Course Rating: ★★★★★

Surgent EA Exam Review is an excellent choice for any student looking for a good study tool to help them become an Enrolled Agent. It’s affordable, filled with practice questions, and features powerful adaptive learning technology has helped many candidates pass the exam in the most efficient way possible.

Surgent prides itself on their course’s streamlined design that provides self-motivated students with the opportunity to learn as quickly and effectively as possible.

PROS

1. Adaptive Learning SoftwareAs students learn more about the EA exam, Surgent will learn more about their strengths and weakness. Thanks to the adaptive learning technology implemented by Surgent, this course becomes more effective the more you use it to study. Personalized study plans will match each student’s level of understanding and help to eliminate any sticking points. This specialized approach helps to eliminate any unnecessary studying and save students a great deal of time.

2. 14-Day Trial

Picking the right review course is an important decision that shouldn’t be rushed. Surgent understands this and gives all enrolled students the option to receive a full refund within 14 days, no questions asked. This is excellent for the unsure or indecisive student because it can help them to avoid investing in a course that doesn’t complement their learning style.

3. Clean, Easy-to-Use Course Design

Surgent’s study materials are all designed to be simple and free from distraction so that students can focus on what’s most important—passing their exams. Everything necessary to track a student’s progress is prominently displayed in the dashboard. All additional educational features contained in Surgent’s EA prep course are displayed with a similar level of clarity, preventing time being wasted in searching for specific study tools and material.

Surgent’s recently updated interface allows students to see how many hours they’ve spent studying, how many days they have left until taking the exam, and their overall progress score. Best of all, Surgent’s predominantly web-based setup allows students to jump in and out of their studies from anywhere at anytime.

4. Bilingual Practice Questions and Answer Explanations

The key to success is to put in the hours. When it comes to studying for the EA exam, or any certification test, that means going over lots and lots of practice questions. To meet this need, Surgent included over 1,800 multiple choice practice questions, in similar style to real exam questions, that have in-depth explanations into the reasoning for their answers. These explanations will often feature direct references to IRS publications and link to related glossary terms. The cherry on top is that Surgent happens to be the only Enrolled Agent review course out there that has answer explanations in Spanish, making it a valuable resource for Spanish-speaking students.

5. Low Cost

For their EA prep program, Surgent offers tools and material at $499 that are on par with other courses that will charge over $1000. As one of the more affordable options, Surgent is an attractive choice thanks to the sheer volume of educational material provided at such a low cost. For a student with the right amount of discipline and self-motivation, this material can easily provide them with the knowledge to pass the exam without needing to explore more costly options such as 1-on-1 tutoring or an in-person classroom course.

CONS

1. No Video Lectures

Studying with Surgent is done in the most efficient way possible, which is why there are no video lessons available. With an emphasis on providing opportunities to save time, the use of fixed-time resources such as a video file would be unintuitive and superfluous. Although the material provided by Surgent is enough to properly educate students on the EA exam without video content, those who are more comfortable with video-based learning tools will want to give this program a miss.

2. Limited Offline Features

In order to get the most out of Surgent’s EA prep materials, students will need to be connected to the internet and access their prep course on their computer. In all fairness, there are some features that are available to download, view offline, and print if necessary. However, the vast majority of features are only present in a digital online format which can be inconvenient to those without access to stable internet or with a slower connection.

Ideal User

Surgent EA Review is an ideal fit for self-motivated learners with a modern computer and internet connection that can take advantage of the adaptive learning software to create the most efficient study sessions possible. This course is even viable to students who speak English as a second language and are more comfortable reading in Spanish.

Surgent is also an excellent choice for students with a busy schedule. Whether it’s someone working full time that needs to squeeze in their study sessions between shifts or a full-time university student who has to juggle assignments from multiple classes, Surgent provides the flexibility to adjust their course to the individual’s needs.

Thanks to the adaptive learning features present in Surgent’s review program, any student can get the most out of their study tools regardless of their knowledge level. This course is designed to provide targeted education that matches a student’s experience level and addresses their weaknesses in order to save time during the studying process.

My Suggestion

Surgent is a big name in the test prep industry that is known for their powerful learning tools. With its newly updated user interface, their EA review course is highly efficient and boasts a success rate of roughly 80%. This course doesn’t come with an atrocious price tag and still provides a solid course that is efficient and innovative. Because of all this, I wholeheartedly recommend Surgent’s EA prep course for anyone looking to become an Enrolled Agent.

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Summary of Course Features

• More than 1,800 Multiple Choice Questions
• Adaptive Learning Software
• Web Based Review
• Answer Explanations Available in Spanish
• Downloadable Materials

Pricing

Surgent EA Exam Review Full Course (Includes Parts 1, 2, and 3)

Price: $499

Includes: Adaptive Learning Software, 1,800+ multiple choice questions, Up-to-Date IRS publications integrated into the software, Simulated Exam Mode, and Downloadable materials

• Price for individual exam parts: $189

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 Surgent EA Review Course Info

Course Rating: ★★★★★

Lambers EA Review course has prepared students for the EA exam since 2008 and is available in three basic formats: audio, video, and software. Although the course technology is somewhat out of date, students looking for a more traditional learning option will appreciate the audio and video course options.

PROS

1. Video Course

Lambers is one of the few EA courses that includes guided video lectures. EA candidates who prefer a more traditional review course and learn best by audio-visual means will appreciate being able to watch lectures, which are available in DVD, for iPod (MP4), and online formats.

The video lectures are presented by Arthur Reed, an instructor with over 20 years of experience in the industry. Even though the videos are relatively dated, Professor Reed is an industry expert who knows his topic extremely well. He also works hundreds of problems so that students can see how to solve questions step by step.

2. EA Audio Course

Lambers has created an Audio Review Course that you can download and listen to on your iPod. This option allows you to study while exercising, eating lunch, commuting to work, or during any other “non-traditional” study times. The audio course comes with CDs that can be loaded onto your computer and then synced to your iPod or any other MP4 media player.

Essentially, this option is the audio version of their Video Course coupled with an online workbook, which reinforces the material presented in the lectures. The audio course comes with free updates for up to one year after purchase.

3. Traditional or Electronic Workbook Sets

A set of textbooks with hundreds of test questions, examples, and outlines are designed to  accompany the lectures. The workbooks are easy to follow and the electronic workbooks that come with the iPod course include many questions used by the professors to measure your retention of the material that is most likely to come up on the exam.

4. Money Back Guarantee

Lambers offers a “No Pass No Pay Guarantee” that promises a refund for those who fail any corresponding exam twice after using their products. Please see the Lambers website for the specific requirements that must be met in order to qualify for a refund.

CONS

1. Dated Test Prep Software

Lambers EA software is very basic. The number of questions (in the hundreds) comes nowhere near the 3,000+ offered by competitors, and the course dashboard looks outdated and old-school. Pre-tests, adaptive drills based on your performance, and a simulated exam mode are available, but this part of the course should be updated if Lambers hopes to keep pace with the competition. The course software is available in an online or CD-based format.

2. Price

This course is relatively expensive, especially once the individual components are added together. Each feature is priced separately, and there are no package deals. For example, once you’ve added up the cost of the video course for all three parts ($900), the audio review courses ($600), the flashcards ($372), you’ve spent more than $1,800.

The “Ask The Expert” Service is overpriced at almost $300, given that it is basically a way to get your questions answered by emailing staff. Building a comprehensive course in order to have access to all or even most of the features is much more expensive than many package deals available from competitors.

Ideal User

Given the video and audio components of this course, Lambers is obviously aimed at audio-visual learners who prefer a traditional approach of listening to and watching recorded classroom lectures while following along and trying practice questions in the workbook. Students who would like to see exactly how individual types of questions are worked out one step at a time will get the most out of this type of program.

Self-motivated learners who are looking for thousands of practice questions and feedback or analysis based on their performance will prefer a larger test bank of questions and more up-to-date technological features.

My Suggestion

The biggest point in Lambers’ favor is that it is the only EA review company that currently offers both audio and video lectures. Course instructor Arthur Reed has a lot of industry experience that he shares in a straightforward manner in the video lectures. However the overall course doesn’t even come close to Gleim EA Review or Fast Forward Academy EA review which you can purchase for a much cheaper price.  I’d suggest that you save your money and choose a better overall enrolled agent course.
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Summary of Course Features

• Guided Video Lectures (online or CD-based)
• Audio Review Course Includes Downloadable CDs to Sync with iPod or MP3 player
• Test Prep Software with Hundreds of High Quality Questions
• Customizable Practice Exams
• Electronic Flashcards
• Traditional and Electronic Workbooks
• “Ask The Expert” Service
• Money Back Guarantee

Pricing

Lambers EA Review Video Courseware
Price: $299.95 each for Part 1, 2 or 3
Includes: Set of recorded classroom lectures available online or in CD-based format taught by professor Arthur Reed, MBA, CPA, MST, showing how to work out problems, step by step.

Lambers Review EA Test Prep Software
Price: $149.95 each for Part 1, 2 or 3
Includes: Adaptive test engine with high quality questions. Different modes of learning, including targeted simulation exercises and pre and post assessment exams.

Lambers Flash Cards
Price: $124.95 each for Part 1, 2 or 3 Flash Trainer
Includes: Electronic flashcards containing of 465+ key terms, formulas and definitions, including monitoring and feedback of your performance. Flash cards may also be printed out.

Lambers Audio Review
Price: $199.95 each for Parts 1, 2 or 3
Includes: Supplemental audio courseware designed for any MP3 compatible player that includes downloadable CDs to sync with iPod or MP3 player, workbooks used by course professors during training, and recordings of professors working out hundreds of problems and questions.

Lambers EA Review iPod Courses
Price: $299.95 each for Parts 1, 2 or 3
Includes: Set of recorded classroom lectures in MP4 format taught by Professor Arthur Reed, plus an electronic workbook.

Lambers “Ask The Expert” Service
Price: $299.95
Includes: Individual support via email from a Lambers subject matter expert to answer your specific questions and provide guidance.

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Lambers EA Breakdown