[Anonymous]

I am considering Gleim CPA Review… is it legit? Do you think it can help me pass the CPA Exam?

 

 

[cmcook]

I'm a believer in Gleim. If you can survive Gleim, you can pass these exams on the first try. (Well, I've only taken 2 sections but I really believe this).

[Wannafree]

I used Gliem in AUD and passed.Currently using for FAR but also Beckers and Ninja mCQ.I feel Gliem is good .

[Anonymous]

I've been using Gleim without supplementation since September of 2016. I passed AUD, failed BEC, then barely passed FAR and BEC on limited study time before the new changes came out. I was a huge fan of Gleim's old system because I had more control and an easier time navigating around. Now I am studying for REG using the new SmartAdapt system. I am not a fan of it so far but am going to stay the course and trust the system. I think I'm just grumpy that I'm going to waste all of May inside my study instead of spending it outdoors.

[NattySD]

^^ @mtaylo24, Good question, the new format they use is really confusing. I'm in the Smart CPA section, I don't even see Test Prep. Do you have Premium Gleim? I don't, maybe that's why. To study, I jump around everywhere and follow my own “suggested learning.” For my first test, I followed theirs for the first 50-75% (the old one), but later felt I had wasted a lot of time with parts such as the diagnostic quizzes. Now, I'm going straight to reading, then one MCQ, then move on. After I'm through related SUs, I'll practice MCQs and one SIM for each before moving on to the next big topic. For BEC, I'm also not going in the order they suggest, I did IT first since that's something I haven't really studied. Then I did Econ, and now at cost accounting in SU18-20 (the topics I find more interesting, to help avoid procrastination earlier on, which I'm very good at..).

[mtaylo24]

@NattySD, For test prep you have to go to a subunit and select testing and there is a really small option for custom quiz that will take you to test prep. They are probably trying to phase test prep out as they want us to follow their suggested steps.

I went at my own pace, studying what I wanted to, i pretty declined every diagnostic quiz lol. I flew through an exam rehearsal super quickly to see what this final review mode was. Basically its where the lightbulb in SmartCPA navigates you through the program and tells you which weak areas you should hit. It would recommend areas where you should focus, rather than wasting time on what you already know…so they will recommend for you to read a chapter, then recommend for you to take a quiz on another chapter, then recommend for you to do sims for another chapter.

AUD - 1st - 60 (12/12), 61 (2/13), 61 (8/13), 78! (11/15)
REG - 55 (2/16) 69 (5/16) Retake(8/16)
BEC - 71(5/16) Retake (9/16)
FAR - (8/16)

[NattySD]

@mtaylo24 Good to know, thanks for the tip! Looks just like the old format. I'm not following their lightbulbs right now, but I do like their adaptive learning so far. Trying to get through all the material first at my own pace/order, once I'm through I'll follow their recommendations more/focus on the weak areas they identify for me. Was the navigation through weak areas in the final review mode? Or exam rehearsal? I haven't gotten to either of those yet.

[Ag12thman]

How readable are the Gleim textbooks? I keep hearing there is far too much information in them. Truth?

FAR: July 2016

[NattySD]

@Ag12thman There is definitely a lot of information in them and they are very dry. They are straight to the point though and I think they do a good job of covering everything. I prefer my materials to be more on the technical side and really thorough, so for me their textbooks work great. It seems most people don't like them though, so I guess it really depends on your own personal learning style. I wouldn't say it's far too much information, personally I think it helped my overall grasp and understanding having all this information (although I don't have any other materials to compare to, so who's to say).

One thing Gleim has changed for the new exam when you read the book online is the addition of 5-7 sets of “focus questions” following every few pages. I find it really helpful to get that reading break so often, and I think it's a big improvement over just trying to read 30 pages in a row before focus questions like the format used to be. It definitely helps with the dryness lol.

[mtaylo24]

The book is way better than it used to be. I like what they did to the ebook, not quite the coloring book that becker offers, but they did improve the font and they now provide plenty of breaks like @NattySD mentioned

AUD - 1st - 60 (12/12), 61 (2/13), 61 (8/13), 78! (11/15)
REG - 55 (2/16) 69 (5/16) Retake(8/16)
BEC - 71(5/16) Retake (9/16)
FAR - (8/16)

[Ag12thman]

@mtaylo24 and @NattySD – thank you both for your helpful posts regarding the Gleim textbooks.

My follow-up question — Is Gleim still a read-the-book sort of course? I know they have incorporated some videos now, too, so that’s why I ask. Is it primarily a course that still encourages reading the textbooks and then working problems? Or has it gone “Becker” and now encourages more video-watching???

Really appreciate all the help!

FAR: July 2016

[Anthony]

If you're looking for good lectures Gleim isn't the place. They are boring, dry and long. All they do is have some guy pretty much read off the book.

Where Gleim really shines is the mcq/sims. If you're looking for a good ass kicking then no need to look further.

[mtaylo24]

@Ag12thman

They are big on their suggested steps. For each chapter, they want you to:

Diagnostic

1. Take a diagnostic 20 question mcq quiz

Learning

2. Watch the lecture (if you bought premium), listen to audios (both pretty much are word-for-word the same as the text)
3. Read the Text, then do Focus questions (T/F), then JEs (FAR)

Performance

4. Take a 20 questions MCQ quiz
5. Do 5 simulations for that chapter

AUD - 1st - 60 (12/12), 61 (2/13), 61 (8/13), 78! (11/15)
REG - 55 (2/16) 69 (5/16) Retake(8/16)
BEC - 71(5/16) Retake (9/16)
FAR - (8/16)

[NattySD]

@Ag12thman I would say it's more of a “solve tons of MCQs/SIMs” type of study of course. I agree with @Anthony, Gleim's MCQs and SIMs are hard, and they will definitely prepare you for the test. The books give you a ton of information, and doing the MCQs/SIMs after reading is where you really learn and understand the material. Their answer explanations are really thorough, and it's one of the best features of Gleim imo.

They do encourage watching the videos and following their suggested study steps, especially with the new exam format (they've made it very difficult to navigate around and go in an order other than what they suggest, this “feature” is pretty annoying). I don't have premium or the video lectures available, and I honestly don't think they would provide me any benefit if I'm already reading and doing MCQs/SIMs.

[loveandbeloved]

I'm using Gleim. They are known for being super detailed, but I would prefer to be overprepared than underprepared. I've only taken BEC so far, and my initial thoughts of taking the real exam were, “Ummm, Is this for real? That was a lot easier than I thought it would be.” I felt the questions I encountered in Gleim were a lot harder! I honestly couldn't believe that they would actually ask some of the basic questions on the real exam. I hope to feel the same way when I take my other exams. We'll see…. Since the Gleim videos are horrible, if I'm not able to grasp the information when I study for REG and FAR, I'll probably look into Roger's videos since it would be nice to hear someone explain some of these concepts in a not so formal manner like Gleim does.

[radek05]

I used Gleim only and passed all exams for the first time. I prefer books and test questions. Test, test and test. And doing simulations. I didn't watch videos or listened to CDs. I liked Gleim a lot, but I cannot compare with other providers.

[Author]

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