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ENGLEWOOD, COLO. - Janis Monroe was an accounting professor who was dissatisfied with the quality of available test preparation materials for the CPA exam when she teamed with four other faculty members at Sam Houston State University, in Huntsville, Texas, to develop a `better way' - a computer-based exam preparation and review course - MicroMash CPA Review.
The program, which they designed in 1984, attracted notice from would-be CPAs because it let them use personal computers to do the review at their convenience, with no scheduled classes to attend. And prospects with portable PCs could even continue their review work on the road; being away from the office did not mean forgoing review work or delaying careers.
Even back then, CPA Review was not just a review. It was also a diagnostic tool. Before embarking on any section, users took a detailed test that measured their strengths and weaknesses and set out exactly where they should spend the majority of their study time.
Within a year, Monroe established MicroMash as a company and made CPA Review its flagship product. The company, based here, has since expanded to 38 employees and to 40,000 users worldwide. It continues to grow by about 35 percent a year, according to a company spokesperson.
Over the years, ownership of MicroMash has changed several times as a result of massive consolidation in the professional training products industry. The company is now owned by Thomson Corp., which also owns the publisher of Accounting Today.
MicroMash was first purchased by National Education Corp.,...