Disclosure: We have an affiliate partnership with Wiley CPAexcel. We may receive a referral commission if you purchase Wiley CPA through one of our links (at no additional cost to you). We will definitely receive compensation if you purchase NINJA CPA Review (our company), so please do that as well. 😀
Introduction to Wiley CPAexcel
Wiley CPAexcel, like Becker, is an old-school CPA Prep course. They've been around forever and have a good reputation.
I've known many Wiley employees through the years, and they even hosted me for an evening in Hoboken, where their offices are located, and I took my first NYC subway ride. 😀
And my first oyster.
(I saw Phantom of the Opera and never left Time's Square. I was a total tourist).
In November 2012, Wiley acquired CPAexcel, and you now have today what is known as Wiley CPAexcel.
Fun Fact: I helped start CPAexcel's affiliate program back in the day. You don't care about that, however.
Wiley is known for the Wiley CPA Test Bank, which is integrated into the Wiley CPAexcel Platinum Course.
Wiley CPAexcel Courses
Wiley CPAexcel has two main course offerings: Wiley Platinum ($2,499 retail) and Wiley Pro ($2,199 retail).
Everyone seems to have a Pro Course now. Am I dropping the ball here by not offering NINJA Pro? 😀
Wiley CPA Platinum has the 11th Hour Final Review course, which is their version of a “cram.”
As is the case with Becker and Roger's packages, the top Wiley package is often cheaper than their lesser package.
I see no reason to go with the Wiley Pro package unless it just happens to be significantly cheaper than Wiley Platinum.
Wiley CPA Discounts
The Wiley CPA discounts are fairly unpredictable. One day, the Platinum Course is full price. The next day, it's discounted $1,000. I'm listing the current Wiley discounts, but it may change before the table gets updated.
| Wiley CPA Promo Code | Wiley CPA Discount | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Applied on Wiley Site | Save $1,000 on Wiley Platinum | September 2022 |
See: Wiley CPA discounts
Wiley CPAexcel CPA Review Course Summary
Summary: Wiley CPA is as established and reputable of a CPA Exam Review course as Becker, but comes with a significantly lower price tag.
Packages: Wiley CPA has two main CPA prep course packages: Wiley Platinum and Wiley Pro.
Test Bank: Wiley sells a standalone test bank called the Wiley CPA Test Bank
Wiley Cost: Without a Wiley discount code, the Wiley CPAexcel courses range in price from $3,100 (Wiley Ultimate) to $2,499 (Wiley Platinum) to $2,199 (Wiley Pro).
Discounts: The Wiley CPA discounts, when available, are usually embedded into the Wiley website, so promo codes are often unnecessary for a discount.
Free Trial: The Wiley CPA trial includes 14-day access to video lectures and 5,000 multiple choice questions.
How to Study for the CPA Exam Using Wiley & NINJA
5 Easy Steps to Smash Any CPA Exam & Finally Become a CPA
Wiley CPA + NINJA: 5 Steps to Smash Any CPA Exam
Wiley CPA is a popular CPA Review Course and has been around forever.
Rumor has it that Moses had a tough time choosing between Becker CPA vs Wiley CPA. #dadjoke
NINJA CPA Review is the most-popular CPA Exam Supplement.
This is a ninja-quick look at how to add NINJA to Wiley CPA and (Finally) Become a CPA.
“Wiley CPA Review is a CPA review course that has been on the market for a long time and has lots of practice questions and plenty of video lectures. It’s also a good value.” – iPass The CPA Exam
Step 1. Nail the Concepts
Nail the Concepts with your Wiley CPAexcel lectures & NINJA Audio (free download). Time: 2.5 Weeks
If something is confusing in your Wiley CPA materials, look it up in the NINJA Book or NINJA Notes.
Start listening to your NINJA Audio. Never drive to work without it on. You can listen to fun things when you're a CPA. Let that motivate you. 🙂
If your commute is 1 hour round trip, then that's 1 hour of NINJA Audio per day (and that's for the commute alone … if you can work and listen to the NINJA Audio: even better.)
Start reading the NINJA Notes in your downtime, especially at work. It's ok if you haven't studied the section before. It will all start clicking the third time through, regardless of where you are in your prep.
Check out our fully-detailed breakdown of the N.I.N.J.A. Method.
Step 2. Intense Notes
Take Intense Notes over your Wiley CPAexcel lectures or NINJA Book (free download).
First Time? Retake? 15th Retake? It doesn't matter. Take Intense Notes while watching your Wiley CPA lectures.
Step 3. Non-Stop MCQ
Non-Stop MCQ – Wiley CPA Test Bank or NINJA MCQ (free access) & Take Notes. Time: 2.5 Weeks
If this is your first time taking this exam, then do Non-Stop MCQ with your Wiley Test Bank, and then in the review phase (A – All Comes Together), then you switch to NINJA and work backward, beginning with your weakest topic.
If this is a retake OR you've found yourself memorizing your Wiley questions, then switch 100% over to NINJA MCQ for this phase. When it comes time to do the SIMS, switch back and forth, according to which software you like better.
Again … if this is your first time taking this exam, use your Wiley CPA questions for N (Non-Stop MCQ) and use NINJA MCQ for A (All Comes Together) as you review.
If this is your first time taking this exam and you're memorizing the test bank questions (which is really bad because it causes false confidence … you're scoring in the 90s, but on exam day, you score a 65 and can't figure out why), then switch over to NINJA MCQ 100% for both (N) and (A).
SIMS – First time or retake alike: switch back and forth between the Wiley CPA Test Bank and NINJA MCQ.
| Wiley CPA Test Bank vs NINJA | Wiley CPA Test Bank | NINJA MCQ |
|---|---|---|
| Test Bank Cost | $600 | $67 |
| Access | 2 Years | Month-To-Month |
| CPA Exam Practice Questions | 6,000+ | 7,000+ |
| Task-Based Simulations | 200+ | 335+ |
| AICPA-Licensed | ✅ | ✅ |
| Adaptive Test Bank | 🚫 | ✅ |
| CPA Book | 🚫 | ✅ |
| Video Lectures | 🚫 | ✅ |
| Study Guide | 🚫 | ✅ |
| Audio Review | 🚫 | ✅ |
| Cram Course | 🚫 | ✅ |
| Flashcards | 🚫 | ✅ |
| Live Tutoring | 🚫 | ✅ |
| Get Started | Start Wiley Test Bank | Start NINJA MCQ |
83% of CPA Candidates Can't Pass This Simple Quiz. Discover How Prepared You Really Are.
Step 4. Just Rewrite
Rewrite Your Wiley CPAexcel notes or NINJA Notes (free download). Time: 1 Week
We know you took killer notes over your Wiley lectures … re-write those 😀
If taking notes just wasn't in the cards this time around and you did the best you could do, then we suggested re-write the NINJA Notes.
Step 5. All Comes Together
All Comes Together in a Final Review. Watch NINJA CRAM (free access)and Wiley CPAexcel 11th Hour Final Review. Time: 1 Week
If you're using your Wiley Test Bank in the Non-Stop MCQ phase, this is where you switch over to NINJA MCQ (if you've already switched, then keep using it here as well).
Start with your weakest topics first and work backward. You can let the software feed you questions, but since you're in a final review phase, I recommend doing topic-specific mini testlets and really drill down.
Do a set of 20 over your weakest area. If you're weak in several areas, then choose the one that keeps you awake at night first.
The one you DREAD seeing on exam day.
If you are hitting in the low-70s (70-75), then move on to your next weakest area.
The reason why you don't go for mastery here is that you have a lot of ground to cover in a short amount of time for your review. It's better to get all of the topics into the 70s and then come back and hit them again vs get a few into the 80s/90s and run out of time before you can get to the rest.
For instance, if you're taking Financial Accounting and Reporting and your weak area is Bonds, then do 20-question mini-testlets until you're scoring in the 70s (which may take 3 or 4 sets) and then move onto your next-weakest area, which might be Leases. Repeat this with Leases, and then move on to the next one – which might be Governmental Accounting, etc.
As you head into your exam – hammer MCQ and read the NINJA Notes every spare millisecond you have.
(Note – if you have 5 minutes to spare – DON'T spend it on Facebook…knock out two pages of NINJA Notes instead).
Everywhere you go – car, gym, sitting at your desk at work, it's NINJA Audio, NINJA Audio, and … you guessed it NINJA Audio.
(I get it – the content is boring, and my voice won't be confused with Morgan Freeman anytime soon but hit Play anyway. You can listen to your Spotify Playlist of 90s Pop Hits AFTER your exam).
NINJA MCQ … NINJA Notes … NINJA Audio on repeat…even up to the minute you leave your vehicle and head into Prometric (what if the extra 3 minutes of some nuance of Corporate Taxation was the difference between a 74 and a 75 on exam day?).
THEN … walk through those Prometric doors with confidence, barf out all of that knowledge in your head, and go sleep for 3 days.
You've earned it.
Total Study Time: 4 or 7 weeks. We have NINJA Study Planners for both timelines. Enter your email below to get them.
Exam Day
Take your exam with confidence and PASS.
Sleep. Celebrate. Repeat (the studying, not the celebrating).
Get Your NINJA Study Framework
Wiley CPA + NINJA Reviews
Shulem Rosenbaum (Wiley + NINJA)
Elijah Watt Sells Award Winner
“I used the NINJA Notes to summarize my notes and eliminate topics that aren’t tested heavily. I owe it to the NINJA Community. You have been my rock, and I hope to contribute the way you contributed to my success.”
| CPA Review Course | Wiley CPAexcel | NINJA CPA Review |
|---|---|---|
| Course Package | Platinum | Monthly |
| Access | Unlimited | Month-To-Month |
| Cost | $2,499 | $67 |
| Discount | See Discount | |
| AICPA-Licensed | ✅ | ✅ |
| Video Lectures | ✅ | ✅ |
| CPA Book | ✅ | ✅ |
| CPA Test Bank | ✅ | ✅ |
| Study Guide | ✅ | ✅ |
| Audio Review | 🚫 | ✅ |
| Cram Course | ✅ | ✅ |
| Flashcards | ✅ | ✅ |
| Live Tutoring | ✅ | ✅ |
| CMA Included | 🚫 | ✅ |
| CPE Included | ✅ | ✅ |
| EWS Award Winners | ✅ | ✅ |
| 30-Day Guarantee | 🚫 | ✅ |
| Get Started | Start Wiley | Start NINJA |
Have a Question?
Need Help? Want to know if NINJA CPA is right for your unique study situation? Message me.
“Few people are more familiar with the stresses of exam prep than Jeff Elliott, licensed CPA and the face behind Another71.com.” – Wiley CPA
To Your Success,
Jeff Elliott, CPA (KS)
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