Gleim review
Updated September 30, 2026 · AcademyCue Editorial Team · Facts checked September 30, 2026
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Our verdict
Gleim suits CPA candidates who can pay up front for access that runs until they pass, with 18 months of access and 12,000 practice questions behind it. The entry price of $2,499 sits far above budget rivals, and the CPA exam is the only exam it covers.
Key facts
- Best for
- Candidates who want a paid-through-to-pass study window and a large question bank for the CPA.
- Price from
- $2,499 (Source, checked September 30, 2026)
- Prices by exam
- cpa: $2,499 (Traditional), $2,999 (Premium), $3,499 (Premium Pro) (Source, checked September 30, 2026)
- Access period
- 18 months (Source, checked September 30, 2026)
- Live classes
- No (Source, checked September 30, 2026)
- Practice questions
- 12,000 (Source, checked September 30, 2026)
- Score guarantee
- Pass (Source, checked September 30, 2026)
- Guarantee terms
- Access Until You Pass guarantee on Premium courses: follow our program and do the work and you will pass; the Gleim CPA Review Replacement Guarantee keeps all components current for at least 18 months from purchase (Source, checked September 30, 2026)
- Free trial
- Yes (Source, checked September 30, 2026)
- Money-back period
- 30 days (Source, checked September 30, 2026)
- Markets
- US (Source, checked September 30, 2026)
- Legal entity
- Gleim Publications, Inc. (Source, checked September 30, 2026)
- Headquarters
- United States (Source, checked September 30, 2026)
- Founded
- 1974 (Source, checked September 30, 2026)
- Support channels
- Email, Phone, Help-centre, Community (Source, checked September 30, 2026)
- Exams
- CPA
- Continuing education credit
- Nasba cpe
- Official website
- gleim.com
Pros and cons
Pros
- Access runs 18 months, so a slow study pace or a delayed exam date does not cut the material short.
- The bank holds 12,000 practice questions, the same count as the highest figure in this category.
- Premium courses carry a pass guarantee, and the replacement promise keeps components current after purchase.
- Refunds run 30 days, above the 14-day refund window across the brands tracked here.
- Support runs on email, phone and help centre, so phone and email are both covered.
Cons
- The entry price of $2,499 is far above Testprep Training at $12.99 and Allied Schools at $68.
- Live classes are not part of the offer, so study is self paced around 12,000 questions with no scheduled instructor.
- The catalogue covers CPA only, so anyone taking a different professional exam has to look elsewhere.
- Delivery and payment are set up for US only, so buyers outside that market should check shipping and currency before ordering.
Who it suits
- CPA candidates in US who prefer to pay the entry price of $2,499 and keep the material until they sit the exam.
- Learners who want drilling volume, with 12,000 questions and 18 months to work through them.
- Anyone who wants phone support, since support runs on email, phone and help centre.
Who should look elsewhere
- Testprep Training, if the budget decides it: entry there starts at $12.99.
- DRCertifications, whose entry price of $19.99 suits a small first purchase in a different format.
- Allied Schools, with an entry price of $68, for candidates who want state exam prep on a smaller ticket.
Core features
Access is the headline number: the review runs for 18 months, long enough to sit the exam, miss it and work through the syllabus again inside the same window. The question bank holds 12,000 practice questions, so repetition rather than live teaching is what the money buys. Live classes: no, which keeps the material available on your own timetable but leaves no scheduled instructor to ask. A free trial lets you sample the content before committing, and refunds run for 30 days, so a course that does not fit your study plan can be returned. The trade here is depth and time rather than breadth of catalog.
How it compares on our data
Gleim ranks 1 of 24 brands on access months, its strongest showing of the measures compared here. Practice questions land at 3 of 38, comfortably above the middle of the group. Entry price is the weak spot, with 64 of 65 brands cheaper than the entry tier. Read together, these measures describe the same buyer: someone paying for study duration and question volume rather than a low ticket. A shorter and cheaper course can still get someone through an exam, but on this data Gleim is not competing on either front.
The company behind it
The publisher is Gleim Publications, Inc., a US company headquartered in the United States and trading since 1974, so the review sits on a long publishing record rather than a recent launch. Support runs on email, phone and help centre, which covers phone and email as well as a help centre and a community, with no live chat listed. For a candidate partway through revision that mix is workable, since the quickest route to a person is a phone call and the written answers sit in the help centre. The practical read is a stable, narrow specialist: a single exam, a single market, and a long-standing name behind the material.
How Gleim compares
8.9 vs 9.0
8.9 vs 8.8
8.9 vs 8.6
8.9 vs 9.1
8.9 vs 8.7
Where Gleim is available
- Available
- United States
Countries from the brand (Source, checked September 30, 2026)
Frequently asked questions
What does Gleim CPA Review cost at entry?+
Gleim's CPA Review is sold in tiers named Traditional, Premium and Premium Pro, and the entry price of that range is $2,499. The higher tiers sit above it, and the Premium tier is where the pass guarantee applies. Cheaper routes into the same exam include Testprep Training at $12.99.
Is there a free trial before I buy?+
Yes, a free trial is offered on the CPA Review, so the material can be sampled before paying. The trial is worth using on the higher tiers, where the entry price of $2,499 and the Premium Pro tier are the largest commitments on offer. If the trial is not enough, refunds run for 30 days.
What does the pass guarantee actually cover?+
The pass promise sits on the Premium courses rather than on every tier, and it is conditional: you have to complete the study work the program lays out. A separate replacement commitment keeps course components current for a stretch of time counted from your purchase date, so material does not go stale between attempts. Gleim lists a pass guarantee.
How long do I keep access to the course?+
Access runs 18 months. That window is the main reason the price looks steep next to cheaper providers, because you are buying the right to keep the material for the full run rather than a short block. It also matters if your exam date keeps moving.
Are there live classes with Gleim?+
Live classes: no. The review is self paced, built around 12,000 practice questions and your own schedule, with no scheduled teaching to attend. Most brands in this category do run live sessions, at 89.7%, so buyers who want an instructor should look elsewhere.
Which exams does Gleim prepare you for?+
The exam coverage is focused on CPA. Anyone preparing for a different professional exam will need another provider, so check that list before paying. Gleim also carries continuing education credit under nasba cpe, which is the part of the range aimed at qualified accountants rather than first time test takers.
Can I buy Gleim outside the US?+
Gleim is a US publisher headquartered in the United States and sells into US, so delivery and payment are arranged for that market. Buyers elsewhere should check shipping and currency against the entry price of $2,499 before ordering, since that figure is quoted in US dollars.
How do refunds and the guarantee work together?+
Refunds run for 30 days from purchase, which is a straightforward exit if the course does not suit you. Past that window the score guarantee is the remaining protection: a pass promise on the Premium courses, backed by the replacement guarantee that keeps components current for a set period after purchase.
What support do I get after buying?+
Support runs on email, phone and help centre. Phone and email are both listed, along with a help centre and a community, so questions can be asked by voice or in writing. Live chat is not on that list, which may matter if you prefer answers while you study rather than during office hours.
Sources
- gleim.com checked September 30, 2026
Backs: Legal entity
“1995-2026 Gleim Publications, Inc. and/or Gleim Internet, Inc.”
- gleim.com/about checked September 30, 2026
Backs: Founded, Headquarters, Money-back period
“In 1974 acclaimed University of Florida professor Irvin Gleim and his wife wrote the first Gleim CPA Review book.”
- gleim.com/about/shipping-policy checked September 30, 2026
Backs: Markets
“Orders shipped within the contiguous 48 U.S. states”
- gleim.com/accounting-products checked September 30, 2026
Backs: Exams
“CPA - Certified Public Accountant”
- gleim.com/cpa-review checked September 30, 2026
Backs: Prices by exam, Free trial, Live classes, Price from
“Traditional CPA Review with SmartAdapt $2,499.00”
- gleim.com/cpa-review/courses/traditional checked September 30, 2026
Backs: Access period, Practice questions, Support channels
“18 Months of Access”
- gleim.com/cpa-review/helpmepass checked September 30, 2026
Backs: Guarantee terms, Score guarantee
“our Premium course comes with our Access Until You Pass guarantee”
- gleim.com/cpe checked September 30, 2026
Backs: Continuing education credit
“Gleim CPE courses are in compliance with standards issued jointly by the AICPA and NASBA.”
Compiled from 8 source pages, checked September 30, 2026. We did not open an account.
Not confirmed yet: Full-length practice tests.
Gleim
Candidates who want a paid-through-to-pass study window and a large question bank for the CPA.