Hi Everyone ,
Pursuant to the fantastic article shared by Rahul Gupta on an introduction to the CPA Course , I thought I could give some inputs regarding the CPA Course targetting those people who would like to pursue it . As you may be aware CPA is introducing IFRS in their curriculum by January 1,2011 so its definetely a course worth pursuing because of the international recognition .
The next question which pops into everyone's mind is what review course can I use to prepare for this exam
This is intended focus on the various review courses and what are their approximate costs .
There would be subsequent posts on what are the pros and cons for each
CPA Exam Review Courses: Cost Comparison
While price should only be one of the considerable, it is nevertheless an important one so I attempt to make your life easier by listing them all for your easy comparison.
I am going to list out the cost by company below, but here are a few charts for a big picture. Figures in US dollars.
1. CPA Exam Review Courses – Bundle Buy Comparison
The following is the cost of standard guided review course if you purchase all 4 parts in one go. Becker is clearly the most expensive and price is going up again this year. Roger CPA Review used to be a relative bargain but I am surprised at the 31% increase in the live classes. Now it becomes the second most expensive.
In US dollars
Note: the red portion indicates:
- $400 extra that you need to pay for Roger’s live and USB courses (vs their online courses)
- $220 extra if you choose to have access to a professor for answering questions
2. CPA Exam Review Courses – Per Section Comparison
In US dollars
Note: the red portion indicates the additional $100 you need to pay for FAR at Roger CPA Review.
3. Cram Courses Comparison (By Section)
In US dollars
Note: not available at Gleim CPA Review.
4. Test Prep Software Comparison
In US dollars
Note: not available for purchase separately at Becker and CPAExcel; Roger and Yaeger CPA Review use Wiley CPA software.
5. Textbook Comparison
In US dollars
Note: not available for purchase separately at Becker and Gleim; Roger and Yaeger CPA Review use Wiley CPA textbook.
6. Audio CD/MP3 Comparison
In US dollars
Note: not available at Becker, Roger and CPAExcel
7. Flashcard Comparison
In US dollars
Note: not available at
Now, Let’s Look At The Pricing In Detail
Here is the price list of products from these CPA exam review courses. The price is checked against each of their websites and updated on August 4, 2010.
Becker CPA Review
Becker is the most expensive CPA exam review course no matter how you look at it. Does it worth it? Everyone has a different opinion — the best you can do is to compare Becker with the rest of the CPA exam review courses in different aspects.
Please note that the in-class, CD-ROM and online courses cost the same:
Standard course:
-
Bundle buy (all 4 parts):
$2,825$3,065 (up again!!) -
Price per section:
$910$990 + $95 registration fee
Flashcards:
- $210/section (at enrollment)
- $295/section (after enrollment)
- Mobile flaashcard app for iPhone, iTouch, iPad, Blackberry and Windows Mobile: $295 /section
Cram course (Final Review):
- $570 or $190/section (at enrollment)
- $720 or $240/section (after enrollment)
Competitor discount:
- 50% off
Bisk CPA Review
Guided review course (Bisk Online / Bisk Classic):
- Bundle buy: $1,980
- Price per section: $495
DVD:
- Bundle buy: $999.8
- Per section: $249.95
- Hot Spot DVDs (heavily tested topics): $99-$199/topic
Test prep software:
- Bundled buy: $640
- Per section: $160
Text book:
- Bundled buy: $199.8
- Per section: $49.95
Audio:
- Bundled buy: $519.8
- Per section: $129.95
Gleim CPA Review
Gleim is by far the cheapest guided review course. The bundled purchase is especially attractive at less than $1,000. Having said that, many users don’t like the book and the course and only use the test prep software. So, in my opinion, you should probably only pay attention to the Gleim software.
Standard course:
-
Gleim CPA Review system (everything including books, test prep software, audio CDs, CPA Gleim Online, Test Prep for Windows Mobile, and access to a Personal Counselor)
- Bundle buy (all 4 parts): $989.95
- Price per section: $274.95
-
Gleim online (core self-study review course):
- Bundle buy: $611.92
- Price per section:$169.95
Audio: $89.95 per section
Test prep software:
- With textbook: $84.95 per section
- Without textbook: $54.95 per section
Wiley CPA Review
Wiley is the only major CPA exam review course publisher that does not provide a “guided” review, but their textbooks and test preparation software are very popular and widely available in major bookstores around the world. Besides the textbook and software listed below, Wiley also carries a collection of CPA exam preparation / accounting reference materials.
Textbook:
- Bundled buy: $220
- Per section: $55
Test prep software:
- Bundled buy: $229
- Per section: $79
Lambers CPA Review
Lambers CPA is cheap! You can get a deeply discounted price if you purchase online, but there is no discount on bundle buy, at least on the web.
Standard course:
- iPod – $299.95/section ($1,199.8 for 4 parts)
- DVD – $299.95/section ($1199.8 for 4 parts)
- Audio – $249.95/section ($999.9 for 4 parts)
- Flashcards – $124.95/section ($499.8 for 4 parts)
Cram course (Intensive Review): $199/section
Text prep software only: $149.95/section
Textbook only: $49.95/section
Roger CPA Review
While Roger CPA Review retains its uniqueness it is no longer a bargain in my opinion. Its live class (and USB self-study course) is 2nd most expensive among the second review course. Also, be beware of a whole bunch of hidden charges.
Guided review course:
-
Live version:
$1,595$2,095 (31% increase!) -
Online:
$1,595$1,695 -
USB:
$1,995$2,095
Guided review course per section (same for all versions):
- $595 for AUD, BEC, REG
- $695 for FAR
Cram Course:
- Online: $860, or $195-275 per section
- USB: $995 or $295-375 per section
Competitor discount:
- 24-38% (live/online/USB cost the same at $1,295)
Known additional costs:
- For live classes, $10 per class if you need to rewatch the lecture for live classes. As told by one of my readers, you still need to pay even if it is Roger CPA’s fault to make a rewatch necessary, e.g. due to technical glitches in the satellite classes
- The USB expires after 12 months
CPAExcel
CPAExcel product listing is quite confusing, but basically they have 4 products and you can pick and choose and each combination has a different pricing. The products are:
- Core study materials (in static,powerpoint format) – A
- Video lessons – B
- Text book – C
- Professor mentoring (have access to a professor whom can anwer your questions) -D
Packages
- A+B+C+D: Bundled buy: $1,690; per section: $580
- A+B+C: Bundled buy: $1,470; per section: $490
- A+B: Bundled buy: $1,335; per section: $445
- A+C+D: Bundled buy: $1,195; per section: $400
- A+C: Bundled buy: $930; per section: $310
- A (core powerpoint materials only): Bundled buy: $795; per section: $265
- C (textbook only): Bundled buy: $150; per section: $50
- Flashcards: Bundled buy: $150; per section: $50
In my opinion, the first two (A+B+C+D and A+B+C) are equivalent to the standard courses from other CPA exam review course.
Yaeger CPA Review
I am been quite clear throughout my site about my recommendation of Yaeger CPA Review. Cost is certainly one of the reasons.
Guided review course:
- Bundle buy: $1,550
- Price per section: $495
Audio (MP3 format):
- Bundle buy: $380
- Cost per section: $95
Cram Course (webcast format):
- BEC and AUD: $125 without Wiley book; $180 with Wiley Book
- FAR and REG: $225 without Wiley book; $280 with Wiley Book
“Homestudy Combo” – guided review DVD plus other products
- DVD + Audio: $1,890
- DVD + Cram course: $2,150
- DVD + Audio + Cram course: $2,490
Competitor discount: one-time $150 off
The analysis will be done in my subsequent posts .
As and when time permits I shall of course with valuable suggestions and inputs post some analysis for other courses such as CMA , CIA , CFA and ACCA
CAclubindia
