CPA Review at ReSA

What is your review school?

ReSA The Review School of Accountancy

Disclaimer. This blog is personal. All views are mine and in NO way is sponsored by ReSA or any of its
reviewers. But I still asked for ReSA's permission.

Why did you choose ReSA?

It was recommended to me. I heard the usual "CPAR is fast paced". I can't prove it though since I didn't
experience it first hand. But a few batchmates told me it is indeed fast. I think ReSA's style is a little
slow during the first few weeks and it gets faster from then on.

How was ReSA's facilities?

ReSA is located on the fifth floor so be prepared to used those legs. I think for October batches, ReSA
will be renting a room on the fourth and second floor so it will be a huge relief if that is your room. All
rooms are air-conditioned and has ceiling fans. The hallway is also provided with seats (with armchairs)
and ceiling fans. The rooms are also well lit and has a platform for the reviewers. A canteen, which
offers meals, sandwiches, and hot and cold drinks, is also located in the fifth floor. They only have
extra rooms as study area during the May batch as the October batch has twice the number of
reviewees. The only thing I didn't like was the restroom. For the ladies, be prepared for long queues
especially during preboards.

Which session did you attend?

Morning session. I think that depends on the person on when you think are you most capable of
absorbing information. You have four choices: Morning, Afternoon, Evening or Weekend. I highly
suggest the morning session because of the reviewers and it's good for scheduling activities. Plus, you'll
get used to waking up early which will be helpful during preboards and the actual board exam.

ReSA Reviewers (that you tried)

Morning session:

Sir Antonio Dayag (Sir Dayag) AFAR

-- The P2 master. He talks fast so you have to really focus to understand his lessons. He gives shortcuts
and will tell you the best possible way to solve a problem. His handouts are very detailed and you'll
encounter a variety of problems. Listen to his study tips because it worked for us. You have to read the
problem in advance and if possible, answer it at home so you don't have to write down the solution
while he is discussing. You have to give your undivided attention to his lectures. He permits recordings
so go ahead and do it!

Sir Conrado Uberita (Sir Ube) FAR

-- Some don't understand Sir Ube's style because it is different from what they learned in the
undergrad. I admit I had a hard time following his lectures during the first few months. He also speaks
softly. But I regret that I didn't appreciate his TOOLS from the beginning. I guarantee that his tools are
very effective. Especially those that shows the initial valuation and subsequent valuation. It's really
helpful. So please try to appreciate his lessons. I now defend Sir Ube's lessons with all of my heart.
(Although I'm using Ma'am Shirley's tools in PPE).

Ma'am Shirley Ireneo (Ma'am Shirley) Aud Prob

-- She has loads of funny stories that will help you enjoy your review and majority of them are still
connected with the lessons. She also gives motherly advice from time to time. But beware for those
who are sitting in front, Ma'am won't like it if you don't dictate the given or give the sum of the figures.
It's your responsibility to answer her questions. Don't worry though because it will actually help you
focus on the lesson. She gives techniques that will help you memorize things. During the first two
months, her discussion would be detailed. But after the first preboard, her lectures will be faster.
Sir Jose Ireneo (Dean Ireneo) Aud Theo
-- Dean Ireneo will give you lots of stories about working in a firm which will either excite you or scare
you. He gives mnemonics that you have to remember to keep up with his lesson. It actually depends on
your knowledge of AT to know if his lessons are sufficient for you. He's also approachable and will
really discuss the answer to your query.

Sir Charlwin Lee (Sir Aljon) MS/ToA

-- Sir Aljon's handouts are the best.You'll receive loads of MS handouts because he provides lectures,
wrap up exercises, quizzers, practice sets, and quizzes. He's the only one who gave quizzes all
throughout the review. His handouts are detailed and consists of easy, average and difficult questions.
Our main goal is to finish answering all his handouts. That is already sufficient. His lectures are also
detailed and his penmanship is perfect. He also speaks clearly and drops friendly jokes from time to
time (mainly something about Sir Ube).

Sir Bong Tamayo (Sir Tams) Tax

-- He is really good in Taxation. All the ins and outs of taxation are written in his handouts. If you're
like me who is sick and tired and bored when studying tax, please don't give up because YOU HAVE TO
STUDY. Reread and reread his handouts because tax questions can be super tricky. He also gives out
exercises (but sometimes it can be delayed). Sir Tams has a lot of (green) jokes on his sleeves because
he knows Taxation can be boring.

Atty. Marceliano Bonafe (Sir Bonafe) Law

-- You'll love Sir Bonafe's stories about his car and his wife and his commentaries about what's
happening in the country. His handouts consists of around 250 questions per topic so just read and
reread all his handouts. He gives lectures well and remember to take down notes because he doesn't
give lecture handouts. (I wish he would!)

Other sessions:
Sir Gorgonio Macariola (Sir Gor) ToA
-- Famous for his wonderful pronounciation and witty lines and hugots, Sir Gor would make your TA
class super fun. He speaks well and writes mnemonics and key points so you'll easily remember them.
As for TA (same with Sir Aljon), we were given 15 minutes to answer the handout first. He also modifies
the question so you'll know what to answer if the questions were changed.

Sir Earl Jimson Garcia (Sir Garcia) Tax

-- He's also a very lively reviewer. I think it's a must for tax reviewers so they will prevent reviewees
from sleeping during class! Haha, kidding aside, he speaks well and enunciates those that you need to
remember. He gives examples that would really help you understand the lesson.

Sir George James (Sir George) Aud Theo

-- He has nice voice and can change it to match his witty stories. He gives life lessons as well! He's
really good with discussions and will help you to understand the audit process well.

Sir Ivan Yannick Bagayao (Sir Ivan) AFAR

-- Since I'm originally from Sir Dayag's class, it was hard to shift to Sir Ivan's teaching style. I guess if
you attended his class from the beginning, you'll like his class. He may speak and explain fast
sometimes but he gives out formula or mnemonics that I'd like to think he used during his review to
help you memorize.

Sir Christopher Espenilla (Sir Chris) FAR/Aud Prob/Aud Theo

-- His classes are always compared to a blockbuster movie. Aside from his looks (haha!), the reviewees
liked how he explained and comprehensively solves problems especially for Aud Probs. He's really good
although he usually goes overtime. We tried attending his evening class so we could repeat a lecture
for investment, turns out his class was about 2 topics behind Sir Ube's class. If you're having a hard time
adjusting to Sir Ube's style, I suggest you try out his classes.
***Please read author's note at the end of this blog for updated info.***

Any classroom tips?

If you're lucky enough to score front seats, please don't be absent because it's a blessing! Seriously! If
you're seated from row 8 until the back of the classroom, please watch out for vacant seats in front
because it will make a huge difference, I promise! I can't stress this enough. We thought we were okay
seating in the middle (row 13) until we tried seating in the front (row 4). Perks: you can see your
reviewers clearly, you can clearly see what's written in the whiteboard (TIP for Sir Dayag and Sir Ube
classes), you can easily take a picture of the whiteboard, you can hear some side comments when the
reviewers are not using the mic (esp. Ma'am Ireneo), and sometimes it helps you to focus on the
discussion if you are aware that the reviewers can see what you're doing (like texting). But beware that
if you are seated in Row 1, you are expected to help the reviewers in dictating the given or calculating
figures.

Do you have quizzes?

We had quizzes for Prac 2, MS, Aud Theo, and TOA. Out of the 4, MS quizzes were incorporated in the
schedule meaning we had several quizzes for MS while the others did only 1 quiz before the first
preboard. Grades are computed with a 50% base.

How was the preboards?

You have to take 1 exam for each of the 8 subjects on the first preboard. For the final preboard, there
will be 6 subjects as patterned with the current set of subjects in the actual board. Questions are
really challenging. ReSA uses automated machines so you can practice to shade and erase properly. I've
heard some students got a zero score because the machines won't read their answer sheets. The grades
are computed using a 50% base - meaning if you score 30 out of 100, your rating would be 65% (as
opposed to a zero-based grading which will yield to a 30% rating). The preboard results would be
available in a couple of days. ReSA already introduced a more detailed preboard result output.
You'll see:
Rating per subject
Average
ReSA Ranking
School Ranking
Item Analysis per subject
-questions which are sorted into very easy, easy, average, difficult, and very difficult based on overall
performance of ALL preboard examinees
-average score per subject
-average rating per subject
-number of invalid/bonus item/s
-highest score
-lowest score
This is an in depth analysis and is really helpful in assessing yourself against all other examinees. I
highly suggest you take your preboards!

Would you recommend ReSA?

Yes, I would. But please bear in mind that I only know ReSA's style and not the other review centers. I
would recommend ReSA because they have detailed handouts, well-planned class schedules,
challenging exams and amazing reviewers.