5 Best Enrolled Agent Review Courses – 2026 EA Exam Prep
Finding the right Enrolled Agent (EA) course can feel overwhelming, with so many options out there, each claiming to be “the best.”
The truth is, there isn’t a single “best” course for everyone—each one is designed a little differently and fits certain learning styles better than others. The key is to choose a course that matches your study style and fits seamlessly into your schedule.
For instance, if you’re short on time, look for a course with bite-sized lessons that you can squeeze in whenever you have a few minutes. Or, if you learn best by watching videos, choose a program with plenty of video content. The right course won’t just help you pass the EA exam—it’ll save you time and make studying less stressful.
That’s why I’ve reviewed all the top EA courses, breaking down their strengths, features, and unique benefits to help you find the perfect match. After all, you’ve got an exam to pass—choosing your study materials should be the easy part!
Top 5 Best EA Exam Review Courses in July 2026:
- Becker EA Review Course
- Gleim EA Exam Review Course
- Surgent EA Review Course
- Lambers Enrolled Agent Review Course
- Fast Forward Academy Enrolled Agent Review Course
Becker EA Review Course
I think Becker’s Enrolled Agent course is a fantastic choice if you’re serious about passing the EA Exam. It’s packed with features that make studying more efficient and even enjoyable. With personalized Adapt2U technology, LiveOnline classes, tons of practice questions, and expert-led videos, Becker gives you all the tools to truly understand the material and make the most of your study time.
The Adapt2U tech is one of the best parts. As you move through the course, you learn where you’re strong and where you need more practice, then adjust your study plan to focus on what matters most for you. With 3,000+ practice questions and a super easy-to-use platform, Becker makes sure you’re building confidence with every session.
Flexibility is another big win. Becker is fully mobile-friendly, so you can study wherever you are. Need help? Their 24/7 academic support has you covered. If you go for the Prime Subscription, you get evening and weekend webcasts, CPE-credit podcasts, and a compliance tracker—perfect for balancing a busy schedule.
Key features:
- 3,000+ practice questions
- 3 mock exams
- Customizable study planner
- Unlimited course access
- Pass guarantee
- Newt AI Assistant
- Adapt2U Technology
Pros
-
Adapt2U Technology uses your own progress to target weak areas to improve test scores. -
Unlimited access to course content for premium and pro packages. -
Mobile-friendly platform to make on the go studying easy. -
All packages offer unlimited academic support.
Cons
-
Pass guarantee is not available for all the course packages. -
Course packages are not as budget-friendly as others. -
Live virtual classes are only available in the Pro package
Bottom Line
Becker is my top choice because not only are the study materials thorough and up-to-date, but I also had support from expert instructors and a program that learned my strengths and weaknesses as I worked through it. If you’re a student who wants high quality across all aspects of your review course, Becker is the right choice for you.
Gleim Enrolled Agent Course
Gleim has been providing extremely comprehensive enrolled agent study guides and review courses for decades. Furthermore, they are widely recognized as one of the best courses and most comprehensive study materials because of their thorough approach to presenting the information. It’s pretty much impossible to go through a Gleim course and not understand the topics. Yes, it is that in-depth.
Gleim has the largest collection of study materials for EA candidates: over 3,900 multiple-choice questions, more than 1,200 true and false questions, and over 450 video lectures taught by a university professor and tax professional.
If you’re worried about making your way through this gargantuan course, take note of the SmartAdapt technology that’s been integrated into every aspect of it. This is designed to save you time by identifying which areas you need to spend the most time studying while also keeping you motivated with progress trackers.
You also get access to a personal counselor who will help keep you motivated, on schedule, and understanding the information in the study text. This is a huge benefit that other courses don’t offer.
Ultimately, I think this is the best overall course and would recommend it to anyone who is serious about passing the EA exam quickly and wants great EA study materials. It even includes a full final exam review that you can use to prep yourself before your exam day. This is a great course. 🙂
Key features
- Expert-led video lessons
- Final Review feature to review weak areas right before the exam.
- Digital flashcards and textbooks
- Audio lectures
- Access Until You Pass guarantee
- Free continuing education (CE) courses included with purchase.
- Largest question bank amongst competitors
Pros
-
Largest question bank with previous questions released by IRS included. -
Multiple mock exams per exam section. -
72 hours of free CE courses with select packages. -
Offers individual courses for each part of the exam if you don’t need the full review.
Cons
-
To get a proper exam prep course with the tools and material you need you almost have to buy the Premium package because the others lack the same level of preparation. -
Gleim uses questions that are more difficult than the actual exam, which can be overwhelming. -
12-months of access may not be enough study time for some students.
Bottom Line
Gleim is highly praised for its extensive question bank and SmartAdapt tech, which create a personalized learning experience that builds confidence for the actual exam. Students looking for intense, challenging exam prep will find that Gleim’s material is exactly what they need.
Surgent EA Review Course
Surgent’s enrolled agent exam prep is a handy tool for Enrolled Agent hopefuls. Additionally, the program has a relatively low cost and lots of materials designed to cut study time and maximize learning. Furthermore, this course has awesome features like adaptive learning software, user-friendly course design, and a wealth of practice questions to test your knowledge.
The adaptive learning tech that the platform is built on learns about the user’s strengths and weaknesses as they begin to move through the study material. Next, a personalized study plan is generated to help the student overcome any weak points in their EA knowledge. This feature, combined with Surgent’s user-friendly design and hundreds of practice questions, is what contributes to this Surgent program’s phenomenal EA exam pass rate: over 80%. New financing is available for Surgent EA, starting from $44/month.
There aren’t too many negatives associated with Surgent’s EA review course. It’s a low-cost and personalized study material. For a while, the only real setback to this course was the lack of additional features for students who might need more help than their current offerings. However, Surgent’s brand-new Ultimate Pass fixed this issue by including several appealing new benefits for EA candidates.
Some of these features are small enhancements to existing ones, such as physical versions of their digital textbooks and flashcards. They’ve also added some extra video content to their already expansive library, as well as some audio lectures. But what’s most appealing about this new package is their Ultimate Customer Support and EA Exam Expert access. With these two additions, you can now receive hands-on instruction equivalent to your own private tutor.
Key features
- 2,000+ MCQs with answer explanations
- ReadySCORE tech that scores your mock exam with a 98% accuracy to the real exam.
- Unlimited practice exams
- 60+ bite-sized videos with lecture study notes included
- Unlimited course access until you pass
- Audio lectures
- Textbooks or eBooks and flashcards
Pros
-
All packages have money-back pass guarantee -
Mobile-friendly platform -
1:1 coaching available -
Adaptive ReadySCORE and predictive AI tech to optimize progress.
Cons
-
The question bank is smaller than other courses available. -
Only the test bank package has lengthy access (24-months). -
Students find that the content can be repetitive compared to other courses.
Bottom Line
Surgent’s prep course for the EA exam is a solid choice, thanks to its adaptive technology, flexible study tools, and high pass rates. This course is a good fit for students looking for a self-study learning environment, especially since it lacks live classes. Despite this, Surgent’s course is high-quality and personalized for each student.
Lambers EA Review Course
Lambers has offered enrolled agent exam courses for decades. They are definitely an industry leader in some respects. In other respects, they aren’t that great.
Their course is one of the most full-featured study guides and includes tons of extras and options that other companies don’t. For example, a recent redesign helmed by their subject matter expert Eva Rosenberg includes a robust study routine similar to the kind of adaptive learning technology you’d find with Surgent.
Another convenient aspect of Lambers EA Review is their reasonable pricing. Students can purchase their entire catalog for under $1,000, but they also offer smaller course packages for under $400. This is perfect for students who only need to brush up on a few specific aspects of the exam and don’t want to spend too much on their course materials.
Ultimately, the only thing really holding back this course from a higher ranking is their bog-standard content. Students interested in a traditional educational program should find the video lectures and flashcard software sufficient. However, when compared to offerings from Wiley and Surgent, there’s not much that Lambers provides to offer a better product. Still, you can do a lot worse!
Key features
- 2,100+ practice questions with detailed explanations that are updated with every new exam year
- 55+ hours of video lectures
- 450+ digital flashcards
- Adaptive tech that personalizes your study plan as you progress.
- Pretest, Adaptive Drill, and Simulated modes of study to gauge, teach, and prepare you for the real exam.
- Expert instructors that can be contacted at any time.
Pros
-
Lambers has 50+ years of experience teaching with 30+ years of experience making EA exam prep courses. -
Individual packages means you can customize your study material to exactly what you need. -
Expert guidance from a renowned tax expert, Eva Rosenberg -
The video lectures are thorough with quizzes at the end to reinforce what you learned.
Cons
-
This program is not budget-friendly, with each individual exam part course being $500+, which can be costly unless you go with bundle options. -
Lecture videos are dry, making it difficult to stay engaged. -
Textbooks and flashcards are not updated for free, so some of the material is outdated unless you repurchase them
Bottom Line
Lambers has over half a century of experience in tax-related exam preparation, which has built its impressive reputation all on its own. Students looking for customizable study packages will find the individual course packages appealing. However, Lambers’ courses lack the adaptive tech and comprehensive material you can find in other courses.
Fast Forward Academy EA Review Course
Fast Forward Academy offers innovative enrolled agent classes, and has taken the idea of efficient learning to new heights. Essentially, they have pioneered and perfected the adaptive learning course that actively tests you to decrease your study hours. Overall, FFA produces great EA study material.
Fast Forward Academy EA review’s adaptive course uses software that tracks your answers to understand your knowledge of the subjects. Consequently, once it knows your strong areas and weak ones, it tests your weak areas to improve them. This way you aren’t going over topics that you already understand a million times.
The Fast Forward EA test bank is the second largest and includes over 3,100 multiple-choice and essay questions. This is particularly important because you don’t want to review the same questions over and over to the point that you memorize them.
Additionally, FFA’s analytics are also extremely detailed, as they are part of the adaptive course. And on the subject of adaptive learning, their newly added digital flashcards are fully customizable. This means that students are free to organize their premade decks into ones that focus exclusively on their personal study needs.
Unlike most of the other EA study material, Fast Forward also includes video lectures that discuss the most difficult topics covered in the course. Basically, if you learn better by watching a teacher or listening to a lecture, this is a great course for you.
Also included is a full set of printed and electronic textbooks.
Key Features
- Second largest question bank with over 3,100 multiple-choice and essay questions
- 155+ Audio Lectures
- Bootcamp webinars
- Digital flashcards
- Mobile-friendly platforms
- Access till you pass
- IRS publications
- Instructor support
- eBooks
Pros
-
All courses include access until you pass, including updated material. -
Audio lectures can be listened to during commutes or daily tasks like making dinner or cleaning house -
Fast Forward Academy’s online forum creates a community as well as a hub for students to ask questions and get answers from experts. -
The Bootcamp webinars break down each exam part with thorough instructions from experts.
Cons
-
Video content is not as up to date as some of the other study materials. -
Another program that is not budget-friendly. -
Good coverage on basic topics, but lacks the same kind of depth as other competitors.
Bottom Line
Fast Forward Academy is a good choice for students looking for community and on-the-go studying. It supports a highly praised online community centered on Q&A forums where students can talk to each other about topics and get answers from experts. If you’re looking for unlimited practice and an online community, this is a good choice.
Honorable Mentions
Hock International Passkey: Highly praised review course, but lacks interactive experience that you can get with the courses listed above.
My Tax Course Online: A good choice for students looking for self-study courses, but lacks the adaptive tech you’d find in other programs.
Which Enrolled Agent Review Course Is The Best?
Best EA Review Courses of 2026 – Comparison Guide
| EA Review Courses | Best Feature | Discounted Price |
|---|---|---|
| Becker EA Review | Best All-in-One Study Package | $499 |
| Surgent EA Review Course | Best for Unlimited Practice Exams | $499 |
| Fast Forward Academy EA Review Course | Adaptive Learning Technology | $499 |
| Gleim EA Review Course | Best Analytics | $799 |
| Lambers EA Review Course | Flashcards | $599 |
Common FAQs about Enrolled Agents
The exam is broken into three separate parts, with each part being 4 hours long with 3.5 of those hour being the actual exam time.
Unlike most other professional designations, there are no educational prerequisites for becoming an enrolled agent. Although you don’t need a college degree or diploma, you must prove your competency for tax-related matters. There are two ways to do this: you can either pass the Special Enrollment Exam (EA exam), or have a minimum of 5 years of IRS experience.
Most likely, you will spend over 100 hours preparing for the EA exam. One review course provider tells their EA candidates to budget about 50 study hours for Part 1, 40 hours for Part 3, and 85 hours for Part 2. Most candidates find that studying for 2-3 hours a night for about a month is sufficient for passing the EA exam.
To be an enrolled agent, there are testing fees, enrollment fees, and maintenance fees. For the testing fees, each part of the EA exam will cost $182 (there are 3 parts), paid when you schedule the exam. The enrollment fee is a $30 fee paid to the IRS after successfully passing the exam. Maintenance fees include licensing and continuing education costs, and generally aren’t more than $200-300 a year. If you choose to use a professional study review (which we recommend), there are also costs associated with those too. Learn more here.
An entry-level enrolled agent with up to five years of experience can typically expect to earn an average of $42,000 per year. A mid-level enrolled agent with between five and 10 years of experience can generally expect to earn an average salary of $50,000. A senior-level enrolled agent with between 10 and 20 years of experience can typically expect to earn an average salary of $55,000. Agents with more than 20 years of experience may see a pay raise up to $60,000 per year.
How To Become an Enrolled Agent:
- You must have a Personal Tax Identification Number (PTIN)
- Study for the Special Enrollment Examination (SEE)
- Register for the Special Enrollment Exam
- Take the IRS SEE
- Apply for enrollment and pass a tax compliance check
- Update your professional information
