Any experiences with CPA prep?

There is an entire industry devoted to CPA preparation. I would be interested in hearing anyone's experiences with any of these.

 

CPA Review

Back in 1979, I took the entire Becker CPA Review course (four classes back then) and passed the CPA Exam the first time after I finished . I went to the on-ground classes on Saturdays. I don't know how well the CD-Rom version works now. But, I advise everyone who asks me to take the Becker CPA Review in on-ground classes that are offered in various cities. That is what all of my fellow classmates also did, and we all passed the exam.

The significant thing is that Becker will teach you **how to take** the examination, which is even more important now since the examination has just become offered on computer instead of being taken by-hand. Knowing **how to take the examination** and training/preparing yourself over a period of months in how to take the examination is just as important, I think, as knowing the material. I've seen many people fail various parts of the CPA Exam because they just did not know what to expect, nor had they prepared themselves to take the exam. And, they just went into a panic when they got in the examination room.

When I took the CPA Examination, you literally didn't have much time to stop and think, "Now, how do I do this" or "What do I say?" You had to be able to go in their, pick the questions you knew the answers to, answer them first, pace yourself, and get as many answers correct as quickly as you could just to be able to get enough points to pass a part. In other words, you have to produce-produce-produce correct answers as much as you can during the entire examination and learn to leave the answers you don't know alone unless you have time to work on them later. (The AICPA puts in some "trial questions" in the examination anyway just to test to see the response to them. You need to leave those questions alone unless you are sure you can answer them adequately.)

Best of luck! You can pass the examination, but it is best to get Becker (or a similar company who can do so and has studied the exam over many years/has a trial record on successful students) to teach you how to take the examination and what to expect. They know the frequency with which certain concepts/questions pop up on each examination, and they will teach you that, too. They know what concepts that you need to concentrate on learning/reviewing since they study what questions come up on the various parts of the exam each time it is given.

Nellie

 

I've known Becker since the late '60s. (I was a campus rep at Cal State Long Beach.) He sold the company about 15 years ago and last I heard it was part of DeVry.

While no organization has produced more CPA's than Becker, you also might want to look at MicroMash. They had so much success a few years ago they were investigated by the Texas Board of Accountancy.