Review Of Universal CPA Review [2024 Pros & Cons]

• ✎ Updated November 11, 2024
• ➫ by
  Bryan Kesler, CPA

  

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

  Bryan Kesler, CPA is a CPA Practice Advisor Top 20 Under 40, Licensed Certified Public Accountant, and founder of Kesler CPA Review, Community and Mentorship Platform. 

  ---

  Full Bio >> | Contact Bryan

• ❏ Table Of Contents

  

  
  Universal CPA Review Course Information

  Universal CPA Review	Best Feature:
  1.	$1500
  2.	Question Video Explanations
  3.	Interactive Lectures
  4.	Great Support
  5.	Bundles With Kesler

  
  

This is my in-depth review of Joey Reeve, CPA & Matt Reinhold, CPA’s, Universal CPA Review.

In this review, I’ll cover:

• What Universal CPA Review actually does
• Interesting features
• Things that I liked
• Things that I didn’t like
• My overall experience with the tool
• Results my CPA Exam Mentees have gotten
• Whether or not I recommend it

NOTE: Before we get started, a quick disclaimer about Universal CPA Review.

If you are here looking to find a CPA exam study supplement, I don't recommend just buying Universal as a second CPA review course.

It would over complicate your life. Watch this video to see what I mean.

Instead, I would stick with your primary course and find a supplement that teaches you how to use your primary course, how to study smarter and provides you with tutoring and a mobile app to use on the go.

If that's what you are looking for, head here for a more comprehensive CPA exam support system

With that out of the way, let's dive into the review.

Link Disclaimer: Please note that some of the links are affiliate links or links to my Kesler CPA study supplement, and at no additional cost to you, assume I will earn a referral fee if you decide to invest in a course listed below. Please only use my links if you feel that I have helped you in your review course decision.

What is Universal CPA Review?

Universal CPA Review is the newest CPA review course that’s co-founded by Joey Reeve, CPA & Matt Reinhold, CPA’s.

Joey taught CPA review for five years in New York City and Matt spent nearly a decade working at PwC in Audit and FFD.

 

 

So: what makes Universal CPA Review unique?

Universal CPA Review is designed by CPAs and made for CPA candidates who want straight forward and easy to understand video lectures and question explanations.

 

 

With nearly a dozen different CPA review courses there are lots of variances in the ways that the AICPA blueprints are presented, what makes Universal different?

In my opinion, the #1 highlight of Universal CPA Review is their video explanations that are attached to each question in their test bank.

They also don’t use boring static powerpoint slides in their lectures.

They focus on using animations and flashy graphics in their videos to help you trigger your memory.

Fun Fact, Universal CPA Review was nice enough to give around 100 of my CPA exam mentees access to a free test bank of their choice so that we could get some real world data on the results that my mentees got from using their platform.

FYI – Universal CPA did not pay for me to do this and I was not compensated in anyway for this test.

For the rest of my review, I am going to be basing everything I say on the feedback that my mentees gave me and my personal experience testing this platform.

With that background info out of the way, it’s time for my Universal CPA Review… Review!

Video Lectures

The bread and butter of Universal CPA Review is going to be their video lectures.

They have a very unique feel to them in the fact that they avoid throwing up boring powerpoint slides.

They throw in black board animations and catchy graphics to spice things up as you learn arguably very dry content.

The idea behind this method of teaching is that you can tie the image/animation to the concept and more easily recall how to answer the question.

Here’s what one of my mentees had to say about this process.

 

 

And Rehan wasn't alone. I had several other students mirror his response.

In my opinion, after reviewing several video lectures I do tend to agree with my mentees.

I did find that the lectures did well at explaining topics but compared to other CPA review courses it didn’t go into quite as much depth.

Now two ways to look at this.

First, the CPA exam is an incredibly broad exam and if you have a high level understanding of the majority of topics then you can figure out MOST questions you will come across on the exam.

On the flipside, some courses go into way to much depth and give you information overload which can be just as counter-productive as not having enough depth.

And again, Joey and Matt are dedicated to keeping their content up-to-date and are daily taking steps to build out their content.

 

Multiple Choice Questions

Universal CPA Review is a growing CPA Review Course and as of the publication of this review they have just over 2500+ questions in their test bank.

Here’s the thing though.

They are doing something that no one else is doing.

For each question in their test bank they include a detailed video explanation.

To me this is a huge time saver.

Without the video explanation that automatically provides the source documents you would have to head to the textbook or the video lectures and then manually find the source material that explains the reason for WHY you got the question right or wrong.

That being said, unfortunately as of the writing of this review, Universal CPA Review does not offer in-depth analytics for their test bank.

For comparison, take a look at Wiley CPAexcel or UWorld Roger CPA’s test bank and notice the difference in ability to track your practice quiz history broken down by topic.

Joey and Matt assured me they are in the works in a future development cycle.

The lack of analytics does make tracking your progress a bit difficult, but you can still create a practice quiz that is tailored by AICPA blueprint.

Sign up for a free trial here to give their test bank a try and be sure to use promo code ULTIMATE if you decide to buy to save $350 off their full course.

Using promo code ULTIMATE will also give you lifetime access to my mentorship and tutoring service, Ultimate CPA Exam Guide (normally $697)!

Task Based Simulations

As you progress through Universal CPA Review’s lectures and multiple choice you will want to start to sprinkle in task-based simulations.

I found the Universal CPA Review TBS platform to mirror the real CPA exam experience fairly closely.

 

 

This is important because you don’t want to jump into the CPA exam without understanding exactly how to efficiently answer any TBS you may come across.

Another benefit to using Universal CPA Review is that they also provide video explanations for each simulation which can save you a ton of manual research time as well.

 

CPA Exam Support

A huge advantage of having a small CPA Review Course at your back is the level of support they can provide you with.

If you go with a Becker or one of the other big-box prep courses, you will struggle to get an answer quickly.

 

 

Joey and Matt are hyper-focused on your success because they are so new to the industry and you will have direct access to them.

It’s nearly unheard of to have access to an instructor at a CPA review course, so take advantage of this level of support.

Here’s what my mentees said about the level of support they received.

 

 

Fun fact, if you need mentoring and tutoring…

Universal CPA Review and I have partnered up to take the support you can receive on your journey to passing!

You can get their full CPA review course + lifetime access to my mentorship and tutoring service, Ultimate CPA Exam Guide HERE.

Use promo code ULTIMATE to ensure you save $350 off Universal CPA Review and so they know to give you access to Ultimate CPA Exam Guide.

What I Like

Matt and Joey are awesome and highly motivated to help you pass the CPA Exam.

I recently interviewed them for my podcast and we had a blast recounting CPA exam horror stories and discussing the current state of the CPA exam.

If you want the highest level of personalized support, then Universal CPA Review is a great option.

I also see a lot of value in including a video explanation with each question in a test bank.

If your CPA review course isn’t explaining topics well enough for your liking then you should certainly give them a shot.

What Don't Like

As a startup CPA review course, from a tech side of things they aren’t going to be able to keep up with the big box courses.

As I mentioned before, their platform lack question analytics, which can make it a bit difficult to dig deeper into the areas you are struggling.

Their test bank is also smaller compared to most other courses but the reason for this is because they are creating individual video explanations for each question which is a huge value add in my opinion.

As my mentees and myself noted, the content in their video lectures and textbook tend to lack a bit of depth.

Now what they teach at a high-level is great and done very professionally, but sometimes I did wish they went into to more detail on some topics.

Again, there are two ways to look at this and some courses do going into WAY to much depth and it makes it difficult to pick out what is important to know.

With that being said I did feel that Universal hits the most important topics that you need to know and after diving into the questions themselves that it will all come together for you without additional resources being needed.

 

What Results My Mentees Are Getting With Universal CPA Review

The biggest question to ask me and my audience is… does Universal CPA Review actually get results?

Here’s what happened for one of my students who signed up for their test bank.

 

 

Final Verdict:

Universal CPA Review Course is certainly an exciting addition to the CPA Review Course community.

It’s refreshing to see some young faces enter the industry with some new and innovative ideas.

I’ve also had a blast getting to know them at a more personal level and getting a feel for their real passion at helping you pass the CPA exam.

With that being said, should YOU use Universal CPA Review?

To be fair that’s a tough question for me to answer for you.

If you already have a CPA review course and have been struggling to pass, then yes absolutely.

I’m confident that Universal will efficiently teach you the material in a different way that might connect better with your learning style.

The only way for you to assess this would be to sign up for a free trial of Universal and give it a shot.

Would I recommend Universal CPA Review as your primary and ONLY study resource?

Personally, I would not use Universal CPA Review without a backup study resource that includes analytics.

But if you piecemeal a solid test bank with Universals lectures then that might be an option that could work for your situation if you are on a budget.

What I would recommend is signing up for the Universal Pro Bundle – use promo code ULTIMATE to save $350 to ensure that you get access to mentorship + tutoring.

And pair it with a test bank like the Gleim Megabank which I used to pass my final two sections.

Either way, I think Universal CPA Review has a bright future and I’m excited to see the results they are already getting my mentees.

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