Studying for the CPA exam takes an average of about 100 hours for each of the 4 sections of the exam. Many CPA candidates already work 8 or more hours a day, which doesn’t leave much time left to prepare for an exam.
If your looking to make the most of your study time, it makes sense to consider CPA Exam Review Courses with audio. We take a look at the best options for adding an audio program to your study plan.
What are the Benefits of Audio Prep Courses?
The main benefit is to make your studying more efficient. Many people already have a full time job that requires a daily commute.
Rather than waste that daily commute sitting in traffic or reading the paper on a train, you could spend the time preparing for the CPA exam by listening to audio course lectures.
So when you get home at night you can spend your time on practice questions rather than watching video lectures.
- Take our CPA Exam Quiz to discover your personal learning style.
Audio Based Learners
The other benefit is for people that already have an auditory based learning style.
These people tend to learn best when they hear material. This can be during self study when they read text on their own or when the hear material recited through an audio based lecture.
Its not that this group of people don’t benefit from visual learning methods like traditional classroom settings, its just that they retain material better when its in an auditory based format.
What Options Should I Consider?
Audio based review courses are generally available in two main formats: individually or sold as a bundle.
The major benefit of purchasing an audio based product separately is the lower price point. When you purchase an audio course as part of a bundle, your typically paying a much higher price because you receive many additional products along with the audio course.
These courses are higher priced than the individual product options, but you can still benefit from these products if your looking for a more comprehensive study package option.
The other main consideration is the length of the audio and the lecturing style of the presenter. Generally longer audio products will offer more depth in each subject area.
You also want to look for audio products where you connect with the lecturer’s style. This is an individual preference that will vary by the person.
Yaeger CPA Review Audio Course
Yaeger offers one of the most comprehensive audio products on the market. The nice part about Yaeger is that students have the option of purchasing the product by itself or as part of a comprehensive bundle.
The individual audio courses are available for $125 each or you can purchase all 4 audio courses for $445, an 11% discount from the individual course price.
Each audio course is packed with in depth material. The FAR course tops out at 18 hours of audio with the REG and BEC courses not far behind at 13 hours and 11 hours, respectively. The AUD course has the least amount of material with 3.5 hours of audio content. Other benefits of the program include:
- Unlimited use of downloaded audio lectures.
- Listen to individual sections or sequentially from beginning to end.
- Downloads as an mp3 for easy listening on your cell phone while commuting.
We also offer in depth review of the Yaeger CPA review course and discuss important options and features to consider.
Universal CPA Review Cram Course with Audio
Universal CPA is a new entrant in the CPA exam prep course market and they are carving out a unique niche offering supplemental study products at a very competitive price point.
The Company’s primary product is a dedicated test bank with over 1,000 questions for each of the 4 sections of the exam for just $99 per section or $299 for all 4 sections.
This is a unique product because most larger prep courses require you to purchase a more expensive bundle course in order to access their test bank product.
The Company’s next product is a cram course product that includes in depth e-book with an audio feature that covers each section of the e-book. Notable features and expected pricing are highlighted below:
- Text and Video based material with audio available for $199 per section.
- Cram course & test bank available for $299 per section.
- Step by step, in depth explanations for each problem.
- Unlimited access until you pass.
For more information on Universal CPA, see our full review of their test bank product here.
Gleim CPA Review Audio Course
Gleim has been in the prep course business for over 40 years and has extensive experience helping students prepare for the CPA exam. The Company offers one of the largest test bank products in the industry with over 13,000 practice questions (includes all 4 sections of the exam).
Gleim offers an audio based component but that product is only available as part of its two primary course bundles: the Premium option ($1,999) and the Traditional option ($1,599).
Students looking for a high quality comprehensive product bundle with an audio course as an included feature will benefit from Gleim’s program.
The comprehensive course offers a full set of features including video lectures, detailed text books (both physical and electronic), and an adaptive learning platform with extensive analytic features.
