Gleim vs Becker CPA: Which Course is Right for You?

When you think of the best CPA review courses, three main competitors probably come to mind: Becker, Surgent, and Gleim.

But with three heavy hitters as options, which one do you choose?

After all, the CPA exam is considered one of the most difficult tests on the planet. A mere 20% of candidates pass all four sections of the CPA exam on their first try. To boot, the whole process can easily cost thousands of dollars… and that’s before retake fees.

So, the best way to get the most bang for your buck is to pass every section of the CPA exam on your first try.

Today, I’m going to help you determine which top CPA review course will help you do exactly that by comparing Gleim vs. Becker CPA.

Key Takeaways

• Comprehensive Exam Prep Options: Becker and Gleim offer multiple packages tailored for different learning needs and budgets, with options that cover the core CPA exam requirements.
• Practice Questions and Test Bank: Both Gleim and Becker provide extensive question banks, with Gleim boasting over 10,000 questions, while Becker’s questions are reputed for their alignment with actual exam difficulty.
• Support Features: Becker outshines Gleim in personalized support, offering up to 50 coaching sessions in its highest-tier package, while Gleim’s Premium levels provide access to personal counselors and study groups.
• Adaptive Learning Technology: Both platforms feature adaptive learning technology; however, Becker’s mobile app and additional gamified study tools add an edge in student engagement.
• Cost vs. Value: While Becker generally costs more, its frequent sales make it more affordable, and the added support, high pass rates, and recognized success track add significant value for CPA candidates.

Quick Guide: Gleim vs. Becker CPA

• If you need extensive one-on-one support, choose Becker. Becker’s Concierge package offers up to 50 coaching and tutoring sessions, making it ideal for students who want more hands-on guidance and accountability throughout their CPA exam prep.
• If you prefer a more affordable package with solid resources, choose Gleim. Gleim’s base package offers robust content, including an extensive test bank and adaptive learning technology, at a lower starting price than Becker’s comparable packages.
• If you’re looking for adaptive technology and mobile study options, choose Becker. Becker’s Adapt2U™ technology and well-rated mobile app, complete with gamified learning, make it easier to study on the go and focus on weak areas.
• If you prefer a straightforward study plan with extensive practice questions, choose Gleim. Gleim’s test bank is one of the largest in the industry, with over 10,000 questions, making it great for students who want extra practice on a wide range of questions.
• If high-quality video lectures are a priority, choose Becker. Becker’s 900+ video lectures are known for their depth and quality, while Gleim’s video lectures tend to be more basic, which may be challenging for students who learn best through engaging video content.
• If you’re aiming for the Elijah Watt Sells Award, choose Becker. With a long history of supporting top scorers, Becker has been associated with a high success rate among candidates who win this prestigious CPA award.
• If support duration matters to you, choose Becker. Becker’s Advantage package offers 24 months of access, while the higher tiers offer unlimited access. Gleim’s Premium levels provide Access Until You Pass® for peace of mind, but the Traditional package is limited to 18 months.
• If you want the most trusted reviews, choose Becker. Becker’s Trustpilot rating offers transparency with verified reviews from external sources, while Gleim primarily hosts reviews on its own site.

Overview: Becker CPA Review

If we’re going to talk about heavy hitters in the test prep space, it’d be criminal, not to mention Becker. Becker, the headliner in any CPA review course comparison, has been in the business for over 60 years. They’ve helped nearly 2 million exam preppers and boast an impressive 94% pass rate.

Becker offers four different CPA exam prep packages, each containing all of the resources included in the courses listed below:

• Concierge: Becker’s premium package, Concierge, offers unprecedented support with a total of 25 success coaching and tutoring sessions, a deep dive workshop bundle, ExamSolver videos, CPA license navigtator session, CPE certificate program, all three discipline sections included, and a money-back guarantee. All of this is on top of everything offered in the other packages.
• Pro: Becker’s most popular package includes 5 success coaching sessions, 5 tutoring sessions, live online classes, in-person classes, a final review capstone course, printable flashcards, and a 1 year CPE subscription.
• Premium: Premium is very similar to the Advantage offer, but there are two main differences. First, Premium includes printed textbooks. Second, both Premium and Pro offer a $250 reimbursement if you fail any CPA exam sections, up to $1,000.
• Advantage: Advantage is the basic package, but its contents are anything but. You’re getting the complete 4-part course based on the AICPA exam blueprints, 900+ video lectures, 8,000+ multiple-choice practice questions, 500+ task-based simulations, 1,400+ digital flashcards, digital textbooks, unlimited practice exams with customizability options, 12 mini exams, and 8 full-length mock exams.

Overview: Gleim CPA Review

Like Becker, there’s probably a law somewhere that says if you’re talking CPA review courses, Gleim must be mentioned. Gleim’s been around for over 50 years and has helped students pass over 1 million CPA exams. However, their biggest draw is their extensive test bank, which features over 10,000 practice questions.

Here are the Gleim CPA review courses you can choose from:

• Premium Pro CPA Review: The Gleim CPA Premium Pro package has everything you’d find in the Premium offer, but also includes a 1-year CPE subscription, the ability to change Discipline sections whenever you want, and unlimited access to accounting experts for all your burning questions.
• Premium CPA Review: Unlike the Traditional package, the Premium package includes the ability to change your Discipline section once, four additional mock exams (a total of eight), video lectures, digital flashcards, access to accounting experts, and the Access Until You Pass® Guarantee.
• Traditional CPA Review: The base package offers three Core sections, one Discipline section of your choice, the adaptive learning technology-driven course, digital and printed books, rapid review, audio lectures, video lectures, final review, the massive MCQ test bank, unlimited practice exams, and four mock exams.

Why Becker’s CPA Review Beats Gleim

Both Becker and Gleim are excellent choices, but if you’re looking for the best, look no further than Becker.

The single biggest deciding factor for me was Becker’s ability to churn out Elijah Watts Sells Award winners. The EWS is an award for CPA candidates who pass each exam section on their first try, with a 95.5 score or higher on each.

In 2023, a whopping 98% of the award recipients studied with Becker. As far as I’m concerned, decision made. But even if that fact didn’t exist, Becker has additional outstanding selling points:

• Trustpilot Score: Gleim has a lot of good reviews on their own website, but when you can control what does and doesn’t fly, that’s not hard to do. Meanwhile, Becker has an impressive 4.5-star rating on Trustpilot: a company that actively fights fake reviews and verifies authentic experiences.
• Sale Prices Are Comparable: When Becker isn’t on sale, they’re way more expensive than Gleim. But when they are, Becker’s Pro package is the best value for any package in all of test prep. Period. And sometimes, you can email support and ask for a discount, point blank!
• Superior Video Lectures: I always look to other course takers for their opinions because even though I know my stuff, one opinion isn’t reflective of what works for everyone. In researching what most CPA candidates preferred between Gleim and Becker, I found this gem of a quote:
  
  “I have both…Becker > Gleim and it’s not even close. Becker is miles ahead of Gleim in terms of interface aesthetics, but functionality as well. I find the Becker book to include way more information and provide far more examples.”

Now that you have a quick preview of my thoughts, let’s dig into the nitty gritty.

Video Lectures and Audio Lectures

As we’ve already discussed a bit, Becker has superior video lectures. They offer over 900 of them in addition to live online classes, in-person classes, their deep dive workshop bundle, and the ExamSolvers video bundle.

I think some CPA candidates may find them dry, but from my own experience and what I’ve found from other students, Becker’s videos are pretty engaging, and they actually help you learn the content (especially compared to those awful college lectures where you had to fight not to fall asleep!).

This isn’t to say Gleim is a terrible CPA prep option because it isn’t! In fact, depending on what you need in a review course, it may be a better choice than Becker. But let’s be blunt: the video lectures are not good. They’re very dry and tough to get through as a result. I feel like in the 21st century we should be able to entertain students to maximize retention, but being smart and well-qualified doesn’t always translate to being energetic and interesting.

Bottom Line: Simply put, if videos help you learn, choose Becker. That’s it.

Textbooks and Course Content

When it comes to textbooks and course content, Becker offers digital and printed textbooks for most of their packages. The textbooks tend to use a lot of imagery and examples that are helpful to people with visual and kinesthetic learning styles in addition to reading/writing. In addition, Becker’s priority in having content that directly corresponds with the AICPA exam blueprints ensures that you’ll always have up-to-date and relevant course content.

Meanwhile, Gleim’s textbooks tend to be a little more dry, with fewer visuals and examples. As a result, their books aren’t as universally friendly for every learning style. However, if you don’t learn well from reading anyway, this may not affect you. I can’t find anything that explicitly states whether Gleim does or doesn’t try to stay up-to-date on AICPA standards, but I would be genuinely surprised if they didn’t.

Bottom Line: Becker’s textbooks tend to be of higher quality, though I wouldn’t worry about how relevant and up-to-date the content is, as both companies are extremely reliable and trustworthy.

Technology

When it comes to technology, both companies have a lot to offer. Here are Becker’s primary technology features:

• Exam Day Ready℠ Tracker: This performance tracking tool helps students assess their exam readiness with the goal of watching 80% of lectures, getting 80% of practice questions correct, and scoring 50% or higher on both mini-exam simulations and full-length simulated exams.
• Adapt2U Technology™: Becker’s adaptive technology caters more to student weaknesses when creating practice tests, so students can more efficiently allocate their time spent on study materials.
• Mobile App: If you’re tired of janky exam prep apps, don’t worry—Becker’s mobile app has a whopping 4.8-star rating on both the Google Play Store and Apple App Store. Perfect for learning on the go!

Meanwhile, Gleim offers some similar tech options:

• SmartAdapt™️ Adaptive Course: Like Becker, Gleim offers adaptive technology that tailors practice tests to your weaknesses for quicker and more efficient study time.
• Interactive Study Planner: With Gleim’s study planner, you can enter your exam dates, the hours you have to study, and mark the days you’re unavailable. Gleim’s algorithm then creates a custom study plan for you that meets your exact specifications.

Bottom Line: While both Gleim and Becker have adaptive learning technology, Becker has a better performance tracker. Further, their mobile app has a 4.8-star average review; meanwhile, Gleim doesn’t have a mobile app at this time.

Practice Questions and Test Bank

It’s difficult to put the importance of a good test bank into words, but one Redditor has done it perfectly:

I truly could not have said it better myself. Both Gleim and Becker offer large question banks. And, while Gleim’s is known for its extra heft, few CPA candidates will get through 10,000 questions. So, the real question becomes:

Which questions are better?

The answer isn’t straightforward. Both question banks tend to be more difficult than the actual CPA exam, which is a huge pro in my opinion—being overprepared is never a bad thing for a difficult exam. And, both Becker CPA review and Gleim have a decent quantity of lengthy, complicated, and perplexing questions that aren’t like the exam, but will really make you think.

Becker’s tend to be more similar to the exam; however, I’d argue that both sets are comparable quality-wise, though Gleim takes the cake for the sheer quantity of practice questions.

Bottom Line: Though Gleim has more questions in their test bank, it’s unlikely you’ll be able to go through all of the questions from either company. The quality is comparable, as both Gleim and Becker have questions that are more difficult than what you’ll find on the actual exam.

Student Access and Support

Becker CPA review courses all come with long access durations. The Concierge, Pro, and Premium packages all offer unlimited course access. Even their most affordable package, the Advantage, comes with a 24-month access period.

Becker also offers a generous amount of personalized support in the Concierge and Pro tiers, with 5-25 sessions with exam success coaches and tutors. And, naturally, they have customer service options for email, chat, and phone channels.

Meanwhile, the two higher-tier Gleim course options feature the Access Until You Pass® Guarantee, whereas the lower-tier package features an access duration of 18 months.

Gleim also offers some support options, including a private study group and access to a personal counselor. At the Premium and Premium Pro levels, students also gain access to 1-on-1 support through office hours with their instructors. This is all in addition to the fundamental customer service given via email, phone, and chat.

Bottom Line: Becker CPA review courses offer extensive access to personalized support via success coaching and 1-on-1 tutoring sessions at their two highest tiers. Gleim students have access to personal counselors, study groups, and office hours. Both companies’ CPA review course options have unlimited access save for the lowest tiers, where Becker’s has 24 months, and Gleim’s has 18 months. Becker dominates Gleim in terms of support and slightly edges out in terms of access length.

Value and Price

CPA review cost is a major factor in making your decision, but value should be just as important to consider. Essentially, whatever amount I pay, which course gives me the most for my money?

Becker CPA review courses are notoriously spendy. However, I believe their pricing is more than fair for the value you’re receiving. Particularly in the concierge package, with their hours of 1-on-1 support, it is easily worth well into the territory of thousands of dollars. $50 per hour is a low number for personal coaching and expert tutoring, so at the very least, you’re looking at $2,500 of additional value (as much as Gleim’s Traditional package on its own!). And that’s support alone, at a low valuation—imagine the value when you add the study materials, expert instruction, and a proven track record of success.

Meanwhile, Gleim’s price range tends to be more affordable. However, you’ll notice that Becker’s starting point is lower. It’s important to note that both companies also have regular sales, so it’s a little difficult to compare them price-wise.

The main point I’m trying to make is that Becker is obviously more expensive, and it may not be affordable for most CPA candidates at the higher tiers. However, waiting for a sale (or messaging either team and asking for a discount) is a great way to ensure you’re getting a good deal, regardless of which package you choose.

Bottom Line: Becker is more expensive but also more valuable due to its additional support features and proven record of success. However, Becker’s courses can be much more affordable when on sale, and Gleim frequently offers discounts too.

Final Verdict: Gleim vs Becker CPA

Here we are: the final review (see what I did there?).

In the battle of Gleim vs. Becker CPA, I believe that Becker comes out on top.

Becker’s CPA exam review courses offer comprehensive coverage of everything you need to succeed come exam day, with a giant question bank and detailed explanations, top-notch study materials, adaptive practice exams that turn your weaknesses into your strengths, engaging textbooks and lectures that cater to every learning style, and the most support you’ll find in a CPA review course in their Concierge package.

Though the Gleim CPA review cost is generally lower, Gleim’s video lectures are dry and difficult to get through, their textbooks aren’t as effective, they don’t offer nearly the same amount of support, they lack a mobile app, and they’re not nearly as public with their reviews. Whereas Becker tries to use sources like Trustpilot for ethical review sourcing, Gleim keeps all of their reviews on their website.

Ultimately, in every category we’ve discussed (except questions and test bank, which was more of a tie), Becker CPA Review crushes the competition.

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