Which CPA review course is better, Wiley CPAexcel or Gleim CPA Review? In this head-to-head review, I’ll compare the software, practice tests, textbooks, and the other important components of these courses to help you decide which is the best fit for your CPA exam studying.
Wiley CPAexcel vs. Gleim Costs| Course Access | Course Books | Practice Questions | Course Format| Software Updates | Video
I have used both of these courses extensively and found some significant differences that every CPA candidate should know about before making a purchasing decision.
Wiley vs Gleim CPA Cost
Wiley CPAexcel is slightly more expensive than Gleim, but both are affordable and offer quite a bit of value to CPA exam candidates. The former has a variety of packages to choose from, starting with the Wiley Silver Course at $1,590 and up to $2,450 for its Platinum Course. For the sake of transparency, I will reference the Platinum Course in the pricing chart below since this is the one most similar to Gleim’s offering.
| CPA Review Cost Comparison | Wiley CPAexcel | Gleim CPA Review |
|---|---|---|
| Full-Course Price | $2,800 | $1,599 |
| Single Section Price | $800 | $459 |
| Silver Course Price | $2,100 | $1,290 |
Winner: Gleim CPA Review
Course Expiration and Access
Wiley CPAexcel never expires and you never have to pay to renew your access. Never is a great word to see when you’re looking through CPA exam review courses and the associated access policies. With Wiley, you can take unlimited course repeats and will have access to its online material for an entire year AFTER you pass the CPA exam.
For this category, Gleim is in line with Wiley, as it offers an “Access Until You Pass” guarantee. Both courses are great in this regard, but Gleim does still charge shipping fees if you want to receive updated physical textbooks. Still, these two courses are among the industry leaders in this category.
Winner: Wiley CPAexcel, by a hair
Wiley vs Gleim Textbooks
CPAexcel books are somewhat plain looking and do not have all the fancy colors and images that other courses may provide. However, I view this as a good thing—it tends to get right to the point and doesn’t waste your time and energy. There is more empty space to write on in the margins and between the paragraphs which is useful for taking notes, overall providing a much more useful experience when using them.
Gleim utilizes smaller, bite-sized sections in its books and this is definitely a plus for CPA exam candidates. The material is outlined extensively, but I think that Wiley has done a better job with regard to organization of materials. Though it’s close for the books, I would have to tip my hat to Wiley—Gleim is still a viable option, however.
Winner: Wiley CPAexcel
CPA Video Lectures
Wiley and Gleim both take the same approach with regard to their video lectures: there’s not a lot of frills and excitement, but in terms of content, you’re going to cover all of the necessary topics. While there’s not much to distinguish either company’s offerings, a few differences may influence your purchasing decision.
With Gleim, they have a host of experts who come through and teach. So, you’re going to get quite a varied crowd. Some of the instructors are great and engaging, while others may lack a flair for presentation. Either way, you’re going to get people who know what they are talking about. Wiley tends to have a more boring style of video, but once again it’s all good in terms of the actual meat of the videos. Gleim is a little more varied and exciting, so that really gives them the edge for CPA review video lectures.
Winner: Gleim CPA Review
CPA Exam Practice Questions
Wiley CPAexcel’s course includes 12,000 multiple choice questions, 600 task based simulations, and 6,200 true/false questions. The true/false questions are referred to as “proficiency questions” and serve as a useful gauge to see if you really understand a particular section or if you need to spend some more time on it. This is the largest bank of questions on the market, so it’s hard to measure up the Wiley course in this category.
Gleim does have an advantage over most courses, however, as it offers the largest bank of task based simulations—1,300 to be exact. So, it does beat Wiley in that specific measure, but the total number of practice questions that Gleim offers (10,000+) doesn’t measure up to the industry leader.
Winner: Wiley CPAexcel
Flashcards
CPAexcel comes with 4,100 digital flashcards, available at no extra cost. Each section in its software includes flashcards relevant to the most important definitions and terms covered. If you prefer printed flashcards, you can buy 1,000 of them for $150.
Gleim didn’t provide students with flashcards until recently, but now they do! As of 2020, all students will receive complimentary access to digital flashcards to help them study for their exams.
(Quick study tip: don’t BUY flashcards, MAKE them! You will retain much more information by physically creating them by yourself.)
Winner: Tie!
Course Formats
CPAexcel is offered in an online, self-study, and virtual classroom format. Each course comes with a USB flash drive which allows you to access all of the Wiley materials offline as well as online. The virtual classes are a blend of pre-recorded lectures and live instruction, making it a great combination and something that other courses may not offer. I think the company’s course format is a cut above the rest.
That being said, Gleim is an amazing course too. The online course has SmartAdapt technology, which really helps to narrow down the questions once the studying process begins. Really the only reason that Gleim doesn’t win this category is that Wiley is so established and has refined all their course formats.
Winner: Wiley CPAexcel
Software and Content Updates
CPAexcel comes with free software and content updates. You can access its updated video lectures online for free, or if you prefer to watch them via DVD, it will ship you the new one for only $8. If you study primarily off-line, the updated CD-rom software only costs $8 as well. But, let’s be real, in this day and age, the online format should be enough for anyone.
Gleim provides constant updates for its content, as dictated in its “Access Until You Pass” guarantee. The “materials will stay current,” according to the company, so you won’t have to worry about a lack of course updates.
This one is a tie, because both companies are devoted to keeping you updated!
Winner: Tie
Conclusion
So which course is better? I’d have to say that generally really depends on how you define “better.” For me, the value of Wiley CPAexcel far outweighs Gleim in terms of what you get for your money, but the latter is cheaper and still should be considered as a robust course.
I’d highly suggest checking out a free demo of each course by clicking the buttons below before making your final decision.
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