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Surgent EA Review: Adaptive Learning Technology
Have you heard of Surgent EA Review? It’s one of the most exciting offers for review courses for the SEE, the exam you must pass to become an Enrolled Agent. Surgent EA updated its courses in the summer of 2020, adding an Ultimate Pass option that includes one-on-one coaching, a print textbook, and extra tax courses. So take a look at all of Surgent EA’s 2023 products before making your choice.
Surgent EA Discount Code
Searching for Surgent EA discount codes? We’ve got the latest Surgent EA review discount codes, and you can get the code here!
Surgent EA Review Features
Surgent is a relatively new brand on the market for enrolled agent classes, but the underlying technology has been around for 20+ years. Let’s take a look and see why they deserve a 5-star rating.
A.S.A.P. Adaptive Software
The Surgent Enrolled Agent exam review runs on a system with adaptive learning technology, meaning that the system can identify students’ weaker areas. As you take each quiz, the software will note which concepts you know well and which you struggle with. Subsequently, the program will feed you targeted study sessions and questions on those subjects. This is called Surgent EA Exam ASAP Technology.
ReadySCORE Readiness Indicator
Additionally, only Surgent EA review offers its ReadySCORE system. You will take a diagnostic quiz to see how well you know the material before studying when you start the prep course. The program will give you a score to approximate your readiness to take the IRS Enrolled Agent exam. As you study sections of the material and take quizzes, the program will update this score, showing you proof of your progress.
As I mentioned throughout this site, you don’t need to keep studying what you have already mastered because doing so would be inefficient. Instead, you can use efficient technology to add more points to your score by strengthening the areas where you need the most help. Surgent boats that its ReadySCORE Indicator is 95% accurate.
Textbook
Surgent EA review’s textbook is available in both digital and printed form. Although there is no separate enrolled agent study guide, the adaptive learning software will serve as a personalized guide through the material in the book. The digital book is also mobile-friendly for studying on the go.
Video Lectures
Although video lectures aren’t a part of all courses for enrolled agent exam prep, Surgent does include more than 40 videos with two of its packages. Unfortunately, there isn’t much more information about the video content available.
Question Bank and Practice Exams
Surgent’s EA test bank features more than 1,800 multiple-choice questions, all with explanations in both English and Spanish. You can use these questions to create unlimited practice exams.
One-on-One Coaching
Surgent EA offers virtual, 1-on-1 coaching sessions with an EA Exam Expert with the most comprehensive package. This is ideal for students who learn best from personal interaction. You can ask questions and receive clarification for key concepts.
Surgent EA Review Courses
Surgent offers three packages of EA review materials to meet your studying needs. All three come with adaptive learning and ReadySCORE technology. However, you receive more study materials and unlimited, until-you-pass access with more expensive packages.
| Premier Pass | |||
| A.S.A.P. Technology |
✔ |
✔ | ✔ |
| ReadySCORE |
✔ |
✔ |
✔ |
| 1,800+ MCQs |
✔ |
✔ |
✔ |
| Unlimited practice exams |
✔ |
✔ |
✔ |
| Integrated IRS publications |
✔ |
✔ |
✔ |
| Textbook |
Print and digital |
Digital |
X |
| Video lectures |
✔ |
✔ |
X |
| 1-on-1 coaching |
✔ |
X |
X |
| Audio lectures |
✔ |
X |
X |
| Printed flashcards |
✔ |
X |
X |
| Access |
Unlimited |
Unlimited |
18 months |
Surgent EA Review Essentials Pass
This is the most basic package Surgent offers. Notice that it doesn’t come with traditional study materials like a textbook. Instead, it is largely composed of practice questions and exams. In addition to A.S.A.P. Technology and ReadySCORE, the Essentials Pass comes with the following benefits:
- A three-part review course based on SEE content outlines
- 1800+ multiple-choice questions
- Up-to-date, integrated IRS publications
- Unlimited practice exams
- Free, automatic content updates
- Pass or money-back guarantee
- 18 months of access
Surgent EA Review Premier Pass
The Premier Pass package comes with everything in the Essentials Pass, plus the following:
- More than 40 video lectures
- Unlimited, until-you-pass access to all materials
- A digital textbook
Surgent EA Review Ultimate Pass
Likewise, the Ultimate Pass comes with everything in the Premier Pass, plus:
- A print textbook and flashcards
- One-on-one virtual coaching
- Audio lectures
- Expedited customer support
- Surgent’s Excel for Accounting Professionals course
- Surgent’s Ethics for Tax Professionals course
Surgent EA Review Individual Courses
Surgent also allows you to purchase materials for each of the three exam parts separately. It’s worth noting that you won’t get the benefit of adaptive learning or ReadySCORE. Here’s what you will receive:
- Multiple-choice questions (650+ for Level 1, 850+ for Level 2, and 350+ for Level 3)
- Integrated, up-to-date IRS publications
- Unlimited practice exams
- Free, automatic course updates
- 12 months of course access
Surgent EA Review Costs
Here are the prices for each of Surgent EA’s three packages. Financing for each of them is also available with Affirm.
- Cost of Surgent EA Review Essentials Pass: $499, or $44/month
- Surgent EA Review Price Premier Pass: $699, or $62/month
- Cost of Surgent EA Review Ultimate Pass: $999, or $88/month
If you only need study materials for one section of the exam, each section costs $189, or $17/month.
The Pros and Cons of Surgent EA Review
Pros
1. Adaptive Learning Technology
This is the #1 reason Surgent customers choose this course. This technology aims to save you time and energy to focus on your weaker areas, and this is where you’ll see your scores picking up a lot of points. Because of this, Surgent is likely the most efficient test prep you can get on the market.
2. Surgent Boasts an 80%-96% pass rate
The home page of Surgent EA’s website claims that Surgent students have a 96% pass rate. Elsewhere on the website, it says that 8 out of 10 students pass. A third party has verified neither pass rate, but they are impressive numbers for sure.
3. Free Trials and Money Back Guarantee
I especially like the Surgent EA free trial because nothing is more solid than allowing us to try it ourselves. It also shows the confidence Surgent EA’s team has in their products. Specifically, you can try the software for three days without having to pay anything. Moreover, if you are unsatisfied with your purchase within the first 10 days, you can return it to receive a refund.
Additionally, Surgent EA offers a pass guarantee for buyers of its three packages. To be eligible, you must achieve a ReadySCORE of at least 75 on all three sections and pass a full practice exam. And you must take and fail all three sections of the exam within 18 months of purchase. However, if you meet these criteria, you will be eligible for a full refund.
4. Especially Attractive for Retakers
While I believe this course is great for everyone, it is especially helpful to those who have already failed the exam. Specifically, the system helps identify your weaker areas, which is exactly what you must do to pass on the next attempt.
If you do pick Surgent, ensure you don’t make any of these 3 mistakes while working the Surgent EA course!
Cons
1. Fewer Practice Questions
Although Surgent does offer a test bank of 1,800+ multiple-choice questions, other companies offer more. For example, Gleim EA and Fast Forward Academy EA have test banks twice that large.
2. Slightly Expensive
At $499 and $699, the Essentials and Premier Passes align with what you might expect to pay for other review courses. However, the $999 Ultimate Pass, which includes a print textbook and virtual coaching, has a hefty price tag. Additionally, Surgent is no longer the only company to offer adaptive learning technology.
On the other hand, the EA Surgent review offers to save you a great deal of time by making your studying more efficient. If you weigh adaptive learning technology heavily in your decision-making process, the time and effort saved during your studies could greatly outweigh the higher price tag. To save yourself some money on your EA review, check out the EA course discount page, and find an offer that can help offset the costs of exam prep.
3. Limited textbook availability
The print textbook is only available with Surgeant’s most expensive package. Moreover, you don’t receive a textbook at all with the Essentials Pass. Of course, the software will guide you through all the concepts you need to know, but if you like to have a textbook to read or refer to, you’ll need to purchase the Ultimate or Premier Passes. Not everyone needs a textbook to study. However, if this is important to you and your budget is limited, this may not be the best course for you.
Surgent EA Review Reviews
It is difficult to find many truly independent Surgent EA reviews from actual customers. However, multiple review sites list it as the #1 or #2 choice for EA exam prep courses. For instance, Reddit user ThatPomegranate4 says:
For students considering taking the EA exam, there are many resources out there that can help students pass the exam. Surgent’s, like mentioned here, is a great program. I used it myself … and I would use it again in a heartbeat if I were to do it again.
Surgent Company History
Founded in 1985 by Jack Surgent, Surgent Accounting and Financial Education has been providing continuing education and exam prep for 35 years. Originally a provider of continuing professional education (CPE) for finance professionals, Surgent branched out into the exam prep industry and began offering review courses for a number of standardized exams. For example, Surgent also offers prep for the CPA Exam and makes the list of best SIE review courses. It’s now a preferred partner of the National Association of Enrolled Agents as well.
Overall, Surgent’s focus is on efficient studying – all of its exam prep products aim to help you prepare in less time than you would with its competitors. Surgent acquired ExamMatrix in 2015, along with the company’s adaptive learning software, and adapted this into its own platform. Subsequently, the company premiered its A.S.A.P. Technology in 2017 with its CPA exam review software. Since then, Surgent has expanded the platform to many of its other courses.
Read our in-depth evaluations of those other courses here.
Surgent EA Exam Prep FAQs
Is Surgent EA good?
Overall, Surgent EA is a well-reviewed course with an impressive pass rate. Many students have credited their success on the EA exam to Surgent. Everyone studies differently, so Surgent may not be right for everybody. However, if you like the idea of adaptive learning technology and want to study more efficiently, this may be the best course for you.
Is there a Surgent EA Review app?
No, the Surgent EA prep course doesn’t currently offer an app. However, it is accessible on tablets, phones, and other mobile devices.
How long should I study with Surgent EA Exam review?
The amount of time you need to study for the EA exam will vary by person, of course. However, the company states that its customers spend an average of 46.8 hours of Surgent EA study time before taking the exam.
Surgent EA Exam vs. Gleim: which is better?
As previously mentioned, Surgent is not the only company that offers adaptive learning technology – Gleim EA now does so as well. Gleim’s SmartAdapt technology serves a similar purpose as the A.S.A.P. program, helping you identify weak points in your knowledge. However, Gleim doesn’t have anything like ReadySCORE.
In comparing Gleim vs. Surgent EA, Gleim comes out on top in the number of practice questions and price. On the other hand, Surgent EA review comes out on top in the number of full practice exams, length of the money-back guarantee, and video lectures. Gleim is considered the more comprehensive course, but Surgent EA students supposedly spend about half as much time studying as Gleim students. Think carefully about which features matter most to you before making your choice.
How long do you have the Surgent study course for the enrolled agent exam?
That depends on which package you purchase. With the Essentials Pass, you’ll receive 18 months of access. However, with the Premier and Ultimate Passes, you can continue accessing the Enrolled Agent course until you pass the exam. You won’t need to worry about Surgent EA Review renewal since your course will continue to update.
Conclusion
Surgent EA review has an overall pass rate of between 80% and 96%. More than eight out of ten students pass, which sounds pretty good to me. If you’d like to try the software out before committing to a large purchase, sign up for the free 3-day trial.
Click for the Free TrialAbout 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.
