Which CPA Review Course Has the Best Video Lectures? (2026)
Kyle Ashcraft, CPA · 2019 CPA Exam Scores · 95 FAR · 98 BEC · 91 REG · 90 AUD
You watch an hour of lecture, nod along the whole way, then open the practice questions and cannot do the first one. That is the problem most people are trying to solve when they ask which CPA course has the best videos, and production quality is only part of the answer.
I teach every lecture in one of these courses, so read this with that in mind. I will tell you plainly where other courses beat mine, because they do.
On this page
Library sizes and trial terms come from each provider's published materials, last checked in September and October 2026. Providers change these often, so confirm on their sites before you buy. Where this page says a lecture style suits someone, that is my assessment rather than a published fact.
Which CPA review course has the best video lectures?
If you mean production and volume, UWorld, and I will say that plainly. Its library runs to more than 1,400 video lectures, with instructors including Roger Philipp and Peter Olinto, and the production values are genuinely high. Becker is close behind on structure and polish.
If you mean the lecture that makes a hard topic click, there is no single winner, because that depends on how you learn. Universal is the only course here with a video walkthrough for every practice question. i75 is built around one instructor explaining concepts at length. My own lectures are short and built on worked journal entries. The rest of this page is about choosing between those styles.
UWorld wins on production and volume, and I concede both. Whether it wins for you depends on whether your problem is wanting more lectures or needing one topic explained differently.
How do the CPA review course lectures compare?
| Course | Published video library | Lecture style | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| UWorld | 1,400+ video lectures | Several well-known instructors, high production, visual explanations | Candidates who want the most polished lectures |
| Becker | 190+ hours across all six sections | Structured, well sequenced, plus SkillBuilder solution videos | Candidates who want maximum structure, often employer-paid |
| Surgent | 700+ short video lectures | Short videos directed by adaptive software toward weak areas | Candidates who want software to pick what they watch |
| Universal | 100+ hours of lectures, plus a video for every practice question | Visual explanation | Visual learners who stall on text-heavy material |
| i75 | Count not published | One instructor, short concept videos followed immediately by practice | Candidates who want longer conceptual explanation |
| NINJA | CRAM videos alongside notes and audio | Condensed review designed to sit on top of a primary course | Candidates who already understand the material and need repetition |
| Maxwell CPA Review | Every section, taught by one instructor | Short lessons built on worked journal entries, deep on high-yield topics and brief on low-yield ones | Candidates who need the why behind each entry and want fewer topics taught properly |
A word on library size. A bigger library is not more teaching you will receive. It is more teaching you have to choose between, and most working candidates have 10 to 20 hours a week. Set the size against the calendar you actually have.
What makes a CPA review lecture actually work?
Run these three questions on a sample lecture from any course before you buy. Pick a topic you already find hard, because an easy topic makes every lecture look good.
1. Does it show the journal entry, or only state the rule?
The exam changes the facts slightly. If you memorized the rule, you will not know which direction the adjustment goes once the facts move. A lecture that works the entry from the first transaction to the last gives you something to reason from on a question you have never seen.
2. Does it tell you what the exam does with the topic?
On a high-yield topic like leases, the exam keeps coming back to the mechanics, so a good lecture goes deep, from the initial lease liability entry to the end of the lease life. On a low-yield topic, a good lecture covers the rule quickly in case it shows up and moves on. A lecture that gives every topic the same twenty minutes is spending your evening for you.
3. Would you actually watch the next one tonight?
Length matters when you have two hours after work. The best lecture is the one you finish, followed by its practice questions the same evening while the material is fresh.
Is it better to learn from one instructor or several?
Each has a real advantage. Several instructors, as at UWorld, means each topic can be taught by someone who is strong on it, and the variety keeps long courses watchable. One instructor, as at i75 and in my course, means the same way of thinking runs through every section, so a method you learn in leases carries into bonds and consolidations without having to adjust to a new teacher.
The question I would ask either way is whether you can check the person teaching. I publish my exam scores at the top of every page I write, because deciding what to skip is only defensible if the person deciding did well on the exam. It is a check you can run on any instructor in this category, and most publishers do not publish scores at all.
Where can you watch CPA review lectures for free before buying?
- UWorld and Universal both offer seven-day free trials with no credit card required.
- Most other providers on this page offer a free trial or sample content; check each provider's site for current terms.
- Maxwell CPA Review lectures are on my YouTube channel, which has passed a million views, and the free CPA 101 course includes the 2026 AICPA released questions and a study outline.
Watch the same hard topic from two or three providers on the same evening. You will know within twenty minutes which explanation works for you, and that is worth more than any ranking, including this one.
How should you use lectures if you are short on time?
Do not skip them to save time. In my own practice data, students who went on to report a pass had watched about 71% of the lecture videos in that section, against about 54% for students who reported a fail, while the two groups answered roughly the same number of practice questions. That is a correlation in a self-reported sample rather than proof of cause, but it is a reason not to treat the lectures as the optional part.
The routine that fits a working week is simple. Watch one lesson, do its quiz set the same evening, and keep every question you miss for the weekend.
Frequently asked questions
Which CPA review course has the best video lectures?
For production and volume, UWorld, with more than 1,400 video lectures from instructors including Roger Philipp and Peter Olinto. For a video walkthrough of every practice question, Universal. For one instructor who shows the journal entries behind each rule and has published his own exam scores, Maxwell CPA Review. Watch a sample lecture on a hard topic from each before buying.
Are shorter CPA lectures better than longer ones?
Only if they still show the reasoning. A short lecture that states the rule saves time today and costs it on exam day. A short lecture that works one entry from start to finish, and spends its time on the topics the exam returns to, is usually the better use of an evening after work.
Can I pass the CPA exam using only video lectures?
No. Lectures build understanding, and practice questions test whether you can apply it under exam conditions. The routine that works is a lesson followed by its quiz set the same evening, with a weekly review of the questions you missed.
Where can I watch Maxwell CPA Review lectures for free?
On the Maxwell CPA Review YouTube channel, and in the free CPA 101 course, which includes the 2026 AICPA released questions and a study outline. No credit card is required.
Watch a lesson before you decide
Pick the topic you find hardest and see whether the explanation works for you. CPA 101 includes all 25 of the 2026 AICPA released MCQs and a free study outline. FAR, AUD and REG tracks available. No credit card required.
Kyle Ashcraft, CPA scored 90 or above on every section of the CPA exam in 2019, including a 95 on FAR. He is the founder and sole instructor of Maxwell CPA Review, where he creates every lecture, textbook and study outline himself.
Reach him at MaxwellCPAreview@gmail.com.
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