Is Becker Enough to Pass the CPA Exam? When It Is and When It Is Not (2026)
Kyle Ashcraft, CPA · 2019 CPA Exam Scores · 95 FAR · 98 BEC · 91 REG · 90 AUD
Becker is a full course, with lectures, a large question bank, simulations and mock exams, so the honest starting point is that it can be enough. I run a different CPA review course, and I am not going to tell you Becker falls short. The real question is whether Becker is enough for you, in the time you actually have.
That depends on one thing more than any other: whether you can get through it. This page shows how to tell, and what to add if you cannot.
Quick answer: Becker is enough if you can finish its lectures at the pace your exam date needs and your practice scores climb as you go. It stops being enough in three situations: you cannot get through the lectures, topics do not click after you watch them, or your practice scores stall after you finish the material. Each one has a different fix.
On this page
Last updated October 2026. Becker information is from Becker's own course and Premium package pages as read on October 13, 2026; its pages list different question counts in different places, so I avoid those and use only the lecture-hours figure from the Premium page. Maxwell student figures come from Maxwell CPA Review onboarding surveys and practice data as of October 2026 and describe my students, not every candidate.
What does Becker include?
Per Becker's own pages, its Premium package includes video lectures, a question bank with multiple-choice questions and task-based simulations, mini and full simulated exams, digital flashcards, adaptive practice tests, an AI study assistant it calls Newt, printed and digital textbooks, and academic support. Which items you get depends on the package, and the exact question counts differ from one Becker page to another, so check the page for the package you own.
Becker's Premium package page lists over 190 hours of lecture video across six sections. That is a lot of teaching, and for many candidates it is where the time goes.
Becker is a complete course. If your employer paid for it, it costs you nothing to use it. The case for adding anything starts only when it is not working for you.
Do you have the time to finish it?
Here is what my students' data shows about time. The typical student has 10 to 20 hours a week to study, most often 15 to 20. And the exam is usually about two months away when they sign up.
Now put 190 hours of lectures next to that. You will not take all six sections, only four, so for illustration, if the lecture hours were split evenly, four sections would be roughly 127 hours. At 15 hours a week, watching alone would take about eight and a half weeks, and that leaves nothing for practice, which is where the points are earned. That is a rough illustration, not Becker's exact per-section number, but the shape of the problem is real.
And finishing the lectures matters. In my own practice data, students who reported a pass and students who reported a fail answered about the same number of practice questions, roughly 1,300 each. What differed was how much of the lecture content they had watched: 71% for passers against 54% for those who failed. That is a correlation in a self-reported sample, not proof of cause, but it points to the same place. The lectures help when you get through them.
How can you tell if Becker is not enough for you?
| What you notice | What it usually means | What to add |
|---|---|---|
| You are weeks behind on lectures and your exam date is not moving | A time problem | Condensed teaching on the topics you still need |
| You watch a lecture, agree with it, and still miss the questions | A concept that has not clicked | A second explanation of that topic, in different words |
| You finished the lectures, understand them, and your practice scores have stalled | Not enough varied practice | A second question bank, such as UWorld or Gleim |
| You keep missing the same kind of question | A pattern in your misses | Review your misses before adding anything new |
The most useful habit here costs nothing: look at your misses. In my data, 58% of first-time misses are never seen again, and when a missed question does come back, students get it right 62% of the time. Going back to your misses fixes more than buying more material.
What should you add?
- If the problem is time or a concept that is not clicking: condensed teaching. That is what Maxwell CPA Review is built for. I explain how it works next to Becker for each section: FAR, AUD and REG.
- If the problem is practice volume: a second question bank. UWorld and Gleim have the largest question banks in the category, and that is a better fix than more lectures.
- If you already failed a section: start with your score report, not with a purchase. See what your score report actually tells you and what to change after a failed section.
Among my own students, this is exactly how it goes. Since early September, 14 of 44 students said Maxwell CPA Review is their supplemental course, and 9 of those 14 named Becker as their main one. It is a small sample, but it shows the pattern: Becker students who needed the ideas explained a second way, in less time.
Should you switch away from Becker?
Usually not. If you own Becker, especially through an employer or a firm partnership, the better move is to keep it and fix the one part that is not working. Switching to a new course means starting over on lectures, and starting over is the thing you do not have time for.
The short version: keep Becker, find out which of the three problems you have, and add only what fixes that one. The cause is worth identifying first: it may be time, or a few hard topics, rather than a missing course.
If you are comparing courses, see Maxwell CPA Review vs Becker and the full CPA review course comparison.
Sources: Becker CPA Exam Review course and Premium package pages (becker.com), read October 13, 2026 (features and the 190-hour lecture figure from the Premium page); Maxwell CPA Review onboarding surveys, question bank practice data and self-reported outcomes, October 2026.
Frequently asked questions
Is Becker enough to pass the CPA exam?
It can be. Becker is a full course with lectures, a large question bank, simulations and mock exams. It stops being enough when you cannot finish its lectures in the time you have, when topics do not click, or when your practice scores stall after you finish the material.
Do I need a second question bank with Becker?
Only if your problem is practice volume. If you understand the material and your scores have stalled, a second bank such as UWorld or Gleim can help. If your problem is time or concepts that are not clicking, more questions will not fix it.
How many hours of lectures does Becker have?
Becker's Premium package page lists over 190 hours of lecture video across six sections. Your own load is lower because you take four sections, but it still competes with the practice time you need.
Should I switch from Becker to another course if I am behind?
Usually not. Keep Becker, especially if your employer paid for it, and add condensed teaching on the topics you still need. Switching means starting over on lectures.
Can I use Maxwell CPA Review with Becker?
Yes. Keep Becker as your main course and use Maxwell CPA Review by topic when a Becker lecture does not land: watch the short lesson, do its quiz set the same evening, then return to Becker for simulations and timed practice.
Start with the free CPA 101 course
Practice all 25 of the 2026 AICPA released MCQs, plus a free study outline, and see whether the explanations work for you. 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. 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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