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Becker CPA Review

 

 

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posted by CPA Exam Help at 2:53 PM | 23 Comments

23 Comments:

• This is a great course. I really liked how the instructors told you which topics to focus on the most and which ones you should just be familiar with. That way you don't waste your effort on concepts that aren't as important. However, it is more expensive than some of the other review materials out there, so you should consider whether or not your employer pays for your study materials and what kind of a bonus you would get for passing to determine whether it is worth it or not.

  By  New CPA!, At March 12, 2008 9:47 AM  

  
  

• I think of Becker as very expensive Cliff Notes. If you have the money, Becker has the best lectures and books. I love the mnemonics, for example. The lectures are fast paced and entertaining. However, I did not renew with Becker. I switched to two other review courses. I needed more in depth lectures. I also needed more questions and simulations and a better process for taking sample tests. Additionally, I did not have a personal counselor at Becker that I could talk to.

  By  Anonymous, At July 7, 2008 4:04 AM  

  
  

• Yaeger combines the best of Becker (lectures) and Gleim (organized multiple choice questions). Yaeger gives a short lecture and then reviews the multiple choice questions in the Wiley book.
  
  Becker does not review multiple choice questions in their lectures and Gleim does not have any lectures.

  By  Anonymous, At August 11, 2008 7:37 AM  

  
  

• Yaeger is the only review course to go over multiple choice questions. Becker, Bisk and Gleim only give you a written explanation of the correct answer. Yaeger gives you a verbal explanation of the multiple choice questions. Additionally, Yaeger shows you why the multiple choice questions are tricky.
  
  Dr. Phil Yaeger spent 1½ hours over the phone with me explaining pensions. No other review course gives you that type of personal service! Becker, for instance, gives no personal at all. Gleim has personal counselors who know nothing about accounting.
  
  I struggled for a year with Becker and Gleim. Five weeks before my financial exam I was convinced that I would fail. Therefore, I ordered the Yaeger review class. Yaeger was the bridge that got me from Becker lectures to Gleim multiple choice questions. Yaeger did in five weeks what Becker and Gleim could not do in one year.
  
  Yaeger has no peer when it comes to explaining multiple choice questions and simplifying the Wiley book. I would not have passed financial without Yaeger. I cannot stress enough how important Yaeger is to your study plan!

  By  Anonymous, At September 8, 2008 7:53 AM  

  
  

• Becker admits that they do not cover all of the topics tested. That is a problem. These CPA exams are a mile wide and an inch thick.
  
  Do not think for a moment that college prepared you for these CPA exams. The CPA exams cover twice the material that I had in college, but not in the same depth. I literally needed three cost accounting texts to cover all of the variance analysis questions on the business exam. Additionally, I had four intermediate accounting texts to pass the financial exam. If you just waltz into these professional exams like this was college, you will limp out of these exams with a failing grade.
  
  All of the CPA candidates who took Becker with me have failed. They failed because they used the same study habits that they used in college. They crammed with Becker. That will not work. The CPA exams are not about short-term memory. These professional exams are about long-term memory on more subjects than Becker covers.
  
  Pick your review materials carefully. You will not pass the CPA exams without good review materials! If I had to pick the best review course, I would pick Yaeger. No one matches his personal help. If it were not for Yeager, I would have failed the financial exam just using Becker and Gleim.
  
  No review course can cover all of the subjects tested. Therefore, I am now using the strengths of each review program to help me pass. I would rather spend the money now then have to retake these CPA exams!
  
  Here is how I now prepare for the CPA exams: I start off with Becker home study for an overview of the subject matter. I then go to Yaeger for the real meat of my study program! Next I go into a test mode with questions from the Gleim Test Prep. Two weeks before the exam I review the material with Bisk Intensive Review. If you do not have the money to do what I am doing, just go with Yaeger. He uses the Wiley books in his lectures. Give Dr. Phil Yaeger a call.
  
  Those three initials, CPA, do not come cheaply! I have no friends, no family and no life. That is the price that I have to pay to pass each of these exams the first time. Each of these CPA exams is a monster. Studying for these exams is a full-time job. Good review materials and serious study equals success

  By  Anonymous, At September 18, 2008 6:49 AM  

  
  

• Is Becker enough to pass the Financial and Regulation exams? I do not think so! I am using Becker as an overview of the material. However, Becker does not have enough breath and depth for me. I am viewing all of Yaeger’s DVDs and I am taking notes.

  By  Anonymous, At November 11, 2008 4:12 AM  

  
  

• Do not buy the entire set of Becker’s CPA review material for$2825! Only buy one section at a time, if you intend to purchase Becker. Buying all four sections of Becker at one time will cost you money, not save you money. The Becker CPA review materials expire after only one year!
  
  Stay flexible. Only 10% of the CPA candidates pass all four sections on the first try. I was not one of those candidates. I made the mistake of buying all four sections of Becker at one time. I never got to see two of the Becker sections.
  
  There is no such thing as free Becker materials if you fail a section, even if you send in a performance report showing that you completed 100% of the lectures, and got 90% of the homework multiple choice questions correct. It is going to cost you $250 ($155 for new materials plus $95 shipping) per section ($1,000 total). If you did not send in a performance report, it will cost you a “discounted price” as a former student of $550 ($455 materials plus $95 shipping charges). That is a total of $2,200 for all four sections!
  
  Yaeger only charges $25 for updated materials! Yaeger also does require you to send in a performance report. Additionally, Yaeger updates their lectures every year, and there is no time limit on the Yaeger materials!
  
  I bought both Becker and Yager for REG. However, I am using Yaeger almost exclusively. Becker is not enough for FARE and REG! Yaeger is enough to pass both FARE and REG!

  By  Anonymous, At November 12, 2008 12:09 PM  

  
  

• Becker is a great CPA prep course if you utilize all the materials that they offer (lectures, flashcards, AND final review) in conjunction with one another and stick to a strict study plan. HOWEVER, it gets pricey since the software expires after 12 months, and you technically have to repurchase the software at a "discounted" price should you have to retake it. Definitely, do no buy all four sections at once if you use Becker...one section at a time, unless of course you intend on getting through all 4 parts in less than a year. I felt satisfied that the Becker material prepared me for the content tested on the exam. There was hardly anything that shocked me when I went to sit for the exam after using Becker to prepare. A tip if you use Becker is the multiple choice questions & simulations. Practice them...OVER AND OVER! Good luck!

  By  Anonymous, At November 16, 2008 8:08 PM  

  
  

• Becker is a great review course, IF YOU USE IT THE WAY IT IS INTENDED TO BE USED!! You can't study like you did in college, skim through the material, and pass. And if you think you can, I urge you to go ahead and try and let me know how that goes.
  
  Becker prepares you very well as long as your watch all of the lectures, do all of the homework, and cover the simulations. Then as a review, skim the parts you're unsure of and re-do ALL of the multiple choice questions again.
  
  I passed both AUD and REG on my first try with Becker with scores of 85 and above. For both of those sections, I used it the way I should have. I had to re-take BEC and FAR because I didn't put in as much time and didn't cover all of the material on my first try. That proves that if you use it correctly, you'll pass with no problem. If you don't, you fail. Simple as that.
  
  I have co-workers who are struggling to pass the exam with other study materials such as Bisk and CPA Excel. I don't recommend them at all. The Becker lectures take you through the book and explain the key areas whereas most other materials require you to sit and read the book. I could never pass like that. Spending the money upfront on Becker is worth it!!

  By  Anonymous, At January 21, 2009 11:07 AM  

  
  

• Is it worth it to buy the Final Review Course materials from Beckers? I will be taking the course and I wonder if I should purchase the final review materials?

  By  Anonymous, At January 25, 2009 8:52 PM  

  
  

• The person who keeps mentioning Yaeger sounds like someone who is working for them and not someone who has actually used the material. Sounds too sales pitchy.

  By  Anonymous, At April 14, 2009 10:45 AM  

  
  

• I was just thinking that very same thing. The chance of Yaeger being the only review course preferred over Becker by users of this page is pretty slim. I have no experience with Yaeger and neither endorse or oppose that program. That said, as a student, I am a Becker campus representative at my university and have become aware of the characteristically competitive nature of many review courses. This sort of thing wouldn't surprise me a bit, sick though it is. (For what it's worth, I have not known Becker to be that aggressive.)
  
  I won’t explain why it appears that Yaeger’s many supporting statements on this page may have been posted by an agent/employee of Yaeger, because I wouldn’t want the writer to become more believable as he/she attempts to dupe the forum’s users. Any agent/employee that does this is clearly unfamiliar with the accounting profession, as we accountants are very concerned with something called “ethics” and another called “independence.” Reviewing your own course is like auditing your own work. Any agent/employee who advertises or competes on this page is either not an accountant or is a crappy one, the kind you read about in your auditing case books who get censured, banned from public practice, fined, or imprisoned. This is a page where people are coming to look for honest answers and advice regarding decisions that affect their careers. That’s a big deal and no amount of money is worth messing with other people’s lives. Let’s leave the feedback and advice to actual customers.
  
  Competition between review courses is intense, and some are more aggressive than others. You should always try to verify from several sources anything you hear or are told, because sometimes the truth gets altered or sacrificed.

  By  Anonymous, At May 7, 2009 2:50 PM  

  
  

• Becker is geared for CPA candidates who are going to work for the big four accounting firms, and for CPA candidates who have a very, very good background in accounting. There are CPA candidates who use nothing but Becker, and who pass all four parts of the CPA exam on the first try in six months. However, I am not one of those CPA candidates.
  
  I have both the Yaeger and Becker courses for FAR. I am using the Yaeger course first before I even attempt to use the Becker review!

  By  Anonymous, At May 9, 2009 1:08 PM  

  
  

• Becker is DEFINITELY not enough to pass the REG, especially when dealing with Estates and Trusts. For legal reasons, we can not elaborate, but when an instructor tells you not to worry about estates and Trusts, telling you there will only be a couple multiple choice questions, he can be very wrong. Each simulation is 15% of your total grade, so word to the wise: look out for simulations on Estates! Tough

  By  brad, At June 2, 2009 5:45 PM  

  
  

• I failed FAR on the first try just using an old version of Becker and the current version of Gleim Online and Gleim Test Prep.
  
  I now have Becker, Yaeger, all of Bisk's Hot Spots, and Gleim online for FAR. Yaeger and Bob Monette (Bisk) are FAR better at teaching than Becker.
  
  I find that the homework questions in Becker are too easy. I get a false sense of security from Becker. I find that the multiple choice questions in Wiley or Gleim are more realistic.
  
  Yaeger and Bob Monette work multiple choice questions and simulations with you. Becker does not do that! Both Yaeger and Bob Monette (Bisk Hot Spots) go over hundreds of multiple choice questions in FAR. They show you all of the tricks that the examiners use in these multiple choice questions. That is why Becker 2009 is sitting on my shelf gathering dust.

  By  Anonymous, At June 7, 2009 11:35 AM  

  
  

• I bought all four sections of becker and took the classes. I started taking the classes in April of 2008, and only got in 2 tests (both FAR - 68, 72) before tax season. I just took another exam, but noticed that my becker software is closing in on the "one year date" Does anyone know is there a way to bybass this date rule for becker? I was thinking about changing the date on windows and on my bios a year back?

  By  Anonymous, At June 8, 2009 11:02 AM  

  
  

• I didn't pass with Becker and found Roger CPA Review online and signed up for his FAR online course. Becker's instructors were really boring and read to the class out of the book. I also didn't like how their software expired after a year. I've only started studying Roger's FAR lectures online, but so far they've been really helpful. The online course is still Roger on camera teaching, and he's really energetic which helps me study and stay focused. His books are very concise and he goes over sample mulitple choice and simulations questions in class. I'm sitting for FAR in July so I'll find out in a few months if I pass.

  By  Anonymous, At June 19, 2009 4:52 PM  

  
  

• my CPA becker CD about to expire in Aug and i have planned my exams in Oct 09, is there any way i could extend this .

  By  Arun, At July 4, 2009 7:44 AM  

  
  

• For 2007 and 2009 Becker Reviw
  
  Step one: Change your date back on your computer to a day prior to the expiration date of the Software (i.e. if your software expired on Aug 18, change it to some date prior to that)- Make sure you hit APPLY to the date.
  
  Step 2: Go to the Becker program under Start, and go to "System Settings and Activation Status" on the left column, go to "Activation Status" then hit "RESET" and then hit "SAVE"
  
  Step 3: Change the date back to the present day,
  
  Access the program and it should work.
  
  Does someone know how to change a 2008 software?

  By  Anonymous, At July 17, 2009 12:58 PM  

  
  

• From someone who knows Becker a bit better than these Yaeger reps, Becker is a solid, well-rounded, course that DOES cover all the material on the CPA exam, though they may not go into such depth on what you do not need to concentrate on. You do the homework, ask questions, and come to the classes and your chances of passing with Becker are great. As they claim, more people pass with Becker than any other review course. You can't judge the review course on your friends with bad study habits who were throwing up a hailmary for the exam. Becker, now, does offer a more personable experience requiring their lecturers to be available to their students, many of whom they know on a first name basis. Becker is also changing their format of the in-class portion, making the reading your job, and the preparing more adequate. But, that being said, YOU ACTUALLY HAVE TO DO WHAT THEY TELL YOU TO. Becker works, it is the most expensive for a reason, and it has nothing to do with Brand recognition. Why would anyone want to pay more for a program that produces reduced results at a higher price? They wouldn't. Many I have talked to who have taken Becker, and passed their first times out, recommend Becker to anyone preparing for the Exam, and so do I.

  By  Anonymous, At October 27, 2009 8:04 PM  

  
  

• Regulation:
  becker is good overview material. but doesnt go in depth, which can be time consuming and costly in the long run. the questions were, like another poster said, too easy. if u get 90% on the homework and test, you should expect the same on the exam. I kept falling just shy of the passing rate. then i used the wiley book only, and i passed. those questions are comprehensive for real. plenty content. I didnt get review the last 3 modules in time to take the exam, but i still passed with a 77, thank god. Wiley is quite thorough. I didnt wanna trash talk, although i could, but figured it would be better to talk about what works.

  By  Anonymous, At March 12, 2010 6:33 PM  

  
  

• I loved Becker for REG, and I passed on my first try doing what they said to do. I studied for 20-25 hrs a week for 8 weeks (they recommend 20-25 hrs for 6 weeks). I also utilized the flash cards and the final review. There were no surprises on the MCQ's, as I knew them ALL. The sims were a different story, but I did well enough on the MC to pass. BEC was another story...a nightmare at best. There was so much stuff on my exam that was not in Becker. However, no one can teach you everything that can be asked. I just think that I got the short end of the stick with all the types of questions that Becker does not prepare you for. The only other thing is that I didn't think Becker was very good for the Finance section of BEC. They tell you what you need to know, but they don't teach you how to do it. But then again, the program is supposed to help you pass the exam, and not reteach your college finance classes. All in all, I think Becker is a great program if you do what they tell you to do, study what they tell you to study, memorize what they tell you to memorize, and basically put in the time needed to pass each part (as someone else already posted).

  By  Anonymous, At April 20, 2010 7:20 AM  

  
  

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