N/T Gleim Study Products

[Terry D EA]

Now that I will be officially retired from my teaching job in two weeks, I have been looking into taking my tax practice to a higher level and seeking a EA recognition. Have been looking at Gleim and want to know what others think. Right now, they are offering 20% off the premier package which is a good deal. Opinions please.

[Lee B]

I used Gleim back in 1977 , helped me pass the final 2 parts of the CPA Exam

[ILLMAS]

I recommend Passkey, the study questions are almost exact as the EA exam and it’s less expensive.

[Terry D EA]

I looked for reviews of the PassKey courses and didn’t really find any. Pricing sounds good but is it comparable or close to Gleim?

[Catherine]

I used Gleim to study back in the early 2000's for the EA exam (back then, four parts, in two days, given only once a year and you waited three months for results).  Passed all four sections first try, thanks to Gleim.  I recommend them highly.  I recommended them to a young man looking to become an EA and he is very impressed and learning a lot both about the tax code but also about how to approach the testing.  That was also my experience; learning to recognize the no-right-answer questions, and learning to trust my FIRST response, were I think key to passing.  From Gleim I learned that every time I re-thought something, went back, and changed my answer, that 3/4 of the time the original was right and the change was wrong.  Far fewer overall wrong answers by not going back.  Phew!  Learning to trust that was a hurdle - that probably led to my passing all sections at once.

[Gail in Virginia]

I used Gleim when I took the EA exam in 1999, and like Catherine, I passed all four parts in the first attempt.  I was part of a study group organized by the VASEA that was using Gleim and found it very helpful.  I like the organized study group for forcing the pace and for having others to work with.  However, some people are better at self-study than others, so the group might not matter to you. 

When I took the test, I think all of the study materials relied heavily on published copies of previous tests for the practice tests and to guide the materials used.  In fact, when I actually sat for the exam I recognized some of the questions as being identical and there may have been more that were but that did not stand out as much.

GOOD LUCK!

[Patrick Michael]

I also used Gleim back in early 2000's and passed all the sections on the first try.  I found that I never used it to do representation work. In 2018 The IRS audited my CPE and disallowed one of my 8 hour courses because, even though the provider said they were an authorized CPE provider, they were not.  No mercy from the IRS and I would have to take the test again so I decided to forgo it.  Make sure you verify the credentials of the CPE providers! 

[Lion EA]

Good point, Patrick Michael. Now you can check on CEs uploaded to the IRS. Which reminds me that I haven't done that in a long time and should do it. Of course, keep your paper/electronic certificates, also. Look for the CE inside a square and the words IRS-APPROVED CONTINUING EDUCATION PROVIDER when registering for a course. But as PM says, make sure you know the provider or look them up to be sure. Also, CE usually means IRS/EA CEs while CPE usually means CPA CPEs, but that's just a clue.

[ILLMAS]

On 5/21/2021 at 8:37 PM, Terry D said:

I looked for reviews of the PassKey courses and didn’t really find any. Pricing sounds good but is it comparable or close to Gleim?

I started with Gleim, the review materials are fine, I just thought the chapter and exam questions were confusing and I was bombing every exam, I joined the Facebook EA exam group and someone that was having the same issue as me suggested Passkey.  Unfortunately Passkey was not online back when I used it and I had to buy the exam question book separately for each section, my confidence level went up after I started acing (everything is in paper, so you need grade yourself ) every single exam.  And as I mentioned before, the EA exam questions are identical to Passkey.

[Catherine]

On 5/24/2021 at 9:15 AM, Gail in Virginia said:

some people are better at self-study than others, so the group might not matter to you

Very true.  I am good at self-study and crammed for five weeks before the exams.  The totally unexpected side benefit was I had zero complaints about homework from my girls that entire school year; they had seen up-close and personal what real studying looked like!   

[Terry D EA]

Thanks for all the replies. Gleim seems to be the best choice. Right now they are offering 20% off and the first 72 hours of CPE is included. So, Gleim it is.

[Catherine]

Good luck, @Terry D!

[Gail in Virginia]

Terry, I don't know if you checked out the North Carolina Society of Enrolled Agents website, but hey have a SEE prep class coming up in July using the Gleim materials.  I don't know how the price compares for the class and materials, and just the materials, and I don't have any idea how it is taught or how you learn best.  I am sure you will do well either way!

[Lynn EA USTCP in Louisiana]

NAEA partners with Surgent for the SEE prep courses.

 

[Gail in Virginia]

I think individual chapters must have different partners, then because the NC site specifically mentions Gleim.

[Lion EA]

MASEA offers a virtual SEE Prep course: https://maseaonline.org/event-4306436

[Catherine]

On 5/27/2021 at 12:29 PM, Lion EA said:

MASEA offers a virtual SEE Prep course: https://maseaonline.org/event-4306436

Yup!  They had asked me to teach one of the modules, but the week I'm away teaching at Camp Constitution fell right in the middle of it, so I had to decline.