How to Prepare for the Certified Public Accountant Exam (Barron's How to Prepare for the Certified Public Accountant Examination Cpa) (Paperback)

by CPA, Nick Dauber (Author) "One function, historically, of the CPA exam has been to identify persons able to demonstrate a certain level of accounting competence..." (more)
Key Phrases: cate your answers, estimated time allotments, other objective formats, Objective Answer Sheet, Other Reporting Areas, Quantitative Methods (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
Updated to reflect the latest CPA exam, the new edition of this manual presents to complete practice exams. The author offers diagnostic tests and a review that covers all topics for which candidates are tested on the exam. All test questions have answers and explanations so that students can score themselves and evaluate their individual strengths and weaknesses .

Product Details

• Paperback: 512 pages
• Publisher: Barron's Educational Series; 6 edition (March 1, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0764101854
• ISBN-13: 978-0764101854
• Product Dimensions: 10.6 x 7.7 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.5 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #306,907 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Helpful Exam Format to Practice!, October 2, 2003

By	Tiramisu (Walnut, CA United States) - See all my reviews

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Yes, the exams in this book are out of date from 1995.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.

Your Opportunity Cost is less than 15 bucks on Amazon!

10 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Badly out of date, July 2, 2001

By A Customer

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.

1.0 out of 5 stars DO NOT BUY!!!, March 20, 2009

By	Scott J. Maddox (Bowie, MD USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

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?