CPA Review Courses – Which One Should You Go For?

Last Updated on Sunday, 20 November 2011 07:09 Written by admin Sunday, 20 November 2011 07:09

Many accountants studying for the CPA (Certified Public Accountant) exam use one or more CPA review courses to help prepare. A high quality review course will minimize study time and maximizes the chances of successfully passing the exam. The hardest choice to make with a review course is which one increases the likelihood of success the most. Below are some of the factors to be considered when choosing a CPA exam review course.

1) Course Materials

Every course will cover the same subjects likely to appear in the exam, although teachers use their own methods. Good review courses are only taught by absorbing teachers who are able to explain difficult ideas in a simple way. Also, a good teacher will concentrate more on key concepts and briefly touch self-explanatory ones to make lessons more effective. The best value CPA review courses have free lecture samples available which you may evaluate before purchasing. There are plenty of forums and review sites which offer good insight to the most useful courses. Feedback given on those sites will definitely help you make the right decision.

As well, the lesson plans can be obtained from a variety of media, such as recorded webcasts, CDs, DVDs, or USB. If accessibility to materials is restricted, it limits how you can benefit. It is therefore wise to consider how the course material is delivered before deciding which course to purchase.

Keep in mind, access to course materials expires and you must make a note of the expiration date prior to buying. Important simulation software may become unfunctional when access terminates and this can hamper your chances to pass the exam. Some courses only allow access for a certain duration before terminating access. The ideal course materials and software is the kind that does not require access to the net to use, and therefore does not expire. If you must purchase the type that does expire, ensure you have ample time to absorb the information prior to expiration.

2) Practice Questions

Practice questions are a great way to make sure students understand concepts and retain knowledge. They help make it easy to retain through use of practical real world examples.

When it comes to practice questions, some CPA review courses take a complete overview by making the student do every question that has any chance of showing up on the CPA exam. This method is time intensive, but makes sure all areas are covered. Most students simply run out of either time or patience, or both, and rarely get around to finishing many of the sample questions, meaning they are not ready for the exam.

Other courses take a different approach and keep practice questions to a minimum. This also results in students not having adequate preparation. It is far from ideal.

The ideal CPA review course will contain only questions that are most likely to appear on the exam. It is possible to restrict options through careful analysis of previous papers and to focus on questions that appear frequently. This method ensures students use their time more efficiently and have a better chance of revising questions most likely to show up in an exam.

3) Student Support

All CPA review courses offer some level of student support. If you usually make use of phone support services, it is crucial you check the course offers this service prior to subscribing to it. Some courses offer very little student support while other courses provide email support. Some review courses provide online message boards and forums to allow students to interact with lecturers and with each other. Obviously, you need to check whichever course you buy offers the right level of support suitable for your requirements.

4) Frequency of Updates

CPA exam materials are regularly updated due to changes in accounting procedures. Some review courses update their course materials and practice questions more often than others, so be sure to take this into consideration when selecting a course.

One factor that many people take into account, that has not been discussed, is cost. However, considering the typical substantial pay-raise that is experienced by many accountants after becoming certified, it is advised that you choose a CPA review course based on quality and assistance from the lecturers, rather soley on the cost. Considering that the average pass rate for the CPA exam is only 47.49-49.10% (pass rate for Uniform CPA Examination in 2008), failing one or more sections is not uncommon. You will not want to re-study for and re-sit sections of the exam simply because you decided to save some money by buying a lower quality course.

Read more about how David Bryant ultimately managed to pass three previously failed CPA sections in 10 months, with impressive scores, in his blog here: Yaeger CPA Review

To find objective comparisons of the different CPA review materials please click on: CPA Review Course Ratings

CPA Prep Course – How to Settle On the Most Suitable One?

Last Updated on Sunday, 13 November 2011 05:54 Written by admin Sunday, 13 November 2011 05:54

A CPA review course can be indispensible to a student who’s preparing for the CPA exam. The ideal CPA review course should make study time effective and efficient while maximizing the odds of passing the CPA exam. However, picking out a CPA course that meets the said qualities can be tough considering how many different courses are available on the market today. Some of the things you should think about when deciding on a CPA prep course are listed below.

1) Course Materials

Different courses are taught by different instructors, each of which will have a unique style of teaching. You should be on the look out for courses that are taught by instructors who are capable of making the toughest concepts easy to understand. Also note that the best instructors will make their lectures as efficient as possible by allocating more time to explaining the harder concepts and less time on the easier ones. Some courses offer samples of their lectures for you to view or listen to, so that you can get a feel of the lecturing style before deciding whether to buy the course or not. Alternatively, seek out online forums where other CPA-hopefuls gather, to read about their experiences with the various CPA courses, before making your final purchasing decision.

Another thing to consider is what kind of format(s) the course materials are presented in, and what your preferences are regarding this. The portability and accessibility of the media the course contents are available in should be taken into consideration when gauging a review course.

Also, when trying to decide on a review course, be certain to note any expiry dates for the class contents. Some questions and simulations software will become disabled at a certain time after activation. Also, some courses have lectures that are only supplied to a student for a certain duration before the access expires. The best sort of course materials and software is the type that does not need access to the web to view or use, and therefore does not expire. If you must purchase the type that does expire, ensure that you will have ample time to digest the materials before it expires on you.

2 ) Practice Questions

Having studied the study materials, the student is usually supplied with practice questions to drill the knowledge into their memory as well as apply the concepts they have learned to actual case scenarios.

Regarding the subject of practice questions, some CPA review courses take the exhaustive approach by making the student do every question that has the slightest chances of showing up on the CPA exam. While this may be the safe way to go, it can also be overly time-consuming. Many students simply run out of patience, and never get around to completing many of the practice questions, which does not prepare them well for the exam.

On the other hand, there are those review courses that don’t provide enough practice questions to adequately prepare the student for the examination. Clearly, this situation is a long way from ideal also.

The best CPA review course will contain only questions that are most likely to appear on the exam. This can be done by investigating past exams to spot questions that appear the most frequently. This will guarantee the top rate of return for the student’s study time by permitting the student to focus on areas that may potentially matter the most.

3) Student Support

Different CPA review courses provide various levels of consumer support. If you have a tendency to be a question-asker and wish to talk to instructors over the phonephone, then be certain to choose a review course that has that kind of service. On the other end of the range are courses that have minimal support, and in the middle are courses that permit students to e-mail questions to the trainers. Some review courses provide message boards and forums to allow students to interact with instructors and with each other. Before buying a review course, make sure that it will supply the level of support you need.

4) Frequency of Updates

Due to changes in accounting-related legislature amongst other reasons, CPA examination study materials need to be updated correspondingly on a regular basis. Some review courses update their course materials and practice questions more frequently than others, so be sure to take this into account when choosing a course.

One factor that many folks take into consideration, that has not been discussed, is price . However , considering the typically substantial pay-raise that is experienced by many accountants after they become CPA-certified, it is advised that you select a CPA review course based totally on its quality and level of support from the teachers, instead of on cost. Considering that the average pass rate for the CPA exam is only 47.49-49.10% (pass rate for Uniform CPA examination in 2008 ), failing a number of sections isn’t improbable. You won’t wish to re-study for and re-sit sections of the exam simply because you decided to save a couple of dollars by purchasing a lesser quality review course. The sole exception is when the course fees will be reimbursed by your employer, in which case you can need to take advantage of this, even if it would mean having fewer options to choose between.

Read about how David Bryant ultimately managed to pass 3 previously-failed sections over the course of ten months, with flying colors, in his blog here: Yaeger CPA Review

To locate objective reviews of the various CPA exam review courses please click on: CPA Review Course Ratings

Wiley CPA Review Course – Is It Worth Purchasing?

Last Updated on Saturday, 12 November 2011 07:16 Written by admin Saturday, 12 November 2011 07:16

The Wiley CPA review course is a trusted, widely used study system that has helped lots of students pass the CPA exam. It has been updated regularly for 3 decades and is available in a two-volume and four-volume format.

In the two-volume format, study outlines, strategies, guidelines and tips are gathered into the first volume while practice questions and answers make up the second volume. It is released each June which makes sure the questions and information is relevant.

The four-volume version reflects the same structure as the CPA exam with one edition available for each of the four CPA sections. This makes it easy to pick the sections relevant to you. This format is quite convenient because you can study one volume at a time as you are studying for each specific section. It is republished annually each December and again ensures the information is up to date with the latest accounting procedures.

The Wiley CPA review course uses various materials to make your study more effective and to ensure you make the most of your chance to pass the CPA exam. It includes Focus Notes with questions that help you grasp important concepts in each section. You can buy the notes as a complete set or for an individual section. The notes give expert answers and insight for the main topics expected on the exam. They are portable and well packaged in a spiral bound, flash-card format.

Audio CDs are another form of study material that the Wiley system uses. It is available as a complete package or as single products for each section. The audio lectures are delivered in a suitable and succinct manner.

Wiley include the How to Master Simulation series where they concentrate on the best way to handle sample questions. These are delivered via a CD-ROM.

The Mastering Account Research program included by Wiley makes a considerable difference as it makes it easy for you to sharpen your research skills. It helps prevent time wasting and other things relevant to research without causing distraction from the essential material. The course makes sure you are comfortable with how the test is overseen and that you make sufficient preparations.

There are lots of favorable reviews for the Wiley products which is encouraging to help you get ready for the CPA exam. Naturally, the four-volume edition is the most suggested as this follows the same structure as the actual exam. The CDs also help to increase learning and knowledge retention. The tips, guidelines and pointers given in each edition are delivered in a simple, useful and coherent way. This means if buy the Wiley CPA review course, you should keep in mind the CDs as they are an extremely useful part of the study material.

In comparison with other CPA exam review courses, the Wiley CPA course offers the best deal where price is concerned. However, Wiley’s materials does require lots of studying in order to improve the chances of success.

Read more on how Dave Bryant has managed to pass 3 previously failed CPA exam sections in ten months, with flying colors, in his blog here: Pass The CPA Exam

To read unbiased comparisons of the different CPA review courses please click over to: CPA Review Course