How we rank EA review courses
Last checked October 22, 2026 · Sources: the IRS enrolled agent FAQ and PSI’s candidate bulletin for exam facts; providers’ own pages for features and prices, labeled as reported where we couldn’t see them.
This page explains how we rank EA review courses. We rate each course out of 5 with the same six-category rubric we use across the site, based on what the provider publishes and the consensus of third-party reviews. Ratings are our editorial assessment, not hands-on tests, and each review shows its category breakdown. We take exam facts only from the IRS and its testing vendor, PSI.
The rubric
| Category | Weight | What we look at for the EA |
|---|---|---|
| Question bank | 25% | Volume and depth of explanations across all three parts |
| Practice exams | 20% | Full-length mocks matching 100 questions in 3.5 hours |
| Lectures and materials | 15% | Clarity of video, audio and written teaching |
| Platform and mobile | 15% | Adaptive tools, planners and mobile access |
| Support | 10% | Counselors, coaching, live classes and community |
| Value for money | 15% | Price against access length and any guarantee |
The same weights across every exam on this site. ‘Practice exams’ means full-length, exam-like practice.
Current ratings
| Course | Rating | Strongest at |
|---|---|---|
| Gleim | 4.5 / 5 | Question bank, six mocks, Access Until You Pass |
| Fast Forward Academy | 4.2 / 5 | Unlimited practice exams at a lower price |
| Becker | 4.1 / 5 | Teaching by enrolled agents, live classes on Pro |
| Surgent | 4.1 / 5 | Adaptive practice and a guarantee on every tier |
October 2026. See each review for the breakdown.
Where our information comes from
Every EA review and comparison uses each provider’s published package details, plus official information from the IRS for fees, rules and dates. We verified Gleim’s, Becker’s and Surgent’s package features and guarantee terms on their own pages; where a price wasn’t shown in the page text we could see, we label it as reported and note when sources differ, as they do for Fast Forward Academy. Pass rates for the exam come from published reports, because the IRS does not publish them in its candidate FAQ.
Hands-on testing
Our current ratings don’t come from hands-on testing. We may add hands-on testing later; if we do, each review will say so and show what changed.
How affiliate money is handled
We do not currently earn a commission on any links, and commission would not decide which course fits which situation, and every comparison names when the other course is the better buy. No provider sees a page before it is published.
Keeping it current
Prices, packages and the exam itself change, and the EA moved to a new testing vendor in 2026, with a new 200 to 800 score scale. Each page states when its details were checked; if something has changed, the provider’s live checkout and the IRS’s FAQ are the final word.
Common questions about how we rank EA courses
Do you test the courses yourselves?
No. Our ratings are editorial: we score what providers publish, and the consensus of third-party reviews, against the rubric above.
Do providers pay for their ranking?
No. We don’t currently earn commissions from EA providers, and no one pays for placement.
Which EA course is rated highest?
Gleim, at 4.5 / 5, for its question bank, six mocks and Access Until You Pass.