Customer Reviews

How to Prepare for the Certified Public Accountant Exam (Barron's How to Prepare for the CPA Exam)

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I disagree with the previous reviewer's opinion. AICPA (The organization administering the CPA exam) announced to make the CPA exam a nondisclosed exam in 1996. That is what makes the last real exams even more valuable on the market. I personally called the Copyright Release Department of AICPA on 10/02/2003 to confirm this information is true. They say they release no more than 50 questions a year since 1997. The sample test given by all reviewing agencies now-a-days are derived from the Old test bank reformatted by applying new GAAP.

Yes, the exams in this book are out of date from 1995. However, Barron revised its old test answers to update with the current GAAP in the new edition. In addition, I personally find the tips given for writing short essays very very helpful. I think there are two essential factors to succeed in the CPA test. First, discipline studying. Second, try not to be anxious during the real test. I talked to lots people who studied and can¡¦t pass the test because of nervousness. I strongly encourage anyone who considers taking the test to do this two practice exams on two weekends. Get up in the morning get ready at the same time as if you were to take the real test. Take the practice exams the same schedule and pace as you would do the real CPA test. This is a great tool to kill the nervous cells during the exam. Most of us are just not familiar with the way the exam is structured, not the material of the exam itself.

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It's just unbelievable to me that Barron's stopped updating their CPA exam study guides. This was a great book when it came out and I used it along with all the study guides available at the time, and passed. If you go to the Barron's site, this is the CPA book they offer - and they describe it there as the new edition!

At this point, the only exam value here is to take the time to ferret out the still relevant parts of the book. There are great questions from the 1995 CPA exam (before I took my first accounting class or decided to study accounting). There are many changes to the authoritative literature, what is tested on the exam, and how the body of knowledge is tested.

The fact is this book was published too long ago to be of benefit unless the candidate does the research to eliminate was is now out of date for the exam. The exam has changed and changed again. Now it can be taken part by part at a Prometric testing center. This book is based on when the exam was written and proctored twice yearly at large examination centers with many thousands sitting for the exam at the same time. Since then, the body of knowledge tested has changed as well as the methods for testing that knowledge, referred to as psychometrics.

The unique selling point of this book used to be that it was useful toward passing the CPA exam. Now it is that this book has historical value, to gain knowledge of changes in the body of knowledge and how it is assessed over decades. This book has historical value beyond its study guide value.

Don't buy this book. It is so out of date. If you intend on passing the exam, you need more recent study materials. One of the reviewers complained about the price for Wiley, but if you remember how much textbooks cost in college, then you will think that maybe the Wiley books aren't that expensive anymore. The exam has changed considerably since this book's publication. It's like asking your grandfather how to fix a Toyota Prius. There are 4 exam parts, so wouldn't you feel better about having 4 separate books?

This book really took me to the next level in preparing for this exam. It really covered a lot of A-Z items to consider and provided valuable insight and important information on the topic. I felt a lot more confident after reading this book, so I would definitely recommend to others. It is a no-nonsense book and is comparable with the best test-prep books out on the market. The techniques in the book are very straight-forward and the authors really exhibit great knowledge and detail in designing how this book reads and preps its readers. Don't take your CPA exam without this.

This book's review of CPA Exam review courses is badly out of date. Its preface says that it has 3 goals including "To provide CPA candidates with the information they need in order to make an informed choice about review program alternatives." Because the book is the 1998 edition it fails to meet this goal. It fails to mention a review course, CPAexcel, that first appeared in 1998 that is setting records for high pass rates and low required study hours of its users.

This book rightly points out that the biggest challenge to passing the Exam is for the candidate to use his/her time well. It says that "becoming a CPA is within the grasp of that average accounting graduate" -- and that the "discouraging passing rates are more a function of poor preparation than they are of inherent difficulty." But the book still steers its readers to the obsolete type of review courses that are a main cause of the "discouraging passing rates." It suggests that the use of software-based study programs is suitable "particularly as a supplemental study aid." To the contrary, candidates who use CPAexcel's software-based study program as their primary study tool find that they learn more per hour of study and, therefore, learn more of what they need to know to pass. Therefore, more of them pass.

The books emphasis on the need to employ time-saving techniques is right on. It needs to be updated to reflect the fact that there is at least one review course that actually delivers this critical benefit today.

The first step is to pass the examination, which may be pretty difficult. With the release of the book that you have found, you can feel more relaxed about THAT hard test...this book provides all the tools and advices for an excellent score. Try it and feel confident about your future!