What Some of our Successful Students Say
2025 Exam Students
Tax representation is my specialty, and it does give you some insight into the world the exam lives in. That said, the exam itself is brutally hard, and any experience I’ve had alone would not have taken me across the finish line. You must have a real program, and Sherrill's is the one to take.
The written materials are exactly as advertised: thorough, up to date, and organized in a way that lets you actually use them. The assignments force consistent contact with the material, which is the only way to absorb something this dense. By the time we reached the final review, the four sections finally felt like a single body of knowledge rather than four separate mountains.
Lead instructor Tom Gorczynski has a particular gift for taking a dense Code section and walking it back to the steps that actually answer the question. Every other instructor Sherrill has brought in is of the same caliber across their area. On day one, everyone in the room tells you that you can do this, and you nod politely while quietly filing it under "things people say." Then, you actually do it. That kind of belief from people who have already walked the path is part of what gets you through.
What is genuinely remarkable is that Sherrill built this entire program from her own experience. She sat for the exam when no real preparation course existed, passed on her first attempt, and then turned around and created the program that has put most of the new USTCPs into practice ever since. That is a rare thing, and the profession is better for it.
I relied solely on Sherrill’s materials and Zoom classes. I read and memorized her books cover to cover, but more importantly, I made sure I truly understood the concepts, strategies, and explanations she provided. Her materials were not just outlines or summaries. They were practical, focused, and built around what candidates actually need to know to succeed on this very difficult exam.
What makes Sherrill’s course so valuable is the clarity of her teaching and the depth of her dedication. She understands the exam, she understands the challenges candidates face, and she gives students the tools, structure, and confidence to approach the material seriously and effectively.
Passing the USTCP exam requires discipline, but having the right teacher and the right materials makes all the difference. For me, Sherrill’s course was enough to earn a passing score, and that speaks volumes about the quality of her work.
Her dedication is a true service to the USTCP community, and I am deeply grateful for the time, care, and expertise she puts into helping candidates reach this goal. I would strongly recommend her course to anyone serious about becoming a USTCP.
I got a late start studying. Working full-time and caregiving full-time made it difficult to set aside time to study. I didn't really start studying until the first live class in May, a mere 6 months before the test. GO TO THE LIVE CLASSES. They are invaluable. You will learn more from being at the live classes than from anything else. The instructors explain things in ways that just make it click. You will bond the other attendees you meet over shared fears, study techniques, and the twinkling of hope to pass. The instructors are top-tier and their knowledge is incomparable. The mentors are engaging and welcoming and you learn from their experiences. These are simply just things you CANNOT get from webinars and solo study. The third live class (there is a total of 3) is the final review before the exam. This was the most helpful to me. I remember sitting in the first class in May on Day 1, thinking everything was over my head and there was no possible way I could learn it all in such a short period of time. Fast forward to the first day at the review and I thought, "Wow, I really have a shot at this. I just need to focus on a few final things before the test." Night and day.
The last thing I want to say about this class - I thought I failed the test. When I sat down to take it, I felt like I hadn't studied for a single day. The questions all seemed niche and outside of the normal way they had been written in the past. I had no idea how I would get through it. But here is the thing. The course doesn't teach you how to be a lawyer. It doesn't teach you how to fight a case in court. (Of course you learn the mechanics of it all, but that isn't really the point here.) What the course teaches you, the thing you need to know above all else, is how to take the test. How to read the questions. How to parse out the information to get to the answers. And that is the only thing I can really attribute to my passing the test. Because I somehow waded through those questions and eeked out enough answers or partial answers using the knowledge and techniques Sherrill and her team taught me, even when I felt like I had no idea what the test was asking or what the answer could be.
If you are going to sit for this exam, and I highly encourage you to do it, then this is the one and only exam prep course you should be taking. The test is difficult, and not many people pass, but you give yourself your best chance (80%+) by attending this course.
In 2023, I had just relocated from Toronto to Southern California only about two months before the examination. I've been a CPA since 2007 and completed my Master of Law degree at New York University School of Law in 2023. Despite my academic and professional background, I found the examination extraordinarily difficult and demanding.
Sherrill and her team provided comprehensive, continuous, and highly targeted support throughout the preparation process. The study materials were exceptionally detailed and thorough, particularly in tax law and evidence law, and were continuously updated with recent court decisions even shortly before the examination.
The instructor team, including Sherrill, Tom, Frank, and Beth, is outstanding. Their technical knowledge and real-world tax controversy and litigation experience added tremendous value to the program.
The three (3) live sessions in May, July and October and online student forum were also extremely helpful, both academically and psychologically, throughout the long preparation process.
Looking back, it was the encouragement, study approach, and technical guidance from Sherrill’s team that ultimately helped me pass in 2025.
If you are serious about passing this notoriously difficult examination, I would strongly recommend this program.
2023 Exam Students
I'm so excited to take the next step in my professional career!
One of the main reasons why Sherrill’s course is successful is the study materials. They are very detailed and very well organized.
The instructors are top notch – Frank Acuna for Evidence, Sherill and Tom for Federal Tax Law, Practice & Procedures, and Ethics, along with Beth Lougen, David Woods, Mike Chambers, Linda for allied topics such as Corporations, Partnerships, S-Corps, and Gifts and Estate Taxes. Tom has a special gift for simplifying tough tax concepts into simple steps that are easy to understand.
The next main reason why Sherrill’s course is successful is the two face-to-face meetings in Las Vegas, NV in May, and July. In these sessions, the instructors drill into the complicated tax topics, as well as Evidence and Practice & Procedure. The students can get more out of these in-person classes if they have a good understanding of the material by studying them ahead of time. In addition, this is also the time to meet your instructors in person, and your mentors, so you can start building a professional relationship with them.
There is a final “Review” face-to-face study session days before the exam. This is helpful to bring all the concepts you learnt over the past 12-18 months together. I highly recommend going to all the three in-person sessions. The remote sessions might be convenient, but you will miss out by meeting everyone informally and discussing study strategies over breakfast, lunch, or dinner.
The 2023 exam was the most difficult one. Thanks to the study materials and the instructors reinforcing the concepts and looking for the “call of the question”, I was able to pass it on my first attempt. A very BIG thanks goes to Tom and his methods of teaching, those resonated when I was working on the different problems!
The breadth of the topics required to pass the Tax Court Exam is enormous. Trust the study materials, trust the instructors, and you can pass the exam.
Thanks to her meticulous materials, I not only achieved thorough preparation but also bolstered my confidence in navigating the exam's complexities.
I unequivocally attribute my passing of the exam to Sherrill's exceptional study materials. I can't recommend her resources highly enough for anyone serious about passing the US Tax Court exam.
2021 Exam Students
A few years after passing the EA exam in 2002 I saw Sherrill speak at a national conference. I read her bio and that was when I first learned what a USTCP is and what they can do. It took me 20 years to build the confidence to feel “smart enough” to sit for this exam. Having just passed it on my first attempt, I wish I had started the journey a decade ago. This test is grueling but it can be passed. Sherrill’s class is tailor-made for EAs and CPAs who want to represent clients before the Tax Court and her record speaks for itself. She has assembled a team of first-class educators and mentors that will guide you through this journey.
Her printed materials break down each of the four sections into manageable pieces and went everywhere with me. The May and July programs take a deep dive into some of the most problematic areas of the exam and are taught by experts in their respective fields. I started the program knowing nothing about the Federal Rules of Evidence, hearsay, or witness testimony. I won’t say I’m an expert in this area now, but I do know I had enough knowledge to pass the Evidence portion thanks to Sherrill’s team.
But it was the last session in November right before the exam that gave me the confidence I needed to pass. I arrived a nervous wreck but after a one-on-one with one of her instructors/mentors I was able to pull myself together and passed the exam.
Sherrill’s course will give you the tools you need to pass. The Tax Court makes their prior exams available online which is helpful. But Sherrill takes those exams and shows you what a full-point answer looks like which helps you manage both your study and exam time. The most difficult topics are covered not only in the text and at the live sessions, but on recorded mini-sessions that you can review at any time online. The online student forum is where students can pose questions and get the answers from Sherrill and the other students. There are monthly and weekly quizzes and timed tests as you get closer to the exam.
This will be a marathon, not a sprint. You need to be willing to dedicate the better part of a year to study things you may have never encountered in practice. But it CAN be done. Invest in yourself and sign up today.
2018 Exam Students
There is not a better way to end this preparation journey than receiving a letter from the United States Tax court stating that I had attained a passing score on the first attempt!
You can read these reviews, and I will guarantee you that there is no way with words to describe the outstanding work Sherrill Trovato and her team do. In my opinion, this is the only course in the entire nation that will adequately prepare you for the United States Tax Court Exam. The amount of work that Sherrill and her team put in to structure this course is unheard of. When I first enrolled in the course, I personally did not know Sherrill and her team. I was extremely hesitant, but when you come face to face with their material and their instructors, you will then realize why this is the finest program in the country.
You see, many people can study on their own, but without proper direction, you will not pass this exam. That is what this course is all about. Sherrill and her team have mastered this exam, and every one of them will be by your side every step of the way until you come out of that exam room in Washington DC.
Please know that this exam is not easy by any means. Statistics speak for themselves, and you truly have to earn your USTCP credential. This course will steer you in the right direction. If you take this course and you have the dedication, discipline, and drive, you will pass the exam. I can assure you that during the journey of studying for the exam, you will be confused, frustrated, and want to give up. But guess what!? Sherrill and her team will never allow this. They will be inspiring, encouraging, and supportive. These are the people you will always want by your side. It is worth every single penny. I got more than what I paid for. Thank you!
2016 Exam Students
“When I first heard your presentation at the Tennessee Society of Enrolled Agents in 2015, you were inspiring enough to engage my imagination and kindle the spark of interest into pursuing Practitioner status with the United States Tax Court. You were supportive and encouraging making the difficult decision make sense with the expectation that this lofty goal could be achieved if a plan and curricula were followed diligently and thoroughly. You and your team were always available and provided answers when questions arose. Your mentoring set into motion the relationships with other class members.
The visiting professionals added context and understanding of areas not generally understood by enrolled agents. Your previous successful students suggested methods and techniques for study and successful testing. The final session immediately before examination day gave the final polish and highlighted the importance of not over studying and arriving for the examination well in advance and well rested to reduce the stress that was certainly ever present. Throughout the entire cycle you and your team have been extremely supportive. Thanks for the opportunity to realize my dream.”
“Sherrill’s years of experience, excellent staff of USTCP’s, guest speakers in the evidence and legal ethics areas and numerous teaching methods, handouts and memory tools made passing the exam possible.
Without the preparation and guidance of the class, I would have wasted time and money attempting this very difficult exam. I could not have passed the exam in one sitting without this class!”
2014 Exam Students
2012 Exam Students
“When I posted that I was giving you all the credit for me passing, I meant it. Here’s why. I did not study enough for this test. Part of that is for reasons that are very good; part of it, not so much. But as we grew nearer the exam, I knew I had to cut to the chase and concentrate my time on only the areas of study with the highest payoff. Over the previous months, I had studied many things that were of marginal value, if not irrelevant, and I noticed in the seminars that many individuals seemed to be spending a lot of time off topic. Fortunately, your lectures and your materials made it abundantly clear what topics in all four areas we should focus on. You knew from previous exams over two decades where the questions were likely to come. With the little time I had left at the end I directed all my study to those narrow areas (well, they still weren’t all that narrow) and completely ignored everything else. It worked splendidly, not so much because of my efforts or because I could memorize the lists of important things to know readily, but because you told us everything — and I do mean everything! — we needed to know to pass.
So, here’s the formula for success: Take Sherrill’s course. Study what Sherrill tells you to study (ignore the rest). Learn what Sherrill tells you to know (ignore the rest). Practice what Sherrill gives you to practice. Pass the test!”