TOP TOPICS OF THIS PAGE
Different test prep providers offer different features and varying levels of support through your exam journey. So, let’s look at two of the top CPA review programs, Wiley CPA vs. Becker.
Wiley is the 2021 SIIA CODiE Award winner for Best College and Career Readiness Solution. This award recognizes companies producing the most innovative education technology products across the globe.
So, if you decide to go with Wiley, you can feel confident that you’re investing in a globally recognized leader in CPA test prep.
Plus, Wiley is committed to being with you every step of the way through your exam journey, which is why we give you a pass guarantee with access to your study materials until you pass.
On top of that, all of the highlighted features in our course comparison grid below are included in all of our test prep packages. Our competitors, including Becker, can’t say the same.
Don’t take our word for it! We have created resources that allow you to see exactly how our review course works in 3 manageable steps. We also have tutorials on how to use our product and some of the most important features to help you pass the CPA exam!
Learn more about our CPA Product Tour & Tutorials.
“I used Wiley exclusively to study for FAR. I ended up scoring very well on that one, a 95. But because I also had access to Becker, I mixed and matched my approach from there.”
“Becker gave me the bare minimum of what I needed to know. You needed to understand and know exactly what they were saying, because if you didn’t retain 100% of what they were teaching you, you weren’t going to absorb it. But Wiley broke things down to such a granular level that I felt like I was able to comprehend everything that was being taught. Wiley taught me more than I needed, which gave me a lot more confidence going into the exams.”
“After overpaying for Becker, failing REG 3 times, then Becker expiring, I switched to Wiley. Wiley worked better for me in every way: more affordable, no expiration, bite-sized lessons that kept my attention. Most importantly, I successfully passed all three sections that I studied for using Wiley on my first try.”
“Becker didn’t work for me at all. I failed two exams before making the switch. I landed on Wiley because of the program that my company offered. The main difference for me was that Wiley went way more into detail on important things and the content broke things down into a more granular level than Becker’s did.”
“I used Wiley exclusively to study for FAR. I ended up scoring very well on that one, a 95. But because I also had access to Becker, I mixed and matched my approach from there.”
“Becker gave me the bare minimum of what I needed to know. You needed to understand and know exactly what they were saying, because if you didn’t retain 100% of what they were teaching you, you weren’t going to absorb it. But Wiley broke things down to such a granular level that I felt like I was able to comprehend everything that was being taught. Wiley taught me more than I needed, which gave me a lot more confidence going into the exams.”
“After overpaying for Becker, failing REG 3 times, then Becker expiring, I switched to Wiley. Wiley worked better for me in every way: more affordable, no expiration, bite-sized lessons that kept my attention. Most importantly, I successfully passed all three sections that I studied for using Wiley on my first try.”
“Becker didn’t work for me at all. I failed two exams before making the switch. I landed on Wiley because of the program that my company offered. The main difference for me was that Wiley went way more into detail on important things and the content broke things down into a more granular level than Becker’s did.”
If comparing Wiley CPA Review vs Becker, Wiley is the best CPA review course hands down. We offer important features and material that Becker does not.
Here are some of the features you can expect from Wiley and not Becker:
In the CPA Exam Review Comparison Grid below, you can see that Wiley CPA has better features, more support, and more practice questions and task-based simulations than Becker.
From expert instructors to free course repeats and updates until you pass, every Wiley CPA package provides you with Wiley’s most robust study tools where Becker falls short.
Wiley and Becker both have three test prep package tiers you can choose from. As you can see, Wiley brings great value in both cost and quality.
Each Wiley package has more services built in than Becker. And unlike Becker, with every option, Wiley gives you access to your course with free updates until you pass the exam. So, no matter what package you go with, Wiley provides an overall better product in terms of cost, quality, features, and material.
Olu Egunjobi, CPA said, “If I had to pay for a single product out of my pocket I would pay for Wiley. And I say that not only because it’s less expensive to buy, but because the overall quality is better.”
If your goal is to study as efficiently as possible, you’ll be excited to know that Wiley won the 2021 SIIA CODiE Award for Best College and Career Readiness Solution for their innovative education technology.
Wiley’s signature Adaptive Review technology adjusts your study plan so you study more of what you don’t know and less of what you do. Wiley’s personalized exam planner is recognized as the industry’s best planning tool. This means an incredibly efficient study schedule and you feeling confident on test day.
Wiley’s Adaptive Review technology could be the difference that helps you pass the CPA exam on the first try.
Meanwhile, Becker’s adaptive learning technology, Adapt2U, makes recommendations on where to focus your study efforts, but can fall flat in execution. For example, if you start the MCQ’s for a module, grasp the material, stop early, and move on, it indicates that is a weak area for you because you didn’t complete the entire section.
Also, if using formula cheat sheets is helpful for you, Becker’s adaptive study technology will assume you did well on sections where you used assistance and will not test you on the subject as heavily. Many Becker users do not utilize their
Adapt2U technology and instead depend on random MCQ for practice tests.
He said, “As you do those questions, it groups them. By that I mean it tells you the questions you’ve answered, the questions you’ve not answered, the questions you’ve answered incorrectly, and the questions you’ve not done at all.
So, when I return to the material, I can see very clearly which questions I need to address. I don’t have to do the questions I’ve done already. I just click on a button, and it shows me questions I need to work on. Becker doesn’t have that option.”
Read how Olu used Wiley to pass the CPA exam in one year.
All Wiley CPA review courses come with unlimited access and updates until you pass. This is available on all packages with no exceptions. Becker only offers access until you pass on some of their packages.
Stephanie Wiles, CPA chose Wiley over Becker because,
“Becker’s two times more expensive than Wiley with pretty much the same benefits, and Wiley has the ‘keep it till you pass’ guarantee, which was important for me. The whole thing seemed to me to be a no-brainer.”
Wiley provides over 12,000 CPA exam practice questions in all of their course packages, which is more than any other provider, including Becker.
With 6,000+ CPA multiple-choice questions with detailed explanations from AUD, BEC, FAR, and REG, 200+ task-based simulations and written communications, and more, it’s easy to see why Wiley has the most popular CPA Test Bank on the market. Plus, Wiley’s test bank is continually updated to test the most current information.
Take advantage of over 12,000 CPA exam practice questions with our online CPA Test Bank.
Olu, CPA says, “One of the real advantages Wiley has over Becker is the fact that they have so many questions in their bank. I basically used those questions to learn everything. It suited my learning style very well.”
Wiley’s CPA Flashcards are perfect for reinforcing important topics and covering key testable information on the go. We even offer digital flashcards you can use on our companion mobile app.
Becker has flashcards available for CPA exam test prep, but only on some of their packages. Wiley provides flashcards for every CPA test prep package with no exceptions.
Wiley and Becker both offer three different courses you can choose from for exam prep. Each course includes different features. Some essential features are only offered in Becker’s more expensive course options, while Wiley includes some of their most coveted features in every course tier.
Some of these features include:
And with Wiley’s Ultimate CPA Review Course, you can get extra support you might want like:
If you’re looking to maximize your study time, Wiley is the overall winner. Our bite-sized lessons are built to be completed in 30–45-minutes, which means you can give your full attention while covering quick in-depth topics.
Olu, CPA believes that Wiley does lectures better than Becker because,
“You can watch something short and you’ve basically covered a single topic in depth. It seems like Wiley goes in depth on all the possible topics that could be tested but in a brief way. With Becker, the material didn’t break down that way.”
Unique to Wiley is our Ask an Instructor feature. This service allows you to ask a distinguished professor your tough CPA-review questions and get an answer within 24 to 48 hours.
We’ve added this feature to all of our course packages (with no exceptions) because we want to make sure you know that you are never alone in your CPA journey, and Wiley has got your back if you get stuck.
Task-based simulations test your understanding with case studies that allow you to demonstrate your knowledge. Wiley offers 500 task-based simulations while Becker only offers 400.
So, Wiley offers 20% more task-based simulations than Becker.
Full-length practice exams can really make the difference in building your confidence for exam day. Wiley offers unlimited full-length practice exams featuring past AICPA questions. The Wiley CPA practice exam emulates the actual CPA exam, and you get your results in real time. Becker does not offer this feature.
JC Johnson, CPA has tried it all, but ultimately loves Wiley because of how close the study material is to the actual exam.
He says, “I’ve used Roger’s CPA material. I’ve used Becker. I’ve used CPA Ninja. I’ve tried different materials that people told me to use. However, Wiley is the closest thing to the CPA exam that I’ve taken.”
Wiley also offers a free CPA practice exam to assess your level of preparedness for each section of the CPA exam.
Get your FREE CPA Practice Exam!
If you want supplemental help for those tough CPA topics, you’ll be impressed with Wiley’s deep dive lecture videos—a feature that Becker does not have.
Wiley also has live and on-demand video lectures taught by leading educators that provide guided instruction with contributions from experts and peers.
CPA Olu was very impressed with Wiley video lectures and their expert instructors.
“I truly believe that the Wiley lectures were powerful. Dr. Pam Smith is a really great teacher and I just watched the videos and then did the questions along with them. I enjoyed that.”
Wiley offers a score predictor and Becker does not. This feature predicts how well you will do on the exam, so throughout your CPA study journey, you always know how you’re doing. This allows you to easily adjust your study plan along the way to make sure you are reaching your goals.
Need a final review to prepare for exam day? Both Wiley CPA and Becker offer an 11th Hour Review. Becker only offers this final review in their Pro package, where Wiley offers this review in both the Ultimate and Platinum CPA courses.
Start your final exam preparation with Wiley’s 11th Hour Review.
Overall, it’s clear that Wiley has more helpful features, more practice questions, and higher quality content than Becker. Plus, some of Wiley’s most helpful features are available in all of our packages, while with Becker you have to upgrade to get some of their more basic features.
Wiley prioritizes maximizing your study time with the most efficient lessons and the most highly skilled instructors and the difference shows.
Still not sure whether to go with Wiley or Becker? Here are some of the most frequently asked questions when considering the two.
Need help deciding which Wiley CPA Review Course is right for you?
Our customer support team is ready to help. Call 888-884-5669 (North America)
+1 928-204-1066 (International).