In my opinion, this is the most efficient software out there. Stop wasting your time studying material you already know, and use Surgent’s adaptive software to help you focus. The price is good, the service is great, and the results speak for themselves.
I have been extremely happy with Surgent CPA Review so far. I used it to study for BEC and passed with a 78 on the first attempt. Let me explain to you why I think this is the software for me, and for anyone really. A little background will help in understanding why I think this is the only way to study for the CPA Exam.
I am 31. I have two kids and a full-time job. I’m not in industry. Like many CPA candidates, I have a bachelor’s degree in accounting, and an MBA in finance. The biggest challenge I face is that I took my last accounting course more than eight years ago, and I haven’t been a practicing accountant ever.
I started with Wiley CPA Excel to study FAR. After about three-and-a-half full months of studying every day and going through their curriculum, for a total study time of about 150-200 hours, I took the exam and failed with a 60. I was disappointed, and it took me awhile to get back on the horse. About eight months, to be exact.
When I finally pulled myself back up off the pavement and started studying again, it was for BEC. As I was studying using Wiley’s method, I realized that I actually knew some of the material! But all that did was make me lazy and caused me to not utilize my time efficiently. Finally, I found Surgent. What sold me on Surgent was the adaptive software. I realized this would serve me best due to my strong knowledge of BEC material, and would help me focus more on my weak areas, so I could study more effectively and efficiently.
After going through the assessment phase in Surgent, my ReadySCORE™ was about 60%. This confirmed to me that I had a strong base of knowledge of the material. Knowing how the adaptive technology software works, I was pleased right of the bat with my choice to use Surgent for my study material. This meant that I wouldn’t see the material that I was knowledgeable in as often. Once I began the study phase, I started to get targeted questions through the rest of my studies in adaptive mode. The questions were hard, but they are supposed to be, because I was seeing stuff that I was weak in, not strong in. After what I estimate to be about 60-70 hours of study time using the software, it was test time.
When I took the exam, my ReadySCORE was at 69% in the software. I passed with a 78 and couldn’t have been more pleased with the study process! I felt that it was efficient, and helped me focus on the areas I was weak in while at the same time, helping me gauge my progress in an objective manner. I am studying for REG right now (a subject that I am significantly weaker in). But I can already see the progress in my ReadySCORE and know that come test time I will be prepared with Surgent.
A great unexpected perk of studying with Surgent was the personal service I received from their team. When I was getting close to my test date for BEC, I reached out to them for some guidance and received essentially a personal accountability coach who helped me get on a plan, and gave me almost daily feedback and accountability on my progress. Outstanding service!
If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out to me. I am happy to help. We are all in this together.
Daniel Colella is currently sitting for the CPA Exam. Daniel is currently working full-time as a financial analyst in the Phoenix area, having received both a bachelor’s degree in accounting and master’s degree in business administration from Grand Canyon University. If you have questions for Daniel, please comment in this blog post, and we will send them his way!
Interested in testing Surgent’s CPA Review’s adaptive software? Try it free for five days.