Lambers EA Review

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 Although the course technology is somewhat out of date, students looking for a more traditional learning option will appreciate the audio and video course options.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

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. 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. 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. 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

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of questions (in the hundreds) comes nowhere near the 3,000+ offered by competitors, and the course dashboard looks outdated and old-school.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. 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. 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.