The 2011 CPA Exam.New challenges for candidates.New solutions from Becker.

　　John B.Pillatsch,MAS,CPA/PFS,Director of Course Development Operations

　　When the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants(AICPA)announced that the 2011 CPA Exam would incorporate the most significant updates since the introduction of on-demand,computer-based testing(CBT)in 2004, Becker Professional Education's experts immediately recognized the significant impact the changes would have on how CPA candidates prepare to pass the exam.For their future success and ours,we would have to complete a major overhaul of nearly every element of our industry-leading CPA Exam Review-from textbooks,lectures,and multimedia components to software,teaching tools,and candidate support.

　　Although the AICPA referred to the 2011 exam as CBT-e-the e stands for evolution-for Becker,the major changes slated for the exam's content,format,and functionality would require far more than an evolutionary process.And while change has always been a constant for us -we continuously update our course with the most current content and advanced learning technology-CBT-e represented one of the most monumental challenges the Becker course development team had ever faced.

　　Shifting into high gear

　　The Becker team's driving goal was to ensure that candidates planning to sit for the CPA Exam in 2011 would achieve the same outstanding level of success that our students have always enjoyed.This meant launching a complex,multidisciplinary effort that would involve content,curriculum design,and learning technology experts as well as field and instructional staff,customer support,and marketing.

　　The highly synchronized update process began in January 2010 with a core project team of Becker's most seasoned exam review experts led by Tim Gearty,JD,CPA,Becker's editor-in-chief and national instructor for the CPA Exam Review.The team dubbed their effort Project Hammer to emphasize their mission of "nailing" the course development so Becker students could "nail" the 2011 exam.

　　The core team began by analyzing the changes in the 2011 CBT-e,which included:

　　New exam Content and Skill Specifications(CSOs/SSOs),including coverage of International Financial Reporting Standards(IFRS),International Standards on Auditing(ISA)and other new material

　　New task-based simulation format

　　New research functionality,including the addition of the FASB Accounting Standards CodificationTM

　　Their analysis indicated a fundamental overhaul of the existing review course would be needed,including:

　　Writing,designing,and publishing more than 3,500 pages of new textbook material

　　Developing 26 new lectures,including more than 100 hours of content,corresponding multimedia,and in-class visual support

　　Updating the course's computer-based testing and final exam software,including new questions and task-based simulations

　　Updating the nearly 6,500 questions in Becker's proprietary PassMaster^TM  practice and review software

　　Training the extensive global field team,including more than 900 CPA faculty worldwide,on the new material

　　Launching a massive communications effort to educate CPA candidates on the new exam and Becker's updated course offering

　　Nailing it for 2011

　　With the scope of the project fully mapped,an expanded team of national editors and exam and subject matter experts launched a massive,well-coordinated course redevelopment effort.In March 2010,the Project Hammer team brought in Becker's software experts to ensure that the course's computer-based components mirrored exactly the new exam's functionality and replicated the exam-day experience for students.This team also provided feedback to the AICPA on the beta version of their CBT-e software platform.

　　In April,Tim Gearty and Peter Olinto,national instructors,began recording video for the self-study DVDs,and the 30+ members of the Northridge,California,post-production team-desktop publishers,multimedia specialists,and quality assurance analysts-began bringing the 2011 course to life.By October,the development team had released the fully updated course internally and training for Becker instructors began to support the November launch of the "early start" live classroom and online course formats.Throughout the entire effort,Becker's field organization,program management,and marketing teams communicated closely with existing students and prospects as well as firm, university,and international partners to bring them up-to-speed on the CBT-e exam changes and Becker's efforts to deliver the kind of CPA Exam Review they all expected from us.

　　The Becker team nailed it.The 2011 Becker CPA Exam Review course materials began shipping in November 2010,representing an overall investment of more than 100,000 hours of development time throughout the entire Becker organization.The end result-ensuring that Becker students continue to pass the exam at double the rate of non-Becker candidates*-is well worth the effort.

　　For more information on the 2011 CPA Exam,Becker's courses and products,CPA Exam and licensing requirements,and much more information on becoming a CPA,visit becker.com or call toll-free:1-800-868-3900. Outside the United States:1-630-472-2213.

　　2011 CPA Exam Review Update highlights.

　　Here are some of the most significant additions and updates for 2011 to Becker's CPA Exam Review.

　　New course features

　　26 all new CPA course lectures plus 26 all new Final Review lectures

　　New "Ancillary Material" textbook sections for independent review of non-core content

　　New textbook icons highlighting FASB codification references and IFRS coverage

　　IFRS vs. US GAAP summaries highlighting key differences in each FAR lecture

　　New FASB codification tutorial

　　New written communication skills tutorial

　　New task-based simulation questions

　　Software updates

　　Hybrid (Windows/Mac) course and data discs

　　New "pre-annotated" e-Book

　　New CBT interface,including new research functionality,to replicate the exam experience

　　CBT simulations converted to new task-based format

　　Ability to save completed work in the CBT simulations

　　Support for 1024 x 600 resolution (for netbooks)

　　Addition of keyboard hot keys for navigation

　　*Becker Professional Education students pass at twice the rate of all CPA Exam candidates who did not take a Becker review course,based on averages of AICPA-published pass rates.Data verified by an independent,third-party firm.