I’m in my last month of studying and have scheduled my exam for April 17. I’m only on Module 17 Pt 2 of the Yaeger Lectures, but will try to speed things up in order to finish Yaeger before the end of March.
I’ve been going super slow on each Module because I’m trying to understand concepts. Most of my studying (from Modules 11-17) has been beyond the detail covered in the Yaeger Lectures. Also, I’ve been taking the time to fully understand basic topics such as Bonds, Leases, Inventory, and Depreciation. While doing MPCs, especially for the basic topics mentioned, my goal is to answer all questions in under 2 minutes. Also, I save all the MPCs that I have difficulties with in a Word doc and write my version of a detailed answer explanation for each MPC.
On April 1st, I will take the CPA excel Diagnostic Final Review and assess my confidence to decide whether or not to push my exam date back. Starting in April, I will be spending more and more time practicing MPCs while compiling notes on my weakest topics. In my last 2 weeks, I plan to practice Simulations on Wiley 15.0/CPA excel. Also, I will dedicate at least 1 day to essay writing for communications and to search queries for the research tab.
On the day before the test, I plan to relax and read about what to expect on exam day. The most studying I will allow myself to do is 30 MPCs and skimming notes, nothing too intense.
So far, I feel good about Modules 11-17, but have forgotten most of the detail from Modules 7-10. I will probably spend a couple days reviewing Module 7-10.
BTW, CPA Excel has been my favorite CPA Review course so far. The only complaint I could possibly see anyone having with CPA Excel is that CPA Excel covers too much material. In topics where most CPA Review Programs claim the material is least likely to be tested and not worth studying, CPA Excel will cover the material in depth.
Actually, I just remembered a sucky thing about CPA excel, the video lectures. The videos usually have a current or former accounting professor that lectures on each study unit using a Powerpoint slide show. The videos range from about 3-20 minutes long, but I have only seen a handful that are over 15 minutes with the majority of the videos ranging from 3-9 minutes. My issue with the video lectures is that they only cover topics in the Powerpoint and usually don’t cover everything in the study text/book. Also, its difficult to stay attentive and impossible to take notes while being “Powerpoint Slideshow’d to death”. The study textbook is amazingly organized and easy to read because it was written by accounting professors. Because the video lectures lack the detail and quality of the study textbook, the entire review feels incomplete or unworthy of being a candidates main CPA Review Program. Also, the pricing structure is out of whack because the Videos and Slideshows are a premium feature that they charge more for compared to their textbooks.
Bottom line, if you buy CPA Excel, avoid paying for the videos/slideshows and its only $600-800 for a complete review with an amazing textbook, tons of practice questions/simulations, and progress tracking. The structure of the book and its organization of topics is much better than Wiley. If you prefer reading, rather than watching a video, than I suggest CPA Excel.
I really like the combo of Yaeger FAR and CPA Excel. I watch the Yaeger FAR video lectures and then supplement my studying with CPA Excel. Whenever the Wiley book gets confusing, I refer to CPA Excel and everything makes sense. I spend more time practicing MPCs and researching topics in CPA Excel than I do in Wiley. I only like the Yaeger lectures because for the modules that Cindy lectures, it’s easier to understand topics by listening first, rather than reading about them. Also, Cindy focuses on the most difficult topics and topics she believes are most likely to be tested.
