What is the Becker Bump?

If you’re planning on taking the CPA Exam and are researching CPA Exam review courses, you may have heard other CPA-aspiring students mention the “Becker Bump.” Whether you’re wondering what it is or if it really works, it’s worth learning more to see if you can benefit from it, too. 

Defining the Becker Bump 

The phrase “the Becker Bump” started in online discussions among Becker students, when they noticed that they were scoring even higher on the real CPA Exam sections than they were on the simulated exams in their review course. 

This Becker Bump refers to the lift in your actual CPA Exam scores when compared to your simulated exam scores, after preparing with Becker CPA Exam review. 

For example, let’s say that you score 65 points on the simulated exam of your Becker TCP CPA Exam review. But when you take the TCP Exam section for real, you score 80 points. You have experienced the Becker Bump! 

Hear more about the Becker Bump from Becker's Senior Director of Instruction, Mike Potenza! 

Does it work? 

When we noticed the trending social topic of the Becker Bump, we started to crunch numbers. We wanted to see if we could bring our own data to the conversation and answer the question: Does the Becker Bump really work?

 Here’s what we found: 

We gathered the results from our Exam Day Ready^SM students who took the FAR exam section in the first quarter 2024. 

One student scored an average of 73.5 between Becker’s two simulated exams, but a 95 on the real FAR Exam—a bump of 21.5 points. Another scored an average 65 on the simulated exams and 94 on the real thing, seeing a huge bump of 29 points! 

While those are just two examples, in total, 1228 Becker Exam Day Ready^SM students self-reported their passing scores on the 2024 first quarter FAR exam section. Their average simulated exam score was just 73.01, while their actual exam score average was 83.10. This equates to an average Becker Bump of 10.09 points among these students! 

So, does it work? We let the numbers talk. 

What causes the Becker Bump? 

It’s important to note that each student may have a different experience with the Becker Bump, given that person’s situation, study habits, and any number of factors that influence scores. However, with this understanding, there are unique factors about Becker exam review that could influence the bump effect. 

1. Simulated Exam design 

Becker carefully creates simulated exams to mirror the CPA Exam in structure, length, and feel. When you take our simulated exam, you sit down for the same time frame and format that you will experience on the real exam. With this trial run under your belt and the knowledge of exactly what you’ll face during the real thing, you enter the CPA Exam with more confidence and ability to focus on the questions, rather than the test-taking process. 

2. Simulated Exam questions 

Our curriculum experts know the AICPA guidelines inside and out and design the simulated exam questions around the content that’s on the real CPA Exam. Not only in the number of questions, but also in the type and difficulty, Becker’s simulated exams give you an experience of the real thing (without all the pressure!). 

3. Simulated Exam difficulty 

Many students have reported that the Becker simulated exam is even more difficult than the real one. These students then find the actual CPA Exam to be easier than they expected, contributing to a better performance and higher score—i.e., a Becker Bump. 

What our students say 

The Becker Bump is a student-initiated term, so don’t take our word on whether or not it works. This is what real students share about their experiences with the Becker Bump: 

Try Becker FREE for 14 days

Get a free trial of our leading CPA Exam Review and see how we've helped nearly 2 million students pass their exams!

Start your free trial