I have a Big 4 internship next June, and I would like to get a bit of a jump start on the CPA exam. I'd really like to attempt a section before my internship, basically as soon as I hit 120 hrs next spring, around late April/early May, I'd like to knock out one section. I know the Big 4 firms will cover your CPA materials if you have a FT offer in hand, but I don't have one yet, and while I'm fairly certain they reimburse you for anything you bought if you do end up with an offer, I simply don't have the cash to front several thousand dollars for the expensive materials/courses like Becker right now.
So basically, until the time that I potentially get a FT offer and have the ability to have my CPA exam materials paid for, is there a much cheaper resource out there that I can buy myself that will still give me a good chance at knocking out one (or two) section(s) before/after my internship, before I get reimbursed or paid for? I know Wiley makes the review books for dirt cheap and with great reviews, I was thinking of Frankensteining those books with the test bank and Ninja notes. Other options are the RogerCPA which is about $600/section or CPA excel "Video Self-Study" course which is about $425 a section with a student discount. These prices are pretty much the max I could lay out for it without really straining until I get reimbursed. I'm sure the Frankensteining method would be fine, but the lectures from Roger seem easier to pay attention to, as I tend to get bored, and CPAExcel has those bite sized sections which are good.
Fire away with any suggestions, I'm open to anything. I'll probably end up just getting the Becker when the firm is ready to pay for it (unless I really prefer CPAExcel or Roger), but for I need something cheaper to lay out cash for.
Thanks in advance!