NINJA CPA Review can be a stand-alone CPA Exam study course. However, its price is so reasonable that you can easily use it as a supplement as well. Pricing and access are monthly, so you can use it as long as you need it and cancel anytime.
Number of MCQs: Almost 7K | Number of TBSs: 240 | Access Length: Unlimited with continued payment | Cost: $67 per month
NINJA CPA Review is a product by Jeff Elliott at Another71. Originally, Jeff started as a CPA Exam blogger back in 2008 (you can read his story on his website). In 2012, Jeff launched his own NINJA CPA Review notes, which included audio reviews and flashcards. Then he followed it up with NINJA CPA MCQs in 2014.
Today, NINJA CPA Review is a complete review course offering, and candidates can use it as a full course or as a supplement. The NINJA materials are very popular and are some of the most affordable CPA review options available. The NINJA CPA price starts at $67 per month with no upfront costs or commitments beyond the first month.
Plus, NINJA has earned the respect of the accounting industry, too. In fact, NINJA CPA Review has received accolades from users and other industry leaders alike. For instance, Investopedia ranks NINJA as a Top-5 CPA review course (and we do, too).
NINJA also offers the friendliest return policy in the CPA review industry with a risk-free, 30-day, money-back guarantee if you don’t like their materials for any reason – or for no reason at all. Additionally, NINJA will let you keep what you’ve downloaded as a gesture of goodwill.
Disclosure: NINJA CPA Review is a partner of I Pass the CPA Exam. However, the opinions of NINJA CPA Review are truly our own.
NINJA CPA Review includes:
Let’s take a look at some of the best features of the course!
What’s special about NINJA CPA Review questions? The system “learns” about your stronger and weaker areas, and once identified, the test bank will feed you more questions from weaker areas for more efficient studying. To do that, you need to complete 35% of the questions before hitting the adaptive phase.
Let’s take a look at some of the best features of the course!
NINJA’s software dashboard, which you can log into from the website, is called the NINJA CPA Dojo. From there, you’ll find the MCQ dashboard.
Here’s what you’ll see when you log into the online NINJA dashboard.
The NINJA CPA Review bank includes almost 7,000 AICPA-released questions. The breakdown is as follows:
What’s special about NINJA CPA Review questions? The adaptive software “learns” about your stronger and weaker areas, and once identified, the test bank will feed you more questions from weaker areas for more efficient studying. To do that, you need to complete at least 35% of the questions before hitting the adaptive phase.
The image above showcases how MCQs appear in the NINJA CPA test bank.
An example of NINJA CPA’s detailed answer explanations.
The above image is a sample of a task-based simulation in NINJA CPA.
As I mentioned above, the NINJA CPA questions include AICPA-licensed content (a.k.a. actual retired CPA Exam questions). You’ll also get access to the authoritative literature for the research questions. Moreover, the test bank includes adaptive learning technology so you can focus on improving your weak areas.
Taking notes in NINJA CPA is remarkably easy. The study planner walks you through the Cornell Method for notetaking, and the downloadable notes are ready to print.
The NINJA CPA notes feature memory aids and white space for you to add your own notes.
NINJA’s digital textbook contains the most important information for passing the CPA Exam. Embedded in the text are example MCQs on the relevant material.
The NINJA CPA books provide the relevant information and then immediately test your knowledge with application questions.
NINJA’s audio downloads are portable, listenable versions of the study notes. They’re meant to be listened to repeatedly for maximum retention. You’ll also be able to download files of Jeff Elliot walking you through explanations for some important MCQs.
Finally, and unusually for a self-study course, NINJA’s CPA review package comes with weekly one- to two-hour group videoconferencing review sessions. There’s one day of the week for each exam section, with a makeup day on Friday. Additionally, you’ll have access to a back catalog of recorded sessions.
NINJA has a CRAM course, too. And it’s legit. That is, NINJA now includes a CRAM course with your other CPA review materials. More specifically, the CRAM course has video content spanning the 4 CPA Exam sections to give you plenty of hours for CPA review. And in this final CRAM session, you can brush up on the exam’s topics to make sure you’re 100% ready to pass the CPA Exam.
How much does NINJA CPA cost? Well, NINJA CPA Review is a pay-as-you-go subscription CPA review course. Thus, you simply pay $67 each month for as long as you want access to the NINJA materials. The NINJA CPA monthly materials include:
If they were sold separately, the value of these materials ranges from $188-$497, so you get a great deal with this subscription.
And NINJA doesn’t make you pay any other upfront costs. You also don’t have to enter into a contract or engage in financing. Finally, you pay the same amount every month to prepare for all four CPA Exam sections. When you’re ready to switch to another exam section, you simply contact NINJA from within the course. You’ll then receive access to the materials you need for your next section.
Like any CPA review course, there are benefits and drawbacks to using NINJA. Here are some important considerations to keep in mind.
Anyone can use NINJA CPA products. It doesn’t matter if you already have a course because NINJA CPA is a great supplement. In fact, it’s one of the best-selling supplements out there. That said, it can also be used as your main study material.
However, you should note that the NINJA CPA course really strives to deliver an efficient learning format. As a result, some study materials cover everything on the CPA Exam syllabus, but others don’t to save you time. For instance, the NINJA CPA book and the sparring sessions go over all of the exam topics for a truly comprehensive review. In contrast, other materials like the NINJA notes, the audio lectures, and the CRAM course just hit the highlights. So in this way, you can choose the level of detail that you need on particular topics.
But the good news is that there are NINJA CPA Review free downloads, so you can see if the course will work for you before you make a commitment.
Since I recommend reviewing each course you consider, I highly recommend checking out the NINJA CPA (it’s free). Unfortunately, not all of the components work in the trial, but you can see most of what you’ll get when buying NINJA CPA Review. You’ll receive a NINJA notes CPA download as well as samples of the AUD book, audio review, and test bank software.
Yes, NINJA CPA is a good resource to study for the CPA Exam. However, it may be more useful to some candidates than others. For example, self-studiers are more likely to get more out of this review course than candidates who need more specific guidance or person-to-person interaction. Therefore, it may work better as a supplementary course for those people.
NINJA CPA’s course prices are so low that the company doesn’t offer discount codes. If that seems unfair, compare prices with other companies. For example, for the full price of Becker’s Pro Course ($3,799), you could study for more than 52 months with CPA NINJA. Even Becker’s lowest-price course ($2,499), which gives you access for 24 months, is the equivalent of nearly 36 months of NINJA.
Unfortunately, NINJA CPA doesn’t publish the pass rates of students who use it. However, to read the experience of real students who have used the course, you can always search for NINJA CPA on Reddit.
When comparing NINJA CPA vs. Becker, it’s important to remember that they may appeal to different types of users. Becker is more video-intensive, and its course materials are more voluminous. Of course, it’s also a bit less efficient and much more expensive than NINJA CPA. Here’s a comparison of some of the courses’ features.
For a full look at NINJA CPA vs. Gleim vs. Wiley vs. Surgent and others, check out our pick for the best CPA Exam review course.
When you’re done using NINJA CPA, you can cancel through your online dashboard. Although NINJA doesn’t offer the option to pause a subscription – if you want to take some time off between exam sections, for example – it’s easy to cancel and renew.
The Dojo portal is only for NINJA CPA Review users. Basically, through the Dojo, you can access all of your NINJA videos and other study materials. Simply go to the NINJA Dojo login page and enter your username and password to start studying.
I am the author of How to Pass The CPA Exam (published by Wiley), and I also passed all 4 sections of the CPA Exam on my first try. Additionally, I have led webinars, such as for the Institute of Management Accountants, authored featured articles on websites like Going Concern and AccountingWeb, and I'm also the CFO for the charity New Sight. Finally, I have created other accounting certification websites to help mentor non-CPA candidates. I have already mentored thousands of CPA, CMA, CIA, EA, and CFA candidates, and I can help you too!
