You won’t have had to do much research to know that Becker and Gleim CMA courses are two of the biggest names in CMA exam prep.
And it’s for good reason. I believe Becker and Gleim are two great choices for CMA prep courses. From top-notch course materials to personalized learning to adaptive learning technology, you can’t really go wrong with either…
And yet, I believe that one reigns supreme over the other.
If you’re looking to purchase a CMA review course to help with your exam prep, you’re in the right place. Join me as I crown the victor of a battle of CMA course giants: Becker vs Gleim.
Key Takeaways
- Comprehensive Study Resources: Both Becker and Gleim offer high-quality CMA review materials with expansive question banks, but the formats and styles differ.
- 1-on-1 Support: Becker shines with its personalized tutoring and success coaching, making it ideal for students seeking extra guidance.
- Practice Questions: Gleim’s question bank is renowned for its difficult practice questions, which often exceed the difficulty of the actual exam.
- Pricing Tiers: Gleim is generally more affordable, but Becker offers a more robust guarantee with partial refunds if you don’t pass. Plus, their value may be worth the investment.
- Learning Style: Becker’s videos and interactive elements are a better fit for visual learners, while Gleim excels with self-study candidates.
Gleim vs Becker CMA Review: An Overview
Both Gleim and Becker are longstanding juggernauts in helping accounting students with both the CPA and the CMA, among others. Naturally, the certified public accountant license tends to be more popular. However, as management accounting has exploded in popularity in recent years, both companies quickly became equally involved in CMA exam review courses as well.
Gleim CMA Review
Gleim created the first CMA review course on the market. Over the span of 40+ years in business, Gleim claims they’ve prepared more CMAs than any other company.
Gleim’s main claim to fame is their enormous, high-quality question bank, packed chock-full of practice questions designed to reflect the questions found in the real CMA exam. As a result, students who prioritize self-study materials in the form of questions often find themselves the most drawn to Gleim CMA.
Gleim offers three CMA review course packages. For each, I’ll list the features that are unique to that package, starting with the most expensive. Keep in mind that each tier also includes all features of the lower tiers (Premium has everything in Traditional, and Traditional has everything in the Mega Test Bank):
Premium CMA Review System
The Premium package is designed for CMA candidates who want the best of the best. The Gleim CMA Premium Course is “The most widely used system that gives you everything you need to pass.”
The Premium CMA Review course includes:
- Gleim Instruct Video Series: If you struggle to learn from written study materials alone, Gleim offers 70+ hours of expert-led video lectures to help you not only memorize what you need to know to pass the CMA exam but to truly understand it.
- Accounting Expert Support: If you’re struggling with a particular concept in the review course, you can contact Gleim’s team of accounting experts for support. They’ll give you a detailed explanation of whatever you’re struggling with and give you the 1-on-1 support you need.
- Digital Flashcards: Admittedly, digital flashcards feel a little lackluster in comparison to the other two premium features. However, flashcards continue to be popular study materials because they are effective for nearly every learning process.
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Traditional CMA Review System
The Traditional package doesn’t offer video lectures, accounting expert support, or digital flashcards found in the Premium system. However, it offers many more course materials and comprehensive resources than the Mega Test Bank package, including:
- Gleim Personal Counselors: In both the Premium and Traditional systems, you have access to Gleim’s award-winning team of personal counselors. From day one, they’ll help you create a personalized study plan, set effective goals, and check in with you to cheer you on.
- Adaptive Learning Technology: Gleim’s SmartAdapt technology works within the CMA review courses to offer personalized review sessions. These sessions help you identify your CMA exam readiness alongside your strengths and weaknesses so you can study more effectively (read: save countless hours!).
- Study Materials: In addition to the CMA review courses themselves, you’ll also receive access to on-demand printed books, a study planner, and audio lectures. The best part about the audio lectures? They’re downloadable, so you can listen to them on the go!
- Comprehensive Exam Preparation: You can absolutely pass the CMA exam with the test bank materials alone. However, the Premium and Traditional systems also include two full-length mock exams to assess your CMA exam prep (one for each part). Then, you’ll be presented with your final review: your go-to guide for maximizing your success as the clock ticks down to exam day.
CMA Mega Test Bank
Finally, if you’re a testing pro and you just need to learn the CMA exam content so you can study and pass, you’re probably less interested in the technology and support than you are in the top-notch Gleim materials. If so, the Mega Test Bank is for you:
- Self-Study Materials: Teach yourself the CMA exam content from Gleim’s digital textbooks and detailed explanations of the answers. Depending on your learning style, it may be difficult to succeed without video content or adaptive learning technology, so make an effort to understand the way you learn best before grabbing this package.
- That Glorious Test Bank: Gleim CMA prep courses shine the brightest when considering their test bank. With unlimited practice exams and questions, you’ll never run out of study materials (particularly when paired with great explanations). Add on the fact that Gleim emphasizes a realistic exam process in their materials, and you’re off to an incredible start.
- Support and Tech: What is the good news when you’re getting a Gleim course? You’re getting support, too. If you have tech struggles, they’re here to help–whether you’re a “this should’ve been an email” kind of person, or you don’t mind phone calls (teach me your sorcery). I’m also a huge fan of Gleim’s mobile-friendly materials.
Becker CMA Review
I’ll be honest: there are few companies in the CMA exam prep space I trust as much as Becker. They have 20 years on Gleim (with 60+ total years in business), they’ve helped over 1 million candidates succeed, and they sport a whopping 96% satisfaction rating from their students.
Further, whereas Gleim has an “access until you pass guarantee,” Becker CMA takes it a step above. When you spend nearly $1,000 to take a test and fail, it can be debilitating—both financially and in your confidence. Becker offers up to $500 back, or $250 for each Becker CMA exam part failed, to help students recoup their investment if they don’t pass. I love a company that puts its money where its mouth is…literally!
Becker CMA exam prep offers two packages. I’ll list the features exclusive to Becker’s Pro package in that section alone, and the features available for both packages in the Advantage section:
Becker CMA Review Pro Package
Their #1 seller, Becker’s CMA Review Pro package, is on the higher end of the CMA program price range, but the age-old adage applies here:
“You pay for what you get.”
That being said, for just a few hundred more, students get access to 10 hours of personalized support and dozens more hours of live instruction, which could save you countless self-study hours. Long story short, Becker is expensive, but they don’t skimp on value!
I also want to note that, of all of the CMA exam preparation resources I’ve reviewed, Becker’s pro package offers more 1-on-1 support than any other option. If you learn best when you work directly with others, or even if you’re just an extrovert who needs human exposure in the midst of exam prep solitude, this is a package worth taking a closer look at.
- Pass Guarantee: One of the standout features in the Becker vs Gleim CMA battle is Becker’s pass guarantee, which offers a substantial amount of money (up to $500) back to you if you fail your CMA exam. This is offered alongside unlimited access in the Pro package.
- Five Academic Tutoring Sessions: If you learn best from 1-on-1 support, Becker offers five hour-long tutoring sessions in the Pro package. You’ll build knowledge from certified professionals who understand the industry better than anyone else.
- Five Success Coaching Sessions: Analogous to the personal counselors from Gleim CMA, Becker offers success coaches to help you develop study plans and stick to them for the best possible chance of CMA exam preparation success.
- LiveOnline Virtual Classroom: If you couldn’t tell by now, the Becker CMA Exam Review premium option is all about 1-on-1 support, and the LiveOnline classroom continues that tradition. Many candidates find these classes helpful in understanding concepts more quickly than they would with study materials alone. One class attendee says, “I like most of those classes. Get through the material much quicker than the videos. Highly recommended!”
- Printed Textbooks: Okay, maybe it’s not a major highlight, but I wanted to include it anyway. For some of us, physical books are the only way to go. Becker feeds that need by offering printed textbooks to Review Pro students.
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Becker CMA Review Advantage Package
Whereas Becker’s premium CMA exam course gives you the extra boost with personalized support, the Advantage package focuses on CMA prep for the self-led learner.
- Becker CMA Exam Part 1 and 2 Review Course: Becker’s 2-part course offers a veritable treasure trove of comprehensive preparation resources, including digital textbooks, 500+ digital flashcards, 4,000+ multiple-choice practice questions, 76 essay questions, and lecture videos. One feature I love is the step-by-step video walkthroughs for each of the 76 essay questions!
- Practice Makes Perfect: Both Becker packages offer unlimited practice tests and a set of mock exams designed to replicate the format of real-world CMA exams. As a result, CMA prep with Becker will ensure that you’ll be ready for anything on exam day.
- Adapt2U Technology: It seems like every CMA exam review course has adaptive learning these days, but few technologies do the concept justice. Adapt2U helps you customize your learning experience by exposing you to your struggle areas more frequently so you can elevate those topics from weaknesses to strengths. Meanwhile, your Exam Day Ready℠ indicator helps you track your learning progress and–you guessed it–your CMA exam readiness.
- Shorter Access and Becker Promise: Whereas the Pro package offers unlimited access, that isn’t the case with the Advantage offer. However, you still get 2 years of access to your content, all with the promise that if you don’t pass your CMA exam after going through the course materials, you may repeat the course at no additional cost.
Lectures and Videos
In comparing the video resources from Gleim and Becker, it’s important to recognize that Gleim (both Gleim CPA Review and Gleim CMA Review) is known specifically for its question bank for a reason. Generally speaking, Gleim students are less interested in video content than those sweet MCQs. Meanwhile, Becker videos tend to be a lot more popular with students. However, there are pros and cons to each.
Gleim’s Video Lectures
Gleim’s video content has gotten mixed reviews. Personally, I’m a big fan of Amy Ford’s instructional style, but it seems to be hit or miss among students.
- Short and Sweet: Gleim’s videos are short enough to sit through comfortably but comprehensive enough to teach viewers what they need to know. The videos cover every topic in the exam syllabus.
- Amy Ford: A former Gleim student who turned CMA, CPA, and ICMA award-winner, Amy tends to have a lot of fans for her Gleim Instruct videos. For example, “I used Gleim last year to pass both parts. Amy Ford was the presenter for all video lectures. I thought she was great and explained things very clearly.”
- Dry and Boring?: In sharp contrast to fans of Amy’s teaching style, many exam preppers argued that the videos are boring. One student says, “Gleim is more than enough, but the videos are just dry compared to Roger or Becker.”
- Try Before You Buy: The divisive video opinions lead me to believe that if you’re a visual and/or auditory learner, it’s in your best interest to try the demo first. Gleim offers an excellent free trial where you can receive unlimited access to the exam topic of your choice.
Becker’s Video Lectures
One place where Gleim and Becker diverge is their video quality. Though I like Gleim’s videos, Becker’s tend to be far more engaging and useful.
- SkillBuilder Videos: One of my favorite parts of Becker’s video library is their series of SkillBuilder videos. Each of the 76 videos walks the viewer through strategies for responding to each of the 76 essay questions.
- Long But Effective: Some of Becker’s videos are longer (with a few going up to 2 hours worth of content), but the benefit is that they work. And if the videos get a bit long, don’t be afraid to increase the speed to 1.5x, or even 2x, to cover more ground. This is from a successful CPA student (and a sentiment I’ve seen time and time again), “I did all of the lectures, MCQs, and practice exams. Passed all four on my first try. It works.”
- Excellent Slides: Becker’s video content can be slide-heavy, which may sound negative, but it’s a major plus. Study the slides, and you’re practically studying a summarized textbook. According to one student, “I recommend just downloading the slides and using that instead of the textbook. That’s what I did for new AUD and recently passed.”
Practice Questions and Exams
When it comes to question banks and practice tests, both Becker and Gleim offer a strong showing. And, though Gleim’s questions tend to receive a lot of praise, Becker may be the better choice for you, depending on your learning style.
Gleim Practice Questions and Exams
- High Difficulty: Gleim’s practice questions are known for being significantly more difficult than they are on the actual exam. This can be frustrating for students in the exam prep phase. However, lots of students have also said they appreciate the high level of difficulty. As a result, they’re overprepared and score higher than they thought they would.
- Question Walkthrough Videos: In Gleim’s Premium package, you’ll find videos that walk learners through MCQ and essay questions. These videos help you get the most of your time studying for the exam because you’ll learn the correct answer and why that’s the best response. However, these are unavailable for the lower tiers.
- Similar to the Real Thing: Though Gleim’s questions are notoriously more difficult than the CMA exam questions, the practice tests are nearly identical in wording and format. Both Becker and Gleim emphasize realism in their materials, but that doesn’t lessen Gleim’s success in this area.
Becker Practice Questions and Exams
- Identical Questions: Numerous students have reported seeing questions on their CMA exams that were nearly identical to the wording of the Becker MCQs and essay questions. That is to say, whereas both prioritize questions that will help you prepare for the exam, Becker’s seems to be a cut above based on student feedback.
- Similar but Tougher: Similarly to Gleim, Becker students claim that the questions are on par with the exam but tougher. This helps students overprepare. One student says, “Becker is similar in structure (especially MCQs) but definitely harder (especially sims). Overall you can expect your final score will be higher than a Becker mock score.”
- SkillBuilder Videos: Corresponding with Becker’s essay question bank, there are step-by-step video/audio lectures for each and every essay question (all 76 of them). The formatting and grading of essay questions are obviously much different than MCQs, so having that extra help makes a world of difference.
Value: Comparing Costs and Guarantees
As students who aren’t making bank yet, cost is a huge concern. It would be brutal to drop $1,000+ on a course and another $800+ on the test, only to fail and have to start over. So, let’s dig into which courses give you the most bang for your buck.
Quick pro tip: before you buy, message either company’s team and ask directly for a discount. Thank me later. They both have payment plan options as well, starting around $50-$100 per month (depending on the course)
Gleim CMA Review Course Cost
Gleim’s courses are one of the more expensive options for CMA review courses. The primary benefit of the most expensive package is, in my opinion, the video walkthroughs and the Gleim Instruct Series.
Only the most expensive course in Gleim’s library offers an Access Until You Pass® Guarantee, but it’s well worth the additional investment (not to mention the other fantastic bonuses!).
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Enjoy $450 Off Gleim CMA Traditional Course
Student Savings – Up to 30% Off Gleim CMA Review
Becker CMA Review Course Cost
While Becker seems more expensive, the main difference between Becker’s two packages is the 1-on-1 support–five hours of tutoring, five hours of success coaching, and dozens of hours of live online virtual classroom instruction.
For example, CMA Exam Academy charges roughly $200 per hour for 1-on-1 tutoring. So, if you were getting the tutoring alone, you’d save almost $400 choosing Becker, and that doesn’t even include the extra value you get with the success coaching and virtual classroom.
Basically, if tutoring and coaching are must-haves for you, Becker’s premium package is for you. Not to mention their pass guarantee, which refunds you $250 per part that you don’t pass (up to $500).
One successful student simplifies the Becker difference, “Used Becker for CPA and CMA. Passed all 6 on the first try. I swear by them.”
No Interest Payment Plans on Becker CMA – Deal
Student Access and Support
When you’re paying at least $1,000 for a course and some video and audio lectures, it’d be nice to have unlimited access. However, in the CMA exam prep space, courses almost always have limited access periods.
Further, all options offer student support, but some are much better than others. Let’s take a closer look.
Gleim CMA Support
At its lowest tier, Gleim seems to only offer “Support 101” for tech issues, FAQs, and access difficulties. However, they offer personal coaching in their middle tier and access to accounting experts for testing-centric questions in their premium tier.
Though you can certainly Google the same questions or ask on Reddit, there’s no guarantee that information will be correct. Gleim’s instructors, meanwhile, are industry professionals who will only offer the best, most accurate advice.
Becker CMA Support
Becker is the choice if you’re the kind of person who needs support, bottom line. We’ve already discussed the value of five success coaching sessions and five tutoring sessions, all an hour long each. However, Becker also offers academic support for study planning and an FAQ database.
Notably, Becker also offers a CMA study assistant for when the customer support team is offline: Newt™, your very own AI tutor. Ask questions, practice with MCQs, get detailed explanations, and have tricky topics broken down into bite-sized pieces. Plus, you can take Newt™ for a spin in the free trial.
Access Periods
To briefly compare, both companies offer unlimited access to their premium-tier courses. However, whereas Becker’s lower-tier course offers 24 months of access, Gleim’s middle and lower-tier courses both offer 18 months of access.
Therefore, if a longer access period is important to you, Becker generally has longer access. That being said, if you’re studying for a CMA exam within the next year, any option will give you longer access than you’ll probably need. In my opinion, I would say not to stress out about it. As long as you put in the work and stick to a schedule, the access period length shouldn’t be a problem.
Final Verdict: Choose Gleim or Becker CMA?
Gleim and Becker are comparable when you consider their materials, quality, and reliability.
Becker’s CMA Pro Package is ideal if you need 1-on-1 support and thrive with guided learning and structured plans. It’s also perfect for those who aren’t natural test-takers, struggle with study schedules, or need to pass on the first try without room for retakes.
On the other hand, Gleim’s Mega Test Bank is great for strong test-takers who excel in independent study. If you’re confident in creating your own study plan and prefer a self-paced, cost-effective approach, Gleim is a practical option.
While both are excellent, Becker shines with its 96% satisfaction rate, partial exam fee reimbursement, and comprehensive support. For those who value personalized guidance, Becker is the clear winner. However, independent learners can still save money and succeed with Gleim.
FAQs
Becker offers more personalized tutoring and coaching support, while Gleim provides a comprehensive test bank with a strong focus on self-study.
Yes, Becker offers up to $500 back if you fail the CMA exam, which is unique compared to Gleim’s “access until you pass” guarantee.
Gleim is generally more affordable, while Becker’s lowest-tier package is almost as affordable, especially when it goes on sale.
Gleim is best for self-directed learners who are confident in their ability to study independently using a vast question bank.
Yes, Gleim offers over 70 hours of video lectures in their Premium package, although their focus remains on questions.
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