Thousands of candidates are looking for the best way to prepare for the CPA exam, with the value of cost, course material, and results being the heaviest. There are several review courses to choose from, but Surgent and Becker CPA have provided the exam success stories you’ll likely share as well. But should you make passing the exam a team sport or risk it and go solo?
The choice is yours.
However, with pass rates of about half and half for most CPA exams, not investing in one of the best CPA courses is a huge risk.
Below, I’ll walk you through what makes these two powerhouses your top choices for your CPA exam prep. Both Becker and Surgent offer plenty of ways to learn how you want on your time, with features that help guide you to a guaranteed pass on exam day.
Key Takeaways
- Innovative Technology: Both Surgent and Becker offer adaptive learning technology, with Surgent’s A.S.A.P. and Becker’s Adapt2U, to personalize your study experience.
- Accurate Practice Questions: Surgent provides a slightly higher number of practice questions, while Becker offers more simulations, which are crucial for real-world exam practice.
- Pass Guarantee: Both review courses guarantee a pass, but Becker’s Concierge plan offers more extensive tutoring support than Surgent’s Ultimate Pass.
- Effective Success Strategies: Surgent cuts study time with its efficient, targeted approach, while Becker provides in-depth content for those who prefer more comprehensive preparation.
- Flexible Payment Plans: Both Becker and Surgent offer flexible payment plans, ensuring affordability for candidates. Becker offers more tiers to choose from.
Becker CPA Review Courses: Why Choose Becker?
Becker has developed teaching methods recognized worldwide, with over a million subscribers and counting. Surgent and Becker offer a tiered set of review courses that can be tailored specifically for you, like intense, comprehensive study materials, simulated exams, and adaptive learning technology, with support, unlimited practice exams that mirror the CPA exam blueprints, and unlimited access until you pass.
Here’s a breakdown of each package that is available to you.
Concierge
The most personalized, in-depth, top-tier package is offered by Becker and is ideal for those who need extra guidance. Other perks include:
- 25 hours with one-on-one private tutoring and coaches who are committed to your success
- 500+ TBS questions and 8,700+ MCQs
- Three accessible discipline options
- One-year CPE subscription
- 900+ Video lectures
- Money-Back Guarantee
- Final review
While Concierge is the most expensive option, it is also the most extensive and designed to maximize your chances of success, with a 94% pass rate on test day. You’re not alone with all the support you get, which includes a dedicated success coach who focuses on helping you achieve your CPA license.
Pro
Although a slight downgrade, your pass guarantee does not change! With these top packages, you receive a final review cram course to ensure you know exactly what topics you need to work on before exam day. You also get five tutoring and coaching sessions to get you through any topics you may be struggling with.
The three discipline options go down to one in this package; luckily, you only need to pass one discipline section and the core exams to receive your license. You also still get a year to go towards continuing education, like Concierge.
- 5 one-on-one tutoring sessions
- $250 per exam section reimbursement up to $1,000 if you fail
- Unlimited practice exams
- Choose 1 discipline section
- Mobile app with games
While Becker does offer a money-back guarantee, you do not get the same with Pro and lower tiers. Pro does offer a back-on-track plan with $250 reimbursed per section to cover exam costs up to $1,000! Not only that, but you will also receive a personalized success plan to help you pass on the next try.
This package is popular among candidates who need support but don’t require the full Concierge package.
“IT WORKS! Passed every exam so far on the first try, thanks to Becker and these annoying MCQs and TBSs. It’s like working out, it sux when you are going through the process, but the ends justifies the means. YOU GOT THIS!”
u/Prudent_Mine1555
Advantage Course
The Advantage package is Becker’s most affordable option, designed for candidates who need high-quality study materials without the additional features of higher-tier packages. It utilizes the Adapt2U learning system, which personalizes your study plan based on your strengths and weaknesses. Despite being more budget-friendly, it provides comprehensive resources to help ensure success on the CPA exam.
- 8,500 MCQs
- 400 TBSs
- Becker’s mock exams
- Solutions and explanations for all questions used throughout the course
- Access to 1 discipline
- Printed textbooks and digital flashcards
- Mobile app with games
With 24 months of access, the Advantage course offers plenty of time for CPA candidates to prepare at their own pace, making it a great option for those who want a solid foundation without the need for extra tutoring or personalized coaching.
Sure, there are many CPA exam prep courses out there. But who else has the Big Four and the top 100 CPA firms backing them?
“I felt the real exams were easier than Becker. I was never close to “exam day ready” and passed all 4 on the first try. I recommend not worrying or spending too much time on the book/lectures/TBS and focusing on the McQs primarily.”
Becker User
Surgent CPA Review Courses: Why Choose Surgent?
Surgent has built a strong reputation for cutting study time without sacrificing effectiveness. If you’re a working professional or a parent juggling multiple responsibilities, Surgent’s targeted approach can save you up to 400 hours of studying.
Surgent’s standout features are its ReadySCORE Indicator and A.S.A.P. technology, which provide real-time feedback on your preparedness, allowing you to focus on areas that need the most improvement. Here’s a breakdown of Surgent’s packages:
Essentials Pass
Barebones but everything you need with unlimited access, a pass guarantee, and the well-known innovative and intensive course, including 8,800+ practice questions, 450+ task-based simulations, and over 350 video lectures.
Premier Pass
This is the most popular option. You receive the same benefits as the Essentials Pass, and the perks just got better. You will also receive printed textbooks, customized lecture study notes, digital flashcards, and one-on-one coaching.
Ultimate Pass
The most elite Surgent review course available, loaded with features like their ultimate customer support, a bonus bank with an extra 1,000 questions, audio lectures, gamified learning, and access to Surgent CPA Review’s Excel for Accounting Professionals on-demand course.
An impressive 92% pass rate is allotted for those who choose Surgent after scoring at least 75 on all topics, content, and question types. This is what helps candidates take the exam with confidence and less anxiety.
I’m on my 3rd exam with Surgent and the initial ReadyScore and dashboard data were all over the board. I passed my first two with Surgent on first try—38 with kids and big 4 job — it’s great for those with limited free time. Give yourself 8-10 weeks, 10-12 hours studying each week and you’ll do great. I have the package with 1:1 coaching and I have found that helpful on how best to leverage the tool to your advantage…
Surgent User
Audio/Video Lectures and Live Courses
Many students prefer to have the option to see and hear lessons with an actual CPA exam expert, either online or in-person, and luckily, both are offered with select packages. If you feel the need to escape the countless questions and reading, here is some insight into what you can get with Becker and Surgent.
Becker
- Becker’s instructors are industry experts, each with over 20 years of experience. The course includes 900+ videos from professionals with hands-on knowledge in accounting.
- Live online classes can be up to 3 hours long and are interactive. You can submit questions, but you will usually receive a response after the lecture is complete.
- Becker also offers in-person classes, for which you can see schedules and locations on their website. No other review course gives you this option, especially for the price. I highly recommend seriously considering this option.
However, these options aren’t available on all packages. The Advantage course, for example, still gives you academic support, but not nearly as much.
Surgent
- Starting with the Essentials Pass, you gain over 400 video lectures and notes; this is a significant perk for an introductory course package, but there are still some that you miss out on that can be a game changer.
- Premier boosts your 400 videos to over 700 with lecture notes, all available with app access on phones and tablets as well.
- Ultimate gives you everything previously mentioned, with added audio lectures for even more accessibility.
Although Surgent offers a great amount of video and audio lectures, the quality has been called into question. Some students often can’t find content because it is either missing or temporarily taken down for updates. One Reddit user talks about how frustrated they were with the quality of videos and mobile apps.
“I used Surgent for all of them. I tried Becker a couple of years ago and didn’t make much progress, the videos/ chapters were too long for my study sessions. For reg 160hrs, aud 78hrs, and I took bec before the change that was around 80 hrs.”
u/International_Fan586
Amount of Practice Questions
It’s a close call with the number of multiple-choice questions, with Surgent coming in at over 8,800 and Becker CPA courses with 8,000+. Both CPA review providers emphasize keeping questions as close to the actual CPA exam as possible and offer task-based simulations that are also close in number. Surgent has 400+ simulations, while Becker students can expect at least 500+ simulations.
- Impressive Questions: Both Becker and Surgent have collaborated with CPA exam experts and the AICPA to create simulated exams that mirror the actual CPA exam, so when you take your test, it will be familiar and less stressful.
- Adaptive Learning Technology: Surgent offers A.S.A.P Technology, a proprietary system that delivers personalized study plans for students and decreases study time. Becker’s Adapt2U technology personalizes your study plan in real-time, immediately giving you what you need without having to navigate yourself and allowing you to focus solely on studying.
While both offer simulated exams that reflect the actual exam, one is more limited than the other. Surgent offers unlimited practice exams and fully simulated exams. However, Becker gives you unlimited practice exams with 12 mini-exams and eight fully simulated exams.
Becker Innovation
You heard that right: Becker offers over 8,000 multiple-choice questions and 500+ simulations. Becker CPA review courses were developed in partnership with the ones who wrote the test in the first place, which are constantly updated, giving you some of the most accurate CPA practice questions on the market.
- As you progress through your review courses, these questions are optimized for you, paired with Adapt2U technology and Becker’s exam-day-ready toolkit.
- Task-based simulations constitute a significant portion of the exams; having more simulations available just means more scenarios to familiarize yourself with, which increases your chances of passing.
- Questions are constantly updated and crafted closely and carefully to ensure everything is clear when submitting responses.
“As someone who’s been out of school for 4 years and recently started studying cpa and passed all 4 within first attempt using Becker, I think it’s fine. all I can say is It has what you need to pass. Just go through all lectures, mcq, and sims like what Becker had laid out and you should be fine.”
Becker user
Specialty in Disciplines
As important as it is to understand what is in the actual CPA exam, it is just as crucial to know the format. As previously mentioned, task-based simulations are a vital component of the exams, along with knowledge of computers, and even some exam questions can be pretty technical regarding data analytics. Both Becker and Surgent CPA review courses cater to the discipline you choose, whether it be one or all three.
Here are some of the reasons these courses will give you the confidence to pass:
Becker
With Concierge, you can choose to have one or all three disciplines covered throughout your course.
- Becker Concierge: This powerhouse gives you in-depth coverage for all core and discipline exams; quality review questions are just a click away, with unlimited access and superior study materials to come as well.
Surgent
Surgent’s Ultimate and Premier passes contain perks that apply directly to specifics in some parts of the exams. For example, Surgent offers a specialized program for those who need to focus more on Excel and SpreadJS.
- Surgent Excel for Accounting Professionals: An on-demand dedicated program for those whose main focus is the analytical side of accounting.
- Textbooks: You receive 6 textbooks covering all core exams and discipline exams.
Academic Support
Both Becker and Surgent offer top-of-the-line coaching and tutoring from CPA exam experts.
Becker
- Advantage students receive support when needed, but coaching and tutoring are available only with Concierge.
- Concierge offers an astonishing 25 sessions for your CPA exam prep. This is seven more sessions than Surgent offers.
Surgent
- Premium and Ultimate pass students have access to one-on-one coaching; however, it is limited to three sessions, each lasting 20-30 minutes, leaving you with 18 total sessions.
- With Ultimate Pass, you receive Surgent’s ultimate customer support, a dedicated team with quick response times. Premium and Essentials passes still offer customer support, but are limited to basic and less-prioritized response times.
“Dude, it doesn’t expire that’s enough of a reason to use Surgent. My scores increased tremendously with them. They are really good. I have used them for audit and BEC. Good customer service too like real good.”
u/MrsCPA25
More Security with a Money Back Guarantee
Becker and Surgent both offer a generous money-back guarantee to protect your investment in their courses.
As long as you score 50% and above on all practice exams and score at least 80% on the rest of the study materials, Becker will refund you up to 100% of the total exam sections you fail. Of course, if you fail one, you can also be reimbursed for it. This only applies to Becker’s Concierge. With the Pro course, you will receive a back-on-track plan with a study guide to ensure you pass on your next attempt.
If you score at least a 75 on readySCORE with Surgent and fail all sections of the exam, you are eligible for a refund. However, if you pass one section, you will not be reimbursed.
Cost and Payment Plans: Which CPA Course Offers Better Value?
There’s no doubt that a major deciding factor for many CPA hopefuls is cost. I will give you some insight on who has the best benefits for the value.
Remember: Check here for Becker discounts or Surgent coupons, or on Becker or Surgent websites to see if any promotions are available.
Becker
Becker CPA review offers multiple tiers of courses, with a payment plan called Flexplay that spreads payments out over 6 to 24 months and a down payment that mirrors the package. With this review course payment option, you can expect to pay anywhere from $69 to $119 per month.
Concierge: Starting with the most intensive course option at $6,349, you can see why I mentioned the payment plan. Although it comes at a high price, the unmatched course offerings make it well worth it.
Pro: $3,799 for unlimited access, including live online courses and the Final Review Capstone Course. However, this package does not include as many personalized perks, such as one-on-one coaching or a money-back guarantee like the Concierge package.
Advantage: The barebones Becker course option has more than enough to ensure you receive your license. At $2,499, you will receive 24 months of access to Becker’s extensive CPA prep technology.
There’s also a 14-day free trial with 31 hours of lecture content, 1,400 MCQs, and 100 TBSs with SkillBuilder videos to try before you buy.
Surgent
Surgent CPA review courses have a payment plan supported through Affirm, allowing you to spread out your payments throughout your course.
Ultimate Pass: $3,799 for the most extensive review course offered by Surgent, giving you many perks like ultimate customer support, a bonus bank of MCQs, and an Excel program for deeper knowledge pertaining to data analytics.
Premier Pass: Although you do not receive the perks mentioned above, coming in at $3,099 you can see why this is Surgent’s most popular choice amongst CPA candidates.
Essentials Pass: $2,499 unlimited access for plenty of benefits throughout your course
Bottom Line
Ultimately, while both Surgent and Becker provide strong CPA exam prep options, Becker stands out as the top choice. Its extensive and customizable study materials, high number of simulations, and exceptional tutoring give candidates the best preparation for the CPA exam. Becker’s well-established reputation, along with its partnerships with the Big Four and leading CPA firms, enhances its credibility. Additionally, features like Adapt2U technology and detailed Concierge services make it easier to navigate the exam’s challenges with confidence.
If you’re seeking a program that offers proven success rates, a well-structured learning system, and tailored support, Becker is the best investment for your CPA journey.
FAQ
Becker offers more simulations, personalized tutoring, and partnerships with the Big Four accounting firms, making it a top choice for thorough exam preparation.
Yes, Becker offers a money-back guarantee with its concierge plan and a back-on-track plan with its Pro package.
Becker provides up to 24 months of access with the Advantage plan and unlimited access with Premium, Pro, and Concierge plans.
Yes, Becker offers a 14-day free trial with access to 1,400 MCQs, 100 TBSs, and 31 hours of video lectures.
Yes, Becker offers live online and in-person classes, but availability depends on the package you choose.
