How does becker online work

They work exactly how you would assume; you log on to the system and attend lectures virtually. Your homework assignments have similar due dates to the live teaching sections and the Becker Promise works the same as well.

Unlike the live and virtual classrooms, however, the self-study course is set at your own pace and does not have stringent deadlines.

There is a reason why this is the most popular review program. They have a great system that keeps students accountable and forces them to complete the guide. This works well for people who are not good great at staying organized.

The practice questions and other study materials are extensive and well put together. Furthermore, all three study options also include over hours of instruction, which is more than the industry average. Here is a brief overview of the top four:. To be fair, many of the live classes provided by Becker are of the highest quality. The instructors are knowledgeable and articulate, and they know how to explain the most complicated topics in a simple and easy-to-understand manner.

Some students were of the opinion that they would have been better off simply studying on their own instead of spending the additional time and money for a live course.

Fortunately, the online video lectures from Becker are of exceptional quality. This means that if you find live classes to be a waste or are unsure of enrolling in the ones provided by this company, you can use your time more productively by turning to their other study materials. This is the big one. But the high quality of their course comes at a steep price; Becker is among the most expensive review courses that you can buy.

Also, Becker offers financing options if you want to pay for their course in small installments. This is one of the best CPA review courses on the market.

The course books are very detailed. While I encountered few minor concepts that needed additional research, majority of the material is explained very well. The pneumonic devices are invaluable. The lectures are not the most effective.

Majority of the lectures involve the instructors reading actual text from the course books and indicating what to highlight and all at a very quick pace. Students are definitely expected to apply considerable time to study the materials independently. There are occasional, explanatory videos that discuss tougher concepts.

These are very helpful. The instructors do try to incorporate humor when they can, to help numb the pain. The passmaster software offers multiple choice questions, simulations, and sample exams. The sample exam software mimics that of the actual exam. The final review program contains highly summarized text and good practice questions to be used at the last minute before sitting for an exam section. It is a fast paced, high level review. While this is not entirely necessary it is definitely helpful.

Flash cards are the least helpful of the tools in my opinion. The information is fairly dry. I chose the classroom method and supplemented it by reviewing the lectures on disc later.

The Becker Passmaster software is great and I think that is the most helpful portion of the program. It is not a fail proof method - you still have to invest a lot of time going through all the lectures, multiple choice questions and simulations to expect to pass the exams.

Overall, I would choose Becker again for my course and would certainly recommend it to others. Please note: the AICPA does not publish examination review materials or endorse any specific review method or course. To obtain advice on whether to take a review course, which course to take, or which materials to buy, speak to faculty members or colleagues. Available to full- or part-time students enrolled in a domestic or non-U.

Gain access to the Academic Resource Database, educator webinars and more to support you in building the CPA pipeline. Already have an account? Sign In. The Becker video lectures are different from every other review course in the industry. In these lessons, rather than having an instructor onscreen providing a traditional lesson in front of a whiteboard like you get with Roger CPA Review , or talking over a PowerPoint slideshow, the Becker lessons use their textbooks as the basis of the video.

The instructor rarely appears on screen during the lectures — usually just for a quick module introduction. It sounds odd, but it really works. A digital textbook appears on screen and your instructor verbalizes their lesson as you read along. They circle key points, underline important phrases, make notes in the margins, and markup the text as you move along. They even scroll the page down for you as reach the bottom. It is like someone standing over your shoulder as you read a text offering additional context and helpful tidbits, and telling you where you need to take note of the important things.

I can see some students loving this format, and other students being put off by it. Personally, I really like it. I prefer textbook-based learning to begin, so I may be a bit biased, but I found this method of teaching to be incredibly effective. All of the detail is right there in front of you and you have an expert reading alongside you, pointing out exactly where you really need to pay attention and providing some helpful additional context.

And the production quality is fantastic. The picture is sharp and the graphics are very well done. Altogether, it makes for a really nice lesson. After your lecture is complete, you move into skills practice. Then you work a simulation-type drill that tests your knowledge on the content just covered. Most other prep companies just take you straight to multiple-choice questions, and I appreciate how Becker tests your new knowledge in different ways.

You then move into the more traditional practice of multiple-choice questions. There are typically anywhere from 5 to 50 questions for the module, depending on the scope and size of the subsection. That means this part can take anywhere from 10 minutes to an hour and a half. But in any event, you are assigned a slate of relevant multiple-choice questions to tackle and reinforce what you just learned. As you complete each question, you are shown the correct answer along with a corresponding problem explanation.

The explanation covers each answer choice and describes why it was correct or incorrect. They are just a little on the thin side and I would like to see more general analysis breaking down the entire problem and providing more targeted information on the topic. The final component of each module is the set of task-based simulations. There can be anywhere from 1 to 10 simulations for you to complete, again depending on the particular module.

These simulations are very realistic compared to the task-based simulations you will see on the real CPA exam. They cover a variety of topics and issues with each module, and do an excellent job testing your new knowledge in a variety of ways. And the explanations that accompany each simulation are much better than the ones accompanying the multiple-choice questions.

They appear onscreen in the upper left corner, and show you through notes and calculations exactly how you should have attacked the simulation. These videos are a fantastic resource and a very useful learning experience in and of itself. Backing up the coursework, Becker provides some performance trackers and metrics to help you analyze your current knowledge base and skills. On the whole, these metrics are a little rudimentary and not super helpful, particularly when compared to data you get from other CPA prep companies.

There is nothing noteworthy about these metrics. Becker tells you on the basis a of a star rating exactly how proficient you are in each module.

This in turn determines your readiness. This was about the only helpful metric that I used my studies.

The combination of video, practice questions and simulations increases comprehension and retention through the variety of methods in which your knowledge is tested. Honestly, I was very impressed with the design and execution of the Becker coursework.