Flashcards may rank up there among the more boring ways to study for the CPA exam. However flashcards may be single most effective way to quickly retain a large number of formulas and concepts.
The reason for the effectiveness is that you are exercising a part of your brain that doesn’t get utilized when your reading text or listening to a lecture.
It’s for this simple reason that regular review of flashcards need to be a key part of your study plan for the CPA exam.
Prep Options
Students preparing for the exam really have two choices. You can prepare flashcards by hand and add additional cards manually as you encounter the material in your text and lectures.
Or you can purchase pre-printed flashcards that cover the most important formulas and concepts that you need for the exam.
There are many benefits to preparing your own flashcards, but the biggest downside is that you lose time preparing them and you may miss important concepts or formulas in the process.
Key Benefits
The main benefit of pre-printed flashcards is that you save time and all the important concepts and topics are covered. Pre printed flashcards are also inexpensive and offer a great supplemental addition to your study plan.
This article covers the best options for purchasing pre-printed flashcards for the CPA exam.
Flashcard Options
Similar to other CPA Exam Prep Course products, CPA flashcard exams are either sold individually or included as part of a larger bundle. If you already have a primary prep course provider, you are better off purchasing flashcards separately.
However if your just starting to study for your first exam and haven’t purchased study material yet, you might want to include flashcards as part of a more comprehensive bundle.
Digital vs Printed Flashcards
The other two considerations include flashcards in digital or printed format and the overall number of flashcards. The choice of digital or printed flashcards is really an individual choice.
The benefits of using digital flashcards include the convenience of taking them anywhere you go.
Printed flashcards don’t have the same convenience factor, but they do have the benefit of potentially being more easily retainable since you are not as prone to distractions popping up on your phone.
Wiley CPAexcel Flashcards
Wiley offers printed flashcards as a separate product from the main CPA prep course bundles.
Students have the choice of purchasing one set of flashcards for each section of the exam for $50 each or you can purchase all 4 sections for $200.
The flashcards include 1,000 total cards or 250 for each section of the exam. Wiley also offers a separate 20% student discount for actively enrolled students or faculty.
Read our full Wiley CPAexcel Review for additional details. We also compare Wiley CPAexcel vs Becker.
Yaeger CPA Flashcards
Yaeger offers a digital flashcard product that covers all 4 sections of the exam for just $79.99. The flashcard product is also included as part of the Company’s comprehensive bundle product as well.
The flashcards include over 2,000 cards and are available directly on your desktop or through Yaeger’s mobile phone app.
- Easily save individual cards for review later.
- Includes flashcards for all 4 sections of the CPA exam (FAR, REG, BEC, and AUD).
- Accessible on your home desktop, tablet, or mobile phone.
For more information see our Yaeger review.
Becker CPA Flashcards
Becker has a top notch reputation in the CPA exam prep market. As a results their products also come with a premium price point.
Most of Becker’s products are bundled with their premium CPA prep courses. However, they do offer CPA exam flashcards individually.
Becker offers two options: printed flashcards for $179 or digital flashcards for $99. Each package of flashcards includes 1,300 cards with cover all 4 sections of the exam.
- Click here for more information.
Read our Becker CPA course review to find out about other Becker prep options.
Surgent CPA Flashcards
Surgent is a high quality prep course provider that focuses on heavily on technology.
Surgent’s innovative ASAP adaptive learning technology tightly focuses on your learning progress from the moment you start studying to the point when your finished. They also offer unlimited access to their study program.
Surgent offers printed flashcards that are available with either the Premier Pass or Ultimate Pass bundled courses. The printed flashcards include 2,200 cards and cover all 4 sections of the exam. Although flashcards are not included with the Essential Pass, but they are available as a separate add on purchase with that course.
Some of the notable features included with the Premier Pass bundle include:
- 350 video lectures.
- 6,840 multiple choice questions and over 400 task based simulations with the Company’s advanced ASAP adaptive learning platform.
- Custom study notes & planner.
- Printed textbooks & flash cards.
- Dedicated exam coach.
For more information, you can read our Surgent CPA review.
