Gleim vs. Wiley: CMA Review Courses Compared

Wiley CMA, now under UWorld’s umbrella—a company renowned for medical test prep—faces questions regarding its future updates and support. Given this, we’re currently reserved about recommending it and advise tracking Wiley CPA news before finalizing your choice.

The best way to ensure you pass the Chartered Management Accountant exam is to use a great CMA prep course. However, it can be tough to choose one when every CMA course provider claims to be the best option— which is why I looked at 2 of the most popular courses on the market to highlight their similarities and differences.

Wiley CMA and Gleim CMA are currently considered among the best CMA prep course providers. However, the two courses have some key differences that set them apart from each other. Mostly, there’s a significant difference in the design, pricing, and study materials included in each course.

Read on to see which course is the better option!

About Wiley CMA Review

After acquiring Efficient Learning Systems Inc. and their premier CPA product toward the end of 2012, Wiley has been steadily tweaking their CMA review courses over the past decade. With frequent optimization changes to more aptly address the needs of their students, they’ve become an extremely popular resource for students who need a well-made CMA test bank and/or some informative CMA video lectures.

About Gleim CMA Review

This company started in 1974 when Professor Irvin Gleim wrote and published the first Gleim CPA Review textbook. In the years following, Professor Gleim continued to publish follow-up books and additional self-study tools, which led to the CMA course prep powerhouse that it is today. Now, Gleim is considered one of the best CMA review courses for students who want to practice with the largest possible volume of multiple-choice questions.

Wiley vs. Gleim CMA: Course Design

Gleim offers several study methods, but their real claim to fame is in their adaptive learning program. Students are asked to watch instructional videos and take practice exams to prepare for the CMA exam. As you learn, Gleim’s software tracks your progress and notes specific subjects that you need to spend more time studying. From there, it automatically adjusts your study schedule to add extra focus— so you always focus on improving your weaknesses.

Wiley also offers adaptive learning but in a different way. Instead of technology, they rely on input from your teacher.

Instead of adaptive software, Wiley has you work 1-on-1 with instructors between video lectures and tests. Each mentor is an accredited professor with access to the work you’ve completed. This ensures that your study schedule is adaptive, but you still have a say in what you’re learning. On top of that, you can ask questions at any time and have them answered within 48 hours.

As much as this one-on-one might be helpful to students, it lacks the real-time responsiveness and precision that Gleim’s adaptive learning technology provides. While human mentors can provide invaluable insights and explanations, they might not be able to analyze data points from every question you’ve answered or video you’ve watched.

On the other hand, Gleim’s software continuously evaluates your performance, ensuring that you’re constantly directed towards areas of improvement. This can result in a more efficient and streamlined study experience. Moreover, the ability of the software to instantly adapt to your needs means you can get feedback and course corrections almost immediately, unlike the waiting period associated with human mentorship.

Gleim vs. Wiley: Pricing

Gleim provides three different pricing plans for their CMA exam prep courses. First is the Mega Test Bank, which only provides the exam questions and answers; it costs $999. This is a good option for anyone who wants some practice since it has one of the largest libraries of task-based simulations.

Next is the Traditional course. It costs $1,349 and adds in video lectures and personal coaching— a significant upgrade, especially when compared with the cost of private CMA tutoring. The last option on offer is the Premium course; this is the only way to gain access to the predictive learning platform, costing $1,599. The way that SmartPath can guide you through your entire study schedule is extremely helpful and adds an entirely new dimension to the materials included in the previous two packages.

Now, let’s compare the plans in Wiley’s CMA review catalog:

Customers can choose between 2 different courses when learning with Wiley. The 1st one is the Pro CMA Review Course, which costs $1,200 and grants you unlimited access to all the practice problems they have to offer. You can also take practice exams on a mobile app; thanks to that, it’s easy to learn on the go. Alternatively, you can purchase the Platinum course for $1,500— this grants you access to everything the company has to offer. Thanks to that, you gain access to personal tutoring, flashcards, final review, and more. Currently, Wiley has their program discounted to $1,000, which is much cheaper than Gleim’s offerings.

Gleim CMA Review vs. Wiley CMA: Bonus Study Materials

Online prep courses can provide a large catalog of extra study materials that aren’t always included in their full courses. Typically, you can expect affordable sets of flashcards, extra study books, or cram sheets. Gleim and Wiley have quite a bit to offer CMA exam prep students in this department.

Gleim has three options for your perusal. The first is a series of study textbooks, which come in both digital and physical formats and are designed to be paired with the lecture content. Next is a series of digital flashcards used to test your memory of what you’ve learned so far. Lastly, Gleim provides students with regular performance reports. These show you how well their predictive learning technology is working and let you make adjustments to the self-studying you may be doing on the side. Each of these is included in the Traditional course plan, so you only need to pay separately if you’re enrolled in Gleim’s Mega Test Bank course.

Unfortunately, Wiley’s catalog of extra materials isn’t as impressive. They do have a series of digital flashcards. Just like with Gleim, these are a great tool for testing your memory of important CMA concepts. Unfortunately, some Reddit posters have commented that their flashcards aren’t very helpful as they don’t follow course materials at all.

Wiley does offer an optional 11th-hour review that succinctly recaps the most important concepts learned in each section of the course. Using this lets you reinforce what you’ve learned before the exam without having to worry about cramming too much.

Gleim vs. Wiley: Course Access Period

Both Gleim and Wiley include unlimited course access in their courses. Thanks to that, there’s no need to worry about being cut off when studying. Instead, you’re free to take your time and learn at a comfortable pace— no need to cram at the last minute. Additionally, either course will help you understand each concept instead of just memorizing answers to test questions.

The only thing to keep in mind that due to Wiley exam prep’s recent merge with UWorld, there’s a possibility that their traditional test prep courses may not be offered in the subsequent year.

Winner: Tie

Final Recommendation

When it comes down to choosing a study tool that’s both efficient and tailored to your needs, Gleim stands out. Their software doesn’t just offer a generic study path; it actively pinpoints your weak spots in real-time, ensuring you’re always on the right track. Wiley’s human mentorship approach is commendable and offers a personal touch, but in a world where instant feedback is becoming the norm, Gleim’s tech-driven method is hard to beat. For those looking to make the most of their study time and get the best bang for their buck, Gleim is a clear winner.

Winner: