Maxwell CPA Review vs Gleim: Volume or Curation (2026)
Kyle Ashcraft, CPA · 2019 CPA Exam Scores · 95 FAR · 98 BEC · 91 REG · 90 AUD
I run one of the two courses on this page, so treat every judgment here as mine rather than as a finding. What I can do is keep the facts about Gleim accurate and say clearly where it beats me, because a comparison written by a competitor is only worth reading if it does that.
The short version. Gleim sells the largest practice bank in the category and an access guarantee that runs until you pass. I sell curation and direct access to the person who built the course, at $49 a month. Those are genuinely different products, and which one is right depends on a question about your calendar rather than your budget.
In this comparison
Gleim prices, tiers and content counts are taken from Gleim's published product pages and were last checked on 8 September 2026. Gleim runs substantial promotions and offers student discounts, so treat the figures here as list pricing and confirm current offers directly.
What does Gleim actually offer?
Three full-course tiers plus a standalone question bank.
| Tier | List price | Sections | Access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Traditional | $2,499 | Three Core plus one Discipline | 18 months |
| Premium | $2,999 | Three Core plus one Discipline, with one free switch | Access Until You Pass |
| Premium Pro | $3,499 | All six, unlimited Discipline changes | Access Until You Pass |
| Mega Test Bank | $999 | Questions and digital books only | 18 months |
Across the tiers you get 12,000-plus multiple choice questions and 1,200-plus task-based simulations, SmartAdapt adaptive coursework, lecture videos led by professional educators, digital and print-on-demand books, mock exams, a Personal Counselor for study planning, and a Prep Pal AI study assistant at the top tier.
Where Gleim beats Maxwell
Three places, and I would rather say them plainly than have you discover them after buying.
| Gleim advantage | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| The largest question bank among the major providers | 12,000-plus questions against roughly 9,000 for Becker, UWorld and Surgent. If your constraint is running out of fresh practice, nobody else solves that better. |
| Access Until You Pass on Premium and above | One payment, no clock. On a long or interrupted campaign that is worth real money against any monthly subscription, including mine. |
| The Mega Test Bank as a standalone purchase | $999 for the questions and books without the course. Very few providers unbundle like that, and it makes Gleim usable as a supplement rather than only as a primary course. |
If more practice is what you are short of, buy Gleim. Everything below assumes that is not your problem, and for a lot of candidates it genuinely is.
Two approaches to teaching
Gleim takes a traditional, educator-led approach. Extensive written materials and lecture videos led by professional educators, with a Personal Counselor who helps you build and hold to a study plan. It is a well-built version of a familiar model, and Gleim publishes direct contact details for its counselors.
Maxwell is practitioner-led. I create every video, textbook page and study outline myself, alongside AICPA-licensed questions, and students contact me directly rather than a support function.
Neither of those is better in the abstract. The difference that matters is what happens when a topic is not landing. A counselor can help you restructure a study plan. What they cannot usually do is sit with you on why the lease liability roll-forward keeps going wrong, because that is a different job. If your problem is scheduling, Gleim's model is the stronger one. If your problem is a concept, mine is.
My assessment, not a finding. I find Gleim's style more academic and more thorough than I would choose for someone studying at nine in the evening after a full day of work. Plenty of candidates prefer exactly that thoroughness, and they should buy it.
Volume against curation
This is the actual disagreement, and it is worth stating as a disagreement rather than as a verdict.
Gleim's position is that comprehensive coverage plus enormous practice volume is the most reliable route to a pass. That is not an unreasonable position, and for a candidate with a long runway it works.
Mine is that every other option in this category answers a shortage, and that most candidates do not have one. More questions, longer explanations, better visuals. Maxwell answers a surplus. On a high-yield topic like leases we work the journal entries from commencement through to the end of the lease life. On a low-yield topic we cover the rule quickly in case it appears and move on. That is the Max Yield Method, and the credential is what licenses it, because deciding what to skip is only defensible from someone who scored well on the exam.
The test that settles it for you. Look at your calendar, not at the marketing. Divide the questions in a bank by the weeks you actually have. If 12,000 questions divides into something you could plausibly work through and review properly, volume is an advantage. If it divides into a number you will never reach, it is not a feature you are buying, it is one you are paying for.
This is hands down the best CPA studying course out there. I have tried studying with Becker and Ninja, but Maxwell review course for FAR was awesome. Went from a 63 studying with Becker to a 78 with just studying with Maxwell. It's simple, straight to the point, and really nails down those topics exactly as shown on the exam.
Tajinder, Maxwell student
Individual results. Score improvements vary by candidate, preparation time and starting point.
What each actually costs
A monthly subscription and a one-time purchase are hard to compare without doing the arithmetic, so here it is.
| Time to finish all four exams | Maxwell at $49/mo | Gleim Traditional | Gleim Premium Pro |
|---|---|---|---|
| 12 months | $588 | $2,499 | $3,499 |
| 18 months | $882 | $2,499 | $3,499 |
| 24 months | $1,176 | $2,499 | $3,499 |
| 30 months | $1,470 | $2,499 | $3,499 |
At $49 a month, the subscription only reaches Gleim Traditional's list price after 51 months. So on any realistic timeline Maxwell costs less, and you can stop paying the moment you are done.
Two honest qualifications. Gleim discounts heavily and offers student pricing up to 40% off, so list is not what everyone pays. And Access Until You Pass on Premium and above genuinely removes the clock, which a monthly subscription cannot match if your campaign stretches or stalls.
On Discipline access. Gleim's Traditional tier includes one Discipline. Premium allows one free switch. Only Premium Pro at $3,499 opens all six sections with unlimited changes. Maxwell includes all six at $49 a month with no upcharge and nothing to switch. That matters more than it sounds if you are not yet sure which Discipline you want.
Using both
The Mega Test Bank at $999 makes this a genuinely sensible combination rather than a marketing line.
The pattern that works: use Maxwell's videos and outlines to get the concept straight, then use Gleim's bank for volume practice and exam-interface familiarity once you can actually reason through a problem. Doing it the other way round, grinding questions before the concept has landed, is how people end up with thousands of attempts and no improvement.
Best combination for someone who already owns Gleim: keep it. Add Maxwell at $49 a month for the teaching, and use the bank you already paid for as your practice engine. That is cheaper than a second full course and it wastes nothing you bought.
Start free with CPA 101
Before you decide, try the teaching. Practice all 25 of the 2026 AICPA released MCQs, plus a free study outline. FAR, AUD and REG tracks available. No credit card required.
Maxwell section by section
Exact figures, not ranges.
| Section | Video | MCQs | TBS | Textbook | Outlines |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FAR | 7 hrs | 800 | 36 | 233 pgs | 74 pgs |
| AUD | 6 hrs | 750 | 32 | 190 pgs | 60 pgs |
| REG | 8 hrs | 750 | 35 | 120 pgs | 80 pgs |
| BAR | 5 hrs | 700 | 15 | 150 pgs | 45 pgs |
| ISC | 4.5 hrs | 602 | 8 | 140 pgs | 40 pgs |
| TCP | 5 hrs | 700 | 15 | 160 pgs | 50 pgs |
FAR also includes a baseline assessment, final review, mock exam and ten interactive apps. AUD includes a final review and a full simulated exam. REG includes a final review and six mini exams. Every section includes the textbook, study outlines and answer explanations built around worked examples.
Which should you choose?
| Choose Gleim if | Choose Maxwell if |
|---|---|
| Your constraint is running out of practice material | Your constraint is time, and you need each section to take weeks |
| Your timeline is long or uncertain and the access guarantee is worth paying for | You want to finish and stop paying |
| You want the exam-interface simulation and heavy analytics | You want to talk to the person who made the course |
| You prefer a thorough, academic treatment of every topic | You want the topics that decide the exam taught properly and the rest kept brief |
| You want a standalone question bank to bolt onto something else | You want all six sections without tiers or switching fees |
Best for candidates who ran out of time before they ran out of material: Maxwell CPA Review, with bite-sized lessons focused on the concepts that matter most, at $49 per month, billed monthly, cancel anytime.
Use it as your primary course. Use it to retake a section you failed. Use it alongside what you already bought.
Frequently asked questions
How much does Gleim CPA Review cost?
List pricing is $2,499 for Traditional, $2,999 for Premium and $3,499 for Premium Pro, plus $999 for the standalone Mega Test Bank. Gleim runs frequent promotions and offers student discounts of up to 40%, so confirm the current price before comparing.
How many practice questions does Gleim have?
12,000-plus multiple choice questions and 1,200-plus task-based simulations, which appears to be the largest bank among the major providers. Becker, UWorld and Surgent each publish roughly 9,000 questions.
Does Gleim include all three Discipline sections?
Only at Premium Pro, which opens all six sections with unlimited Discipline changes. Traditional includes one Discipline and Premium allows a single free switch. Maxwell includes all six at $49 per month with no upcharge.
Is Gleim or Maxwell cheaper?
Maxwell, on any realistic timeline. At $49 per month the subscription only reaches Gleim Traditional's $2,499 list price after 51 months. The qualification is that Gleim's Access Until You Pass guarantee on Premium and above removes the clock entirely, which a monthly subscription cannot match on a long or interrupted campaign.
Can I use Maxwell alongside Gleim?
Yes, and the Mega Test Bank makes it a sensible pairing. Use Maxwell's videos and outlines to get the concept straight, then use Gleim's bank for volume practice once you can reason through a problem. At $49 per month it adds to a course you already own without a second major purchase.
Do I really need 12,000 practice questions to pass?
That depends on your calendar rather than on the number. Divide the bank by the weeks you actually have. If the result is a volume you could work through and review properly, the bank is an advantage. If it is a number you will never reach, you are paying for material you will not use.
Try the teaching before you decide
Start with the 2026 AICPA released questions and the free study outline. No credit card, and you will know within an evening whether the explanations work for you.
Kyle Ashcraft, CPA scored 90 or above on every section of the CPA exam in 2019, including a 95 on FAR. He is the founder and sole instructor of Maxwell CPA Review, where he creates every lecture, textbook and study outline himself.
See also the full comparison of every major CPA review course.
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