49%.
That’s the average pass rate across all three CIA exam parts. I’m no math genius, but that means fewer than half of aspiring internal auditors who take the exam pass.
Could the Becker CIA review course help you pass on your first try?
I’ve pored through the best CIA course materials, tested the practice exams, used the support channels, and compared the practice questions to the questions on the real thing. Here’s what I found.
Pick or Pass: Becker CIA Review
- If you like a clear, structured study plan, pick Becker—its syllabus-driven layout keeps you focused.
- If you want exam-aligned material, pick Becker—it’s co-created with the IIA for total content relevance.
- If you’re into custom learning, pick Becker—Adapt2U personalizes your prep based on performance.
- If you like tracking progress, pick Becker—dashboards and planners help you stay organized.
- If you want live instruction, pass on Becker—this course is entirely self-paced and on-demand.
- If you need a low-cost option, pass on Becker—more affordable providers like Surgent may be a better fit.
Becker CIA Overview
Officially titled Becker-The IIA® CIA Exam Review, Becker’s new course is a direct result of their collaboration with the Institute of Internal Auditors (IIA). Needless to say, there’s no better partner to help create a prep course for an exam than the exam’s creators and governing body, but Becker’s no slouch, either. They boast pass rates of up to 94% and have a history of producing top-scoring test-takers.
Becker also has a phenomenon called the “Becker Bump,” where students often score higher on the actual CIA exam than on Becker’s simulated practice tests. This is due to several reasons: namely, the simulated exams get you comfortable with the real thing, and the questions are a little tougher than what you’ll see on exam day. Other top features to consider include:
- 💻 Course Format: On-Demand and Self-Paced
- 📚 Digital Textbooks for convenient, device-driven learning
- 🤖 Adaptive Learning Technology for personalized study plans
- ❓ Number of Practice Questions: 3,000+
- ✍️ Six Simulated Exams, two for each CIA exam part
- 🗓️ Customizable Study Planner for a plan that fits your schedule
- 📘 CIA Facebook Study Group for a supportive community on your certification journey
So, what do you get when you put together two great partners? Does the greatness multiply, or do they butt heads, fighting for control? Let’s dig deeper to find out.
Pros
- Fast customer service that’s actually helpful
- Partnership with the creators of the exam
- Six full-length mock exams to build familiarity and confidence
- Practice questions created by the makers of the actual CIA exam questions
- Choose the best schedule for your life with the study planner
Cons
- No pass guarantee or unlimited access options
- No student reviews available
Becker CIA Promo Code
Designed with the IIA, Becker’s CIA course includes realistic practice exams, adaptive learning tools, and a custom study planner.
Becker CIA Course Features
Structure
Becker’s course structure is sweet and simple: read, work through the module, answer some practice questions, monitor your progress, improve, and move on to the next section. I appreciated the course’s streamlined simplicity, clean interface, and, naturally, the outstanding practice questions. I got to compare 20 practice questions to those on the actual CIA exam, and they were nearly spot-on, save for being a little tougher for that overpreparation effect.
While there currently aren’t video lessons, which can be a big con for audiovisual learners who need videos now, they’ll all be released by July 2025. However, for reading-based learners who like a guided study path, Becker is ready right now, with the best practice questions for the updated CIA exam.
Technology
Becker’s Adapt2U technology is designed to streamline your study process by focusing on performance-driven feedback. As you work through practice questions, it evaluates your accuracy, response time, and topic mastery to identify where you’re solid and where you need more review. Over time, it reshapes your study sessions by prioritizing weak areas and minimizing time spent on topics you’ve already mastered. The result is a more personalized and efficient prep experience.
In testing the feature, I noticed how quickly it adjusted after just a few sessions. Once I missed a handful of questions in a specific domain, Adapt2U began surfacing more content from that section in both review and practice. It helped me zero in on concepts I may have otherwise skipped or under-reviewed. Rather than taking a one-size-fits-all approach, it created a tailored study path, without me having to dig through the syllabus or guess what to revisit manually.
Support Options
Becker offers support in two primary ways: directly from the company and from other students. Let’s start with the source.
Becker offers customer service teams for both academic and technical support, with each featuring contact channels through email and phone. Further, they say the response time is within 48 hours. But I wanted to see it for myself, so I called and emailed both teams a handful of times. All but 1 time were within 24 hours, not 48, and most were within 2-4 hours. The only time it even approached 48 hours was because I deliberately emailed on a Saturday afternoon, and they got back to me ASAP on Monday morning.
As for support from students, study groups/private communities are a highly underrated element of a stellar prep course. You can see the power of community in testimonials for other courses, like this one for CMA Exam Academy:
“The community that is available for you to connect with creates a wonderful, encouraging culture where you are all equal and there to accomplish the same goal regardless of where you are on the globe.”
Becker’s community is strong, with daily posts and fellow students eager to join study groups and cheer you on. I enjoyed seeing bonds and connections form among the students and the outpouring of support and solidarity, even if I didn’t interact directly.
Guarantees, Access, and Value
Becker’s 24-month access period is more generous than Surgent’s 18 months, but they lack Surgent’s 100% money-back pass guarantee. Further, Gleim has both a money-back guarantee and unlimited course access in the Premium System, but Becker’s 24 months top the 18 months in the Traditional and Test Bank Systems.
However, I feel like Becker being the sole prep provider endorsed by the IIA—to the point where they explicitly chose Becker to partner with for this course—is a strong pass guarantee in its own right. Further, Gleim’s Premium CIA Review System offers unlimited access, but it costs several hundred dollars more, and the average time to pass all three exams is usually between 6 and 12 months. So, I still feel Becker offers a lot of value, and maybe even the most value in the CIA exam prep world.
Bottom Line
If you want to earn your CIA certification by studying the recommended materials from the exam’s creators, Becker is an excellent option. You’re not getting a pass guarantee, but having the IIA co-create and co-sign on this course could be an even better indicator of potential success.
Think Becker CIA is for you?
FAQs
It’s co-developed with the IIA (the largest internal auditing organization) meaning the content aligns closely with the updated exam and includes exam-quality practice questions.
Yes—lecture videos are being released in phases starting May 2025, with all parts expected by July.
Definitely. It’s structured, beginner-friendly, and includes tools like a study planner and adaptive learning to guide your progress.
It analyzes your performance and focuses your study time on the topics you need most, improving efficiency and retention.
Yes—each exam part includes two full-length simulated exams that mirror the real CIA testing experience.
Bryce Welker is a regular contributor to Forbes, Inc.com, YEC and Business Insider. After graduating from San Diego State University he went on to earn his Certified Public Accountant license and created CrushTheCPAexam.com to share his knowledge and experience to help other accountants become CPAs too. Bryce was named one of Accounting Today’s “Accountants To Watch” among other accolades. As Seen On Forbes