Becker CPA and Becker Final Review | 2023 Review

Becker CPA is a popular CPA review course for a reason. It’s endorsed by the Big 4 accounting firms and has a network of over 2,000 CPA firms, alliances, and universities across the U.S. Many consider it the industry standard.

Why is Becker CPA so popular? Their course works! It’s well-organized and has a proven teaching format that has helped countless students pass the CPA exam.

The biggest benefit of Becker CPA is its track record. Becker uses a traditional teaching style to deliver a time-tested review course that will make you exam day ready. Here’s what you get with Becker CPA Review:

The downsides? Becker’s linear teaching approach may require a bit more of your time to complete the course, and their top tier courses can be pricey without a discount.

Let’s take a closer look at everything Becker CPA has to offer and see how it compares to other review courses!

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Becker Pricing and Course Packages

Becker now offers four different course packages: Advantage, Premium, Pro and Concierge (NEW in 2023). Each course provides the most critical exam prep material, including:

  • Access to Becker’s entire lecture series and 400+ SkillMaster videos
  • Textbooks (digital and physical)
  • Over 6,200 multiple-choice questions and 300+ task-based simulations
  • Digital flashcards
  • 12 practice exams (3 per section) and unlimited custom quizzes that look and feel like the real CPA Exam
  • Online FAQ database and 1-on-1 academic support from expert CPAs
  • Mobile app access
  • Accounting for Empires game

Becker Premium

Becker’s Premium level course has everything the Advantage course has, plus:

  • Unlimited access,
  • Becker’s Final Review package ($599 value),
  • Supplemental Multiple Choice Question pack with 1,100 questions ($599 value),
  • LiveOnline access, and
  • Access to Becker’s CPA Exam coaches.

Becker Pro

Becker’s Pro course has everything Premium does, plus:

  • 1,400 printed flashcards ($179 value),
  • Live classroom scheduling option,
  • Five (5) 1-on-1 tutoring sessions, and
  • 1 year subscription to Becker CPE (up to a $699 value).

Becker Advantage gets the job done on a budget, but Becker Premium provides better value with extra resources. If cost isn’t an issue (employer pays), strongly consider Becker Pro for all CPA resources and CPE access to tailor your skill set as a CPA.

Becker Concierge (NEW in 2023!)

Becker’s new Concierge level course offers practically everything you can imagine short of taking the actual CPA exam. It comes at a premium price, but it provides an outstanding personal touch on top of an already great CPA exam course:

  • Dedicated Success Coach with weekly check-ins to keep you on track
  • Private 1-on-1 tutoring sessions (weekly)
  • 100% Pass Guarantee
  • Personalized assistance with meeting your licensing requirements
  • One-year CPE subscription and One free Becker certificate program (e.g. Excel, DEI, etc.) to support your ongoing development

Simply put, Becker Concierge goes above and beyond what any other CPA exam program can offer.

It comes at a premium price tag, one that many CPA candidates may not be able to stomach. However, the high-touch service it provides is actually a bit of a bargain if you break down each of the added costs. For example:

  • High-quality private tutors charge at least $50/hr. and up. Assuming it takes you 12 months to pass all four sections, those weekly sessions at $50/hr. would cost at least $2,600.
  • Pricing for Becker’s CPE subscriptions and certificate programs can vary. Based on our experience we would would estimate the combined value of these two offerings to be at least $500.
  • Navigating the licensing requirements and application requirements are a pain. Becker’s license navigator will easily save you several hours of headaches and hassle. As a high-flying future CPA, we would estimate the value of this time to be worth at least $300.
  • Having a Success Coach to keep you on track and ensure you pass the exam can save you hundreds of dollars in re-testing fees. Assuming this program prevents you from failing an exam section or two, we estimate the Success Coach service to be worth another $250-$500.

As you can see, we reasonably estimate the total value of each added feature in Becker Concierge to be between $3,650 – 3,900.

Keep in mind that this total doesn’t take into account any efficiency gains you may gain while studying. Nor does it account for the peace of mind you’ll have knowing that Becker will be by your side until you pass all four parts.

So, is Becker Concierge worth it?

Like anything else, it depends. Is Becker Concierge absolutely necessary to pass the CPA exam? No. In fact, most students can do just fine with Becker Advantage or Becker Pro.

However, if you’re the type of person that thrives with outside accountability and wants a more personalized CPA exam journey, then Becker Concierge is well worth the added cost.

Becker Advantage vs Becker Unlimited Access Packages

Here is a comparison between the Becker 24 monthly access Advantage Exam Prep Package and the unlimited Access Pro and Premium Packages.

Becker Study Materials

Becker has excellent study materials to help advance your CPA Exam preparation. They have CPA Exam prep designed materials for a better learning style to guide you in getting ready for the exam. The study materials include the following:

  • Up-to-date CPA study content
  • AICPA blueprint
  • Simulated exams
  • Real-world instructors
  • Skill builder videos
  • Three exam packages (Pro, Premium and Advantage)

Becker Multiple Choice Questions

Becker has a solid multiple choice question bank with 7,000+ questions. Access to 1,100+ more questions comes with their Supplemental Multiple Choice Question pack, and another 1,000+ questions come with their Final Review course.

(Becker’s Final Review materials and extra questions gave me a huge boost for the exam, but they’re not truly necessary to pass.)

In terms of quality, Becker’s multiple choice questions are as good as any. They align with the AICPA content blueprints and are more difficult than actual exam questions. This can be discouraging as you complete the course, but you’ll be exam-day ready.

Detailed explanations of every answer, correct or incorrect, are provided by Becker. Take the time to read each explanation as it reinforces the course material and improves understanding.

The multiple-choice questions align with the actual exam to guide you to improve and advance your skills as you prepare. Also, Becker analytics will follow up on your performance in different topics and assist you in reviewing your weak points. Once you revise using supplemental multiple-choice questions, you increase your CPA pass rate drastically.

Becker Simulations

Task-based simulations are another critical portion of the CPA exam, as they test your knowledge of the course content differently than multiple choice questions do. Becker gives you plenty of practice opportunities with its library of over 300+ simulations.

The look and feel of the simulations are very similar to the actual exam, and overall I felt very comfortable during the actual exam after preparing with Becker’s simulations.

For extra practice, Becker’s Final Review course (sold separately) includes an additional 100 simulations.

In each study section, Becker CPA Exam simulations use actual work conditions for in-depth analysis of your skills and intelligence. These task-based simulations are in all the CPA Review packages. These task-based simulations will guide you by producing responses to questions helping you understand the study area. 

Skillmaster video tutorial works well with CPA task-based simulation. watch tutorial videos, helps you gain key strategies for answering the task.based simulations.

Becker Practice Exams

Becker’s course offers 3 simulated exams per section. Each one prepares you differently. Exam 1 identifies weaknesses, while the other two resemble the CPA exam, giving you a sense of the questions and weighting.

You can also generate unlimited mock-exams over specific areas you’d like to focus on. I used this feature to make sure I stayed sharp on the earlier course material and it was really helpful.

Becker CPA allows you to take practice exams to strengthen your confidence before taking the actual exam. They offer different types of simulated exams in every section of the review course which are crafted thoroughly to increase exam pass rate.

As an extra study aid, Becker’s Guided Simulated Exam reviews help you dig into your most challenging exam topics.

Overall, Becker’s practice exams tend to be more difficult than what you’ll see on exam day.

More Becker CPA Review Features

Background

Becker Professional Education has been helping accountants pass the CPA exam for over 60 years!

Becker CPA Review is also perhaps best known for their two colorful instructors, Peter Olinto and Tim Gearty, who like to mix extremely corny jokes into the course lectures and have developed an almost cult-like following among Becker CPA students. As a former Becker student myself, I still have several of their jokes burned into my memory!

Becker Course Planner / Adaptive Learning Technology

Becker’s new adaptive technology has flexible elements that include integrated study resources. They offer their students individual options when preparing for the final CPA exam. The new planner is designed with up-to-date content that is reflected in the actual exam. The main planner also guides you through your lectures and review course materials.

From there, the planner automatically generates a detailed study calendar. You’ll see the exact course material and the practice exams you’ll take leading up to your exam. 

After establishing your study plan, you can easily navigate to the course material, mock exams and flashcards.  

The main dashboard gives a high-level view of your study calendar, course progress (from a scale of 1-100%), and number of days until your exam. 

There are also links to Becker’s SkillMaster video library. These will train you on some of the skills you’ll need for the exam like written communications, research, and time management.

I found Becker’s main dashboard easy to use. However, given that Becker is such an expensive review program I would’ve expected a little bit more substance here.

Becker’s course material begins with a brief pre-assessment to gauge your familiarity with the content and create a personalized study plan. Based on your performance, Becker suggests starting with lectures or moving directly to practice and simulations. While the pre-assessment is a time-saving feature, it’s not a true adaptive learning technology found in other courses.

Other Cool Features

In addition to its full CPA Review courses, Becker also has some more awesome resources to help you pass the CPA exam:

Becker Final Review

Becker Final Review is an ideal study aid after completing your primary CPA review course. It hones in on critical exam concepts, focusing your attention in the final days/weeks before your exam.

Becker CPA Final Review includes condensed study materials, streamlined lectures (35+ hours), modules, 1,000+ additional MCQs, 100+ additional TBSs, and 1 simulated exam per CPA section. On top of all this, you also get access to Becker’s suite of learning tools for note taking, content highlighting, and searching.

Becker Final Review sections can be purchased separately or in a bundle at a discounted price. If you don’t want to

Becker CPA mobile app (iOS and Android, and also FREE!)

The Becker CPA app gives you maximum flexibility to study how and wherever you wish. The app automatically syncs your course progress so you can hop between devices throughout the day.  

CPA Multiple Choice Questions

Becker’s Supplemental MCQ bank provides 1,200+ additional multiple choice questions to prep for the exam.  

Supplemental Multiple-Choice questions can be purchased by individual exam section (FAR, AUD, BEC, REG) or as a bundle.

Becker Lectures

Becker offers 3 lecture formats: Self-Study, Live Online, and Live Classrooms. Self-Study is by far the most popular, while the others are helpful for students looking for a bit more accountability in their exam prep. Here’s an overview of each one:

Self-Study 

As noted above, this is Becker’s most popular lecture format. It’s also the one I used to prep for the CPA exam, so it works!

Self-study lectures give you access to 100+ hours of lectures anytime and anywhere. Self-study provides the most flexibility, but it’s up to you to make sure you’re paying attention the entire time!

CPA exam lectures can be a bit dry, but Becker covers the material well and throws in a little humor every once in a while.

Live Online

Becker’s LiveOnline course program covers the same lecture material as the Self-Study format, but are delivered through live webinars.

A key perk to this format is you’ll have time for Q&A at the end of each lecture.

LiveOnline lectures are a great option if you need some external motivation to complete the lectures and stick to a schedule.

Live Classrooms

Held in only a handful of locations, Becker’s live lecture format consists of 1 to 2 day-long lectures each week over a 2-4 week period for each exam section. It’s a bit intense, but it’s probably the best way to power through the material in such a short amount of time.

Live classes are a great option if you live near one of their locations. Otherwise, it’s probably not worth the time and cost of travel.

Becker Textbooks

Becker’s textbooks come in hard-copy and digital format and are very thorough.

Becker’s lectures follow the textbook with added commentary in key areas. The course will often have you circle / highlight / add notes in particular sections that they want to emphasize.

I thought the linear approach and added notes were helpful at first but I eventually grew tired and began fast-forwarding through the lectures just to get to their markups and notes. Luckily for you, Becker now offers a fully marked-up version of the text so you can jump ahead and skip this tedious work!  

To download the becker ebook Log in to the Becker course portal at cpa.becker.com. At the bottom left of the screen, you will see the “Redeem Books” icon, Click on it and download your books.

Becker Flashcards

Flashcards are an excellent supplement to any CPA review course and allow for more convenient studying if you have a busy schedule. All of Becker’s courses come with 1,400+ digital flashcards and the Premium and Pro packages come with 1,250+ printed flash cards.

You can purchase Becker’s digital flashcards separately, but honestly I’d recommend saving your money and just make your own or use a free digital flashcard app, like Surgent (iOS and Android).

Becker Login and Course Access

Becker CPA Review is accessible from any device, including smartphones and tablets via their iOS and Android app, giving you unlimited access to the course and great flexibility in your study options. Your course progress automatically synchronizes across your devices too so you’ll always be up to date.  

Becker’s standard license to their software is 24 months but with the Premium and Pro level courses you’ll have unlimited access until you pass the exam.

I think 24 months is plenty of time for most people to study for and pass the CPA exam, but if you want the extra peace of mind that comes with unlimited access then the Premium and Pro options are definitely worth a look.  

Customer Support

Becker has three customer support options: Live Chat, Becker FAQs, and Ask Becker a Question. The Live Chat option is primarily for tech support issues, while the FAQ and Ask Becker a Question options are related to the course content.  

For course-related questions I’d suggest starting with the Becker FAQ’s since that’s the fastest route since the Ask Becker a Question option can take up to two business days.

For International students, Becker has some nice resources available on their site to walk you through the process of becoming a CPA based on your personal circumstances. They also have a contact page where you can work with a Becker professional to get further advice.

How to Get Becker CPA Review Course for Free

Besides, the CPA exam is a significant challenge and needs a lot of time and enthusiasm. The study process is long and expensive. With Becker Free trial CPA Review Course, you can get an advantage on the precise required studying.

Use Becker CPA login at cpa.becker.com for a quick and easy online login book. Click your user icon in the upper right-hand corner at becker.com to access your “MyAccount” page and review your orders. Also, use your Becker CPA login to visit the scheduling portal to create Live Online courses. Then, download the mobile app from your app store and use your Becker login information to unlock your CPA review content. You can use the content to study for exam day from anywhere.

Becker Free Trial

If you’re interested in Becker but want to test things out, be sure to sign up for a FREE 14 day demo that gives you access to most of the course content that you can expect from the full program.

You can get started by registering for the Becker free trial. The free trial allows you to exploit the structure of our review course and our experienced instructors. Becker has a free CPA review demo that follows the AICPA blueprint. These will help you familiarize yourself with the structure during exams.

The Becker free trial has the following:

  • Around 60 adaptive, personalized review sessions with Becker’s exclusive Adapt2U Technology
  • 31 hours of lectures
  • Two complete units per content section
  • Approximately 1,490 multiple-choice questions
  • Approximately 100 task-based simulations and SkillMaster video tutorials
  • Unlimited practice tests
  • Progress syncing from demo to purchase
  • Digital flashcards

Becker Final Review Course Package

  • Becker Multiple Choice Questions
  • Becker Simulations
  • Becker Practice Exams

Becker Final Review is a concise assessment that increases comprehension of complex CPA exam concepts. The course is accessible from your CPA review software. All Becker advantage and premium students can purchase the exams individually.

Inside the Becker Final Review Course package, you will have Becker lecture modules to optimize your study time, questions, materials, and learning tools. The Becker CPA Review course is available for Becker students.

Becker Financing and Discount Codes

Becker offers interest-free financing through its Flex Pay program, with 6-, 12- and 24-month installment options. This is a terrific option for anyone that can’t afford to pay for the entire course up-front.

As expensive as it can be, Becker frequently offers discounts on each of their course packages, especially the Premium and Pro levels. If you’re considering Becker then be sure to check out these Maven-exclusive discounts below and on our Discounts page:

Becker CPA Discount Codes

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Best Study Tips for CPA Exam

Passing the CPA exam requires a lot of sacrifices, time, and excellent knowledge. The exam has tough multiple-choice questions, short writing assignments, and task-based simulations.

To accomplish your goals as a Certified Public Accountant, you require specific tips to guide you through your study process:

  1. Use the Correct Study Tools

Using the proper study tools is essential when preparing for your CPA exam. There are a lot of AICPA sources with the right study tools to use, such as CPA Exam Blueprints, simulation tests, and sample tests.

Many students have access to digital devices like laptops, tablets, and smartphones that they can use to study online courses. You can also get physical books highlighting the main concepts when reviewing questions.

  1. Study in Small Sets of Sessions

Divide your study content into small sessions. Avoid taking long breaks between your study time; this will help you focus on the CPA Exam studies. Use your laptop and textbooks simultaneously to keep track of your study sections.

Keep account of all the topics you cover in each session, and list all the topics you find hard to understand for extra review. Keeping a record will guide you through your CPA journey and help you cover most topics before the exam.

  1. Use Practice Exam Questions

Take AICPA practice test questions, which will guide you through understanding the proficiency of your study content. Repeat all the failed practice questions as you study through those topics. Take all the main types of questions offered multiple-choice, task-based simulations and essays in the main exam.

Taking Becker practice CPA exam questions will build your confidence and help you develop the right pacing, which is essential for every exam section. Use tutorial videos with the practice exams to maximize your familiarity with all the testing software tools.

  1. Choose a Quiet Study Location

Studying for the CPA exam requires adequate concentration, and learning in a quiet location is ideal. Limiting all distractions from noise, phone alerts, friends, and social media is necessary. A quiet location will help your brain sink most information without distractions.

  1. Create a Study Plan

Start by laying out all the exam topics you need to cover study within a specified period. It will help you reduce leaving some topics unattended. Also, set the time you need aside and draw a plan on the hours and days that works best for you.

Studying in a limited time when preparing for the exam is essential. Study ahead of the exam and avoid waiting until the last minute. Be consistent, and complete your study session to reinforce your study concepts. Create an outline to organize your study content.

Becker Review Course and Torrenting Issues

Becker are highly affected by torrenting, where some people use an online network to load pirated Becker CPA study materials and resell them cheaply. You might use substandard study materials when downloading copyrighted Becker CPA review files from an illegal source. 

Becker study materials are accessible from your CPA review software; you can also purchase the Becker Final Review course separately per section. Becker enables you to install their app to access all your study materials, including printed and marginalized digital textbooks. You can also inquire about having your Becker physical textbooks shipped to you.

Becker does not have an alternative that allows you to download their books as PDFs. You can only download their books and other study materials in their app, but you can’t download them as PDFs. The easiest way to save the contents is through a screenshot. If you find any downloadable PDF content, know that it is not from Becker, and you may end up with illegal copyrighted content.

Get Started with Becker CPA Review Courses

There’s a simple reason Becker CPA Review is the preferred provider of the Big 4 accounting firms: it works!  

Yes, Becker is also one of the most expensive courses on the market and the overall study format may not be the most efficient on time, but Becker’s approach has helped over a MILLION people (including me!) pass the CPA exam.  

If you’re not particularly price sensitive and are comfortable with Becker’s more traditional teaching style then Becker CPA Review is an excellent choice.

Becker CPA FAQ’s

How much does Becker CPA cost?

There are three packages offered by Becker: Advantage, Premium and Pro. The Advantage course is $2,499 and includes the bare essentials needed to pass the exam, Premium is $3,099 and offers textbooks and more lecture options, and Pro offers a ton of extra study materials, tutoring and CPE for $3,799. Becker frequently offers discounts though, so be sure to check our discounts page for the best available discounts on the web.

How should I study for the CPA exam using Becker?

Becker CPA follows a more of a traditional and linear study path, so the best way to study with Becker is to dive right in and study one chapter at a time. Watch the lectures and read the course text until you feel comfortable with the material, then test your knowledge with practice questions and simulations. Brush up on any topics that need improvement until you can score between 85-90% on all of the material, then move on to the next chapter.

What is the Becker CPA pass rate?

Becker CPAs pass rate typically hovers around 88-92%, but among students who met their “Exam Day Ready” threshold of completing at least 80% of the MCQs and simulations, the pass rate jumps to 94%. Becker isn’t for everyone, but if you’re committed and don’t mind taking a more comprehensive and linear review path, Becker will get you to the finish line.

Why should I choose Becker CPA?

Becker CPA review is considered the leader in the field: over ⅓ of newly minted CPAs studied with Becker, and it’s endorsed by the Big 4 accounting firms. Becker isn’t for everyone, but if you’re committed and don’t mind taking a more comprehensive and linear review path, Becker will get you to the finish line.

How Similar Are Becker Questions to CPA Exam?

Becker offers practice simulation and multiple-choice questions similar to the actual exam questions. Those exams are aligned similarly to the AICPA blueprints. Becker also has polished answer explanations that strengthen the exam concepts to increase the CPA passing rate.

How Long Does Becker’s Final Review Take?

There are 35+ hours of video lectures on the Becker final review. However, it would help if you determined the length depending on the amount of content you make use of before the exam.

Is Becker Harder Than the CPA Exam?

Becker’s CPA exam is considered to be more difficult compared to the actual AICPA exams. To get an accurate comparison, check out the AICPA practice exams to view simulations used in past exams.

About the author

Colin is a practicing CPA with over 14 years of experience in various accounting and finance roles. After reaching the Sr. Manager level at a Big-4 firm, he now works as a freelance consultant while helping others pass their professional exams.

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