I’ve almost completed my review of Chapter 5 and feel ready to share my overall impression of Module One of the Comprehensive Tax Course. As mentioned in a previous post this first module primarily covered topics that I am most familiar with. With that said, the way the material is presented and tested seems very well thought out. My background prevents me from reviewing this from the perspective of someone completely new to the world of taxes but there are tools that I have not yet used that might benefit someone in this situation.
The first tool that I have failed to mention so far in my posts is the ability to post questions on the forums for each chapter. If you really feel stuck or like a particular topic has not been explained in a way that’s clear to you, there are tax preparers available to answer your individual questions. Even though I have not yet used this feature, I feel like I will lean on it more as the tax topics get more complicated. Based on the questions and answers I have seen posted, it appears that questions are answered in a timely manner. Another great resource is the answer key made available after taking the tests. I have found that even when I get an answer correct, the answer key has great explanations as well as references to the location of the answer in the course materials and/or IRS pubs. I definitely go through these when I get an answer wrong, but have just recently started reading through this no matter what just to solidify the reasoning for the answers I chose.
I haven’t had the opportunity to take any other tax preparation courses but feel like my experience with this one has been positive up to this point. Even though the reading can get a bit dry due to the nature of taxes the course is designed to get me through this material in a timely manner first and foremost and has succeeded so far in doing so. The next time you hear from me I will be providing a brief review of the final and also how my study regimen is holding up as I progress through the next module.