CPA Exam Prep Course Reviews

Ian L on March 12, 2017 at 5:03PM said:

The online material is extremely valuable. The exam planner, study guides, and video lectures make learning an enormous volume of material very manageable. The periodic assessments are a fantastic complement to aid in preparation for the real deal.

However, if you're considering Wiley CPAexcel largely because of the advertised mentoring, I think you will be very disappointed with what it actually amounts to. The mentoring was the deciding factor in why I selected Wiley CPAexcel. I envisioned access to experienced professionals who would essentially groom me for entry into the accounting profession. To my disappointment, I've been met by a professor who told me he can't answer any questions that aren't specifically related to the solution of a specific Wiley CPAexcel assessment question, and another professor who discredited my contribution to the discussion thread when I corrected a different professor who had offered a candidate an incorrect formula. I was forced to re-assert my correction a second time, with proper citation, and that was awkward and shouldn't happen if the professor is open-minded to begin with.

You also need to be prepared for the event that you set aside a day to hammer out online study lessons, and their server is down. Today is the second time that has happened in 16 days. I'm here writing this review while waiting for their site to come back up.

TL:DR

If the mentoring is a big factor in your consideration of Wiley CPAexcel, you will likely regret your purchase.

If you are thinking about purchasing this for the robust collection of study materials at your disposal, you will likely be very satisfied.

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Carrie on May 28, 2015 at 3:05PM said:

I love CPA Excel. They have a wonderful program. No matter how much time you have, you can easily spend 10 minutes or so knocking out a study section. If you have more time, do more sections. They also have a wonderful timeline so you know how much you have to study in order to be ready by the date you want. I love that their testing module looks the exact same as the exam. I knew exactly what to expect the first test I went to take. It made me a lot less nervous! They have a wonderful program.

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bassam c on December 30, 2014 at 2:12AM said:

Hi. 7 years ago when i graduated from from university i enrolled with becker to obtain the cpa. However the courses at becker where a waste of time and i found out that m type of a self study person especially that i have passed the cia using gleim books and mcqs without the need to watch classes. Woley cpaexcel caught my attention. But there is a lot to study in the cpa nothing like the cia. M confused about a way to start studying. Especially that now i havemore commitments kids wife...i want to take your opinion on the study strategy that i will follow. I will read all four parts and solve most of their mcqs. Then i will study each part extensively in 2 to 3 months and apply for the exam. Benefiting from the unlimited access given by wiley. What do suggest. Thanking you in advance.

Bassam

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Shaun C. on November 9, 2014 at 1:11PM said:

When I was shopping for review courses a few years ago, I was a little unsure about CPAexcel because it was the "new kid on the block." One of my friends recommended it to me and said that it was just as good as Becker or any of the other big name courses. I took her word for it and am really glad I did.

I used CPAexcel exclusively and had no problem passing all four sections on my first time. The course is well laid out and materials get straight to the point. I think the thing that helped me the most was the shorter lessons. I was able to focus on specific concepts rather than learning broad topics in excruciating detail. That, and it just helped hold my attention better than longer lectures. :)

Don't doubt this system. It works. Plus, it never expires. That was another selling point for me. I knew that if I didn't pass, I could keep using the course until I did. Luckily, I didn't need it for more than 7 months. :) I highly recommend CPAexcel to anyone looking for an all-in-one study solution for the exam. If you have any questions or want to know more about my experiences with the course, feel free to message me. I'd love to give you a few pointers.

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Robert L. on July 6, 2013 at 9:07PM said:

I chose CPAexcel out of all the review programs after doing tremendous amounts of research because this fit perfectly to my schedule of working full-time while studying at weeknights and weekends. I knew many CPA candidates that chose Becker as their choice but I felt that it was overpriced. CPAexcel's policy of constantly getting updates until you pass all 4 parts and studying metrics were the biggest attractive features for me to go with CPAexcel. If you have the self-discipline and self-motivation to self-study as well as limited time after full-time work, I would go with CPAexcel as the best choice.

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Rachel E. on December 10, 2012 at 4:12PM said:

CPAExcel was a great program. I was surprised to find that it didn't seem as popular a choice when I was researching. I chose this program mainly because it was relatively inexpensive and you can do everything online. I did the package with the videos and didn't feel that I needed to have the physical books or the mentoring. The program will let you print out material from each section separately if you feel you need to look at a hard copy on a particular topic.

I used CPAExcel exclusively and passed all 4 sections of the CPA Exam on the first try. I think it does a great job of simulating the exam, particularly the MC questions and the simulations. The written portion of the BEC was a little weak but I assume that it is challenging to write a computer program to grade written material. I had the lowest score on the BEC exam. I went through each section and did all of the MC (especially the past exam questions) and all of the simulations and took the practice exam at the end twice per section.

I love how you can do everything at your own pace and set your own schedule. I took a year to do all 4 exams and I was working full time and doing 1 graduate class per semester at the same time so it can definetly be completed more quickly if you have fewer obligations. Definetly would recommend this review course.

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Sarah S. on August 16, 2012 at 9:08PM said:

I chose CPAexcel after a looking at a lot of reviews and carefully considering several review programs. I did not choose it because it was inexpensive, but I was very pleased that it came in under $1100. I got a student discount. I purchased the Online Video Self Study Course - online text, slides, video, proficiency questions, multiple choice questions, and simulated tasks. They have different deals or specials, and my package also came with the flashcards (have not used much) and the flash drive (never have used). I don't have access to mentoring, but have never felt like I wanted it. There is an active student discussion forum, and Support is obviously monitoring those and responding to issues or complaints.

I have used CPAexcel almost exclusively. I took FAR in November 2011 and AUD in January 2012. I scored above 90 on both, and felt completely prepared by CPAexcel. I took REG in August 2012 and am waiting on the score, but I again felt prepared.

Things I really like: it is all consolidated online; good explanations are provided on missed questions; you easily see your progress as you go...it tracks time spent in each area, # of questions answered correctly, and has a scorecard for each test section; video lecturers are pretty good and do elaborate on the material with helpful examples; focus is really on learning material, not just memorization; I don't have to carry a book or anything around, I just need online access. Since I started studying, I have seen them improve the program in some ways to make it even more user friendly, and I appreciate that they keep the materials up to date.

I definitely recommend CPAexcel.

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Angel T. on March 1, 2011 at 6:03AM said:

My accounting teacher said that it was a good course and that thats the one he used cus it was cheaper. He passed the first time and also has a Ph.D I asked him if the Ph.D helped him the answer was no. that this test is all about memorization. Will see what happens when is my turn to take it. He said he would recomend it. He is a CPA and also cetified IFRS and Forensic accounting. He is a smart guy so I'm gonna rate it for him

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