Accounting.com suggests that the average CPA earns approximately $100,000 every single year. But to earn that staggering salary, you’ll have to go through the wringer of four of the most challenging professional exams in the world. There are plenty of popular CPA review courses out there, but choosing the right one can be tricky with such massive stakes on the line.
So, in the Surgent vs. Becker CPA face-off, which should you buy to boost your odds of passing?
The long answer: it depends. However, I passed the CPA exams myself. Knowing the stress choosing the right course put me through, I became a professional course reviewer. I’ve spent an embarrassing amount of time examining every nook and cranny of both courses. In this guide, I’ll share my findings so you can cut off the Google rabbit hole and finally get to studying (not just stressing about it).
Surgent vs Becker CPA: Finding the Right Fit for Your Study Style
- If you’re a visual learner, then Becker’s lecture videos, with their storytelling elements and memorable analogies, may help key concepts stick.
- If you thrive with structure and accountability, then Becker’s coaching, tutoring, and live group options offer steady, hands-on guidance.
- If mobile tools matter to your routine, then Becker’s highly rated study and game apps make it easier to stay productive on the go.
- If you’re confident in your self-discipline and prefer a leaner, faster prep path, then Surgent’s adaptive study plan helps cut through the noise.
- If you’re cost-conscious but still want comprehensive prep, then Surgent’s lower price and pass guarantee make it a strong value-driven option.
Becker vs Surgent CPA Review
Surgent CPA: Pass Faster, Pay Less?
Surgent has two primary selling points that make them one of the most popular CPA review courses on the market: price and speed. Surgent claims they can help students cut their study time in half, while costing half (or even less) of the price of competing courses. How is that even possible? And to that end, isn’t Surgent usually regarded as the tech-savvy choice? What happened there?
As for how it’s possible, I only have theories based on what I’ve experienced within the course, which is Surgent’s lighter study material load designed to help you pass, but perhaps not ace, the CPA exam. Naturally, with fewer resources, you’ll spend less time studying. However, this lightened load means students who need that “deep dive” approach are neglected. As for tech, to be clear: Surgent still offers strong tech tools. However, with their low app ratings and lack of an AI study assistant, competitors like Becker, and perhaps even Gleim, have passed them on the ladder. Nevertheless, there’s a lot to love about Surgent CPA, and I’m excited to share my experience with you.
Pros
- Includes ~1,000 additional practice questions compared to Becker
- The least expensive top CPA prep course provider
- Gives a 100% money-back pass guarantee and unlimited access for every CPA package
- Tools like adaptive learning technology and ReadySCORE™ improve efficiency
Cons
- Surgent’s study companion app has relatively low ratings, ~2.5 stars compared to Becker’s 4.8
- Surgent’s video lectures are far less entertaining than Becker’s
Course Discounts
Save $629 on Surgent CPA review courses, designed to cut your CPA exam preparation time by 50%.
Save $629 Surgent CPA Ultimate Pass
Surgent CPA Review
Becker CPA: Higher Price, Better Odds
Meanwhile, Becker CPA is the competitor that seems to have taken Surgent’s crown as the reigning monarch of prep course tech tools. Both Becker and Surgent provide adaptive learning technology and mobile apps, but the adaptive tech functions roughly the same, and Becker’s mobile apps have far higher ratings: an average of 4.8 stars for the study companion app and 4.3 stars for the mobile MCQ game. In comparison, Surgent’s study app has ratings of 2.5 and 2.0 on the Apple App Store and Google Play Store, respectively.
However, Becker is less known for their comparisons to Surgent than for their individual accomplishments as a company. They report the highest pass rate in the industry at 94%, supposedly matched only by UWorld. Further, since 2007, Becker has produced over 90% of the Elijah Watt Sells Award winners. Simply put, either smart students choose Becker, or Becker churns out winners. Either way, their impressive statistics and reputation can be a significant boon to students anxious about choosing a reliable, effective provider they can trust.
Pros
- Over 200 more video lectures than Surgent
- Known for difficult, exam-quality practice questions
- Both mobile apps have average ratings above four stars across Apple and Android
- Produces award winners far more than competitors and has a 94% pass rate
- Includes personalized support and a final review cram course
Cons
- Becker CPA courses are substantially more expensive than Surgent’s
Course Discounts
Save $1,346 on Becker CPA review courses for a more affordable way to get the study materials you need.
Becker CPA Review
Feature Comparisons
 | | |
|---|---|---|
| Most Popular Package | Becker CPA Pro | Surgent Premier Pass |
| Access | Until You Pass | Until You Pass |
| Price | $3,799 | $1,299 |
| Discounts | Save $1,346 | Save $629 |
| Discipline Sections | 1 | 3 |
| Pass Rate | 94% | 88% |
| Mobile App | Becker’s CPA Exam ReviewAccounting for Empires™ Game | Surgent Study Companion |
| Total Practice Questions (MCQs Plus TBSs) | 8,500+ | 9,500+ |
| Video Lessons | 900+ Videos | 700+ Videos |
| Live Online Classes |  |  |
| AI Study Assistant | Newt™ | |
| Guarantees | Partial Money-Back | 100% Money-Back |
| Refund Policy | 10 Days | 10 Days |
| Get Started | Start Now | Start Now |
Best Matches for Becker and Surgent
Want a quicker version of everything I’m about to drop? Here are the students who’d be the best fit for each respective CPA exam prep provider.
🔵 The Perfect Fit for Becker: Students with a video-centric learning style, students who prioritize a strong reputation, ambitious CPA candidates who want to earn the Elijah Watt Sells Award
🟢 The Perfect Fit for Surgent: Students who want a fast approach to passing, students on a tighter budget, students who are naturally gifted at test-taking
Features Compared
Sample Questions and Unlimited Practice Exams
Both Becker and Surgent offer unlimited practice exams and extensive question banks, modeled after the actual CPA exam questions and aligned to the current CPA exam blueprints. Simplified, these are high-quality questions you’ll probably find represented on the real thing come exam day. If you didn’t study the table or pros and cons in-depth, you may not have noticed, but Surgent offers around 1,000 more practice questions than Becker. But does the quantity win give them the quality title, as well?
Becker provides around 8,000 multiple-choice questions and 500 task-based simulations to practice with, and some questions include video-based explanations. However, I need to be honest with you: these questions are hard. You’re going to feel like an idiot trying to answer questions for a new section, as you’ll have to acclimate to the wording. Heck, even as someone with a lot of experience in the industry, I occasionally struggled to choose the right answer. However, this is no accident; Becker’s mock exams and question banks are deliberately difficult to overprepare students, leading to the “Becker Bump,” a phenomenon coined by students to describe their real CPA exam scores compared to their practice exam scores. Here are some examples of self-reports I discovered in a Reddit thread (so take them with a grain of salt):
| Student # | SE1 | SE2 | Actual | “Bump” |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 65 | 66 | 87 | 21.5 |
| 2 | 61 | 61 | 84 | 23 |
| 3 | 65 | 55 | 81 | 21 |
| 4 | 48 | 62 | 80 | 25 |
| 5 | 58 | 71 | 75 | 10.5 |
| 6 | 50 | 58 | 83 | 29 |
| 7 | 71 | 86 | 96 | 17.5 |
| 8 | 55 | 61 | 75 | 17 |
| 9 | 66 | 63 | 79 | 14.5 |
| 10 | 75 | 73 | 89 | 15 |
| AVERAGE | 19.4 |
It’s important to note I omitted outliers and a few other data points that would make this stronger, but I figured 10 people was a good enough sample size. All of this is to say: Becker’s practice questions are tough, but they work.
As for Surgent, ReadySCORE™ is the best friend of students practicing for the real CPA exam, as it predicts their score on the actual exam with 98% accuracy based on their performance. This tool ties directly into the practice questions and exams, giving you a score that combines both your “loose” question scores, practice exams, and mock exams. I thought the practice questions were still difficult, but slightly more reminiscent of the real thing, and this Redditor agrees:
“I’m not quite the person you’re looking for answers from, since I used Surgent for all 4 parts, passed all first try, but I can offer my scores info since there aren’t TOO many people using Surgent here… For FAR, my ReadyScore was 82%. Took two practice exams, where I got an 89 and a 92. My actual score was a 91. I actually generally think Surgent’s practice exams are pretty accurate. I think my practice exams tracked pretty close to my actuals (I don’t think I did one for BEC or FAR).”
Winner: Becker
The “Becker Bump” can help CPA candidates feel more confident leading up to exam day (even if the tricky questions can be a struggle at first).
Video Lessons
One of the biggest ways in which Surgent and Becker CPA review compare is live classes: Becker has ’em, Surgent doesn’t. For some of you, that may be all the information you need to make a decision. But maybe you’re less concerned about live classes than the quality of the on-demand video lectures. Now that’s something we can actually compare.
Both companies’ video lessons are roughly the same length, often between 3 and 10 minutes for each. However, where Becker has over 900 videos available (again, not including the live classes), Surgent “only” has around 700. Still, while 200 videos is a big difference, don’t let it be a dealbreaker for you if Surgent is the right fit.
I particularly enjoyed Becker’s video lectures because it felt like they thought outside of the box. Were there traditional “slide and speak” moments? Sure. But a lot of the videos felt more personal, injected with humor, personality, and memorable imagery. My favorite example is Mike Potenza comparing LLCs to a platypus: a hybrid of partnerships and corporations. The videos feel more like conversations than an expert “talking down” at you, making it easier to lock in and stay engaged.
I love a lot of Surgent’s features, but unfortunately, their video lectures are not one of them. It’s very “instructor-reading-off-a-slide-coded,” and that isn’t personally my cup of tea. That being said, without naming names and being rude, some of the instructors felt drier than others, while others were more enjoyable to listen to. However, the low price may be more than enough to negate all of these negatives, depending on your prep package priorities.
Winner: Becker
Though Surgent has an impressive video library, Becker’s live classes and on-demand lessons seem more like they were made with a modern learner in mind.
Access, Guarantees, and Value
Let’s get into the details and data points:
- How long can you access each course?
- Which courses have a pass guarantee?
- Which provider delivers the most value?
Both courses include unlimited access in most of their packages. The only outlier is Becker’s lowest-tier Advantage Package, which has a 24-month timeframe instead. Both courses offer pass guarantees as well, but Surgent bundles a 100% money-back pass guarantee in every offer, while Becker only has a 100% money-back policy for the pricey Concierge Package, and a partial refund guarantee for the Pro Package.
So, what about cost? Well, at the time of writing, Surgent’s course materials often cost at least four figures less than Becker’s. The average CPA candidate is 29 years old; at this stage in your life, chances are you have bills, student debt, and maybe even a family to worry about. So, that money could be a huge difference. However, it’s also worth considering if the extra investment is worth it to reduce potential retake fees—and even beyond fees, the toll of added stress and time investments.
Winner: Surgent
By the numbers, Becker is more likely to help you pass. However, Surgent’s unlimited access, 100% money-back guarantees, and low prices might make them a more accessible option.
Student Support
I tested support options for both Becker and Surgent, and it was clear that Becker’s were more immersive and hands-on. From the moment I logged into my dashboard, I had access to live chat, success coaches, one-on-one tutoring, and even group sessions. I appreciated that these weren’t just passive resources sitting in a menu—Becker actually nudged me to use them when I was falling behind on my study plan. The coaches felt like actual people invested in my progress, not just scripted responses behind a chat window. Plus, the Facebook groups were extremely active, with instructors regularly jumping in to answer detailed questions. There was a feeling of community and accountability that I didn’t get elsewhere.
“I don’t really use academic support often, but recently I had the pleasure of having Seth help me and got a really in-depth answer where I could tell he really read and understood my question. I was surprised at the quality of the explanation, and thought maybe they upgraded the whole system since the last time I used it. Loved Seth!”
Reddit Review
Surgent also offers CPA coaching, and I was impressed by the structure they’ve built around it. Every student gets paired with a coach who checks in regularly, monitors your study progress, and helps you build out a personalized plan. I liked how consistent those touchpoints were—it wasn’t something I had to initiate or remember to do, and the accountability helped keep me moving forward. That said, support beyond that coach—like peer interaction or spontaneous tutoring—wasn’t really part of the experience. It’s a strong system for focused, self-driven learners who benefit from steady direction but don’t need or want as many real-time interactions.
Winner: Becker
Both courses offer thoughtful coaching, but Becker’s broader support network—including tutoring and peer engagement—gives it the edge for students who want more flexible or interactive help.
Compare both Becker and Surgent against others in my review of the best CPA prep in this course guide.
Bottom Line
So, Surgent CPA Review vs. Becker CPA Review: which takes the crown?
I sincerely think both options can take you from CPA candidate to certified public accountant. That said, I think Becker is generally the safer—and more enjoyable—bet. With their AI tools, mobile apps, and excellent live classes, it’s tough to go wrong.
However, Surgent is a delightful budget-friendly alternative if Becker is out of your price range, but you still want comprehensive study materials to boost your odds of passing while cutting down on your study hours.
So, which course feels right for you? Click here to learn more about Becker, or here to learn more about Surgent.
FAQs
Surgent is significantly cheaper than Becker, often costing less than half, depending on discounts.
Yes, Becker includes live online and onsite classes, while Surgent does not offer any live instruction.
Surgent offers around 9,500 questions, about 1,000 more than Becker’s 8,500+ total.
Becker’s video lectures are more engaging and instructor-driven, which may benefit visual and auditory learners more than Surgent’s slides.
Yes, but Surgent includes a 100% money-back pass guarantee in all packages, while Becker’s is limited to higher tiers.
![Best CPA Study Materials and Review Courses [2026]](https://www.sacbee.com/careers-education/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2024/07/Best-CPA-Review-Courses-1024x569.png)
