Book excerpt: Work more effectively and gauge your progress along the way! This Student Study Guide is designed to accompany Kieso's Intermediate Accounting, 12th edition. Keeping its finger on the pulse of the profession, the new twelfth edition of this bestselling book effectively prepares readers for their accounting futures. They'll find the latest information in the field, including Sarbanes-Oxley Act legislation as well as proven tips for passing the computerized CPA exam. Reflecting the demands for entry-level accountants, the focus of this book is on fostering critical thinking skills, reducing emphasis on memorization and encouraging more analysis and interpretation by requiring use of technology tools, spreadsheets and databases. It integrates numerous examples from real corporations throughout the chapters to clearly demonstrate how accounting principles and techniques are applied in practice.