CPA Exam
CPA review courses and a CPA exam prep course with fresh CPA practice questions
The expensive part of a CPA review course is the video library. The part that actually gets you to a 75 is thousands of multiple choice questions and understanding why you missed them.
- Fresh CPA practice questions on the current AICPA blueprints
- Core (AUD, FAR, REG) plus your chosen Discipline: BAR, ISC or TCP
- Every answer explained with the reasoning, not just a letter and a citation
Questions are generated on each exam's current published format. Plans from $24/mo billed yearly, cancel anytime.
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The short answer
Traditional CPA review courses cost in the low thousands and are worth it if you need their full task-based simulation library and a structured syllabus. If what you actually need is fresh multiple choice practice with the reasoning explained, an AI tutor does that for $49 a month. Under CPA Evolution the exam is three Core sections (AUD, FAR, REG) plus one Discipline (BAR, ISC or TCP), each 4 hours, each requiring a scaled score of 75 to pass.
The CPA Exam under CPA Evolution
The exam is now four sections: three required Core sections and one Discipline of your choosing. Each section runs 4 hours and requires a minimum scaled score of 75, which is a scaled score and not a percentage of questions correct. Core sections and the BAR and TCP Disciplines are weighted 50% multiple choice and 50% task-based simulations. ISC is weighted 60% multiple choice and 40% simulations.
- Core: Auditing and Attestation (AUD)
- Core: Financial Accounting and Reporting (FAR)
- Core: Taxation and Regulation (REG)
- Discipline (pick one): BAR, ISC or TCP
What you are really paying for in a CPA review course
A full review course bundles four things: a video curriculum, a large multiple choice bank, a task-based simulation library, and a study planner. The simulation library is the genuinely hard thing to replicate, and for FAR and BAR in particular it is worth real money. The video curriculum is the most expensive component and the one most candidates use least. Be clear about which of the four you are actually buying.
- Video lectures: expensive, and the first thing candidates abandon
- MCQ bank: where most of your points actually come from
- Task-based simulations: the hardest piece to substitute, especially for FAR
- Study planner: useful, but a calendar and honesty do the same job
CPA practice questions, and why the explanation matters more than the bank size
Every provider advertises the size of its question bank. Bank size is close to irrelevant past a point, because you will never finish it. What determines whether the reps convert into a passing score is whether you understand why the distractor you chose was wrong. A CPA multiple choice question is usually testing one specific rule, and once you can name the rule the question tested, you own every future variant of it.
Who should skip the expensive review course
If your employer is paying, take the full course, because the cost is not yours and the simulation library is genuinely good. If you are paying out of pocket, you have a recent accounting degree, and you mainly need volume and explanations, a cheap AI tutor plus AICPA released questions covers most of what you need. Be honest about the simulations though: if TBSs are your weak point, budget for a proper simulation library.
Compare the options
CPA prep options compared
Where the expensive review courses genuinely earn their price, and where they do not.
| Option | Typical US cost | What you get | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Full CPA review course | Commonly into the low thousands | Video curriculum, large MCQ bank, task-based simulation library and a study planner. | Candidates whose employer pays, or who need the TBS library |
| Question bank only | Several hundred dollars | MCQs and some simulations with explanations, without the video curriculum. | Candidates who already know the content and need reps |
| Self-study with AICPA released questions | Low | Real released exam questions. Limited volume and limited explanation. | Supplementing any other approach. Nobody should skip these. |
| Aspirants.ai AI tutor | From $24/mo billed yearly | Fresh MCQ practice on the blueprints, every answer explained, 24x7 doubt solving on GAAP, audit and tax. | Out-of-pocket candidates who need volume and explanations |
Review course prices change frequently and are often discounted. Verify current pricing before you buy.
Compare the options
CPA review course prices, read from each vendor in September 2026
List prices for the three most-searched CPA review courses, taken from the vendors' own sites rather than from an affiliate roundup. Becker discounts heavily and often, so its charged price is usually below list.
| Course | Entry tier | Top tier | Access at the top tier |
|---|---|---|---|
| NINJA CPA Review | Supplement $67 a month | Full Course $87 a month | Monthly billing, one section at a time, cancel any time |
| Surgent (now sells UWorld CPA Review) | UWorld Premier $1,999 | UWorld Elite-Unlimited+ $2,899 | Surgent own CPA course is no longer sold. Premier runs 18 months, the Elite tiers until you pass. |
| UWorld CPA (Roger) | Premier, price not published | Elite-Unlimited $2,299 on sale, $3,899 list | Unlimited access on both Elite tiers, $250 per section pass guarantee to $1,000 on the top tier |
| Gleim CPA Review | Mega Test Bank $999, or Traditional $2,499 | Premium Pro $3,499 | Access Until You Pass from the $2,999 Premium tier up. Traditional and the Mega Test Bank run 18 months. |
| Becker CPA Review | Advantage $2,499 | Concierge $6,349 list | 100% money-back guarantee at Concierge |
| Aspirants.ai AI tutor | $49/mo | $199/mo | Month to month, cancel when you sit your last section |
Surgent no longer sells its own CPA course; the UWorld prices in its row are the ones shown on surgent.com on October 13, 2026, with Elite-Unlimited between them at $2,299. NINJA was read the same day. Gleim Premium is $2,999. Becker's September promotion ended on October 1, 2026, and a Fall Sale replaced it: Pro at $2,499 against a $3,845 list, Pro+ at $2,698 against $4,044 and Concierge at $4,999 against $6,349, until 11:59 PM Central on October 26, 2026 (re-read October 13, 2026), with Becker Premium listed separately at $3,099 and not discounted. Becker Advantage at $2,499 carries 24 months of access; the Pro, Pro+ and Concierge packages carry unlimited access. UWorld is the outlier on transparency: it publishes a price for only one of its three packages, so the Elite-Unlimited figure is the sale banner it printed on September 8, 2026.
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CPA review course, on your exam.
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Honest answers
CPA review course, answered straight.
You need a minimum scaled score of 75 on each section. This is a scaled score, not a percentage, so it does not mean you answered 75% of the questions correctly. Scores combine multiple choice and task-based simulation performance according to each section's weighting.
It is worth it if you need the task-based simulation library or your employer is paying. If you are paying yourself and mainly need multiple choice volume with good explanations, a much cheaper question bank or AI tutor covers most of the value at a fraction of the price.
Yes, and people do. It requires real discipline, AICPA released questions, and a reliable source of explanations for the questions you miss. The most common failure mode is underestimating task-based simulations, which are harder to self-teach than multiple choice.
A widely used benchmark is roughly 300 to 400 hours across all four sections, with FAR usually demanding the most. Candidates typically plan 6 to 10 weeks per section, though this varies with how recent your coursework is and how many hours a week you can actually commit.
Under CPA Evolution there are three Core sections, Auditing and Attestation (AUD), Financial Accounting and Reporting (FAR), and Taxation and Regulation (REG), plus one Discipline chosen from Business Analysis and Reporting (BAR), Information Systems and Controls (ISC), or Tax Compliance and Planning (TCP).
FAR is widely considered the hardest, both because of its breadth and because its task-based simulations are demanding. Pass rates published by the AICPA vary by section and by window, so check current figures rather than relying on older numbers you find in forums.
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Four sections. A 75 on each. That is the whole game
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