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Posts Tagged ‘Gleim CPA review’

Reviewed and Updated January 15, 2012

Gleim CPA review provides many types of test preparation courses for various accounting and aviation certifications.  For the CPA exam, Gleim is commonly used for supplemental multiple choice questions (MCQs).  The company offers several different types of study materials for sale.

Audio Lecture CD’s – Gleim sells audio lectures on CD.  Each part of the CPA exam has 10 hours of lectures.  These lectures come on either 8 or 9 CDs depending on which part you are studying.  For all 4 parts, there are 34 CD’s in total.  These cost $90 per part or $360 for all 4 parts.

MCQ Software – The MCQ practice software is downloaded from the Gleim website.  It includes performance tracking so you know how well you are doing on the different exam topics and allows you to take simulated exams.  The software has over 8,000 MCQs.

• AUD – 2,000 MCQs
• BEC – 2,200 MCQs
• FAR – 2,100 MCQs
• REG – 2,500 MCQs

It costs $55 per part, or $220 for all 4 parts.

Simulation Wizard – This includes 20 simulations per part of the exam (or 20 essay questions for BEC).  These are accessed entirely online so you need an internet connection to use it.  It costs $90 per part or $360 for all 4 parts.

Online Review – This includes 18 months of online access to audiovisual presentations, true/false study questions, study outlines, multiple choice quizzes, and 1 task based simulation per part.  It costs $170 per part or $680 for all 4 parts.

Full Review – As part of the full review package, Gleim includes textbooks, MCQ software, audio lecture CD’s, simulation wizard access and access to a personal counselor.

  Price – $275 per part / $990 for all 4 parts

The Good

1. Price – At $990 for the full review for all 4 parts, it is the cheapest of any of the review courses.

2. Lots of MCQs – There are over 2,000 MCQs per part (8,000 in total).  This is well above every other review course.  The next-closest is CPAExcel with 6,000 MCQs.

3. Listen On The Go – The audio CD lectures can be listened to in your car, so you can get some study time in while commuting.

4. Windows Mobile Access – If you buy one or more sections of the full review, you get access to the MCQs on your Windows Mobile device.  This is nice for studying in places where you may not have your computer or books.

5. Free Mobile App – Gleim offers a free mobile app that includes a 40 question multiple choice test for each part (160 question total for all 4 parts).  It has a timer to simulate exam conditions and allows you to review correct and incorrect answers.

The Bad

1. Not A True Guided Review – Gleim only has 10 hours of lectures per part, or 40 hours in total for all 4 parts of the exam on the audio CD’s.  The other guided review courses (except Bisk) have 100 or more hours of lectures.

2. Difficulty – Gleim MCQs are notoriously difficult.  Many people who use Gleim in addition to another review course report they consistently get lower scores on the Gleim MCQs than on their other review course.  Keep this in mind if you use the Gleim materials.

3. No Ability To Ask Questions – There is no ability to contact instructors or get help with parts of the exam.  In the full review, you have access to a personal counselor, but this is more like a college adviser than an instructor.  The counselor can help you devise a study plan and offer motivation, but he or she is not an expert in the content of the exam.  If you have a question on pension accounting, you will have to look elsewhere.

4. No Pass Rates – Gleim does not publish the passing rates of its students.  It may be because this is difficult to track since Gleim has less interaction with its students than some of the more hands-on review courses or it may be because it is a low passing rate.  Whatever the case may be, it makes it difficult to determine how effective the materials are without actually using them to prepare for the exam, and then it may be too late.

5. MCQ Software Not Mac Compatible – Unfortunately, if you have a Mac, you cannot use the MCQ software.

The Bottom Line

In my opinion, Gleim is not robust enough to use if you are looking for a guided review course.  If you already know the exam topics well or are already using another review course, the Gleim MCQ software makes a good supplement if you need it.  I would definitely recommend signing up for the free mobile app to get a little extra studying in while you are on the go.

If you are looking for a guided review course that will give you a better chance to pass the exam, Yaeger is the best choice, in my opinion.  Check out my Yaeger review here.