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Lambers EA Review | I Pass the Enrolled Agent Exam
Lambers has been delivering training programs for professional accountants for over 50 years. The Lambers EA Review course can get you ready for the Special Enrollment Examination so you can pursue the EA (Enrolled Agent) credential. This article will give my evaluation of Lambers EA Review, including the pros and cons of the Lambers Complete EA Bundle.
Background of Lambers EA
When Vincent W. Lambers started his company in Boston in 1966, his initial focus was to help CPA candidates, like those I assist on I Pass the CPA Exam. In fact, his first in-person review course only had 6 attendees. But because of the strength of his instruction, the Lambers courses became so popular that they are now the largest provider of live instruction CPA reviews in New England.
The company expanded into EA courses in the late 1990s. Always keeping its pulse on the market, Lambers enhanced their courses with on-demand instruction and e-learning platforms to deliver some of the most comprehensive training for today’s accounting professionals.
Lambers currently offers review courses for several accounting credential exams, including the EA, CPA, and AFSP exams. Plus, Lambers is listed in the NASBA’s National Registry of CPE Sponsors. Since NASBA has strict national standards for member organizations on the registry, you can trust that NASBA has confidence in Lambers. So, the Lambers CPA CPE courses and the Lambers IRS Continuing Education courses are great resources for professionals looking for some additional training.
Lambers EA Prep Course Overview
The materials included in Lambers EA Review help you master the content that will likely appear on the EA Exam.
Lambers has a range of products that are available to purchase separately, including video lectures, learning software, textbooks, and flashcards. However, to save you a considerable amount of money, I urge you to consider the Complete EA Bundle, which Lambers offers at a reduced price point for my readers.
Breakdown of what you can expect with the Complete EA Bundle
- 55+ Hours of Video Courseware: Lambers has developed over 55 hours of video lectures. The instructors review the content in the textbooks, chapter by chapter. Plus, they show you how to work out complicated problems on the screen. At the end of each lesson, a quiz determines your mastery of the material. You just need an internet connection to access the videos so that you can study almost anywhere on your computer, tablet, or smartphone.
- Lambers Textbooks: The textbooks present the core content you’ll need to know for the EA Exam. You’ll receive digital copies of three texts, one for each section of the 3-part exam. The textbook authors are all credentialed professionals with years of accounting experience.
- Lambers Test Prep Database: The Lambers test bank has over 2,100 questions. However, the Lambers test bank isn’t like all the others. Lambers only includes proprietary questions that are mapped to the current IRS SEE syllabus. In contrast, other EA prep courses may include older, previously released questions that test you on irrelevant content.
- Detailed explanations accompany each question, so you’ll gain a better understanding of why the answer is correct instead of falling into the trap of rote memorization. Plus, the answers are linked to additional materials like IRS publications. Lambers even gives you 3 user access codes so you can download the database on up to three devices. This lets you study no matter if you’re at home or the office.
- Lambers Flash Trainers: The Lambers Flash Trainers are essentially digital flashcards that are packed with information. You get over 450 with the Complete EA Bundle. The flashcards reinforce important definitions, key concepts, and common formulas. And, the software tracks your progress, so you have a better understanding of what concepts you still need to review. If you want, you can even print the flashcards and use them for on-the-go studying.
- E-Learning Platform: The Lambers EA Review course uses an e-learning platform that monitors your learning progress and adapts your personalized study plan as you progress.
- Mock Exams: Lambers software has three modes. The Pretest Mode includes a short mock exam to test your base knowledge and develop a personalized study path. Then, the Adaptive Drill Mode repeatedly quizzes your weak content areas. And finally, the Simulated Mode includes timed mock exams that mimic the feeling and pace of the real exam.
- Support from Accounting Experts: When you get stuck on a complicated problem, the Lambers instructors are here to help you. With the Complete EA Bundle, you can contact Lambers with your questions, and an instructor will respond as soon as possible.
Lambers EA Cost
If you purchase each of the Lambers EA products separately, the cost starts to add up. However, Lambers has made a special offer available to my readers. If you take advantage of this deal, the Lambers Complete EA Bundle is just $499—a discount of 70%!
Strengths of Lambers EA Review
Lambers Instructors
Lambers takes pride in the strength of their instructors, who all have accounting credentials, higher degrees (bachelor’s to doctorate degrees), and lots of professional proficiencies. Eva Rosenberg (EA, CTC, CTRS) is one of the principal instructors featured in most of the video lessons. You may know Eva from her widely popular website, TaxMama.com, where she gives live advice to tax professionals. Over 20 years ago, Eva created an EA review course at UCLA. She leverages that experience in her Lambers lessons.
Lambers Adaptive EA Platform
Like many of the review providers on the market, Lambers has developed an e-learning platform to personalize your studies. Even if you’re not tech-savvy, don’t worry—the Lambers platform is easy enough for anyone to follow intuitively.
Lambers uses a “unique triple testing methodology” that includes a Pretest Mode, Adaptive Drill Mode, and Simulated Mode. This method helps you study only the content you don’t know; you won’t waste your time going over the material you’ve already mastered. When you think you’re ready, test yourself in the Simulated Mode with a timed mock exam. The e-learning platform can analyze those results and helps you go back and review the material you answered incorrectly.
Content-Focused
Lambers understands its students. They know that most EA candidates studying for their exams are busy. So, they focus their curriculum on the content most likely to appear on the EA Exam. The lessons cut straight to the chase—they don’t mess around with obscure topics.
I appreciate that Lambers also provides you with good test-taking skills. Sometimes, those skills can yield a few extra points that turn a failing score into a passing score.
Free Update on Lambers Courseware
From time to time, the content on the EA Exam is altered to reflect current taxation laws, regulations, and practices. When that happens, it’s important that you’ve chosen a review provider that will update your study materials. You don’t want to study inaccurate or outdated content.
Lambers offers a free update on their courseware one year after your initial purchase. You can still update your course after that timeframe, but you’ll have to cover half of the replacement cost.
Personal Support
Lambers gives its students unparalleled support. The Complete EA Bundle comes with free personalized support from instructors, namely Eva Rosenberg. Eva is used to giving free advice; she provides free, live answers to tax questions posted on her site, TaxMama.
Eva helps her Lambers students understand tax regulations and related accounting practices. When you have questions, she will be there to help you study with more efficiency.
The Lambers Guarantee
Lambers EA Review comes with a money-back guarantee. If you use the Lambers products to study for the EA Exam and fail it twice, your purchase price will be refunded. The offer doesn’t have a time limit. So even if you take the exam several years apart and fail both attempts, you can request a refund.
The refund process is fairly simple. Within 30 days of receiving your 2nd failed exam notice, simply submit your failed notices, proof of original purchase, and software to Lambers. The company will process your claim and send you a refund.
Option to Purchase Individual Sections
Although you’ll get the best price if you purchase the Complete EA Bundle, you can also buy the video courseware, test bank, and flashcards as individual products. This is particularly helpful if you’ve already passed one or two sections of the EA Exam and need that final push. Or, if you’re studying with another provider, you could purchase the test bank or flashcards as supplemental products.
Weaknesses of Lambers EA Review
Dry Lectures
Although the videos present the content on the EA Exam in a thorough and comprehensive way, they are also dry. Instead of using multi-media elements to hold your attention, the lessons mostly rely on PowerPoint-style presentations with voice instructions over the screen text. If you’re someone who easily falls asleep while studying, I suggest taking notes as you watch the videos to reinforce concepts and keep your eyes open.
Consequently, next year the Lambers team plans to make updates to the videos that will make them more engaging. However, until then, the fact that Lambers offers more video lectures (55+ hours) makes this weakness a bit easier to handle. With more video hours available, should you not grasp everything from reading the books, you’re bound to find a video that covers the topic on which you’re stuck.
No Free Trial
A review course is a major investment in your financial resources. Therefore, I hope Lambers adds a short free trial for students to gain a better feel for their products. However, Lambers has posted a sample video on the company’s website. And if you submit your contact information, you can receive a free “tour” of the e-learning platform.
No Free Update on Textbooks and Flashcards
Although the textbooks and flashcards are digital, Lambers does not offer free updates for these products. So, if the EA Exam content changes, some of the content in your textbooks and flashcards could be outdated. If you want to ensure that you’re studying the right laws and regulations, you’ll need to repurchase these materials.
Cost If Purchased Separately
The 70% discount that Lambers is giving my readers on the Complete EA Bundle makes it an affordable product for most EA candidates. However, if you buy the study tools separately, the price point rises considerably. In fact, the bundle price isn’t much more than the cost of one section of the video courseware alone. Therefore, if you can, I would recommend getting the bundle upfront.
Lambers EA FAQs
Do I Really Need an EA Study Course?
Unless you have considerable experience dealing with almost every aspect of federal taxation, then yes—you need a review course to study for the EA Exam.
Although the pass rate for the EA Exam is better than other accounting credential exams like the CPA Exam, it’s still a rigorous test to pass. The EA Exam only has a pass rate of about 69%. That means that almost 1/3 of the people who thought they were ready for the exam were wrong about the level of their preparedness. If you don’t want the hassle of retaking the exam, it’s best to study with a review course.
How Hard is the EA Exam?
The EA Exam has 3 parts that test your in-depth knowledge of federal tax regulations and practices. Even professionals who have been working in the field for many years find the exam difficult.
Does Lambers Have Hard-Copy Textbooks?
Right now, Lambers only offers digital textbooks. However, they are printable.
Does Lambers Have a Free Trial?
Lambers has posted a free sample video on its website. However, no other free trial is available at this time.
Is Lambers EA Review Still in Business?
I’ve been surprised by the number of readers who have contacted me to ask if Lambers is still in business. Yes—they absolutely are still in business! I think there’s some confusion because of an older version of the Lambers website that is still posted online. In fact, Eva Rosenberg, AKA TaxMama, has been revamping and improving the content and making it better than ever.
What’s the Lambers EA Pass Rate?
Unfortunately, Lambers does not publish their students’ pass rates on the EA Exam. However, since they offer a money-back guarantee if you fail the exam twice, it seems they have confidence in their study tools.
How Do I Get the EA?
If you want to join the elite group of enrolled agents, there are two paths to take. One, you could pass the 3-part EA Exam (formerly known as the Special Enrollment Exam). Or two, you could build up a certain amount of service and technical experience working for the IRS. Clearly, passing the exam could be a quicker and more direct route.
Lambers EA Review Recommendation
Although the video lectures are dry, the Lambers EA Review system offers comprehensive study tools that help you study effectively. The adaptive e-learning platform combined with the video courseware, textbooks, flashcards, and ample test bank can get you ready to pass the EA Exam.
Utilize this 70% discount to get started with Lambers EA today!
My Final Thoughts
Passing your EA Exam is a big hurdle to starting your career as an Enrolled Agent. But with the right study tools, you could pass the exam on your first try. If you have any questions about the exam or Lambers EA Review, please send me a message. And if you’re still on the fence about Lambers EA, you may find it helpful to compare them to the other EA prep courses.
About the Author Stephanie
I am the author of How to Pass The CPA Exam (published by Wiley) and the publisher of this and several accounting professional exam prep sites.
