Maxwell CPA Review vs UWorld: Depth or Curation (2026)
Kyle Ashcraft, CPA · 2019 CPA Exam Scores · 95 FAR · 98 BEC · 91 REG · 90 AUD
I run one of these two courses, so the judgments here are mine. The facts about UWorld I have checked against UWorld's own product pages, and where UWorld is better I will say so plainly.
UWorld is the best-produced course in the category. Roger Philipp and Peter Olinto are genuinely excellent instructors, the question bank is one of the two deepest available, and the visual answer explanations are the industry benchmark. None of that is in dispute here.
What is in dispute is whether that is the product you need, and one structural detail about what you actually get for your money that is easy to miss at checkout.
In this comparison
UWorld's package contents are taken from UWorld's own comparison pages and were last checked on 8 September 2026. UWorld injects its prices through JavaScript and runs continuous promotions, so any figure here is indicative rather than a quote. Note also that Surgent is now a UWorld company, so if you are comparing those two separately, they are related.
What does UWorld actually offer?
Three packages. The differences between them matter more than the names suggest.
| Package | Sections | Access | Notable inclusions |
|---|---|---|---|
| Premier | Four: three Core plus one Discipline | 18 months | QBank, 1,400+ video lectures, four eBooks, SmartPath, UAsk AI, study planner, cram course, flashcards, mobile app |
| Elite-Unlimited | Four: three Core plus one Discipline | Unlimited until you pass | Everything above, plus four printed study guides, full-length mock exams and live boot camps |
| Elite-Unlimited+ | All six | Unlimited until you pass | Everything above, plus six print and eBook guides, a one-year Surgent CPE subscription and the money-back pass guarantee |
Across all three: 9,000-plus multiple choice questions and 500-plus task-based simulations spanning every section, 1,400-plus video lectures, SmartPath Predictive Technology, the UAsk AI assistant and a seven-day free trial with no credit card.
UWorld publishes a 90% pass rate, stated as applying to students who meet their SmartPath targets rather than to everyone who buys the course.
Where UWorld beats Maxwell
Four things, and I would rather name them than have you find them after purchase.
| UWorld advantage | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Production quality and instructor lineup | Roger Philipp and Peter Olinto, with 1,400-plus lectures. Nobody in this category produces video at that standard, and I do not pretend to. |
| Question bank depth and visual rationales | 9,000-plus questions with explanations built on flowcharts and diagrams rather than prose. If your problem is running out of realistic practice, this is one of the two best answers available. |
| Full-length mock exams | Two per Core section and one per Discipline, in an interface matching the real exam, on the Elite tiers. Genuinely useful for building exam-day stamina. |
| Unlimited access until you pass on Elite tiers | No clock, which a monthly subscription cannot match on a long or interrupted campaign. |
If what you need is more practice, better production or exam simulation, buy UWorld. Everything below assumes those are not your problem.
The four-section detail worth reading before you buy
This one is easy to miss and it is the difference I would actually flag to a friend.
Premier and Elite-Unlimited include four sections: the three Core sections plus one Discipline of your choice. Only Elite-Unlimited+, the top package, includes all six.
And the switch is not open-ended. UWorld's terms allow you to change your digital Discipline section only before you have used 10% of your subscription. So if you start with BAR, work through a couple of months, and then decide ISC suits you better, that decision may already be closed.
| UWorld | Maxwell | |
|---|---|---|
| Sections in the entry package | Four | All six |
| All six sections | Elite-Unlimited+ only | Included at $49/month |
| Changing Discipline | Before 10% of the subscription is used | Any time, no cost |
Why this matters more than it looks. A lot of candidates genuinely do not know which Discipline they want until they have sat a Core section and discovered what they are good at. Picking under a deadline, months before you have that information, is a worse decision than picking later. That is the one place where I think Maxwell's structure is simply better rather than just cheaper.
The real disagreement
It is not quality. UWorld's materials are excellent and I would not argue otherwise.
Every other option in this category answers a shortage. More questions, longer explanations, better visuals, a bigger library. UWorld answers it about as well as it can be answered. Maxwell answers a surplus.
That is the whole argument. If you are working full time with eight weeks before a FAR sitting, 1,400 lectures and 9,000 questions is not a library you will use. It is a library you will feel behind on. On a high-yield topic like leases we work the journal entries from commencement to the end of the lease life. On a low-yield topic we cover the rule quickly in case it appears and move on. That is the Max Yield Method, and the credential is what licenses it, because deciding what to skip is only defensible from someone who scored well on the exam.
The test that settles it. Divide 1,400 lectures and 9,000 questions by the weeks you actually have. If the result is a workload you could complete and review properly, the depth is an advantage and UWorld is the better purchase. If it is a number you will never reach, you are paying for material you will not use, and the size of the library becomes a source of pressure rather than confidence.
Although I was using UWorld as my main review course it was helpful to have Maxwell as a supplement to help me understand the material in down-to-earth language with a focus on what's most important. I first used Maxwell to understand the material well, then I used UWorld to practice several simulated exams. I passed FAR and REG on the first try.
Maxwell student who used both courses together
Individual results. Outcomes vary by candidate, preparation time and starting point.
What each actually costs
UWorld does not publish a static price. Its figures are injected by script and move with promotions, discounts and Fresh Start offers for switchers, so treat anything you read anywhere, including here, as approximate. Packages have typically sat in the low-to-mid thousands, rising by tier.
| Time to finish all four exams | Maxwell at $49/mo |
|---|---|
| 12 months | $588 |
| 18 months | $882 |
| 24 months | $1,176 |
| 36 months | $1,764 |
Against a package in the low thousands, Maxwell is the cheaper purchase across any normal timeline. Two honest qualifications. UWorld discounts aggressively, so list is rarely what people pay. And the Elite tiers include unlimited access until you pass, which a subscription cannot match if your campaign stretches, though note that UWorld defines unlimited as three years from purchase, extendable on proof of an upcoming Notice to Schedule.
On pass guarantees. UWorld's money-back guarantee applies only to Elite-Unlimited+, refunding $250 per section up to $1,000. It is not included in the two lower packages. Worth checking which tier you are actually looking at before treating a guarantee as part of the deal.
Using both
UWorld sells its QBank standalone at $299 for six months, covering all six sections, which makes this a practical combination rather than a marketing line.
The pattern that works: use Maxwell's videos and outlines to get the concept straight, then use UWorld's bank and mock exams for realistic practice once you can actually reason through a problem. Grinding questions before the concept has landed produces a lot of attempts and very little movement.
Best combination for someone who already owns UWorld: keep it. Add Maxwell at $49 a month for the teaching and use the bank you already paid for as your practice engine. That is cheaper than a second full course and it wastes nothing.
Start free with CPA 101
Before you decide, try the teaching. Practice all 25 of the 2026 AICPA released MCQs, plus a free study outline. FAR, AUD and REG tracks available. No credit card required.
Maxwell section by section
Exact figures, not ranges.
| Section | Video | MCQs | TBS | Textbook | Outlines |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FAR | 7 hrs | 800 | 36 | 233 pgs | 74 pgs |
| AUD | 6 hrs | 750 | 32 | 190 pgs | 60 pgs |
| REG | 8 hrs | 750 | 35 | 120 pgs | 80 pgs |
| BAR | 5 hrs | 700 | 15 | 150 pgs | 45 pgs |
| ISC | 4.5 hrs | 602 | 8 | 140 pgs | 40 pgs |
| TCP | 5 hrs | 700 | 15 | 160 pgs | 50 pgs |
FAR also includes a baseline assessment, final review, mock exam and ten interactive apps. AUD includes a final review and a full simulated exam. REG includes a final review and six mini exams. Every section includes the textbook, study outlines and answer explanations built around worked examples.
Which should you choose?
| Choose UWorld if | Choose Maxwell if |
|---|---|
| You want the best-produced lectures in the category | You want the material condensed to what decides the exam |
| Your constraint is realistic practice volume | Your constraint is time |
| Full-length mock exams matter to you | You want direct access to the person who built the course |
| Your timeline is long and open-ended access is worth paying for | You expect to finish and want to stop paying |
| You already know which Discipline you want | You are not sure yet and want all six without a top-tier upgrade |
Best for candidates who ran out of time before they ran out of material: Maxwell CPA Review, with bite-sized lessons focused on the concepts that matter most, at $49 per month, billed monthly, cancel anytime.
Use it as your primary course. Use it to retake a section you failed. Use it alongside what you already bought.
Frequently asked questions
Does UWorld include all six CPA exam sections?
Only in the Elite-Unlimited+ package. Premier and Elite-Unlimited include four sections, being the three Core sections plus one Discipline of your choice. Maxwell includes all six at $49 per month with no upcharge.
Can I change my Discipline section with UWorld?
Yes, but only before you have used 10% of your subscription. After that the choice is fixed unless you upgrade. Maxwell lets you move between Disciplines at any time at no cost, since all six are included.
How many practice questions does UWorld have?
9,000-plus multiple choice questions and 500-plus task-based simulations across all six sections, with visual answer explanations. UWorld also sells the QBank standalone at $299 for six months.
Does UWorld offer a pass guarantee?
Only with Elite-Unlimited+, which refunds $250 per section up to $1,000 if you do not pass. The Premier and Elite-Unlimited packages do not include it.
What does UWorld's 90% pass rate mean?
UWorld states it applies to students who meet their SmartPath Predictive Technology targets, rather than to everyone who buys the course. Provider pass rates use different eligibility criteria and are not comparable between companies.
Can I use Maxwell alongside UWorld?
Yes, and many students do. The usual pattern is Maxwell's videos and outlines for understanding the material, then UWorld's question bank and mock exams for realistic practice. At $49 per month it adds to a course you already own without a second major purchase.
Try the teaching before you decide
Start with the 2026 AICPA released questions and the free study outline. No credit card, and you will know within an evening whether the explanations work for you.
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.
See also the full comparison of every major CPA review course.
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