Deciding on the best CMA review courses & study materials that will help you pass the Certified Management Accounting exam and become a CMA in the shortest amount of time possible isnโt that easy.
There are a few different companies that make CMA exam prep courses, and โ believe it or not โ all of them boast that their live classes and self-study materials are the best. How are you supposed to differentiate between them all and decide on one?
As the CPA Exam Guy team, we’ve been on a mission to find the best CMA review courses out there. Passing the CMA exam on your first try is a big deal, especially if you’re looking to kickstart your accounting career.
So, we’ve done our homework, researched, and compiled a list of the top-notch CMA study materials to help you succeed. With more candidates getting certified recently, it’s clear that folks are getting serious about choosing the best CMA review course. Stick with us, and we’ll guide you to the best CMA exam prep course for your success!
Which CMA Course Is Right for You?
This short questionnaire will help you decide what is the best option for you when it comes to preparing for the CMA exam.
These Are The Top 6 Best CMA Prep Courses of 2023:
- Becker CMA Prep Course
- Surgent CMA Review Course
- Gleim CMA Exam Review Course
- CMA Exam Academy Review Course
- Wiley CMA Review Course
- Hock CMA Practice Questions
Here are the best CMA study materials and review courses to help you pass the CMA exam on your first try and become a Certified Management Accountant.
1. Becker CMA Review Course
Becker CMA review has a heavy focus on proficiency, which means they want to make sure that you understand concepts instead of just memorizing them. Thatโs why every Becker CMA exam review comes with a built-in proficiency tracker.
Every time you finish a Becker CMA review course study section, your proficiency chart will be updated based on how well you did. Checking in on this chart allows you to fine-tune your study schedule; you only need to spend time on the most important subjects. Once you understand everything in that section, a green badge will indicate you are ready to move on.
Aside from that, there are a few additional features that Becker CMA Review offers that will help you study efficiently. These include:
- Digital and printed textbooks
- Video lectures and live online virtual classes
- Multiple-choice practice questions and essays
- Digital flashcards and unlimited practice exams
- 5 one hour 1-on-1 academic tutoring sessions
- A 1-year CPE subscription.
When youโre working on multiple choice practice questions, thereโs an option to only see questions youโve answered incorrectly. Every question includes a detailed explanation for the correct answer; this ensures you actually understand the logic behind each answer instead of just โteaching to the test.โ
Beckerโs courses also come with extra resources like paper and digital textbooks. Each textbook offers key coverage of every subject involved in the exam. It even summarizes certain areas to make them more approachable and understandable. This works great alongside their CMA flashcards if you want to organize shorter study sessions.
Ultimately, youโre in extremely capable hands if you rely on Beckerโs CMA review course to study. We recommend signing up for the Pro CMA exam course to get their full library of content and extra one-on-one tutoring sessions.
Bottomline: Becker CMA review is all about understanding concepts, not just memorizing. They’ve got a proficiency tracker to help you focus on what matters most. Their course offers video lectures, practice questions, essays, and personalized tutoring, making it a top choice for CMA exam prep. Go for the Pro package to access all their content and get extra one-on-one help. You’ll be in good hands with Becker!
0% Interest on Becker CMA Payment Plans
(Check out even more discount codes on Becker courses here)
2. Surgent CMA Review Course
Surgent CMA Review has crafted one of the top exam prep courses for those seeking a Certified Management Accountant certification. With 4,000+ multiple choice questions, 65+ essay problems designed to help you think critically, unlimited CMA practice tests, and more, this is one of the most comprehensive study tools on the market.
Furthermore, the Surgent CMA review course takes note of the areas where youโre excelling and where youโre struggling. It then uses this information to craft a personalized study planner for your progress through the course.
One of the huge positives of Surgent CMA Review is that it is designed for efficient studying. Surgent has revolutionized studying by cutting out a shocking amount of wasted study time. This is primarily accomplished by focusing on turning weak areas into strengths. The smart technology in the platform helps with this, using pre-assessments and frequent practice quizzes to determine where you still need the most work!
However, this focus on efficient studying may be seen as negative by some, particularly students who thrive in a classroom setting. Surgent CMA Review offerings are all self-led; youโll need to hold yourself accountable to read the text, study, and maintain your progress. There are no instructors or activities to keep your interest, so youโll really need to power through some of the drier portions of the Surgent CMA Review study course.
Bottomline: Surgent CMA Review is a top-notch exam prep course, offering a comprehensive study tool with personalized study planning and efficient studying techniques. While its self-led format may not suit everyone, it excels in helping candidates turn weak areas into strengths, making it a strong choice for CMA exam preparation.
3. Gleim CMA Prep Course
Gleim has offered detailed professional exam preparation courses and guides for over 45 years. Gleim CMA Premium review study materials and textbooks have a reputation for being thorough and filled with detailed examples. This is great for anyone who needs more help applying CMA concepts or understanding exam topics.
The Gleim CMA SmartAdaptTM learning platform is also one of the reasons it qualifies as one of the best CMA programs. The Gleim CMA Premium course platform identifies where you need to focus (and where you donโt) throughout your studies. Because it’s an adaptive learning technology platform, it adjusts as you go and lets you know when youโre ready to test.
The Gleim CMA Review course includes more than 4,160 multiple-choice practice questions, making it one of the largest CMA test banks on the market. It also includes over 240 interactive essay problems to prepare you for the essay section.
Gleim CMA review courses also provide over 45 hours of lectures broken into 600+ bite-sized videos taught by award-winning and experienced instructors. The Gleim Instruct videos are designed to help you grasp tough concepts more easily. Detailed walkthroughs and question examples were presented by experts.
Hereโs something thatโs unique about the Gleim CMA review course:
When you sign up for Gleim, youโll be assigned to a personal counselor who will help you through the study process. If you need encouragement, your counselor will remind you that you need to get back on track with your study schedule. He or she will also help answer any questions you have about the Gleim CMA Premium course materials. This, combined with their access until you pass the CMA exam guarantee, makes Gliem a top contender even when compared to tons of other CMA exam review courses.
Bottomline: Gleim CMA Review offers comprehensive and detailed study materials with a reputation for thoroughness. Their adaptive learning platform and personal counselor support to make it a top contender among CMA exam review courses, providing candidates with the resources they need to succeed.
Cyber Monday Sale – $400 Off Gleim CMA Premium
4. CMA Exam Academy
The CMA Exam Academy was founded by Nathan Liao, CMA. Their 16-week Accelerator Program is somewhat unique because it offers extensive 1-on-1 personal coaching along with tons of other perks. Each candidate who signs up for the CMA Exam Academy’s Accelerator course will be in personal contact with Liao himself as they go through the 16-week process.
Perks of this program:
- Free Prometric test drive
- Personalized review sessions
- Mock exams
CMA Exam Academy Review has affordable CMA study materials that include 60 hours of HD video lectures presented by Nathan and over 3,000 multiple-choice practice questions. With this CMA exam prep provider, you will also have access to printed and digital textbooks, audio lectures, weekly coaching calls, iOS, and Android flashcard mobile apps, and much more.
This is by far the most personal Certified Management Accountant review course out there right now and is also less expensive than both Wiley and Gleim’s CMA courses.
Another great feature is that CMA Exam Academy offers a 100% pass guarantee. If you fail after using CMA Exam Academy, you will be able to use it again. However, we doubt too many people fail after working side-by-side with Nathan to prepare. With a pass rate of over 90%, using the CMA exam review materials from CMA Exam Academy is a low-risk investment in your future!
Make sure to get our exclusive CMA Exam Academy coupon code for a discount!
Bottomline: CMA Exam Academy stands out with its unique 16-Week Accelerator Program, providing extensive 1-on-1 coaching and personalized review sessions. With affordable study materials and a 100% pass guarantee, candidates can benefit from HD video lectures, multiple-choice practice questions, and access to various resources, making it a low-risk investment in their CMA exam success.
5. Wiley CMA Review Course
While Wiley CMA has historically been a staple in CMA preparation, their transition under UWorld’s umbrella raises questions about the future of the course. The potential implications of this merger compel us to withhold our endorsement until more is known.
Wiley Efficient Learning offers a self-study course designed to fit into your schedule as effortlessly as possible. It consists of video lectures, text-based study guides, and practice exams. Wiley CMA Platinum review materials all serve to reinforce what youโve learned.
As stated above, the Wiley CMA Platinum course is planned around your schedule. Youโll be asked to give your study start date and exam date at the start of the course. Then, youโll need to fill out a quick form that states what days of the week youโre available and for how many hours you want to work each day. That information is then used to create a full course syllabus.
This shows you when each Wiley CMA Platinum lesson is, the estimated time to complete it, the due dates, and more. Wiley ensures that their syllabus is data-heavy, so you can easily track your progress while taking the CMA course.
In terms of course content, Wiley focuses primarily on self-study courses. Each lesson starts with a bite-sized lesson tackling a major CMA topic. These lessons are always under 30 minutes and are easy to fit into your schedule. Each video slide can also be printed out and used for notes as you learn.
After each video, you gain access to a text-based study guide. This can be highlighted and annotated to make review easier down the line. Lastly, youโll be able to apply everything youโve learned during the Wiley CMA Platinum review course to practice exams. These are a great way to build test-taking strategies and gauge your overall course progress.
Near the end of the program, youโll be able to complete an 11th-hour study session if youโre a Platinum student. This serves as a 1- or 2-week final review before the exam. It consists of video lectures showing you how to work through problems youโll see on the exam. Thanks to Wiley’s Platinum CMA review, you wonโt need to worry about last-minute cramming.
Bottomline: While Wiley Efficient Learning’s CMA Platinum course once stood as a premier recommendation of oursโthanks to its flexible, data-driven syllabus and updatesโrecent developments, specifically the buyout, compel us to reevaluate. Given the uncertainties this acquisition brings, we are hesitant to continue endorsing it as we once did.
6. Hock International CMA Prep Course
Hock has been in the CMA exam prep course market for decades. They offer a wide range of different study tools and guides for CMA candidates.
Their complete course comes with video lectures, audio lectures, and more than 2,000 multiple-choice questions. They also include some practice essay questions and mock exams.
This study guide is pretty complete, but it doesnโt go into that much detail. People who need more information about topics might have a difficult time using this course, as the CMA Exam Academy offers more examples and detailed study materials.
Bottomline: Hock offers a comprehensive CMA exam prep course with various study tools and guides. However, candidates seeking more detailed materials may find better options with Wiley or CMA Exam Academy, which offer greater depth and value for the money.
Top CMA Review Course Discounts from Surgent, Gleim & CMA Exam Academy
Cyber Monday Sale – $400 Off Gleim CMA Premium
Save $400 on CMA Exam Academy Review Course
0% Interest on Becker CMA Payment Plans
CMA Study Materials FAQ
You will most likely end up spending over 100 hours preparing for the Certified Management Accountant exam. For this reason, itโs extremely important to look through our most recommended review courses below and find the one that best matches your learning style.
Surgent, Gleim, and CMA Exam Academy all offer compelling benefits, depending on what is most important to your study (video content, practice questions, adaptive learning, exam simulations, etc.). Every student is different, so you’ll want to take a look at each provider and even consider checking out a couple of free trials.
Although the answers to this question are highly subjective, in general, I recommend that prospective test takers first choose which section they want to take first, then choose a targeted time slot for taking it (either January or February, May/June, or September or October), invest in a solid professional CMA review course, and commit to a study schedule that is realistic.
Year after year, passing rates for the CMA exam are notoriously low, with recent results coming in at roughly 40% for Part 1 and just 50% passing for Part 2. In plain English–itโs tough. However, a well-made review course can dramatically increase your chances of success. Take a look at my comparison here, and feel free to reach out to me with any questions.
Best CPE for CMAs: Illumeo CPE
As a management accountant with CMA certification, your learning doesnโt end once you pass your exam and become certified. In order to meet your Continuing Professional Education (CPE) requirements, youโll need to earn additional credits each year. For this purpose, we recommend Illumeoโs intuitive online platform with over 1,000 different courses and webinars covering a wide range of topics. In particular, their management accounting content consists of over 130 different options that all offer credit toward your educational needs.
