Becker CPA vs Wiley CPAexcel (2023 Comparison)

Becker CPA Review vs Wiley CPAexcel Review Course [2024 COMPARISON!]

• Quick Stats & Video Reviews
• Becker vs Wiley CPAexcel Price Comparison
  
• Video Lectures
• Multiple Choice & Simulations
• Customer Support
• Course Access
• Course Supplements
• Final Recommendation

Becker CPA Review is without a doubt the most expensive CPA Review Course you can purchase and will cost you as much as $2,399 to $3,499 for all four sections before discounts (unless you use one of our Becker Discounts).

Wiley CPAexcel on the other hand is much more cost effective and starts at just $1,590 for their Essentials Course package and goes all the way up to $2,499 for their Platinum Course package before discounts.

(Up to $1200 discount (or more) off Wiley CPAexcel).

NOTE: I will be using the Wiley CPAexcel Platinum Course for today's comparison since it is very similar to Becker CPA Review Premium Package. Use the chart below for a more exact breakdown of the total cost of each of these CPA courses.

The video lectures of Becker CPA Course average close to 45-55 minutes long.

If you are like me my attention span is no more than 5-10 minutes which would make watching lectures at this length difficult.

The advantage is that Becker does come with Chinese Closed Caption, which makes it easier for students of Asian background to study without any difficulty.

One cool feature of Becker CPA Review is that you can easily track the video lectures in case of interruptions. This is because the video lectures are marked with pages. You can therefore resume studying from where you left.

Becker also gives you SkillsMaster video lectures that for each topic walks you through a simulation that you might expect to see on the CPA exam.

This is a unique feature that I haven't seen any other CPA Review Course offer and can absolutely help you nail down simulations on the real exam.

Wiley CPAexcel course is designed for learners that have short concentration spans. Most videos run for 5-15 minutes.

The advantage of such short lecture videos is that you can constantly move between the video lectures, text and multiple choice and not risk getting bored or burned out.

This concept has also been copied by other CPA review courses such as UWorld Roger CPA Review and Gleim CPA Review.

Compared to Becker, I did find Wiley CPAexcel's lecturers to be a bit dry, but since the lectures are shorter I don't think this is a deal breaker by any means.

Between Becker and Wiley CPAexcel the bite-sized lesson presentation is a much more effective way to learn than Becker's 45-55 minute highlight session lectures in my opinion.

However it's best to determine which method works best for your study personality.

Becker CPA Review's CPA Exam Questions Breakdown:

Becker CPA comes with more than 7,200 multiple choice questions. The objective behind these questions is to help the student get a better understanding of the lessons in each chapter. Although the questions have multiple choices, there is a detailed explanation below each answer. This enables you to know why a certain answer is wrong while the other is right. Moreover, each question is linked directly to a topic in the CPA course. You can therefore choose to read further using the available links. Besides that, the software records the time you take on each question. If you are spending too much time, you need to work on your speed before sitting for the exam. This is because you may not be able to tackle all the questions if you are slow. Your scores are actually recorded and presented at the end of the questions. You can therefore use the results of your performance to identify the topics that you need to improve.

Becker CPA Review recently added a new "learning technology" feature called Adapt2U. This features is pretty basic and basically provides you with a pre-assessment before each video module and depending on how well you score they may recommend you skip the lecture or if you perform poorly they recommend you perform all the work.

To me this isn't a very useful feature due to the fact that just because you know how to answer a couple multiple choice questions might not mean you understand the material.

If you don't want to be old school and would prefer to use more advanced learning technology, I would recommend UWorld Roger CPA Review's SmartPath.

Wiley CPAexcel's CPA Exam Questions Breakdown:

Wiley CPAexcel features more than 12,000 CPA exam questions. The questions come with detailed explanations. And that’s not all. Your performance in answering the questions is closely monitored by the software. The software actually uses the results from different tests to identify your strengths and weaknesses across the various topics. If you address the concerns highlighted by the course software, you are bound to pass your exam with flying colors.

In terms of multiple choice and simulations, I think Wiley CPAexcel has a slight advantage on Becker.

Both courses have high quality questions and explanations.

In my opinion Wiley CPAexcel has better multiple choice analytics than Becker CPA Review. You might also want to compare analytics from these courses to Gleim CPA review

Finally, in terms of total number Wiley CPAexcel has Becker beat by close to 5,000.

Who Wins?

With the CPA exam it's not always quantity over quality.

While CPAexcel does offer significantly more questions than Becker CPA Review, I didn't see much difference in quality of the questions and the explanations.

Additionally CPAexcel includes their true/false questions in their total number of questions.

Best advice is to sign up for the free trial of each CPA course and determine which test bank seems more effective for your situation.

Both courses offer detailed analytics so in my opinion you really can't go wrong with either.

It’s important to settle for a CPA course that comes with reliable customer support. This is because you might have some burning questions that can only be answered by the course developer.

Becker CPA states that their help desk normally takes 2 business days to respond to customer inquiries. However, there tends to be delays on weekends, probably because there are many students using the course. It’s therefore advisable that you forward your inquiries on a weekday to avoid being caught in such delays. With their Premium course package you also receive support from a CPA exam success coach which helps you with any questions you have regarding the soft skills required to pass the CPA exam.

Wiley CPAexcel customer support is a winner. You can chat with a customer care member in real time. This means your inquiries are addressed instantly. There is also the option of sharing your question with fellow students in a forum. You should never take this option if your situation is urgent. This is because it might take several hours if not days before someone in the forum responds. There is also a Mentored Discussion Forum where the respondents are CPA professionals hired by Wiley CPAexcel to respond to customer inquiries. This option is much better than the ordinary forum because you are sure your questions will be answered by a knowledgeable person.

Premium Support:

Becker CPA Review does offer premium tutoring for their Pro level course package which is one on one tutoring over technical concepts. Most candidates won't need this feature, but it is a unique offering in the industry.

Support Supplement Options:

Kesler CPA Review is the #1 rated CPA exam mentorship, accountability, study supplement and tutoring platform for users of Wiley CPAexcel and Becker CPA Review.

Click here to learn more how Kesler CPA will help fill the gaps in support that these courses don't offer

Becker CPA Review has three course packages. The Advantage, Premium and Pro.

Advantage gives you 24 months access to the software and is covered by the Becker Pass Promise.

Pro and Premium will give you unlimited access until you pass, but they are the most expensive offerings and start at $2,999.

The Becker Pass Promise policy includes 12 extra months for learners that fail in their exam.

But you don’t just get the 12 months waiver unless you prove that you have completed 100 of the skill levels and gotten 90% of the multiple choice correct.

This red tape is frustrating and can lead to alot of busy work that takes you away from studying the right way, so I recommend investing in the Premium or Pro Becker Bundle so you get the unlimied access.

Wiley CPAexcel offers unlimited access to the software until you pass the exam just like UWorld Roger CPA Review and Gleim CPA Review.

This gives you peace of mind because you can always log into the system and use the course materials without being subjected to hidden costs and requirements.

I think Wiley CPAexcel edges out Becker CPA Review here just because they give you unlimited access no matter which package you go with, but I'm super excited that Becker finally offers unlimited access until you pass.

Both Becker and Wiley CPAexcel come with a wide range of course supplements.

They both offer high quality printed flashcards + digital cards.

They both come with smart phones apps which allow you to study on the go.

They both offer test banks of additional multiple choice questions.

In terms of course supplements they are a tie.

After deep diving into both of these courses and mentoring hundreds of students who use both CPA courses, it really boils down to what your goals are when investing in a CPA review course.

If budget is a real issue then I think Wiley CPAexcel makes the most sense for you.

However, if simulations and having an easier to use and in my opinion more organized course then I think Becker CPA Review is a good choice for you.

But I would strongly recommend the Premium package over the advantage to ensure you have a course that sticks with you until you pass.

Life gets in the way and 24 months can slip by very quickly.

If I personally had to retake the CPA exam I would probably choose Wiley CPAexcel over Becker CPA Review, but considering Becker now offers unlimited access I might have seconds thoughts.

Don't take my word for it though.

Try each of these courses here to make your final decision!

Wiley CPAexcel 14 Day Free Trial

Becker CPA Review 21 Day Trial

Also consider the fact that regardless of which CPA course you pick, I can help.

My CPA exam mentorship program Ultimate CPA Exam Guide works in sync with both programs.