HOCK CMA and Becker CMA: How Do These CMA Prep Course Reviews Differ?

If you’re taking the IMA CMA exam to become a Certified Management Accountant, have you considered HOCK CMA vs. Becker CMA? After all, most candidates need more CMA exam review resources than just the IMA study materials. But both Becker CMA and HOCK CMA have a solid reputation in the industry. So, this article will help you find the best CMA review course for your learning style. And near the end, you’ll find some HOCK CMA discounts and links to a Becker student discount for CMA review.

HOCK CMA vs. Becker CMA Comparison Chart

Who Wins? Becker CMA or HOCK CMA?

Honestly, the contest between HOCK and Beckers CMA is a toss-up. They are both good CMA review courses with engaging videos, high-quality learning materials, and good personal support. but still, Becker CMA Review is a stronger course than HOCK.

History of Becker and HOCK CMA Review Courses

HOCK International CMA has been around for about 20 years. Brian HOCK actually began teaching CMA prep reviews in Russia in 2000. But by 2003, he started HOCK International and attracted the attention of CMA candidates worldwide. Since most people are used to learning in a classroom setting, he created engaging videos that replicate that experience. Today, HOCK CMA review is used by international and U.S.-based candidates alike. Users also appreciate that HOCK is more affordable than some of the other top CMA courses on the market.

Becker is another well-known name in the accounting field. Although Becker offered a CMA review course in the past, the company was actually using material licensed by an outside vendor. However, Becker has completely revamped its CMA reviews. Today, the CMA Becker materials come from Becker’s team of in-house experts. For example, the Becker CMA book is new, and so are the other CMA review materials. And the quality now matches Becker’s high standards.

HOCK CMA vs. Becker CMA Interface

Before we get into the nitty-gritty details of each course’s learning tools, let’s talk about the overall platform and user experience.

The HOCK approach

When you start your HOCK CMA reviews, you’ll first set up your PassMap Interactive study plan. Basically, this planner outlines your lessons and assigns due dates for each. This way, you stay on track and don’t have to worry about missing any content.

Each HOCK lesson suggests videos to watch, material to read, and practice questions to answer. And finally, HOCK’s courses include four mock exams. The mock exams also include questions that you’ve never seen in the course before. Taking one of these exams is the only way to know if you’re ready for the real thing.

Becker’s Adapt2U Technology

The CMA Becker review course uses adaptive software: Adapt2U Technology by Sana Labs. Here’s a quick summary of how it works. When you start to answer questions in your course, the software quickly picks up on what concepts you’ve mastered and what you haven’t. On your online course dashboard, you’ll see your personal progress report. Basically, this indicates how close you are to being ready for the CMA exam.

And then, depending on how well you’re doing on the Becker CMA MCQ quizzes, the software will suggest lessons targeted to boost your weak areas. That is, Becker won’t push you to study the topics you already know. So, in the end, you could study for fewer hours if you study with Becker.

Becker CMA Materials Compared to HOCK CMA Materials

Video and Audio Lectures

A lot of candidates like to do the bulk of their CMA review through videos. Therefore, the quality of videos in your CMA course is essential. Thankfully, both Becker and HOCK CMA exam prep have developed top-notch video lectures.

Brian Hock himself leads all of the HOCK videos. So really, if you go with HOCK CMA, you study with Brian himself. And he’s truly a passionate teacher, too. He’s been doing this for over 20 years, so he knows how to break down concepts in a way you can understand. What’s more, the HOCK lectures have Closed Captioning. This way, you can read the information while Brian talks. And since you’re hearing, reading, and listening to the content simultaneously, you’re much more likely to remember it.

But the Becker videos are good, too. To start, Becker’s instructors include CMAs and experienced professionals across the accounting, law, and business fields. Plus, Becker’s videos are short, and each one only covers one topic. Moreover, you won’t get bored watching long videos that cover too much ground. Right now, Becker’s Part 1 course has 35+ video hours, and Part 2 has 20+ hours. And since Becker also gives you the slides too, you can follow along while watching the lectures.

Neither CMA course includes audio lectures. However, both HOCK and Becker CMA exam prep includes in-depth videos.

Access Length

Access length is an important factor to consider in your CMA review. After all, many online courses are only available to you during a certain time period. Therefore, you might be rushed to study if you pick a course only available for a limited time. So courses with unlimited access are best to avoid costly re-purchase fees if you need more study time.

However, both Becker’s CMA Review Pro and HOCK’s CMA Exam Review Complete have unlimited access.

Help from Experts

Becker’s personal support comes in three forms with the CMA Review Pro course. First, each user gets five one-on-one academic tutoring sessions. Each session lasts an hour and is held virtually. Second, users can also take LiveOnline classes. If you participate in these webinars, you can reach an instructor in real time. So basically, it’s just like sitting in a real classroom. And finally, Becker also has a portal that provides additional academic support. Students can get detailed answers to specific questions within the course through the CMA Academic Support Form, which is available on Becker’s website. 

HOCK, however, doesn’t have tutoring. Instead, you can post a question to the HOCK Student Forum. Once you do, an expert will answer your question immediately. Additionally, you can search through previous posts. You’ll often find that your question has already been discussed in another post. What’s more, HOCK CMA also offers unlimited email support with the HOCK team, so you’re never far from help.

Plus, HOCK now offers HOCK Events. The HOCK Events include free webinars, live short courses, and deep dive courses. All the events occur over Zoom, and participants can interact with HOCK’s CMA experts. Plus, you can practice answering MCQs and essays, too. What’s more, any HOCK student who purchases the Review Complete course can take the live short courses for free. The deep dive courses are only available for an additional cost, though. (You can find a list of courses on the HOCK website.)

Flashcards

The HOCK and Becker CMA review materials include flashcards with their premium courses. Becker has about 500 digital flashcards, and HOCK gives you 656. But still, although flashcards can be useful CMA study tools, remember that you learn best when you make your own.

Mobile App

Some CMA exam review courses have developed propriety apps that go along with their courses. Becker has one, but HOCK does not. An app is a nice thing to have, but still, it’s not a major detail. After all, both companies have made their materials compatible with tablets, smartphones and desktop or laptop computers. Therefore, as long as you have an internet connection, you can access your CMA course review anywhere.

CMA Books

Outside of video lectures, most CMA candidates do most of their learning through books. Consequently, the best CMA review companies put a lot of thought and time into developing their textbooks.

The CMA review HOCK courses come with the HOCK CMA Guide PDF. In other words, it is essentially a digital textbook. Or, you can opt to purchase hard copies for an additional price. The HOCK CMA book breaks down concepts well, so even candidates with limited accounting experience will benefit. Plus, the HOCK books—all 1,260 pages between HOCK CMA Part 1 and HOCK CMA Part 2!-have plenty of space for taking notes. Therefore, it’s especially helpful to take notes in the textbooks while watching the video lectures.

Both the Becker CMA Part 1 and Becker CMA Part 2 books are brand new this year. And with the Becker CMA Review Pro package, you don’t have to pay extra for printed books because both printed and digital versions are included. But since the books are hot off the press, our readers haven’t been able to report on them yet. So if you study with Becker, drop up a line and tell us what you think about the new Becker CMA study materials!

Multiple-Choice Questions and Essays

Both Becker and HOCK CMA prep gives you enough practice MCQs and essays to get you exam-ready. For example, the high-quality Becker questions mimic what you’ll see on the CMA exam. HOCK’s CMA Exam Review Complete course comes with about as many MCQs as Becker’s, but remember that the questions’ quality is also important. For instance, in each practice MCQ, HOCK explains both the correct and the incorrect answers. In fact, HOCK is one of only two courses on the market that has this feature. (Gleim is the other one.)

(And P.S.—If you’re looking for some free questions, the IMA CMA exam prep materials include questions from old exams. Or, discover free CMA MCQs from I Pass the CMA Exam.)

HOCK CMA vs. Becker CMA Pass Rates

Right now, we can’t really compare the users’ pass rates for HOCK CMA vs. Becker CMA. First, since Becker’s revamped CMA course just came out in 2021, not enough Becker users have taken the exam yet to be able to calculate a pass rate. Second, HOCK doesn’t make that information available to the public.

Still, we have an entire article dedicated to understanding the CMA exam pass rates. It goes over the passing rate for the CMA exam by section. Plus, it also has tips for ways to increase your CMA exam score.

Learning Styles for Becker CMA vs. HOCK CMA Review

Although they are both strong courses, Becker’s and HOCK’s reviews reach a different kind of CMA candidate. Because the HOCK videos are so good, visual learners might find more success with HOCK. After all, watching the HOCK videos is like having a class with Brian Hock himself. In addition, HOCK could be better for international candidates. Why? Above all, the books and learning materials are all easy to follow, even for someone who isn’t a native English speaker. And above all, the Closed Captioning feature on the videos makes them even better to learn from.

On the other hand, Becker could be better for anyone who likes self-study but also needs the option of tutoring sessions. Even people who learn well from textbooks or video lectures can still come across tricky problems. And although HOCK has the Student Forum, there’s still nothing like personal access to a Becker expert who can sit down and answer your questions one-on-one.

HOCK CMA Discounts and Becker CMA Discounts

With our discounts, studying for the CMA exam is more affordable than ever!

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Becker CMA Discount Advantage CMA Study Prep

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Becker CMA Discount Pro Package

Save with this Becker CMA Pro discount code.

Becker CMA Pro Discount: Save 40% on CMA Prep + 30% Discount on IMA Membership and CMA Entrance Fee

Who Should You Pick? HOCK CMA vs. Becker CMA?

So as you can see, HOCK CMA vs. Becker CMA is just about a tie, but Becker still comes out on top. They both have access until you pass the CMA exam and high-quality videos, books, and other CMA review materials. We knocked Becker’s score because of affordability, but the price point drastically drops with our Becker CMA coupon. And then, we scored HOCK a little lower in the “help from experts” category and in the course quality. Although HOCK has the Student Forum, the company doesn’t offer Becker’s personalized tutoring sessions.

We’ve also compared Becker vs. Gleim CMA and Becker vs. Wiley CMA, and you may want to give them a read if you’re still unsure of your CMA prep course choice.

Our Conclusions about HOCK CMA vs. Becker CMA

Both Becker and HOCK have helped lots of CMA candidates pass their exams the first time. And in this case, I wouldn’t say there is a “best” course when comparing HOCK CMA vs. Becker CMA. But if you still have questions after reading this article, drop us a line!

Should I buy Becker CMA if I already have HOCK CMA?

Some CMA candidates claim there is a difference between studying for the CMA and studying for the CMA with Becker. So if HOCK isn’t working out for you, check out the Becker CMA free trial.

Next Steps to Find Your CMA Review Course

Looking for more information about picking a CMA review course and passing the CMA exam? Give these articles a read:

• How to Study for the CMA Exam
• Accounting Tutoring
• Free CMA Exam Materials