CPA Prep Course – Which One to Opt for?
Many accountants studying for the CPA examination utilize a CPA review course to help them prepare. A first-rate review course will minimize study time as well as maximise the chances of successfully passing the CPA examination. 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. Below are some of the factors to be considered when picking a CPA exam review course.
1) Course Materials
Although all courses explain similar accounting ideas, each instructor explains things differently. Good review courses are only taught by engaging instructors who are capable of explaining tough concepts in an easy-to-understand manner. Also, a good lecturer will spend more time on tricky concepts and just touch on the more self-explanatory ones to make lectures more efficient. The best CPA review courses come with free lecture samples that you can listen to before deciding to buy. An alternate way to evaluate the value of a review course is by going to CPA exam preparation forums and product review sites to see what folks have to say about the lecture quality of the different review courses.
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 study materials are available in should be considered when evaluating a review course.
Also, when looking around for a review course, be sure to note any expiry dates for the course contents. Some questions and simulations software will become disabled at a certain time after activation. As well, some courses have lectures that are only made available to a student for a certain duration before the access expires. The best sort of course materials and software is the type that doesn’t require access to the web to view or use, and thus does not expire. If you’ve got to purchase the type that does expire, ensure that you’ll have ample time to digest the materials before it expires on you.
2 ) Practice Questions
Having studied the course materials, the student is generally supplied with practice questions to drill the knowledge into their memory as well as apply the ideas they have learned to real 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 smallest chances of being on the CPA exam. While this may be a safe route to take, it can also be extremely time-consuming. Many students simply run out of study time, and never manage to complete many of the practice questions, which does not prepare them well for the exam.
On the other hand, there are those review courses that do not provide enough practice questions to adequately prepare the student for the exam. Clearly, this situation is far from ideal also.
The ideal CPA review course will contain only questions that are most likely to appear on the exam. This may be done by researching past examinations 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 target areas that will potentially matter the most.
3) Student Support
Different CPA review courses provide various levels of customer support. If you tend to be a question-asker and like to talk to instructors over the telephone, then be sure to select a review course that has that sort of service. On the other end of the spectrum are courses that have minimal support, and in the middle are courses that let students to e-mail questions to the coaches. Some review courses provide notice boards and forums to permit students to have interaction with instructors and with one another. Before buying a review course, ensure that it will give the level of support you need.
4) Frequency of Updates
Because of changes in accounting-related legislature among other things, CPA exam study materials have to be updated correspondingly on a consistent basis. Some review courses update their course materials and practice questions more often than others, so be sure to take this into account when selecting a course.
One factor that many people take under consideration, which has not been discussed, is price . However , considering the typically substantial pay-raise that’s experienced by many accountants after they become CPA-certified, it is suggested that you choose a CPA review course based mostly on its quality and level of support from the instructors, 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 one or more sections isn’t improbable. You will not wish to re-study for and re-sit sections of the examination just because you decided to save a couple of bucks by purchasing a lesser quality review course. The only exception is when the course fees will be refunded by your employer, in which case you may need to take advantage of this, even if it might mean having fewer options to choose from.
For unbiased reviews of the top CPA review courses, including Yaeger CPA Review Course, please visit his CPA Exam Blog.
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