A division of Charles Financial Strategies LLC
About TAPA Institute: CPA, CIA & CISA Exam Prep Since 2016
Practical Exam Preparation. Personal Support. Professional Purpose.
TAPA Institute is the exam-preparation division of Charles Financial Strategies LLC, a woman- and minority-owned firm founded by Dr. Sabine Charles in New York City. We help working professionals prepare for the CPA, CIA, CISA and related certification exams with structured study materials, one-on-one tutoring, boot camps, and support for the mental side of high-stakes testing.
250+ professionals coached · 85% of exam sections passed*, since 2016.
TAPA Institute & Charles Financial Strategies
Charles Financial Strategies LLC is the company Dr. Sabine Charles founded in 2011 to enhance organizational value and help professionals achieve industry excellence, through internal audit and risk consulting, risk-based assessments and corporate training.
Through that work, and through 15+ years advising Deloitte, American Express and Citibank, she kept seeing the same thing: talented accountants and auditors stalling on certification exams. They weren’t stalling because they lacked ability. No one had shown them how to study for exams that reward judgment under pressure.
In 2016, she created TAPA Institute as the firm’s education and exam-preparation division to solve that problem.
Today, Charles Financial Strategies LLC is the company behind everything we do. It holds our business certifications and BBB accreditation. TAPA Institute is the name you’ll see on our programs, study materials and coaching.
It Began With Pressure.
Before TAPA Institute, there was me: a professional trying to pass a certification exam while protecting a career, a reputation and a future all at once.
I was working full time in audit and risk, studying at night and on weekends for certification exams my career depended on. I knew the work from my day job, but the exams asked for something different: quick, confident judgment against the clock. The pressure of test day weighed on me as much as the material did.
So I stopped studying the way everyone told me to and rebuilt my approach around how I actually learn, and around managing the pressure of test day. I passed, and went on to earn the CIA, CISA, CFE, CISM and CRMA.
That experience led to a conviction: many capable candidates struggle because their study approach doesn’t match how they actually learn, and the mental side of high-stakes testing is rarely addressed.
In 2016, that conviction became TAPA Institute.
Charles Financial Strategies LLC is founded
Dr. Sabine Charles starts the firm in New York to bring internal audit, risk and training expertise to organizations and professionals.
TAPA Institute launches
The firm’s exam-prep division opens, combining exam strategy with mindset support.
The TAPA Method™ takes shape
Target · Absorb · Practice · Assess becomes the backbone of every program.
The CPA Success System is updated for the new CPA exam
Materials rebuilt around the Core + Discipline format, including BAR, ISC and TCP.
The CIA and CISA Success Systems launch
Self-paced study materials expand to the Certified Internal Auditor and CISA exams.
250+ professionals coached
Seven programs, serving candidates across the U.S. and worldwide.
To help professionals build the knowledge, study habits, and confidence to prepare effectively for certification exams and advance their careers.
CPA. CIA. CISA. CISM. Whatever the credential, the goal is the same: purposeful progress toward your next career step.
Our Values
Three commitments that shape every assessment, every session, and every study plan we build.
Focus on the Outcome
We innovate learning techniques to facilitate our clients' journey to success. Every method we use is judged by whether it helps you prepare effectively.
Customer Experience
We encourage a positive attitude, foster problem-solving skills, and personalize learning materials, because a plan built for someone else rarely fits.
Integrity & Accountability
We hold ourselves to high standards of professional behavior, transparency, and commitment to our clients, the same standards the profession expects of you.
Target. Absorb. Practice. Assess.
Four steps that turn scattered studying into a structured plan.
1. Target
Identify what you need to know and where your knowledge gaps are.
Take a Skills Assessment →2. Absorb
Learn and understand the exam concepts using the course, study scripts, and quick-reference tools.
Explore Study Materials →3. Practice
Apply what you learned through questions, review activities, and mock exams.
Get 1-on-1 Tutoring →4. Assess
Measure your readiness, identify remaining weak areas, and focus your final review before exam day.
Explore Boot Camps →Dr. Sabine Charles
"I created TAPA because I understand the challenge of pursuing certifications while carrying professional and personal responsibilities. Candidates need clear explanations, useful practice, and a plan they can follow. My goal is to help you understand the material and make purposeful progress."
Known as "The CPA Doctor," I hold the DBA, CIA, CFE, CISA, CISM and CRMA, and spent 15+ years advising on audit and risk for Deloitte, American Express, and Citibank. I also serve as an Adjunct Professor of Forensic Accounting, Auditing, and IT for Accountants, and I'm a certified hypnotist through the National Guild of Hypnotists, which is why mindset is built into everything we do here rather than bolted on.
That’s why I built TAPA Institute inside Charles Financial Strategies: to give candidates the structure, strategy and support I wish I’d had.
What Makes
TAPA Different
Six areas we focus on to support your preparation.
Identify Your Learning Style
Before a single study hour is spent, we work out how you actually absorb and retain information, then build around it.
Develop Personalized Strategies
A study plan aligned with your schedule, your section, and your real life, not a template built for someone else's calendar.
Strengthen Focus & Retention
Memory and concentration techniques that make each study session count, so you stop rereading the same material.
Overcome Exam Anxiety
Mindset coaching, stress management techniques, and optional hypnosis recordings.
Build Confidence & Resilience
Mental strength that carries past exam day into interviews, promotions, and the rest of your professional life.
Master Complex Concepts
Rigorous, blueprint-aligned preparation for the material itself, because mindset without mastery isn't enough.
Seven Programs.
One Integrated System.
Study smarter, manage stress, and prepare with confidence, whichever entry point fits where you are right now.
Certification Skills Assessment
A structured evaluation of your knowledge, mindset, and readiness, with a personalized study plan delivered in 48-72 hours.
Explore Assessment →Tutoring Services
Personalized coaching for CPA, CIA and CISA candidates to clarify tough concepts and stay accountable with a dedicated expert.
Explore Tutoring →CPA Boot Camps
Eight hours of intensive, expert-led training in group or private 1-on-1 format, for any of the six CPA sections.
View Boot Camps →CPA Success System
Video lectures, practice questions, simulations, review books and wellness recordings for AUD, FAR, REG, ISC, TCP and BAR, from $399 per section.
Explore Materials →CIA Success System
Structured materials for all three Certified Internal Auditor parts, built by a CIA who has sat and passed the exam.
Explore CIA Success System →CISA Success System
Study materials for all 5 ISACA domains with 3,000+ practice questions, built by a CISA. $399, with a 14-day guarantee.
Explore CISA Success System →Hypnosis for Exam Stress
Three guided recordings designed to help you manage exam stress, created by a certified hypnotist (NGH).
Explore Recordings →Our Business Credentials
TAPA Institute is a division of Charles Financial Strategies LLC, a certified woman- and minority-owned small business based in New York, NY. These credentials are held by Charles Financial Strategies LLC:
Dr. Sabine on the Mic
Podcast appearances on exam stress, certification strategy, and the fear of failure. Free to listen, no signup.
Do You Find Studying to Be Stressful?
Stress Less With Me Jess · Dr. Charles shares practical ways to keep studying for a test or certification from becoming overwhelming.
Listen →Ep. 83: How to Pass Your Certification
The Audit Podcast · Dr. Charles talks about running TAPA Institute and how sleep and study habits affect certification exam preparation.
Listen →Overcoming the Fear of Exam Failure
Building the Premier Accounting Firm · Dr. Charles joins host Roger to talk about facing the fear of failing a certification exam.
Listen →The Role of Accounting Bodies & Exams
Accounting Voices · Dr. Charles discusses the role accounting bodies and their exams play in an accounting career.
Listen →*85% of 1,000+ CPA exam sections taken by 250+ TAPA students (2016-2026) were passed. Self-reported. Individual results vary.