Table of Contents
When you’re ready to take the CPA Exam, you need to decide which CPA review course you should use. And at some point, you may find yourself wondering how Surgent CPA Review and Becker CPA Review compare. Becker is pretty much the biggest name in the industry, and it’s our #1-rated CPA review prep course. Surgent is still fairly new to the game.
So, should you go with tried-and-true or new? As CPAs who’ve reviewed all the top courses, we’ve created this unbiased assessment to help you make the call between Surgent CPA Review and Becker CPA Review. Use our analysis to get the right CPA Exam prep for you!
Surgent CPA vs Becker CPA Comparison Chart
CPA Review Attribute | Attribute Importance | Surgent CPA Review - Ultimate Pass | |
|---|---|---|---|
Access Until You Pass | High -- Without continued access, you have to pay for a new course if your course expires before you finish the exam. | Included | Included |
Video Lectures | Medium -- Video lectures could be more important for visual and auditory learners. | Over 350 video lectures | Over 190 hours of video lectures |
CPA Test Bank | High -- Without practice questions, you won't be able to apply the knowledge you've learned throughout the course. | 8,200+ | 7,000+ |
Books | High -- You'll want the books to learn the concepts, especially if you do not receive video lectures with the course. | Printed and digital | Printed and digital |
Flashcards | Low -- flashcards reinforce the topics you've already learned, but research shows you'll be more likely to commit the items to memory if you create flashcards yourself. | 1,000 printed and 2,200 digital flashcards | 1,250 digital and 1,350 printed flashcards |
The Winner of Becker CPA Review and Surgent CPA Review
In this round of the best CPA review course, we declare Becker CPA Review to be the winner. To be frank, Becker is the best course on the market right now. They offer a clear mapping of their course to the AICPA blueprints, so you know you’re studying exactly what will appear on the CPA Exam. Plus, Becker has access until you pass, a mobile app, a study planner, a final review cram course, and digital flashcards. And how similar are Becker questions to the CPA Exam? Well, some users claim that when you compare Becker vs the actual CPA Exam, Becker’s questions might actually be a little harder. And because of this, you’ll be prepared for anything the CPA Exam throws at you.
Surgent has some of these features, too, but doesn’t give you a few additional learning tools (like Becker's SkillBuilder videos of simulations, live online classes, and 1:1 tutoring sessions) that might make the difference between a pass or fail on your CPA Exam. However, we think that the Surgent ReadySCORE technology, which accurately predicts what you'll really score on the CPA Exam, is second-to-none. You'll find even more information about Surgent in our answers to Surgent CPA FAQs.
Surgent CPA and Becker CPA History
Becker CPA Review has been around since day one of the CPA Exam prep industry. In fact, because Newton Becker created Becker CPA Review in 1957, it was one of the very first CPA review courses. After Becker launched Becker CPA Review as a company in 1960, the course’s popularity grew quickly and has maintained a solid reputation ever since. Becker is now the largest provider of prep courses for the U.S. CPA Exam. Becker CPA Review also has a great track record as a course, as over 90% of Elijah Watt Sells winners from 2006-2021 used Becker to pass the CPA Exam. And, Becker serves all Big 4 accounting firms and 99 of the top 100 accounting firms in the U.S. Therefore, Becker CPA is quite a force in the world of public accounting.
On the other hand, Surgent CPA Review is aging well, but it is still a younger and consequently less storied course. Jack Surgent founded Surgent Professional Education in 1985 and then Liz Kolar joined him establishing Surgent CPA Review in 2013. Jack Surgent also manages a CPA firm, and Liz Kolar has decades of experience as a college professor. Over time, Surgent developed prep courses for other credential exams, too, and has since made the list of best SIE exam courses, for example. Then, in 2015, Surgent acquired ExamMatrix, and the proprietary adaptive technology ExamMatrix was developed. At that point, Surgent started applying this technology to their accounting exam prep courses, starting with Surgent CPA Review. Therefore, Surgent CPA Review was one of the first courses on the market to have adaptive technology, and this development increased the course’s popularity. However, Surgent still doesn’t have nearly as many years in the business as Becker.
Becker vs. Surgent Interface
The course interface of Becker CPA Review is one of the best available. It's well-designed and features Becker’s Adapt2U technology, which tells candidates the next study steps they should take. The course supplies detailed reporting about your performance with the exam content and your progress within the course. In this way, Becker CPA Review takes the guesswork out of your studies and ensures that you’re completely prepared to pass. The course also contains an interactive study planner that sets up your study agenda with plenty of time to finish your review by exam day. That is, the Becker CPA Exam study plan really helps you stay on track. Additionally, the Adapt2U technology directs you to complete a final review in order to refine your understanding of the most heavily tested concepts and ensure that you’re ready for every type of exam question.
Surgent CPA Review’s interface also has adaptive technology. Specifically, the course contains Surgent’s state-of-the-art, proprietary A.S.A.P. technology that aims to save candidates tons of study time. The course does so by using your performance on practice quizzes to determine the exam content you should study each day. Surgent CPA Review serves you practice questions about the test topics you struggle with. It also employs a tool called ReadySCORE to communicate how well you would score on the CPA Exam at any given time. With A.S.A.P. technology, Surgent claims to reduce their students’ study time by 50%. What’s more, Surgent has determined that students with a ReadySCORE of 75 pass the CPA Exam 92% of the time.
Becker CPA Compared to Surgent CPA Materials
Video Lectures
Becker CPA Review contains over 190 hours of video lectures. Expert CPAs and accounting, law, or business professionals lead these lectures and thousands of organizations in the accounting industry trust Becker’s videos. While Becker’s lectures have a bit of a reputation for being boring, they are comprehensive and allow candidates to truly comprehend the subject matter.
Furthermore, the SkillBuilder videos do a very good job of walking candidates through the process of answering task-based simulations, or TBSs. TBSs are usually the hardest exam questions, so this extra instruction from Becker is very valuable. And, Becker has added video explanations for many of the multiple-choice questions (MCQs) in the test bank, too.
Surgent CPA Review includes 350 video lectures, each of which lasts for about 10-20 minutes. These lectures also feature Surgent’s team of experts, but these individuals are not as well-known in the industry. And while I like the fact that Surgent’s lectures are bite-sized, I don’t think they are as well done as the Becker lectures. Surgent also doesn’t give you the video walk-throughs of simulation explanations as Becker does.
Access Length
The CPA Exam Blueprints can change several times in one year. Furthermore, the CPA Exam itself can experience major modifications from one year to the next. And to finish the CPA Exam, you must pass all 4 sections within 30 months. However, the CPA pass rates are low enough that most candidates fail at least 1 section. Therefore, your CPA journey can last at least 2 years or longer. For these reasons, studying with outdated materials or a course with a limited access length is a big risk to your CPA Exam success. But if you purchase a CPA review course that includes access until you pass, you don’t have to worry about learning the wrong information during your review or losing access to your course if life gets in the way of your exam studies.
Using a course with access until you pass lets you study as long as you need to without worrying that your course access will expire or that your materials will go out of date. Consequently, preparing with a course that doesn’t offer access until you pass makes it very likely that you’ll have to pay to renew your course access or get updated study materials.
Thankfully, both Becker CPA Review and Surgent CPA grant access until you pass with the purchase of their courses. The Becker Pro and Premium Courses, which are Becker’s most complete packages, include access until you pass. And only receiving access until you pass with the purchase of a provider’s top- or middle-tier course is industry standard. However, Surgent CPA Review supplies candidates with access until they pass for all 3 of their course packages. Therefore, Surgent is surprisingly more generous with this course concession.
Help from Experts
With the Becker Pro and Premium CPA Review courses, candidates can ask questions of experienced professors and receive a response within 48 hours. These questions can be exam-related, and the professors will provide thorough answers. Furthermore, candidates can also search through archived discussions to find answers to their questions there.
Even more importantly, the top Becker courses include five, one-hour, one-on-one tutoring sessions with a Becker CPA expert. (Plus the new Concierge Package has an incredible 50 CPA Exam tutoring sessions!) And, Becker has live and live online classes, too. Even if you go with the live online option, you can participate in virtual classroom sessions and interact with the instructor and your fellow classmates.
Surgent’s help from experts is a bit different for two reasons. First of all, Surgent’s candidate support improves depending on the course you buy. Secondly, the cheaper course only gives you access to a study expert. You have to purchase the more expensive Ultimate Pass course to also get access to an accounting expert.
Specifically, the Premier Pass course includes 3 30-minute sessions with a CPA Exam success coach for each exam section (so, 12 total). During these sessions, the coach will help candidates create their study and exam schedules, discuss study strategies and test-taking tips, and hold candidates accountable for their review progress. On the other hand, the Ultimate Pass course also includes 4 hours of virtual tutoring from accounting professors. These professors will help candidates understand confusing exam material with which they have been struggling.
But who really offers the best support?
In this way, Surgent CPA Review allows candidates to receive more varied support, but they also ask candidates to pay more for it. And, they set a time limit on your access to that support. In contrast, Becker candidates get the same quality of unlimited support even if they buy the cheaper course option. And, in my opinion, unlimited access to accounting professors is more valuable because candidates can’t pass the exam unless they understand all of the content at a deep level.
Also, because these courses already contain adaptive technology designed to guide candidates through their studies and eliminate the guesswork, access to a CPA Exam success coach seems a little redundant. Candidates can get good study strategies and testing tips from my website and the review provider sites, so receiving help with the exam content is more important. For that reason, I think candidates could really benefit from Becker’s 1:1 academic tutoring sessions.
Flashcards
Just as Becker and Surgent offer help from experts differently, they also take an opposing approach to flashcards.
For example, all three Surgent CPA Review courses include access to Surgent’s flashcard app. The app contains 2,200+ flashcards covering CPA Exam terms and definitions, and you can download it on iOS and Android devices. However, this flashcard app is actually free on Surgent’s website, so you could use it without buying a Surgent course.
But Surgent also has printed flashcards. Both the Premier Pass and the Ultimate Pass packages include flashcards, but you can buy the flashcards separately if you purchase the Essentials Pass course instead. This set of spiral-bound flashcards addresses 1,000 terms and definitions total, with 250 flashcards each for AUD, BEC, and REG and 300 flashcards for FAR.
As mentioned, Becker diverges from Surgent with their flashcard offering. Meaning, you must pay for printed flashcards separately if you don’t buy the Becker Pro Course. This a la carte option contains over 1,250 cards with questions and brief answers.
However, both the Becker Premium and Advantage courses include 1,350 digital flashcards within the online course. So, you can search these flashcards to find cards about certain topics, and you can drill yourself with the cards in random order or in order of lecture and topic. You can also discover your progress with the flashcards from the in-course statistics.
So which flashcards are best?
In light of the flashcard variations between these two providers, I believe Becker uses their flashcards to fill their more complete course option with even more valuable features. Therefore, the Becker flashcards are more advantageous. And I think Surgent candidates aren’t benefiting as much from getting the printed flashcards with the more expensive course options because the digital flashcards are free, more numerous, and just as easy to use on a phone as they are in printed format.
Surgent and Becker CPA Mock Exam vs. Actual
Before your big exam day, you should take a few mock exams. After all, sitting down for a practice test is the only way to really be sure that you’re ready for the CPA Exam. Therefore, let’s go over the Surgent and Becker CPA mock exams.
Surgent’s Mock Exams
To start, Surgent’s CPA courses include unlimited practice exams. They also have the same tools (like the authoritative literature tool and Excel) as the actual CPA Exam. And that’s a plus because it will help you feel comfortable on exam day. Surgent’s practice exams are also timed just like the CPA Exam, so you can practice pacing questions to finish on time.
Becker CPA practice exam vs. actual
Likewise, Becker’s courses also come with mock exams. Plus, they mimic the look and functionality of the “real” exam. Specifically, a Becker CPA practice exam is just like the one you’ll see at the Prometric testing site.
But how similar are the Becker questions to the CPA Exam? That is, is Becker harder than the CPA Exam? Well, I’ve been doing a little research into Becker vs CPA Exam questions, and here’s what I’ve found. When users compare their Becker and actual scores, they often find that their actual results are higher. That is, their Becker mock exam score and actual score on the CPA Exam can differ by 10-15 points. And some users on Reddit have reported even greater differences in their Becker vs actual CPA Exam results. This difference is called the “Becker bump,” and it’s real.
So how does the CPA Exam compare to the Becker exams? Or rather, is the actual CPA Exam harder than the Becker mock exams? Or are Becker CPA questions harder than the exam? Well, it seems that the Becker exams might be a bit harder. Therefore, don’t be surprised if you still don’t quite have a 75 on your Becker mock exams and yet pass the CPA Exam with flying colors.
Surgent vs Becker CPA Pass Rates
Pass rates are a pretty controversial topic in the CPA review industry. Some courses don’t publish their pass rates at all. And of the ones that do, each takes a different approach to configuring and explaining their pass rate. Furthermore, neither the AICPA nor another trusted third party provides pass rate data for the review courses. Therefore, pass rates aren’t really the best indicator of how well a course will work for you.
That being said, both Becker and Surgent have published pass rate information for their courses in the past. To start, Becker has a system in place to track their pass rates. Plus, the Becker CPA Exam statistics have been confirmed by outside entities, too. Becker says that the pass rate of their “Exam Day Ready” students is 94%. (These students watched 80% of their Becker videos, answered 80% of their practice MCQs, and took several mock exams.)
In contrast, Surgent claims a pass rate of 92% among students who have a ReadySCORE of 75 or higher.
Between the two, Becker’s pass rate claim is a bit more compelling. What’s more, we know that over 1 million candidates have used Becker to study for the CPA Exam.
Surgent vs Becker CPA Learning Styles
Because Becker CPA Review and Surgent CPA Review both offer video lectures, they address the study needs of audio and visual learners. The fact that they both have flashcards also enables them to connect with kinesthetic learners. Linguistic learners can benefit from the physical books that both courses supply and logical learners will appreciate the test banks.
But, while both courses have something for each learning style, the quality of their materials for that learning style differs. Becker’s video lectures offer better explanations, but Surgent has more flashcards. Furthermore, while Becker’s books are clearer and more comprehensive, Surgent’s test bank is slightly bigger. Of course, all of Becker’s questions are of high quality, and Surgent doesn’t include video explanations of their simulations as Becker does. So, you need to determine which learning style you’ll lean on the most to help you decide between these two courses.
Surgent CPA Discounts vs. Becker CPA Discounts
Becker CPA’s courses are more expensive, but Becker discounts both of their course options quite frequently. And, these Becker CPA discounts are usually quite deep, as they may be as much as $500-$1,500 off. Therefore, if you can take advantage of Becker’s discounts, you can get the most expensive course on the market for a fairly average price.
Surgent CPA Review also offers a discount, and they provide our readers with some of the most generous discounts available. Therefore, you'll end up paying even less for Surgent CPA Review if you avail of our top-notch Surgent CPA discounts.
Must-Know Info about Becker CPA Review and Surgent CPA Review
Course Costs
How Much Does Becker CPA Review Cost?
Becker has three course package options. Their most complete course, the Becker Pro Course, costs $3,799, before discounts. Additionally, their mid-tier Premium course costs $3,099, and the Advantage course costs $2,499. Finally, separate parts of their course are available, too. However, if you do purchase Becker on a per-part basis, you'll be forced to incur costly upgrades if you want the same benefits that come with the Premium and Pro 4-part bundles.
How Much Does Surgent CPA Review Cost?
Surgent has three review course options. Their most basic course, the Essentials Pass course, costs $999. Their medium option, the Premier Pass course, comes in at $1,599. And, Surgent’s most complete course, the Ultimate Pass course, has a price of $2,999.
Renewal Costs
How Much Does It Cost to Renew Becker CPA Review?
If you purchase the Becker Pro or Premium Course, you will receive access until you pass, so you won’t have to pay a course renewal fee. However, if you buy the Advantage Course, you will have to pay $299 for a 3-month extension to your course if your course expires before you finish your review.
How Much Does It Cost to Renew Surgent CPA Review?
All Surgent CPA Review course options come with access until you pass. Therefore, you will not have to pay a renewal fee to maintain access to your course until you finish your review.
Access Length
How Long Does Becker CPA Review Last?
The access length for the Becker Pro and Premium Course is until you pass the CPA Exam. However, Becker maintains the right to disable your account if inactive for 3 years. But if Becker does disable your account and you have not passed the CPA Exam, you can call Becker and they will reactivate your account at no additional charge.
The access length for the Advantage course could be one of 2 time periods. The first access length period is 18 months after you log in to the course for the first time, which involves visiting the Becker home page and using your user identification and password to log in. The second access length period is 24 months from the time you purchase your course. Whichever of these time periods ends first is the duration of your course access.
How Long Does Surgent CPA Review Last?
Again, all of Surgent’s course options come offer access until you pass. Therefore, you can retain use of your Surgent course until you have finished the entire CPA Exam by passing all 4 exam sections.
Surgent and Becker CPA Exam Prep Study Hours
How long should I study each section of Becker CPA Exam Review?
If you’re wondering how long does it take to complete a Becker CPA Exam Review course, we have some answers! Becker actually has a suggested number of hours to study, based on the past performance of other students. (The CPA Discipline sections aren't listed below since they are new in 2024.) Plus, your Becker CPA Exam schedule will help you stay on track with your studies.
- AUD = 90+ hours
- FAR = 150+ hours
- REG = 120+ hours
How long should I study with Surgent?
In contrast, Surgent’s use of A.S.A.P. Technology can help candidates pass the CPA Exam faster. Therefore, you might need fewer total study hours with Surgent. Of course, everyone’s experience is different, depending on your prior education and work history. But still, here are some averages as reported by Surgent’s users:
- AUD = 43 hours
- FAR = 54 hours
- REG = 45 hours
CPA Exam Changes with Becker and Surgent
Did you know that some of the CPA Exam content changes from time to time? In fact, it can change up to 2 times a year, depending on new tax laws and updated standards. So before you purchase a review course, make sure you can get access to updates.
Becker CPA Exam Review update schedule
Wondering where to download Becker CPA Exam review updates? Well, Becker automatically updates all online content, so you’ll always be studying with the latest materials. And if you need hard copies of materials like flashcards or textbooks, you can purchase new ones for the cost of printing and shipping. To get started, you’ll find instructions in your course. Or, you can call Customer Support for help.
Surgent updates
Likewise, Surgent’s online materials are updated as soon as standards or regulations change. In fact, they sometimes update their courses as often as weekly if needed. The updates are automatic – you don’t need to do a thing to request them.
Sales
How Often Does Becker CPA Review Go on Sale?
Becker CPA Review goes on sale more infrequently than Surgent. My site has a Becker CPA Review discount that will make your wallet happier.
How Often Does Surgent CPA Review Go on Sale?
Surgent CPA Review also has a regular sale. My Surgent CPA Review discount is a great way to save on your course.
Refunds
What Is the Refund Policy for Becker CPA Review?
If you purchase an online Becker CPA Review course, you can receive a full tuition refund if requested within 10 days of your initial purchase or your first course login, whichever comes first.
What Is the Refund Policy for Surgent CPA Review?
Surgent’s refund policy alters according to the course purchased.
So, if you bought the Essential Pass course, you can receive a full refund within 10 days of purchasing so long as you didn’t complete any practice exams during that time.
If you purchased the Premier Pass course, you can receive a refund within 10 days of the date of your order. However, your refund will be less a $300 cancellation fee. And you will only qualify for the refund if you didn’t complete any practice exams or use any of your coaching sessions yet. Surgent will allow you to keep your printed books and flashcards.
Finally, people who bought the Ultimate Pass package also have 10 days from the date of purchase to receive a refund. This refund will also be less a $300 cancellation fee. To be eligible for this refund, you may not have completed any practice exams, used any coaching sessions, or accessed the Excel® for Accounting and Finance Professionals on-demand course. But again, you can keep the printed textbooks and flashcards.
And no matter which Surgent course you purchase, you can’t receive a refund for cancelling after 10 days.
Best CPA Review
Is Becker CPA the Best?
Becker CPA Review is rated as the #1 rated CPA review course for I Pass readers, and it may be the best course for you, too. But still, is a Becker CPA course enough to pass the CPA Exam? Yes! Becker has all the essentials candidates need to pass, such as video lectures, video explanations of MCQs and TBSs, printed and digital books, a test bank, candidate support, access until you pass, flashcards, adaptive technology, and more. However, Becker goes beyond the basics with 1:1 academic tutoring sessions and live or live online classes. Overall, Becker is a high-quality course that won’t steer you wrong.
Is Surgent CPA the Best?
Surgent CPA is also a good CPA course. Surgent offers useful materials such as books, a test bank, flashcards, an adaptive course, candidate coaching, video lectures, access until you pass, and more. Therefore, Surgent’s most complete course has all of the study materials we feel candidates need to have the best chance at achieving CPA Exam success. So, you may find that Surgent is the course for you.
Who Should You Pick? A Becker CPA Exam Review Course or Surgent CPA?
Course Features | Surgent CPA Review | |
|---|---|---|
Video Lectures | 1 | 1 |
Access Until You Pass | 1 | 1 |
Help From Experts | 1 | .5 |
Flashcards | 1 | .5 |
Pass Rates | 1 | 1 |
Course Quality | 1 | 1 |
Total | 6/6 | 5/6 |
From this table, you can see that the Surgent CPA Review course scores 5 points. In contrast, Becker CPA Review scores 6 points. Therefore, in our estimation, Becker beats out Surgent. Becker’s course has better technology, better materials, and better personal support.
Conclusion about Surgent CPA Review and Becker CPA Review
Now, one of us did use Becker to pass the CPA Exam. After weighing its e-learning platform and the books, lectures, videos, and other learning materials, we still find that Becker is #1 CPA Exam review course.
That being said, Surgent has made impressive strides since entering the CPA review course scene rather recently. Their technology is unique, and their commitment to innovation is encouraging. So, we believe this course has a lot of potential that may prove very effective in the future.
However, one of them could be the perfect course for you, depending on your situation. And we encourage you to consider them both before you invest in CPA Exam prep. Still, the course that a lot of our candidates seem to benefit from is Becker CPA Review, so we find Becker to be the best choice between these 2 courses.
Additionally, you may wish to read Becker CPA vs. Wiley CPAexcel for another detailed comparison.
Your Next CPA Review Steps
If you're still not sure which course is the best for you, please contact me for a personalized recommendation. You can also sign up for my free CPA e-course to learn more about the process of becoming a CPA.
