6 Best CPA Review Courses and Classes of 2023 [For CPA Prep]!

Choosing the best CPA review course is critical to passing the CPA exam. Studying for the CPA exam isn’t just a huge time commitment, it’s also a major investment of your hard-earned money!

Most CPA review courses have very similar features. The best CPA review course is the one that aligns with your needs, learning style and budget.

Are you a visual learner who prefers to read a textbook and take extensive notes? Or do you need a more interactive and engaging experience to retain information? Are you juggling lots of other commitments like a job or raising a family? How much can you afford to spend on your CPA study material? These are all important factors to consider when deciding which CPA prep course is right for you.

To help you decide, know that I’ve personally tested, evaluated, and compared each CPA prep course listed below!  

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Best CPA Review Courses Ranked [2023]

• Best Overall CPA Review Course: Becker CPA Review | Read our Review
• Best Value: Gleim CPA Review | Read our Review
• Best for Experienced Accountants: Surgent CPA Review | Read our Review
• Best Customer Support: Yaeger CPA Review | Read our Review
• Best CPA Review Course for Visual Learners: Universal CPA Review | Read our Review
• Best CPA Review Course for Auditory Learners: UWorld Roger CPA Review | Read our Review

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Learn More About the Best CPA Review Courses in 2023!

Best Overall CPA Course: Becker CPA Review

Becker CPA Review is often considered the industry standard and is the preferred provider of the Big 4 accounting firms for a reason: Their course works!

Becker is a solid and well organized CPA prep course with all the bells and whistles you could ask for. They also have a track record of helping countless CPAs pass the exam for over 60 years!

That being said, Becker CPA’s course materials follow a more traditional and linear learning path than some of the other providers out there. It can also be expensive without a discount.

Bottom Line on Becker CPA

Becker CPA is ideal if you learn well in a traditional, linear format, can afford to spend a little bit more time preparing for the exam, and don’t mind spending a little extra money (or your employer’s money!) on a review course.

Becker CPA Discounts and Promo Codes

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Best Value: Gleim CPA

With the most practice material and at a lower price than most of the competition, Gleim CPA Review is probably the best value CPA review course you’ll find.

With over 11,300 multiple choice questions (MCQs) and simulations along with comprehensive and detailed explanations, Gleim has more practice material than any other CPA review course.  

More practice material doesn’t automatically mean you’ll be doing more work though.

Gleim’s SmartAdapt software helps you identify the subjects and topics you need to review the most while their massive test bank lets you study as thoroughly as you need. With Gleim you can tailor your CPA prep to however you study best.

Gleim offers two course packages: Premium and Traditional, both of which are comprehensive, four-part CPA prep courses.

Bottom Line on Gleim CPA

Gleim is an excellent choice if you’ve been out of accounting for a while and/or are an international candidate who may not be very strong on US GAAP and need a more detailed course to guide you to success. It’s also an excellent value that won’t break the bank.

Gleim CPA Discounts

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Best for Experienced Accountants: Surgent CPA

Surgent CPA Review offers a comprehensive CPA review course and doesn’t have any major downsides like some other courses do.

Surgent CPA uses a ninja-like combination of bite-sized lessons and their A.S.A.P. adaptive learning platforms to create super-personalized study plsan that focuses your time and attention on the areas you need to study the most.  

Most courses now use some type of adaptive learning system, but theirs is the only one built around adaptive learning by baseline testing you at the beginning of the course. Surgent then suggests which lectures to watch and portions of the textbook to read, which can shave hours off of your exam time.

To help you find the right CPA review course, below are the main strengths and weaknesses I see with Surgent’s course:

Bottom Line on Surgent CPA

Surgent CPA is the ideal choice if you’re pressed for time and your study schedule needs to be super efficient. It’s also a great course if you’re already pretty strong in certain areas and don’t want to waste valuable study time on topics that you already know.

Surgent CPA Discounts and Promo Codes

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Best Customer Support: Yaeger CPA Review

Yaeger CPA Review boasts an 88% pass rate and offers an incredible combination of high value features (sharp design, 1-on-1 support, generous access period, final review CRAM course) at a ridiculously low price!

With Yaeger you get a very customer focused review experience, a sharply designed course, a generous 24-month access period to help ensure you have enough time to pass the exam, and a level of customer service the other providers only offer with their most premium level courses that cost nearly 2X what Yaeger does!  

To help decide if Yaeger is the right choice for you, these are the key strengths and weaknesses I see with their course:

Bottom Line

There’s a lot to like with Yaeger’s course, particularly if you’re looking for a great value and want a little more peace of mind by having access to 1-on-1 support when you need it.

Yaeger CPA Discounts

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Best CPA Prep Course for Visual Learners: Universal CPA Review

Universal CPA Review is relatively new to the CPA Exam prep space but plans to take it by storm. They’re also one of the most innovative and affordable CPA review courses you’ll find. 

Universal’s course features a visually-engaging teaching style that’s fun and much more conducive to how most students learn best.

It doesn’t have all the bells and whistles that the more established courses do, but they’re adding features all the time.  it’s combination of bite-sized lessons, visual-based teaching style, and detailed written AND video explanations for every MCQ and task-based simulation give you everything you truly need from a CPA review course.

It’s also super affordable, so you can either save some serious dough or pair it up with another excellent CPA resource, like Gleim’s Mega Test Bank, if you ever feel like you need extra resources.

You can read my full review here, but below are the main strengths and weaknesses I see with Universal CPA Review’s course:

Bottom Line

Universal CPA Review is the ideal choice if you’re a highly visual learner and/or have failed with another course.

Universal CPA Discounts

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Best CPA Review Course for Auditory Learners: UWorld Roger CPA Review

UWorld Roger CPA Review has the most engaging and energetic CPA review course lectures you’ll find, and it’s really not even close!  

Roger’s course is also very well organized and offers everything you’re looking for in a CPA review course:

• Bite-sized lessons,
• SmartPath adaptive learning technology,
• Integrated study materials,
• Creative use of mnemonics,
• Excellent customer service, and
• Much more!  

UWorld Roger’s combination of course features give you a nice mix of resources that can help make your study time both effective and efficient!

To help you find the right CPA review course, below are the main strengths and weaknesses I see with UWorld Roger’s course:

Bottom Line

UWorld Roger offers the best overall balance of engaging lectures and memorable course content and is a particularly great choice if you’re an auditory learner who learns best from listening to and watching lectures vs. just reading the course text.

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Comparing the Best CPA Prep Courses by Feature [2023]

Which CPA Courses Have the Most Multiple-Choice Questions?

Half of your CPA Exam score is based on how well you perform on multiple choice questions (MCQs), so a solid MCQ bank is one of the most important study tools.

Keep in mind that quantity isn’t everything though. For example, Universal CPA provides detailed video explanations of each MCQ answer, which helps you understand what you did right or wrong. This will actually help you learn better than mindlessly crushing out practice questions all weekend.

Bottom Line

Gleim has the most MCQs by far, so it’s almost impossible to run out of practice material using their course. 

10,000 multiple-choice questions is likely more than you’ll actually need though, so don’t base your decision solely on MCQ quantity.

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Which CPA Review Course Has the Most Task-Based Simulations?

Task-based simulations (TBSs) are another critical component of your CPA Exam score, so make sure you pick a CPA prep course or supplement that gives you plenty of variety in this area.

The table below ranks the various CPA review courses based on the number of TBSs they offer:

Bottom Line

In terms of quality, Gleim tends to get good feedback from students and also happens to provide the largest number of TBSs with their course.

As with MCQs though, don’t automatically rule out a CPA prep course just because they don’t have as many TBSs. Quality matters as well, and you can always get more TBSs by purchasing a Supplemental Test Bank or Final Review / Cram course later on if you ever need it.

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Which CPA Review Course Has the Best Video Lectures?

Video lectures are the foundation on which any solid CPA review course is built. Sometimes, a great video lecture is all it takes for a concept or lesson to “click”.

The best ones simulate the feeling of being in a classroom or alongside a tutor and often are the first piece of content you’ll see in each lesson / sub-topic before moving on to reading the course text and practicing with multiple-choice questions and task-based simulations.

Most providers offer a similar volume of lecture content, so the best way to evaluate them is on their quality or differentiating features and see if they match up with what you’re looking for:

Bottom Line

UWorld Roger has the most engaging lectures and is the ideal choice for auditory learners, while Universal’s videos are also super engaging and the best for visual learners.

Becker has the widest range of lecture options (On-demand, LiveOnline and Live classrooms), while Gleim gets special mention for featuring actual university professors in all of their videos.

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Which CPA Review Course Has the Best Mobile App?

While you can access almost any CPA review course from your internet browser on your phone, some of the content won’t be optimized for your screen size.

Mobile study apps are still a relatively untapped area for CPA review courses, but the most tech-savvy of the providers have them and with the way trends are going I’d expect every course to have one within 5 years.

Below are my rankings of the CPA courses with the best mobile apps:

Bottom Line

UWorld Roger’s mobile app offers the most functionality since it syncs with the primary course and is accessible on iOS and Android devices, but it’s limited to Roger students only.

Surgent’s flashcard app is completely FREE and available to anyone.

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Which CPA Review Course Has the Best Audio Lectures?

Despite the fast growing popularity of podcasts, audiobooks and the like, audio lectures are still a relatively under-provided feature of CPA review courses.

Audio lectures are amazing because you can download and listen to them offline at your convenience, giving you the flexibility to study at times when you otherwise wouldn’t be able to, like during your commute or doing chores around the house. I expect more courses to add audio lectures over the next few years, but here’s my take on the best ones:

#1 – UWorld Roger CPA Review – UWorld Roger gets my highest rating here because they feature Roger Philipp himself, making them the most engaging and entertaining audio lectures available. Packing 42 hours of content into small, 15-20 minute increments, UWorld Roger’s audio lectures are super convenient and will fit perfectly into almost any schedule.

#2 – Yaeger Audio CPA Review – They may not be as exciting as UWorld Roger’s, but Yaeger gets my #2 ranking since they feature slightly more content (45 hours of content) and can be purchased separately from their main course, making it a great option for students who didn’t use Yaeger’s full CPA review course.

Many reviews have said that Yaeger’s lectures are a bit dry but very informative and detailed, so if you’re looking for a set of audio lectures and don’t have access to UWorld Roger’s, Yaeger’s are a great supplement to consider purchasing.

#3 – Gleim CPA Review – Gleim’s audio lectures are also very informative but can only be streamed and are limited to Gleim students only. Gleim’s audio lectures can also be a bit dry when compared to UWorld Roger’s, but they’re still one of the few providers going the extra mile to offer audio lectures.

Bottom Line

UWorld Roger’s audio lectures are the best, but if you’re not a UWorld Roger student then consider picking up Yaeger’s as a supplement.

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Which CPA Review Course Provides the Best Student Support?

Customer service and support is often overlooked in CPA review courses. However, it can truly make a difference when you need help understanding concepts or reasoning behind lessons or answers.

Different providers offer varying options, so it’s worth checking what each course offers and see which you prefer.

Bottom Line

Yaeger, Gleim and Surgent are the best overall. They provide the most personalized service and give you the most access to their experts.

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The Best Supplemental CPA Review Course Materials in 2023

What is the Best CPA Final Review / Cram Course?

Are CPA Final Review / Cram courses necessary to pass the exam?

No, but they help your study more efficiently leading up to exam day.

Cram courses give you condensed course materials (lectures and/or textbooks) to stay sharp on important topics. They save time by skipping the full textbook and notes from your main review course.

The best ones provide fresh multiple-choice questions (MCQs) and task-based simulations (TBSs). This makes them a great value for practice without buying a full Supplemental Test Bank.

Let’s have a look at who offers the best Cram course:

Bottom Line

Becker CPA has the best variety of materials offers and the 4-part bundle is very affordable, but it’s only available to Becker students.

Yaeger’s final review course is my next favorite, and the best part is that anyone can use their course, not just Yaeger students.

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Which CPA Review Course Has the Best Flashcards?

Despite all the fancy technology behind CPA review courses, flashcards are still a super convenient and effective way for you master critical concepts and information in a short amount of time.

Hopefully your CPA review course comes with flashcards, but if not then you can easily supplement your main CPA review materials with flashcards from another provider.

You really only have three options, Becker, Surgent or Wiley:

Bottom Line

Becker’s flashcards are the best option if you’re already a Becker student. Otherwise, Surgent’s free flashcard app is the way to go.

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Best CPA Prep Courses for a Tight Budget

CPA review courses can be expensive. Especially if your company doesn’t reimburse you or pay for the course and exam fees!

CPA exam fees and courses are an investment in your future. Still, there are plenty of good reasons why you might have a limited budget for a review course.

Below are the top courses you’ll find at different price points. They are well below what the more expensive, fancy-pants courses charge.

Best Courses Under $1,000:

Top Pick: Yaeger’s CPA Review Bundle

Honorable Mention: Universal CPA Review

For a budget below $1,000, Yaeger and Universal CPA are the only comprehensive CPA review courses to select from. Both courses offer a ton of value, but Yaeger get’s the slight edge here. Their course features Yeager’s AdaptaPASS learning technology and Yaeger’s top-notch customer service options.

Best Courses Under $1,500:

Top Pick: Tie between Yaeger’s CPA Review Bundle+ and Universal CPA Review

If you have a slightly higher budget, consider Yaeger’s Bundle+ course or Universal CPA Review. Both offer great features at this price point, so it depends what you’re looking for in a CPA review course.

If you prefer a visual learning experience and innovative teaching style, go with Universal CPA Review.

If you’re a traditional student who doesn’t mind conventional textbooks and lectures, then Yaeger CPA Review is our top choice.

Best Courses Under $2,000:

Top Pick: Gleim CPA Review (Premium Course)

Honorable Mention: Yaeger’s CPA Review Bundle+ and Surgent CPA Review (Essentials Pass)

Most courses offer an option for under $2,000 (especially with my exclusive discounts). But Gleim’s Premium CPA Review course stands out.

Gleim combines the largest test bank (11,300+ MCQs and simulations) with adaptive learning technology for efficient studying. It also includes features like audio lectures, flashcards, and unlimited access until you pass.

I also really like Yaeger’s CPA Review Bundle+ and Surgent’s Essentials course at this price point though.

With Yaeger, you receive an awesome set of baseline CPA review material. It includes a custom study planner, 120 hours of lectures, nearly 6,200 MCQs and TBSs. Additionally, it offers several features typically reserved for more premium level courses. These include printed textbooks, audio lectures, a final review CRAM course, tutoring, and excellent customer support options.

Surgent’s Essentials Pass grants you access to all of the most critical CPA review materials. This encompasses almost 8,000 MCQs, 400+ TBSs, bite-sized lectures, digital textbooks, an exam simulator, and Surgent’s true adaptive learning platform.

All three courses are great options. So, try them out for yourself and see which one you like best.

Bottom Line

There are 2-3 great course options at each price point, so think hard about which course features are most important to you at the price range you’re looking at.

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Frequently Asked Questions About CPA Review Courses

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Hopefully this post was helpful for you. If by any chance you’re still undecided on which CPA prep course to go with, please leave a comment or send me an email at csmith@cpaexammaven.com and I’ll personally help you figure out which is best for your needs!