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3 Things You Shouldn’t Do While Studying Surgent EA Exam Prep
If you’re preparing to take the enrolled agent exam, you’ve almost certainly done some research into preparation and review courses. Specifically, you’ve probably seen the Surgent EA exam prep course pop up as one of the most popular review courses for tax preparation professionals. This company has been involved in professional education and exam review courses for 35 years.
In fact, the National Association of Enrolled Agents (NAEA) partners with Surgent for an online self-study EA exam prep course. As you can see, the Surgent EA review is not only popular; it’s highly respected. Therefore, it’s a good choice for candidates preparing for the EA exam. Here are some tips to help you get the most out of this exam prep software.
The Enrolled Agent Exam
In order to become an EA, you have to take the Special Enrollment Exam, sometimes called the SEE or simply the EA exam. This exam consists of three parts.
- Individuals: Part 1
- Businesses: Part 2
- Representation, Practice, and Procedures: Part 3
You don’t have to take all three parts in one sitting. However, once you pass any one part of the exam, you must also pass the others within a two-year window.
Each part of the exam includes about one hundred multiple-choice questions. Specifically, these will take the form of direct questions, “finish the sentence” questions, and “all of the following except” questions. The test is scored on a scale from 40-130, and you must score at least 105 to pass.
The Surgent EA Review Course
Is Surgent EA good? Well, the company claims its students have a 96% pass rate, and it offers a pass guarantee for students who complete an entire EA Surgent review course. The company offers three versions of its adaptive learning test prep software.
Surgent EA Essentials Pass
Firstly, Surgent offers a basic course with lessons that cover all three parts of the EA exam. Students receive access to more than 1,800 practice questions with full explanations of the correct answers. The online software automatically updates based on any new IRS publications. Additionally, Surgent users may take unlimited practice exams. Purchasers of the Essentials Pass have access to all these materials for 18 months.
Surgent EA Premier Pass
Secondly, the Premier Pass includes everything from the Essentials Pass as well as video lectures and digital textbooks. Moreover, Premier Pass students can access Surgent EA exam prep materials for as long as they need to pass the exam.
Surgent EA Ultimate Pass
Finally, the Ultimate Pass includes everything from the Premier Pass, printed textbooks, and audio lectures. Most importantly, though, Ultimate Pass users receive one-on-one virtual coaching sessions with one of Surgent’s EA experts.
3 Things You Shouldn’t Do with Surgent EA Exam Prep
There are many ways to use Surgent’s prep course to prepare to take the EA exam. However, we’ve identified a few major mistakes students might make if they aren’t careful.
1. Ignore the ReadySCORE indicator.
Many candidates studying for the EA exam are already tax preparation professionals working full-time jobs. In other words, you probably don’t have a great deal of extra time to spend on studying. This means you want to be as efficient in your studies as possible, focusing most of your time on the areas where you’re weakest. Conversely, it makes no sense to continually review material that you already know well.
As a result, Surgent EA exam prep’s ReadySCORE feature should be your best friend. This indicator is an algorithm that estimates your final EA exam score based on your answer to practice questions. ReadySCORE considers the different weights of the different topics covered on the exam. Then it compares your answers to real exam scores to predict your performance.
Moreover, your ReadySCORE updates as you go along with each study session. Surgent states that its students’ scores improve by an average of 97% from beginning to end. So you’ll know you’re ready for the exam when your ReadySCORE is a passing grade.
So be sure to take full advantage of this special feature from Surgent. After all, when you compare Surgent to other companies, like Surgent EA vs Gleim EA, for example, you’ll find that the ReadySCORE is a unique tool.
2. Skip the quizzes that inform the A.S.A.P. Technology.
Consequently, you’ll want to take advantage of all of the features that will make your ReadySCORE as accurate as possible. In terms of Surgent, this means making full use of the A.S.A.P. Technology, a type of adaptive learning software. You’ll start out by taking several quizzes to determine your level of knowledge at the beginning of the study process. These quizzes will determine your ReadySCORE.
You may be tempted to skip these quizzes and dive right into your studies. However, this would be a mistake since the A.S.A.P. Technology is what allows the program to identify your strengths and weaknesses. Surgent EA’s software uses this information to create your personalized study plan. As a result, the software will guide you toward the areas you need to spend time on. This will prevent you from wasting time on unnecessary studying. Surgent claims that its EA review students save 120 hours of studying time by using this feature. So make sure it doesn’t go to waste!
3. Fail to use the Ultimate Pass’s one-on-one coaching and expert guidance.
If you complete your enrolled agent exam prep with Surgent, you have the option of purchasing the company’s Ultimate Pass. This package includes unique perks like printed textbooks, audio lectures, and supplemental courses on Excel and accounting ethics. However, the most helpful feature is almost certainly the one-on-one virtual coaching.
To clarify, Ultimate Pass users can schedule up to three 30-minute online coaching sessions with a live EA exam expert. This expert can answer any questions you may have about the material or the structure of the test. Additionally, they can help you get the most out of the whole Surgent Enrolled Agent exam prep software. EA candidates can spend hundreds of dollars per hour hiring tutors to help them prepare for the test. If you don’t make use of this feature of the Ultimate Pass, you’ll be shortchanging yourself.
My Recommendation
In conclusion, the ReadySCORE Indicator, A.S.A.P. Technology, and one-on-one coaching are all unique to Surgent’s EA review course. Make sure you understand and use these features as you study to give yourself the best chance of passing the EA exam.
Surgent EA Exam Prep Discounts
Finally, don’t pay full price for Surgent — use my exclusive Surgent discounts instead!
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.
