Becoming a CPA is challenging and daunting, to say the least considering that it is by any yardstick the toughest exam in the accounting and finance field. You have to complete several eligibility norms before you can even sit for the exam. Three organizations, namely the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA), the National Association for State Boards of Accountancy (NASBA), and Prometric have a contract to jointly administer the exam.
Several points have to be fulfilled before you can get the CPA license.
First, you have to complete the educational requirements specified by the state where you want to obtain your license. In most states, this entails a credit-hour requirement of 150 hours. Additionally, some states require candidates to fulfill certain work experiences before being eligible to sit for the exam.
Next, the CPA exams have to be passed. It contains four sections namely, Auditing and Accounting (AUD), Business Environment and Concepts (BEC), Financial Accounting and Reporting (FAR), and Regulation (REG). These sections can be taken up in any order but once started, all must be completed within an 18-month testing window. If you fail any part, it cannot be repeated till the opening of the next testing window.
A very critical point to think about if you are sitting for the CPA exam is whether you should self-study or invest in a top prep course such as Becker CPA Review or Surgent CPA Review. The options and the benefits are discussed in the next section.
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Why You Need Prep Courses to Study for The CPA Exam
The million-dollar question for CPA aspirants is whether they should invest in a CPA Review course or go it alone without any help.
Many of you might think that through self-study, you save money and study at your convenience. You also have the satisfaction of thinking that you crossed the hurdle of the CPA exam single-handedly.
Unfortunately, all these are not necessarily true and you will do well to fall back on well-known and reputed CPA Review study materials to pass this tough and overwhelming exam.
Here are some reasons to try out CPA Review course materials.
- Save money: How can investing in a course save money for you? When you follow a study plan of a Review it guarantees an above 90% pass rate while in general self-study cases, the average pass rate is about 50%. That means there is a 50% chance that you have to retake the exam which boils down to registering and going through the course again. That is time and money poorly spent.
- Study more efficiently: The top Review study materials devise a study plan for you that is customized to your learning style and time commitment. Hence, over a period, you cover more topics than you would have done with unorganized self-study.
- Getting updated information: The CPA subject topics are always in a state of flux and being updated with new theories. CPA Review courses with their online video and audio lectures will keep you updated on the latest information, an extra that will help you to meet the challenges of the exam. Getting this benefit with self-study is almost impossible.
- Optimized time management: Most Review courses have adaptive software that tracks your practice questions and mock simulations of the CPA exam and evaluates your areas of strengths and weaknesses. You can therefore focus on the topics that need more attention instead of giving equal importance to all topics and wasting your time as in self-study.
Preparing with CPA Review courses will boost your confidence on exam day. Through the practice simulations in the course materials, you know what to expect on D-Day and can therefore pass each section the first time around.
Now, let’s dive into what the Becker CPA Review and the Surgent CPA Review have to offer very briefly before moving on to a comparison of the two in some detail.
Becker CPA Review
Becker CPA Review is often considered to be the gold standard in this niche primarily because it is endorsed by the Big 4 accounting firms, government agencies and universities, and a network of over 2,000 CPA firms in the country. The review is the benchmark and industry standard that others follow though on some parameters, other courses like Surgent or Gleim have a distinct advantage.
Even though Becker CPA Review has a proven track record, it is found wanting when it comes to incorporating advanced technology into its courses, a factor that others have taken a lead in. Becker also has a teaching style that is based on the traditional linear format where you will be spending a lot of time reading textbooks and viewing lectures. Hence, if you have time to prepare for the exam at your own pace, Becker is the course for you.
The cost of the courses though can be a dampener for most candidates as it is the highest when compared to others. (Details will be seen later in this post). This Review offers three packages – Advantage, Premium, and Pro. Each of the courses provides all the important course materials that will help you pass the exam on the first attempt.
Surgent CPA Review
Surgent CPA Review was launched by Jack Surgent, the present CEO of the company who has been in the field of teaching and delivering seminars in the CPE and continuing education space for well over a quarter of a century. Their course materials are created and designed by experts in the CPA profession with long years of experience behind them. Surgent CPA Review offers three packages – Essentials, Premier, and Ultimate – that cover all four sections of the CPA exam.
The Review is one of the most efficient and streamlined courses in the market today, offering study methods and software that help to increase your CPA exam score. It has incorporated advanced software into the teaching process. The ASAP adaptive learning technology creates customized study plans for each student that covers essential topics and leads to better time management.
The technology is unique among CPA Reviews. Before the start of the course, you have to perform on multiple-choice questions. The software then analyses your answers and decides your areas of weaknesses and strengths that is, which topics you should focus on more than the others, which video lectures to watch, and the textbook chapters to read. The course materials are also constantly updated so that you always have access to the latest information on the subjects.
Becker vs Surgent CPA Review
The Becker vs Surgent CPA Review comparison will be judged on the most critical parameters expected of top-of-the-line study materials. An attempt will be made here to dissect what is provided by these two courses and which one beats the other to the winning post.
Becker vs Surgent lectures
Becker
The four-part Review program of Becker is quite predictable with each section having lectures, skills, practice questions, and simulation practice. If you prefer the traditional learning style, Becker offers textbooks that also include all the topics of the CPA exam.
In video lectures, Becker inches ahead of Surgent. The ExamSolver videos are linked to multiple-choice questions (MCQ) and task-based simulations so you can understand how to answer them. SkillBuilder videos offer strategies for answering questions so that you can crush the exams. The downside is that Becker does not offer audio lessons.
Surgent
The study plan of Surgent CPA Review also includes video lectures for each exam but the benefit here is that they also offer audio lessons in their top packages. You can listen to them while on the go podcast-style and be in touch with your lessons from anywhere and anytime. Just like Becker, Surgent CPA Review is also aligned with the CPA exam blueprint.
The adaptive learning technology of Surgent ensures that you do not waste time listening to video or audio lectures or reading sections of the textbooks that do not matter. You will therefore be better prepared for exam day.
Winner: On the parameter of Becker vs Surgent lectures, on the video front, there is not much difference between the two. But Surgent emerges as the winner as it offers audio lectures too.
Becker vs Surgent MCQs/Simulations
One of the main reasons why students choose a CPA Review course is to practice with multiple choice questions and simulations so that they know how much they are prepared for exam day.
Becker
With Becker vs Surgent MCQs comparison, Becker has recently lifted their practice questions to 9,000+. It is not just about quantity but quality too as these questions and simulations are closely tied to what you can expect in the real exams.
Surgent
Surgent does not lag too far behind Becker with 7,600+ practice questions. These questions realistically mimic the real exams. However, in Becker vs Surgent simulations, Surgent takes a hit as they do not offer mock exams. This is a drawback as you will not get practice under ideal test conditions with constraints.
Winner: There is nothing much to choose between the two in Becker vs Surgent MCQs apart from the 1000+ questions offered more by Becker. But in Becker vs Surgent simulations Becker is ahead as this section is not available in Surgent. Overall, Becker is the winner here.
Becker vs Surgent CPA Review – Packages and Pricing
This is another key angle to consider by students while picking a Review course and that is Becker vs Surgent pricing.
Becker Pricing
Becker offers three different prep packages – Advantage, Premium, and Pro
- Advantage: This is a no-frills package with the bare necessities such as video lessons, practice questions, textbooks, and 12 simulated questions. Access is limited to 24 months. Priced at $2,500, it is more expensive than any other starter course.
- Premium: This is Becker’s standard course. Apart from what is offered in the Advantage package, there are also more practice questions, live classwork, and unlimited access. The package is available for $3,100.
- Pro: The package has everything of the Premium course plus in-person classes and tutoring with an expert from Becker. Available at $3,800, Pro has a pass guarantee and Becker will reimburse you $250 for every section that you do not pass.
Becker package prices are the highest in this niche.
Becker CPA Coupons
Surgent Pricing
Surgent like Becker also offers 3 packages though these are more affordably priced.
- Essentials Pass: Priced at $1,000, this course has the essentials only such as video lessons, digital textbooks, and access to practice problems.
- Premier Pass: This is the flagship course of Surgent and apart from the basic study materials of the Essentials pack also throws in textbooks, flashcards, and a few hours of private tutoring with a Surgent expert. This pack is priced at $1,600.
- Ultimate Pass: The course provides a thousand or so more practice multiple-choice questions, audio lessons, and personalized computer support. The package is available for $2,000.
Package to package, Surgent is more affordable for CPA aspirants.
Surgent CPA Coupons
Winner: On the face of it, for Becker vs Surgent pricing, Surgent costs lower package against package with Becker. However, a clear winner does not emerge because the course materials, in say a standard Becker package, are more than the standard Surgent package.
Becker vs Surgent Reddit
The general impression in Becker vs Surgent Reddit is that though Surgent works well, there is a lot of depth in the course materials of Becker. However, the same person comments that if you can do well in the mock exams of Surgent, it is much easier to pass the actual exams.
“Surgent has been pretty good for me. My impression of Becker is that it is a lot more in-depth than Surgent. It just depends on how you want to go about it, I guess. If you can pass a Surgent mock exam you can definitely pass the real thing though.”
Summing up
If you want to pass the CPA exam, banking on CRA Review courses is the best and wise option. In a comparison between the two top ones Becker vs Surgent, there is no clear winner as each score over the other in specific niches. It is hard to compare the prices also and say which one is more affordable as what is offered in packages is different too. Hence, the jury is still out on Becker vs Surgent.
