished even though..." not the person who says "I didn't finish because..."

B - 77, 76

A - 57, 64, 72, 76!

R - 78, 72, 78!!! DONE

F - 54, 73, 71, 64, 69, 76!

[iwantthiscpa]

If your BEC expired and you only attempted REG 4 times that means you weren't taking an exam each quarter. Did you take long study breaks (weeks/months)? I failed exams like 4-5 times before I even passed 1. I never skipped a quarter though; meaning i was attempting at least 1 exam per testing window. Dont let studying fall through the cracks.
You should try Roger, because one of their packages (I think Elite) gives you access to the material until you pass them all, so no need to stress out about having to pay again for the entire course. That's the one I had and I was so glad!
Try attempting the one you think will be hardest first, so your 18 months won't start until that one is passed. So maybe this time start with REG.
Just background on me, I never thought I could pass these. I started studying a tiny bit in 2011 after I got my bachelor's but it seemed too hard so I stopped after a couple months. I started again end of 2016 and told myself I will get it no matter how long I take. I had some job experience by that time so that helped. Took me 2.5 years to pass all but I'm done! You can do it too.

FAR: 67, 69, 74, 81
AUD: 72, 74, 78
REG: 77
BEC: 70, 77

[chandler]

I have nothing to add on the review course suggestions. As to your comment that you're considering trying the exams again- I recommend that you think hard about it. Only go forward if you're ready to fully commit to the process. Once you decide you're ready to do that, I would recommend that you start with REG, and plan to do the exams in a way that leaves adequate time in the 18 month window.

Chandler Priest

Licensed TX CPA

REG 01/27/18 - 98

BEC 03/03/18 - 96

AUD 04/07/18 - 91

FAR 06/02/18 -96

[Recked]

One per quarter is good, but I'd suggest 2 per quarter to give you more changes to pass in that 18 month window, but ultimately your pace depends on your learning speed, and level of time you can commit to your studies.

Memento Mori - Kingston NY CPA & EA (SUNY Albany 2002)

FAR-93 11/9/17 (10wks, 250 hrs, Roger 1800+ MCQs, Gleim TB 600+MCQs, SIMs)
AUD-88 12/7/17 (3 wks, 85 hrs, Roger 1000 MCQs no SIMs hail mary)
REG-96 1/18/18 (6 wks, 110 hrs, 1400 MCQs, no SIMs)
BEC-91 2/16/18 (4wks, 90 hrs, 1240 MCQs)

[Neonep]

Thanks for all the feedback. Probably starting with the hardest section is the best way to go. As far as study materials, I think I need whoever has the biggest question bank and whoever has the best notes/books so I can read and highlight major points. I'm not really good with lectures and audio stuff. Another question, what is approximate time I should study for each section?

[Jen200215]

I have the same learning style as you – Im not good with audio anything. I would not go with Roger. His lectures are amazing like everyone says, but I found his book to be lacking and I needed those reading details. I am currently using Yaeger which doesn't seem to be as popular as it used to be, and supplementing with Ninja MCQ. It really improved my FAR score (70 to an 86). There are things I don't like about the technology and the test bank, but that book is where it's at (it follows the exam blueprints which I loved), you can't beat the price, and the customer service is top notch. They really really care if you pass and check in with you often with offers of talking to instructors and help with questions. I would also check out Gleim and Wiley. I don't think you can go wrong with any of those.
I'm not a quick studier so here is what I've aimed for : 2.5 – 3 months for FAR. 4-6 weeks for BEC and AUD. 2.5 months for TAX
Go knock them out! Good luck!

AUD - 82
BEC - 84
FAR - 86
REG - 86

Jennifer Wolf

[NoName]

Hi NeoNep.

I have a similar story and took a break for almost a decade so anything is possible.

This time I knew what I was doing and hit it hard relentlessly.

My advice would be to take your weakest sections first so that the 18 month clock isn't working against you (looks like REG for you). I am not sure if you dabbled in FAR but due to the sheer volume of material I would recommend doing that one next. BEC and AUD cause some people problems but the amount of material is less than FAR.

See this thread..I hope it can lend some motivation:

It's never too late!!

REG - 93 90% Gleim MCQ/book + 10% Wiley MCQ

BEC - 79 100% Wiley MCQ/book

FAR - 88 100% Gleim MCQ/book + Ninja Audios

AUD - 85 100% Wiley MCQ/book + Ninja Audios

Licensed CPA as of 2019

CMA Pt 1  400  100% Gleim MCQ/book

CMA Pt 2  Pending Score

[Author]

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