Gleim CPA Review + NINJA: How to Quickly Pass Any CPA Exam
Disclosure: NINJA and Gleim have an affiliate (advertising) partnership. See Gleim Discounts.
“Why We Chose It (Best Value): Gleim wins for best value because it offers over 3,000 more test questions for the same price compared to the next most affordable option ($1,599).”
“Why We Chose It (Best Price): NINJA CPA Review works nicely as an inexpensive supplement to an online course. This is an efficient studying tool that can be used as your main course but serves best as an auxiliary study aid with an excellent online support community.”
– Investopedia – The 5 Best CPA Prep Courses of 2022
Nail the Concepts
Nail the Concepts with your Gleim CPA Review lectures.
Olga Timirgalieva (Roger + NINJA)
Elijah Watt Sells Award Winner
“NINJA MCQ – A must! Solving through all of the MCQ, understanding solutions, and adding new information nuggets to your notes — absolutely critical. With the NINJA Notes, I printed out the notes and used them as a knowledge check closer to the exam. Information is high-level, so you can quickly run through and get a comfort level on what you should go back to review in detail. NINJA Audio is nice to use during the commute or if you are an auditory learner. The Audio MCQ is nice to keep you engaged.”
“Here’s my happy customer pitch for you… I find the NINJA Notes to be indispensable. A long time back I passed Audit… barely eked out a pass. Since adding the ninja notes my grades have gone up (I’ve used them now for BEC, FAR, and now REG and am only one section away from passing!). I use the general overview and then write it out the technique to nail everything down and then go after the complex parts in Gleim for more in-depth understanding. The general understanding obtained from the notes really helps hold everything together.” – Mike W.
The first N in NINJA stands for Nail the Concepts.
Start by printing out your NINJA Study Framework (if you don’t already have it – it’s free, so no excuses! ) 😀
There is a 4-week plan and a 7-week plan. If you’re studying full time – use the 4-week plan. If you procrastinated and are in “oh crap” mode – use the 4-week plan.
Most people will use the 7-week planner. This is the perfect study plan for working full time and having a “life” while studying.
Aim for 20 hours a week.
If you’re not studying 20 hours a week, you’re not studying.
If something is confusing in your Gleim CPA Review materials, look it up in the NINJA Book (included in NINJA Monthly) or NINJA Notes.
Start listening to your NINJA Audio (also included in NINJA Monthly). Never drive to work without it on. You can listen to fun things when you’re a CPA. Let that motivate you. 🙂
If your commute is 1 hour round trip, then that’s 1 hour of NINJA Audio per day (and that’s for the commute alone … if you can work and listen to the NINJA Audio: even better.)
Start reading the NINJA Notes (yes, also included in NINJA Monthly) in your downtime, especially at work. It’s ok if you haven’t studied the section before. It will all start clicking the third time through, regardless of where you are in your prep.
Intense Notes
Take Intense Notes over your Gleim CPA lectures.
Matt Durette (Becker + NINJA)
Elijah Watt Sells Award Winner
“I used NINJA MCQ for each of the exams as a supplement to Becker, which was provided by my work. I asked advice from my brother, who had passed the exams a few years prior, and he suggested to work through as many MCQs as I could, so I did just that. I worked through all the Becker MCQs, then did about 50-60% of the NINJA MCQs. I thought the NINJA ones were more difficult than the Becker questions, which was a good thing. I was trending about 7-10 points below my actual exam scores for each of the sections. The NINJA product was great because it showed me where I was weakest, and I was able to focus on that section until I felt really comfortable with it. I would say the NINJA MCQ were essential to my success.”
“I used your NINJA Notes and Audio in combination with Gleim, and I passed!” – Aurora R.
The I in NINJA stands for Intense Notes.
First Time? Retake? 15th Retake? It doesn’t matter.
Take Intense Notes while watching your Gleim lecture videos.
Used the proven method provided in the NINJA Study Framework.
Non-Stop MCQ
Non-Stop MCQ (Gleim CPA Test Bank or NINJA MCQ).
Shulem Rosenbaum (Wiley + NINJA)
Elijah Watt Sells Award Winner
“I used the NINJA Notes to summarize my notes and eliminate topics that aren’t tested heavily. I owe it to the NINJA Community. You have been my rock, and I hope to contribute the way you contributed to my success.”
I just want to say thank you for helping to make my CPA dream a reality. I mostly studied with Gleim, but I also studied with the Ninja notes for REG and BEC, and the NINJA MCQ for BEC. I really like the notes cause they are short and straight to the point. – Ola O.
The second N in NINJA stands for Non-Stop MCQ.
If this is your first time taking this exam, then do Non-Stop MCQ with your Gleim CPA Test Bank and then in the review phase (A – All Comes Together), then you switch to NINJA and work backward, beginning with your weakest topic.
If this is a retake OR you’ve found yourself memorizing your Gleim MCQ, then switch 100% over to NINJA MCQ (NINJA Monthly strikes again!) for this phase. When it comes time to do the SIMS, switch back and forth, according to which software you like better.
Again … if this is your first time taking this exam, use your Gleim CPA questions for N (Non-Stop MCQ) and use NINJA MCQ for A (All Comes Together) as you review. You can also mix in any CPA supplemental multiple-choice questions.
If this is your first time taking this exam and you’re memorizing the test bank questions (which is really bad because it causes false confidence … you’re scoring in the 90s, but on exam day, you score a 65 and can’t figure out why), then switch over to NINJA MCQ 100% for both (N) and (A).
SIMS – First time or retake alike: switch back and forth between the two platforms.
Just Rewrite
Just Rewrite Your Intense Notes.
Stephanie Ng (Becker + NINJA)
iPass The CPA Exam
“I personally used NINJA when I studied for the CPA Exam (in addition to Becker). Back then, NINJA was only a supplement, whereas now, it’s a full course. However, the NINJA notes are still as concise and helpful now as they were when I sat for the CPA Exam. In my opinion, there’s no better way to quickly solidly all the topics covered in the AICPA’s CSOs than NINJA notes…for just $67 a month, you really can’t go wrong with NINJA.”
“Hi Jeff – I just want to make a comment: Thanks for your forum and your great products! I just took BEC after purchasing and using NINJA MCQ and it was my first good exam experience. I have already taken FAR twice and AUD (about to be twice) with Gleim products and I have never felt confident coming out of the exam. I think Gleim is good and has prepared me pretty well but I am sure MCQ helped push my knowledge over the edge! I purchased AUD MCQ for my re-take! Hoping for a passing score with BEC but it was just nice to come out feeling like I passed for a change.” – Jessica U.
The J in NINJA stands for Just Rewrite.
We know you took killer notes over your Gleim CPA lectures … re-write those 😀
If taking notes just wasn’t in the cards this time around and you did the best you could do, then we suggested re-write the NINJA Notes.
All Comes Together
It All Comes Together in a Final Review.
Brian Wright (Becker + NINJA)
Elijah Watt Sells Award Winner
“The questions and practice tests were extremely useful, they helped me find some weak spots I didn’t even know I had and gave me the extra practice I needed to get my best score of any of the exams.”
“I used Gleim, but I feel like your materials were super helpful. I can still recite some of your audio in my sleep. Hopefully, it goes away sometime:) … I hope I can make it to Kansas one day and shake your hand and say THANK YOU JEFF!” – Yaw O.
The A in NINJA stands for All Comes Together. It all comes together in a Final Review.
If you’re using your Gleim CPA Test Bank in the Non-Stop MCQ phase, this is where you switch over to NINJA MCQ (if you’ve already switched, then keep using it here as well).
Start with your weakest topics first and work backward. You can let the software feed you questions, but since you’re in a final review phase, I recommend doing topic-specific mini testlets and really drill down.
Do a set of 20 over your weakest area. If you’re weak in several areas, then choose the one that keeps you awake at night first.
The one you DREAD seeing on exam day.
If you are hitting in the low-70s (70-75), then move on to your next weakest area.
The reason why you don’t go for mastery here is that you have a lot of ground to cover in a short amount of time for your review. It’s better to get all of the topics into the 70s and then come back and hit them again vs get a few into the 80s/90s and run out of time before you can get to the rest.
For instance, if you’re taking Financial Accounting and Reporting and your weak area is Bonds, then do 20 question mini-testlets until you’re scoring in the 70s (which may take 3 or 4 sets) and then move onto your next-weakest area, which might be Leases. Repeat this with Leases, and then move onto the next one – which might be Governmental Accounting, etc.
As you head into your exam – hammer MCQ, and read the NINJA Notes every spare millisecond you have.
Everywhere you go – car, gym, sitting at your desk at work, it’s NINJA Audio, NINJA Audio, and … you guessed it NINJA Audio.
(I get it – the content is boring, and my voice won’t be confused with Morgan Freeman anytime soon but hit Play anyway. You can listen to your Spotify Playlist of 90s Pop Hits AFTER your exam).
NINJA MCQ … NINJA Notes … NINJA Audio on repeat…even up to the minute you leave your vehicle and head into Prometric (what if the extra 3 minutes of some nuance of Corporate Taxation was the difference between a 74 and a 75 on exam day?).
3 Days out from your Exam – Watch the NINJA CRAM (Yep – also NINJA Monthly).
THEN … walk through those Prometric doors with confidence, barf out all of that knowledge in your head, and go sleep for 3 days.
You’ve earned it.
To Your Success,
Jeff Elliott, CPA (KS)
Ready To Round House Kick The CPA Exam In The Face?
NINJA CPA Review is the Only Pay-As-You-Pass CPA Review Course That Will Save You Time, Money & Your Sanity.
