Best CPA Prep Courses

Updated:Jan. 16, 2021
Amit Patel
Practice Exams
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Finding the best CPA prep course could be one of the most important factors in passing the CPA exam.  You’ll need to make sure you not only find a great deal, but also a course that fits your unique learning style.

Each CPA review course touts having the best features, pass rates and prices. But with so many options, how do you know which one is actually the best? Choosing the wrong course could cost you and take months more of your study time.  Luckily, we have you covered!

We have personally tested and review all of the CPA prep courses, and study materials below so you don’t have to! The comparison below is aimed at helping you figure out which CPA exam prep course is best for you.

The Top 5+ Best CPA Exam Prep Courses & CPA Study Materials in 2021:

  1. Becker CPA Review Courses
  2. Surgent CPA Review Course
  3. Gleim CPA Exam Test Prep Course
  4. UWorld Roger CPA Review Courses
  5. Fast Forward Academy CPA Exam Review Course
  6. Yaeger CPA Exam Prep Course
  7. Universal CPA Review Course
  8. MDS CPA Self-Study Review Course
  9. Lambers CPA Exam Prep Course

Becker CPA Prep Course (Rank: #1)

PROS

AI Technology: Becker has partnered with Sana Labs to bring their students award-winning technology to enhance their Adapt2U exam technology. It learns where you are strong and where you’re weak, and focuses accordingly on the parts you need, and increases difficulty in the areas you’re good.
Industry Leading Instructors: All instructors are experts in their field, they are also very engaging. Becker instructors like to use mnemonics that you’ll never forget and include a little splash of humor to keep you listening. With a collective 60+ years of experience, you will always have support while studying for the CPA exam.
Task-Based Simulation SkillMaster Videos: Becker is the only provider that offers instructor-led TBS videos. They have over 400+ SkillMaster videos that provide step-by-step instruction. Very important considering half the exam are Task-Based Simulations.
CONS
Price: Becker is definitely the most expensive option out there, but you get what you pay for. You have immense support when you go with Becker and all but guaranteed to pass if you use their product and follow their guidance. Payment plans are also available for those that need them, it’s a no brainer.

GO TO BECKER CPA REVIEW

Surgent CPA Prep Course (Rank: #2)

PROS

Most Experienced Instructors: Surgent CPA Review  has many long-time and almost famous instructors. Liz Kolar, CPA (25 year CPA exam prep instructor) and Jack Surgent, CPA (leading CPE course provider with 20+ years of experience) created the Surgent CPA Review course with the vision of making the study process faster and targeted than the competition. They take a less is more approach with little distractions and present you with only the key items you need to pass the exam.
Money Back Guarantee: Get a 5-day free trial to test drive their course to get familiar with it before making any decisions. They also offer a Money Back Guarantee, so if you complete their course and end up failing you eligible for a complete refund. This shows just how confident they are in their CPA review course and that they are willing to put their money where their mouth is.
Intuitive Technology: The Surgent CPA Review course is extremely easy to navigate and you’ll be cruising in and out of lessons with ease. Better yet Surgent has adaptive learning technology that algorithmically determines your trouble areas and helps you focus on them.  They say using this method they help save students on average over 50 hours of studying time! What would you do with all that extra time?
CONS
Audio Lectures: Again, the small addition of audio-only lectures or informative podcasts is extremely important for a specific kind of student. Sadly, the prep materials provided by Surgent are also unable to meet these needs, despite having many other excellent features that can help you pass the exam.

GO TO SURGENT

Gleim CPA Review Course (Rank: #3)

PROS

Practice Tests: Gleim has a nice variety of testing tools to keep you engaged such as True/False quizzes, MCQ tests, Final Exam Reviews and Task Based Simulations. All these options, plus one of the largest libraries of MCQ’s should give you plenty of practice before you sit for the exam. Their full review course includes over 9,200+ multiple choice questions, which is significantly more than most any other CPA prep course.

Audio Review: Gleim’s complete course also includes an audio CPA review for those who want to study on the go in their car, train or plane. These provide an excellent way to learn the material during non-traditional study times like driving to work, and can be easily downloaded to your smart phone, iPod or mp3 player.

CONS
Very Detailed Content: The books are detailed and use a significant amount of technical jargon. Although many students prefer a highly comprehensive course, others may feel overwhelmed by the information overload.

GO TO GLEIM

UWorld Roger CPA Prep Course (Rank: #4)

PROS

Course Access: UWorld now offers CPA candidates who purchase the Elite Course Package unlimited access to their study materials. This is crucial, allowing you to study at your own pace and giving you peace of mind that your course will never expire. They also include course updates for new exams to ensure you’ll always be studying with the most relevant and important content.
Easy Memorization Techniques: Roger uses mnemonics throughout his lectures to give an easier way for students to process and remember many of the details that appear on the exam.
Exciting Lectures: With Roger Philip, you’ll never fall asleep during a lecture. He teaches each one with enthusiasm and a lot of energy. His engaging teaching style makes the material much more interesting and helps  most students stay motivated.
Financing Plans: UWorld Roger CPA Review has financing options for students on a budget. This is a great opportunity to get started studying earlier because the course doesn’t expire and you get can started for as little as $149.

CONS

Access Period: Roger does provide one course with unlimited access to students. Unfortunately, that would be their highest-priced Elite package. This means that if you’re a student who only needs the minimum or mid-range option– the clock’s ticking!

GO TO UWORLD ROGER

Fast Forward Academy CPA Review Course (Rank: #5)

PROS

Confidence Tracker: One of the toughest things to overcome when studying for an exam is anxiety. To help make this process easier, Fast Forward Academy implemented a confidence tracker into their adaptive learning software. If you get a question right during a study session, but you still feel unconfident in your answer, their program will recommend additional study material to flesh out your education.

Interactive Textbooks: Sometimes, the most effective way to study certain concepts is to read the text and mark up the margins. That’s why the four different digital textbooks included with Fast Forward Academy’s CPA review course allow you to interact with them through annotations and highlights. This effectively gives you the same experience as if you were dog-earing a physical textbook without killing any trees!

Reasonable Payment Plans: For some students, it can be very tough and stressful to pull together the necessary money to pay for a high-quality CPA prep course. Fortunately, Fast Forward Academy makes this a much easier task thanks to their partnership with Affirm. Because of this, you can opt into a payment plan when signing up for one of their courses over 3 month, 6 months, or a full year.

CONS
Limited Mobile Compatibility: The bad news is that Fast Forward Academy doesn’t offer any kind of app for your smart devices, which can make it tough to navigate and interact with your study materials if you’re on the go. However, the good news is that their course is still compatible with non-desktop devices, so you can still access them on your tablet or smartphone. However, you’re not going to get the same experience as you would on a traditional computer.

GO TO FAST FORWARD ACADEMY

Yaeger CPA Study Materials (Rank: #6)

PROS

Top Notch Customer Support: Yaeger’s unique Live Instructor Hotline provides personal 1 on 1 support that is unlike any other CPA prep course. This allows students to directly contact and talk to the instructors (many of whom helped create the course) for help with any questions that arise. Yaeger has become famous for his promise, “Whether by phone or email—you can contact me and the other instructors personally almost anytime.”

Easy To Follow Lectures: The lectures include detailed instructions to make sure that students are on the right path. Instructors will work through hundreds of MCQ’s with you and help navigate you through those tricky problems.  This hands on approach is really unique to Yaeger and is a distinct advantage especially if you’re pursing your CPA after being out of school for some time.

CONS

Old School Style of Teaching: Students not used to long lectures may get distracted with Yaeger. The video lectures are structured very much like most accounting classes you probably had in college, and move a little slower than many students would prefer.

GO TO YAEGER

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