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See our breakdown of Gleim vs Roger CPA Review in an analysis of two of the most popular CPA Exam prep providers on the market today. Learn how we distilled the marketing hype into facts after over 100 hours of research and verification. You can use the Gleim vs Roger CPA Review scorecard to perform your own analysis, too.
Choosing the best CPA review course can be daunting. You’ve probably noticed that many folks praise Gleim while others stand by Roger CPA Review—and both sound convincing!
You may also have realized that some websites make money by recommending the providers that pay the biggest commission. Gleim’s passion lies in helping candidates pass the CPA Exam. So it’s only natural that we want to equip you to choose the CPA Exam prep materials that will serve YOU best.
Keep these questions in mind as you view the highlights comparing Gleim and Roger CPA review courses below:
Let’s look at Gleim vs Roger CPA Review in more detail, beginning with the highlights.
Dr. Gleim created the self-study CPA Exam Review industry over 40 years ago. As an accounting professor, he saw what his students needed to pass the CPA Exam. This passion to help future accountants continues to guide us.
Today Gleim remains focused on what we believe is going to help you pass the CPA Exam best:
Let’s walk through the research.
Members of our research team have used components of most major providers’ products before, including Roger CPA Review exam prep materials. But we didn’t want to simply rely on past impressions. We wanted to make sure our analysis was as accurate and up-to-date as possible. We put over 100 hours into comparing the most popular CPA review course providers, including Gleim vs Roger CPA Review, in a three-level deep investigation:
Generally, providers update CPA exam prep materials every year. We made sure our researchers were looking at the latest versions of both Gleim and Roger CPA Review courses.
Many CPA review providers offer products at different price points. To keep it fair, we compared the premium systems—the ones you are most likely to consider when you’re serious about passing the CPA Exam. In this case, we compared Premium Gleim CPA Exam Review materials to the Roger Elite package.
We included three levels of review to validate our findings:
Finally came the task of pulling it all together in a way that would be meaningful to you. Our aim was to present a balanced analysis to help you weigh the options yourself.
Some features are more important than others when it comes to passing the CPA Exam. This is important to know as you compare course providers.
We have studied which elements in a course are the most critical to passing the CPA Exam for over 40 years. We have found that, without a doubt, your practice questions and their answer explanations are the most critical variables in your CPA Exam success. Add to that strong course content, truly adaptive technology, and great coaching and support—and you have the optimal foundation for passing the CPA Exam.
Below we dig a little more into these features and why they are important. We also include notes on how these particular features play out in our analysis of Gleim vs Roger CPA Review.
Test Bank of Practice Questions
Gleim: 10,000+ vs Roger CPA Review: 6,200
Test banks should include two types of CPA Exam practice questions: task-based simulations (TBSs) and multiple-choice questions (MCQs).
The sheer number of questions in a test bank is important—as long as the questions are high quality. The CPA Exam can test on 229 topics that break down into roughly 600 representative tasks. No one knows what the actual questions will be—so you have to know them all. The more practice you can get, the better.
If you have fewer practice questions, you will miss opportunities to learn material as thoroughly as you should.
With large test banks, confirm that the provider hasn’t simply repeated questions and changed out the number; each question should teach you something new. Answer explanations can be a very powerful learning tool because they enable you to learn from your mistakes. These are the principles behind the test bank in the Gleim CPA Review. Many CPAs will tell you this was a major factor in their success.
Only perfect practice makes perfect. Practicing with questions that are as difficult as those on the actual test is important. Be sure to consider which review providers offer you the challenge you need in their test banks.
The questions and simulations in the [Gleim] review system seemed more challenging to me than the actual exams. I greatly appreciated that fact come exam day, as I felt well-prepared.
I felt the Gleim simulations were especially excellent preparation for the real exams.
Task-based simulations (TBSs)
Gleim: 1,300+ vs Roger CPA Review: ?
Task-based simulations (TBSs) test your ability to apply knowledge and judgment in practical situations. They are one of the most difficult aspects of the CPA Exam to prepare for.
And they are growing more and more important.
Recently the Exam has moved toward including more task-based simulations. They now make up 50% of your score on all Exam sections except BEC.
We counted 309 TBSs in the Roger CPA review course, though it does not specify a number publicly on its website. Gleim clocks in with 1,300 detailed simulations, more than four times Roger. Gleim also leads the industry with over 340 sims with exhibits and more than 75 document-review simulation questions.
Multiple-choice questions (MCQs)
Gleim: 10,000+ vs Roger CPA Review: ?
Gleim has the most comprehensive test bank of MCQs in the CPA Exam prep industry. We prepare each question with the goal to test—and teach—a new concept. Thousands of those are questions released by AICPA. Our answer explanations are thorough. They are a powerful way to learn concepts and reinforce understanding.
We couldn’t find a number specified in Roger materials but our verification team counted 5,006 MCQs at time of publishing, barely half of the Gleim MCQ test bank. Gleim includes more AICPA-released questions than Roger has total MCQs.
In addition, users will tell you they find Gleim’s practice questions more challenging than Roger’s.
Video Lectures
Gleim: 100+ hrs vs Roger CPA Review: 100+ hrs
Video lectures give you one more way to absorb and reinforce key study material. If you’re a visual learner, this may be especially important to you.
Gleim and Roger CPA Review offer roughly the same number of hours of video lectures. It’s worth noting that Roger is known for entertaining lectures, which can be very helpful for visual learners. The most recent version of Gleim is trending toward more dynamic video lectures, too.
Realistic Practice Exams
Gleim: YES vs Roger CPA Review CPA: NO
Almost every CPA review course includes practice exams. However, not all look and function the same as those you’ll have on test day.
Taking practice exams gives you confidence that you know the material. They can also help you get familiar with the test format and functionality.
Gleim makes sure its practice test interface looks and works just like the one you’ll see at Prometric when you sit for the real CPA Exam. We’ve heard from many CPA candidates that they appreciated getting used to the calculator and timer in our Practice Exams, for example, because they were just like those they had to use on test day.
Roger attempts to make its practice exam feel realistic with its CPA Exam Simulator. However, it excludes some features like the introductory section and Excel, and their calculator is different—seemingly small things that can actually make a big difference on test day.
The Gleim review system has effectively helped me to check where I am (my strengths vs my weaknesses) and to figure out what I need to do in order to fix my weaknesses. I can tell you with absolute confidence that Gleim worked best for me.
Access Until You Pass
Gleim: YES vs Roger CPA Review: YES
This may come as a surprise, but some CPA review course providers enforce limited-time access to their products. If this time expires, you need to pay more to regain access.
No one goes into the CPA Exam expecting to fail, but the low pass rates show that many still do. With Access Until You Pass® from Gleim, you can continue to use the materials as long as you need to. Roger CPA Review also offers a version of this guarantee. Both providers include free updates to the study materials during the time you are using the review course.
Support
Gleim: Individual vs Roger CPA Review: Group
Self-study can be isolating. A great CPA review system will include support to help you get to the finish line. This can include phone, live chat, and email support to help keep you motivated, answer subject matter questions, and assist with any tech support questions related to the course.
Some CPA Exam prep providers limit their support. The Gleim Premium CPA Review includes three types of support:
Roger CPA Review includes general customer support along with a homework help center. They do not assign a counselor to help you.
…I also like that that they [Gleim] assign a personal counselor to you to check in periodically. I felt that this helped me to be accountable and that I was not pursuing this alone.
Price
Gleim: $3,499 vs Roger CPA Review: $4,099
CPA Exam prep course prices don’t make much sense. The Gleim CPA Review Course provides the greatest value given the high-quality features offered for its price. Some other providers charge a higher price but offer discounts continually. And the highest priced option, Becker, only offers 18 months of access, requiring additional fees if you need more time.
Gleim offers its CPA Exam study materials at an affordable price purely because we believe in making CPA review materials accessible to all. That has been a guiding principle from our beginning more than four decades go.
Gleim offers incredible value for the budget-conscious. Roger CPA Review costs 50% more.
Adaptive Technology
Gleim: YES vs Roger CPA Review: NO
A truly adaptive system results in a unique, personalized study experience, like having a personal tutor. It serves you the content you need to learn according to your progress with the material.
Adaptive technology in the Gleim CPA Review, called SmartAdapt™, guides you to the material you need to improve your weak areas. It takes out the guesswork and efficiently drills down to the topics you need to practice, resulting in a course that’s tailored precisely to you. In fact, Gleim feels that personalization is such an important component for success that the company invested in building its own technology completely customized to the unique challenges you’ll face while studying for the CPA Exam.
Roger CPA Review announced in 2018 its new predictive data platform. This technology compares your progress to past Roger users. It lets you know how you fare relative to successful candidates’ score averages when you take a quiz. However, the Roger CPA review does NOT continually adapt with each question as you study. It shows a path based on others’ progress rather than adapting to YOUR unique needs.
Using the system just the way it is prescribed I ended up averaging an 87 across all four parts on the CPA exam, passing all on the first attempt.
In our scorecard of CPA course features, Gleim scores 14 to Roger’s 10.
As you consider which CPA Exam prep course is the best fit for you, first identify the features that will set you up for success. Only you know your study style and needs. Use the list above to compare foundational features across providers and consider any additional must-haves. Then finally look at the value—are you getting what you expect for the price?
Want more perspective as you sort through which CPA review course is best for you? Check out our new ebook: Choosing the Right CPA Review Course–or talk to us today. (Yes, you can talk to a real person!)
