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Yaeger vs Becker CPA
Our helpful comparison guide of the Yaeger and Becker CPA review courses
When it comes to CPA exam prep, there are perhaps no two courses more different than Becker and Yaeger. Becker is the CPA review kingpin, with decades of experience, a robust curriculum and endorsements from the Big 4. On the other side of the fence is Yaeger – the small review company with a student-first personal touch, caring founder and affordable price points. These courses really couldn’t be more different. So how do you choose between prep providers when they are so dissimilar? Read our detailed comparison of the two CPA courses below to help you make an informed decision on what is best for you.
This is a fairly detailed and lengthy comparison, so we’ve added helpful jump-to links above for easy navigation.
Video: Yaeger Or Becker For CPA Review?
In the video above, John from the Test Prep Insight team directly compares the major features of the Yaeger and Becker CPA review courses. For more information, be sure to continue reading our full written comparison below.
The best way to compare the CPA review courses from Becker and Yaeger is to stack up the study materials and features that each company provides. With that in mind, let’s first discuss what Becker has to offer and why you should choose one of the Becker courses to help you prepare for the CPA exam.
Becker Pricing And Course Options
Contrasted against Yaeger’s simple course structure and pricing, Becker offers students three different course selections to choose from. These choices include the following packages:
Advantage
Premium
Pro
Starting with the Advantage course, this is Becker’s basic entry-level package. It is somewhat of a no-frills offering for students just needing the bare bones. It contains video lessons, limited practice problems, and 24 months of access.
Thus, it lacks may of the features found with Becker’s higher end course offerings. This package typically runs for right around $2,400.
Becker’s middle package is their most popular – the Premium course. This course offering boasts all the same resources and materials as the Advantage course, but adds in live classes, an additional 2,000 or so multiple-choice questions and unlimited access. This course carries a price tag of right around $3,000, making it much more expensive than Yaeger’s review course (but on pare with the CPA review courses from Roger).
While this Premium course is most closely comparable to Yaeger’s course in terms of being the most popular choice among students, it also has significantly more features and materials than Yaeger offers.
Becker’s starter-level Advantage course is actually much closer to Yaeger’s course in terms of content, features and access offered.
Finally, Becker offers a deluxe package with their Pro course. This is the white-glove package for students wanting the whole hog. This course allows students to take Becker’s stellar live classes in person, and kicks in a few hours of private tutoring with a Becker pro, though it does cost close to $3,800.
The Becker Pro course also comes with a pass guarantee. Essentially, Becker will reimburse you $250 for each section that you fail, up to $1,000 total.
Course options and pricing current as of date of publication.
Analysis Of Becker’s CPA Study Materials
The Becker CPA Review curriculum is undeniably more comprehensive and well-designed than Yaeger’s. It covers more material and just feels more streamlined.
Yaeger’s course structure is very linear and methodical, but Becker’s just feels more cohesive. The Becker coursework touches everything you need to know for the CPA exam and attacks it from multiple angles.
Starting with their video lessons, Becker spares no expense on their content delivery. The video lessons are actually fairly similar to Yaeger’s, in that there is a text onscreen with accompanying verbal lesson.
But rather than having a shot of the instructor sitting at a desk lecturing, the Becker videos focus in on the interactive text. The full screen textbook updates with notes in the margins, highlights and key points as the instructor speaks from behind the camera.
Digital notes and graphics are constantly updating, and the text scrolls itself as the instructor delivers their lecture. It is a unique and effective means of doing video-base instruction.
A typical Becker simulation review session
As an alternative to the prerecorded video lessons, Premium and Pro students also have the option of taking Becker’s lessons live. More on these classes below in the course highlight section, but this is a fantastic opportunity Yaeger doesn’t offer.
Backstopping their video and live instruction, Becker offers some first-rate practice material. With 8,000+ multiple choice questions and 500+ simulations, Becker offers more than 2x the amount of practice as Yaeger does. This is an impressive quantity of multiple-choice questions and task-based simulations.
But it is not just the quantity that impresses our team – Becker’s question quality is also top notch. These questions closely replicate real CPA exam problems and provide excellent learning opportunities.
As mentioned above, Premium and Pro students have the choice of taking Becker’s lectures on demand or live. This ability to choose between prerecorded lessons and live classes is something you just don’t get with Yaeger (or any other prep provider really, for that matter).
So rather than watching an on demand video, you can choose to tune into your lessons via regularly scheduled webcast, or better yet, in person.
The in person classes are only available to Pro students, but offer a huge advantage to those types of learners that do best in a physical class setting.
These classes are also helpful to students who need commitment and accountability in their studies. For many busy professionals, it is hard to find the motivation to study after a long day of work, and these live classes keep you on track.
The live classes generally cover the same material covered in the on-demand videos, but with a less rigid means of content delivery. Students can ask questions, seek clarification and pick their instructor’s brain. New class sessions are posted all the time, and each is generally several weeks in length.
Now that you have an idea of what Becker has to offer, let’s turn the tables and discuss the major highlights of the Yaeger CPA review courses.
Yaeger CPA Pricing And Course Options
With respect to pricing and course selections, it does not get much easier than Yaeger CPA Review. They offer just two course options: their CPA Review Basic Bundle and CPA Review Plus Bundle. That’s it (similar to Gleim CPA Review).
There really isn’t much variance between these two formats, apart from the additional features that come with the premium Plus course. Specifically, these additional features include access to Yaeger’s final CRAM session, printed textbooks, additional audio lectures and direct 1-on-1 tutoring from one of Yaeger’s top instructors.
The Basic Bundle package costs around $1,200, while the Plus package will run your around $1,600.
Compared to Becker’s standard course (the Premium package), which prices out at around $3,000, this is incredibly affordable and a very good deal.
If you’re working with a limited budget for CPA prep, you may also want to check out how Wiley and Gleim compare to Yaeger.
Course options and pricing current as of date of publication.
Evaluation Of Yaeger’s Course And Study Materials
Yaeger CPA Review takes a pretty straightforward and linear approach to studying for the CPA exam. Their curriculum within each section of the exam is broken down into chapters, and subchapters below that.
Each subchapter aligns with a different CPA exam topic and forms the base units of your studying. You move through each study unit, or subchapter, by watching the video lesson and completing a number of practice problems.
Then it’s on to the next. Students who like a very structured approach to studying will love this.
We would say the Yaeger video lessons are below average. These lectures, which are the foundation of your instructional material, take the form of founder Phil Yaeger on camera behind a desk, delivering his lesson.
This lecture generally tracks with the Yaeger textbook, which appears onscreen as well, to the right of the video container.
So in essence, Phil delivers the lesson on camera while you read along in the corresponding portion of the text. While this is a very effective means of teaching, the execution is lacking.
Phil’s delivery is a bit on the dry side and the video production quality is average at best. To be totally honest, these videos sort of remind me personally of a driver’s ed video from when you were 16 sitting in a high school class getting ready to get your learner’s permit.
The picture is sort of grainy and you have someone lecturing you on the right way to do things.
These video lessons actually offer great contrast with Becker, as they take unique approach to video instruction. More on that below, but long story short, our team prefers the Becker video lectures. By a mile.
One of Phil Yaeger’s video lessons
Following your video and text-based lessons with Yaeger, you are prompted to complete a handful of quiz questions to test your knowledge and reinforce the concepts just learned.
While the quality of these questions is top notch, the quantity of questions is somewhat lacking. Offering just 5,000+ multiple-choice questions and 200 or so simulations, the volume just isn’t there.
That said, we were very happy with the quality of question drafting and the accompanying text explanations.
The bottom line is that Yaeger’s coursework is simple and straightforward, with a middling amount of practice material. For many students, this may be just fine, as they don’t need a mountain of resources.
But for those seeking tons of practice opportunities and better video lessons, Becker will likely be a better bet. The curriculum aside, what really makes the Yaeger course is their personalized coaching and guidance, as explained below.
By far, the most powerful and useful feature of the Yaeger course is their personalized coaching and support. It starts with two 15-minute calls with founder Phil Yaeger himself.
You usually have one call at the beginning of the course where he introduces himself and helps you to create a more personalized study plan of attack. Then around the midway point through the course you’ll have another call with Phil to check in on your progress.
I am not sure about Becker’s corporate structure, but I assume you’re not having any personal calls with their chief executive and top lecturer.
From there, students who sign up for the Plus course get direct access through the “Instructor Hotline” to top members of the Yaeger team. There is a limit on how many times you can call per month, but generally, if you have a substantive question or want to chat about test taking strategy, you can always reach out to the Yaeger experts.
Phil Yaeger or one of his top lieutenants will call you back ASAP and chat through whatever is nagging at you. It is this support system and personal touch that makes Yaeger special.
You never feel alone in your studies. It truly feels like a family approach to getting across the CPA finish line.
Given that Yaeger CPA Review and Becker are such different review courses, you should hopefully have a pretty good feel for which prep company better fits your needs at this point.
However, if you still need a little bit more info to make a final call, here is our final verdict:
Curriculum and Coursework: While our team likes Yaeger’s straightforward and methodical approach to prep, Becker’s curriculum is simply too comprehensive and deep to overlook. Their video-based lessons, live class sessions and stacks of practice material are about the highest quality in the CPA review space. Edge: Becker.
Pricing: There is no arguing Yaeger is the better value at roughly $1,200-$1,600. If you can catch Becker’s courses on sale, it may level the playing field, otherwise, Yaeger has the more attractive price points.Edge: Yaeger.
Prep Books: Yaeger’s books are very good in their own right, with detailed passages and fantastic examples to demonstrate points, but Becker’s textbooks are legendary for good reason. They thoroughly cover all the necessary material, while somehow remaining an easy read. They hit the perfect balance.Edge: Becker.
Practice Exams: Becker offers unparalleled opportunity to practice under exam-like conditions. They provide students 12 full-length simulated exams, each with never before seen content. Yaeger offers practice exams as well, but utilizes recycled questions. Edge: Becker.
User Experience: The deciding factor here is Becker’s practice testing software. Their simulated exams, quizzes and practice question sets mirror the real CPA testing interface, while Yaeger’s does not. This provides a true exam-like experience. Edge: Becker.
Extra Resources: Yaeger gets the nod here for its personal coaching and support. Yaeger’s personalized guidance and hands-on approach are unmatched in CPA review. Their professionals are always available to help and truly care about your success.Edge: Yaeger.
Content Access Period: Though Becker’s basic Advantage course offers just 24 months of access, identical to Yaeger’s access period, the more popular Premium and Pro courses from Becker offer unlimited access. Thus, Becker wins this category. Edge: Becker.
All in all, our team thinks Becker offers the superior CPA review courses, hands down.
Which CPA review course costs more – Becker or Yaeger?
Yaeger CPA Review generally has more affordable pricing than Becker. The Yaeger CPA Review Bundle (their basic package) runs around $1,000, while all of Becker’s courses are $2,400+ (not considering promos and coupons).
What’s the main difference between the Yaeger and Becker CPA review courses?
The primary difference between Yaeger and Becker lies in their approach to instruction. While Yaeger has fairly basic video lectures, Becker offers high end video production and lesson structure, as well as optional live class sessions.
Which company provides more study material, Becker or Yaeger?
Becker offers roughly 2 times the amount of practice material as Yaeger. Boasting 9,000+ multiple-choice questions and 400+ task-based simulations, Becker has some one the best quantities of practice work in the CPA review industry.
