Best CMA Exam Review Courses & CMA Exam Prep 2026

Gleim CMA Review

Gleim is one of the most popular CMA review courses available and is especially preferred by those who study on their own. What's more, their adaptive course will tell you what to study and when so you know when you are exam day ready.

Industry longevity 

Gleim is very well-established, as it was the first provider of a certified management accounting course (Gleim has also created courses for CPA, CIA, and EA).

All-inclusive review system

The Gleim CMA Review System offers an integrated learning approach with video lectures, a test bank with the most detailed answer explanations, audio reviews, textbooks, over 120 practice case-based questions (the newest type of CMA exam question), and an adaptive platform. Consequently, the platform identifies what you need to study and tells you when you're ready to pass the exam with confidence. The course also contains a study planner that tracks your progress, assistance from accounting experts, and a Personal Counselor to help you reach your exam goals.

High-quality test bank

This course includes 4,500+ of the most comprehensive practice questions on the market with an exam mode that closely simulates the actual testing environment you will encounter at the Prometric center. 

Additionally, the test bank includes exam-quality and realistic multiple-choice and case-based questions with detailed answer explanations for the correct and incorrect answer choices.

Convenient policies

The access until you pass policy and the money-back guarantee (Premium Guarantee) are very attractive.

Weaknesses

Not the best for beginners

If you have no accounting background, this course may be tough to follow. However, if you have a basic knowledge of accounting (e.g., from one or two introductory classes), you should be fine getting through the material.

Course limitations

The traditional version of this course doesn't have video lectures, access until you pass, or the money-back guarantee.

Recommendations

If you have some accounting background and are the type of candidate who learns from answering lots of practice questions, I have no doubt that Gleim CMA Review is the best for you.

What's more, Gleim CMA is a comprehensive integrated adaptive course with a large test bank and is ideal for nearly all CMA candidates.

Read my Gleim CMA review to learn more.

Becker CMA Review

Becker is most highly regarded for its CPA prep material. Although the company used to sell third-party CMA materials, it has recently produced its own comprehensive CMA review courses. These new materials were first released a few years ago, and Becker has been working on improving the CMA materials ever since.

Name recognition

We rate Becker’s CPA review material as the #1 prep course for that exam. Thus, it is that good name Becker is using to promote its CMA materials.

Live instruction

Becker’s more expensive Pro Package comes with both live instruction in the form of webinars and a virtual classroom as well as one-on-one tutoring. Candidates who have difficulty teaching themselves from books will benefit from the ability to speak to experts who can answer their questions about difficult material.

New study planner

Becker’s courses now include a customizable Study Planner that helps you create a study schedule that you can stick to.

Weaknesses

Weak guarantee

The Becker Pass Guarantee Policy is not as strong as some other providers. Basically, if you purchase the full Becker CMA Pro course, study all the materials until you meet Becker’s standards, and you still fail an exam section, Becker will send you a check to cover the cost of that section. So in essence, Becker will help you pay for a retake if you fail.

Recommendations

We’re taking a wait-and-see approach here until more real-life candidates have had a chance to take the exam after preparing with Becker, since Becker CMA is newer to the market than some of the other best CMA exam prep providers. However, if it sounds intriguing, you can always give the free trial a shot.

You can read more about Becker CMA Review or compare Becker vs. Gleim CMA and Becker vs. Hock CMA.

NINJA CMA Review

NINJA CMA offers a unique way to study for the CMA exam via a monthly subscription. This way, you only need to pay for the months that you need to study. As a result, you could save a lot of money by studying with NINJA.

CMA questions and other materials

A monthly NINJA CMA subscription includes several different types of CMA materials, including a book, CMA notes, digital flashcards, and audio lessons. The materials are straightforward and clear.

NINJA Sparring – Online CMA tutoring

Every week, NINJA CMA users can log into an online group tutoring session. What’s more, the instructor placed in the top five globally on the CMA exam.

Trending score

When you work through the practice CMA questions included with NINJA Review, the adaptive learning engine creates a “Trending Score.” You can use this estimate of your exam readiness to know when you’re ready to pass the CMA exam.

Weaknesses

No guarantee

NINJA CMA doesn’t offer a guarantee. But with a monthly subscription, if you are unhappy with your experience, you can just unsubscribe.

Smaller CMA test bank

The NINJA CMA test bank of practice exam questions is smaller than the other providers on our list of the best CMA reviews. In fact, NINJA has half of the practice questions included with Gleim or Becker CMA. Still, though, NINJA claims that their questions are high-quality and will prepare you to pass.

Recommendations

NINJA CMA is great for anyone looking for a short-term commitment or who needs a refresher course before taking the CMA exam. Plus, with online reviews via NINJA Sparring and an overall fresh approach to CMA study, NINJA is also great for anyone who needs a supplement to their primary CMA review.

We have an entire post dedicated to NINJA CMA to help you decide if it’s the best CMA exam review for you.

Other CMA Review Materials

Surgent was recently acquired by another exam prep company. We have requested access review the new course; however, we haven't received any response from the company. 

You can read more about Surgent CMA Review.

HOCK CMA Study Material

People in the U.S. may not have heard about HOCK's CMA study materials, but they are quite popular among international candidates. Like NINJA, HOCK offers a monthly subscription.

Clear presentation

The notes are great and explain the concepts well with classroom-style video recordings.

Free trial

HOCK gives potential users a free preview of some of the CMA study materials for both Part 1 and Part 2. Plus, you can check out the HOCK Circle community, an online social group of test-takers and business professions

Weaknesses

Some users complain that HOCK CMA features fewer complex, difficult MCQs in its test bankthan other review courses.

No guarantee

HOCK CMA used to offer a You Pass or We Pay Guarantee. However, the company no longer has any kind of guarantee at all. So if you study with HOCK and you don’t pass the CMA exam, you’ll have to pay for a retake yourself.

Recommendations

If you need more explanations of the concepts covered in the CMA exam, HOCK could be an alternative to traditional CMA review courses. You could always sign up for the free trial and check it out yourself.

Discover HOCK CMA Review details.

Wiley CMA Review (Wiley CMAexcel)

Wiley used to offer highly comprehensive CMA exam review materials, but the company was purchased by a private equity firm. Therefore, we’re no longer sure about the quality of this CMA course.

My CMA Review Course Recommendations

In the end, my decision for the best CMA review comes down to the course that offers the highest quality product. And that course would be Gleim CMA Review.

Gleim's course is excellent for CMA candidates that prefer a tried-and-true approach. And Gleim CMA has helped MORE candidates to pass the CMA exam than any other course.

What's more, the Gleim course includes all the critical features CMA candidates need in their study materials. From video lectures to a vast test bank of highly relevant practice questions and essays, the Gleim offering is comprehensive. Additionally, the cost of Gleim CMA is affordable, especially given the level of support that candidates receive.

For these reasons and more, Gleim CMA is my top CMA review course choice. 

Best CMA Test Banks

The CMA exam contains more than 200 questions and addresses dozens of topics. These topics are fairly broad, so the exam questions could ask you about anything relating to the topics. To prepare for such general coverage of management accounting, you’ll need to answer plenty of practice questions.

You’ll find practice questions in a CMA test bank. Each CMA review provider has a test bank of questions just like those you’ll see on the exam. The benefits of using a large test bank include getting familiar with the exam content and testing environment. You’ll also be able to avoid memorizing questions, which is not the best way to ready your brain to pass.

The size of the test banks available varies, but Gleim has constructed the best test bank available. If you want to supplement another course, you can purchase their test bank separate from the companies' full review packages.

Gleim CMA Review

Gleim’s CMA test bank features more than 4,500 unique practice multiple-choice (MCQs) and 120+ case-based questions (CBQs) as well as detailed answer explanations for every question. While this test bank does not have the most MCQs, it does include the most essays of any test bank on the market. Furthermore, Gleim’s practice questions represent the functionality and difficulty level of the CMA exam questions better than any other course.

If you want to drill questions until you’re confident in your knowledge, I recommend using one of these test banks.

Best CMA Review Video Lectures

Turning on video lectures is a great way to add some variety to your studies so you can stay focused. Video lectures are video recordings of instructors teaching about the concepts and questions on the exam. Video lectures actually help you process information faster, retain it longer, understand it better, and enjoy it more. As video lectures are so beneficial, I’m glad to report that almost every CMA review provider supplies them.

When comparing CMA review courses based on video lecture content, consider both quantity and quality. Some video lectures are well-made and insightful, even if the number of total hours is not as great.

Gleim CMA Review

Gleim CMA Review takes a very detailed approach to their videos, and you'll learn alongside the industry's best teachers. Furthermore, the video content is divided out into manageable chunks so absorbing the information requires less effort. 

Best CMA Exam Multiple-Choice Questions

Each CMA exam contains 100 multiple-choice questions (MCQs), and they aren’t your grade-school level MCQs. Instead, these MCQs come in many different formats, some of which are complicated. On top of that, you must answer 50% of the MCQs correctly in order to move on to the case-based questions portion of the exam. Consequently, doing well on these questions requires you to do more than just memorize definitions and formulas.

Instead, you must reach the levels of knowledge listed in the ICMA’s Content Specification Outlines (CSOs). The ICMA designs the MCQs to assess you for the deep comprehension of the concepts, and only by answering hundreds of practice MCQs can you achieve it. Thankfully, you’ll find enough MCQs in CMA test banks

The Gleim course has the best MCQs.  

Gleim CMA Review

As previously stated, Gleim doesn’t have the most MCQs on the market. But due to the difficulty of the CMA exam, I believe MCQ quality trumps quantity. Gleim has fewer unique MCQs than Wiley, but Gleim’s MCQs are more challenging. They more realistically demonstrate how hard the MCQs are and how they operate, so these are the questions you need to minimize surprises on test day.

Best CMA Case-Based Questions

Besides MCQs, the only other type of question on the CMA exam is case-based questions. There are two case-based scenarios on each CMA exam part, and these scenarios come with 6-7 questions each. The CMA exam employs these scenarios to test your ability to evaluate data, choose between alternative solutions, and justify an action.

Two courses stand out for their quality case-based questions.

Gleim CMA Review

As the creators of the first CMA review course, Gleim has the experience and expertise needed to write the best CMA case-based scenarios. Conveniently, they also provide the most case-based questions as well. Gleim’s professional educators have been through enough iterations of the CMA exam to know how its case-based questions work and how to generate practice CBQs that do the same. The Gleim case-based scenarios also look more like the real thing than anything else. Therefore, you will get the most precise impression of the CMA exam case-based questions when you use Gleim CMA Review.

Becker CMA Review

Becker CMA Review also offers a good number of case-based questions, although not as many as Gleim. Still, though, Becker gives you plenty of experience with case-based questions before you sit for the exam. Consequently, if this new question type is one of your weaknesses, then choosing Becker CMA Review will be one of your strengths.

Keep in mind that you must answer case-based questions in order to pass the CMA exam. 

Best CMA Review Audio Lectures

Wouldn’t it be great if you could study for the CMA exam when you’re doing mentally simple tasks like exercising, cleaning, or commuting? Good news! You can redeem this time thanks to CMA review audio lectures. Audio lectures are the auditory content of a lecture, and they allow auditory learners and candidates on the go to maximize their time.

Several CMA review providers record audio lectures, so you have some options.

Since only one course provides audio lectures, I can only recommend Gleim in this category.

Gleim CMA Review

The Gleim CMA audio lectures are basically the Gleim book in audio format. The Gleim books are well-known for being extremely thorough and comprehensive, so that’s good news for the audio lectures. With these resources, you won’t have to miss a thing if you have to listen to rather than read your study materials for the day.

If you plan to multi-task during your review so you can keep each study sessions short and sweet, these audio lectures have your back (and ears).

Best CMA Review Study Planners

If you want to pass the CMA exam, you’ve got to make a plan. Specifically, you’ll need to make a CMA exam study plan. This process involves determining how fast you want to pass, finding time in your schedule for regular study sessions, averaging 1-2 study hours a day, and figuring out when you can finish studying. It’s a very important step toward successful CMA exam studies, and it’s a lot easier to take when you use a study planner

The ideal CMA exam study planner is simple, straightforward, and easy to use. It’s also personalized and adjusts to changes you make throughout your exam journey. Finally, it should record your progress and hold you accountable with notifications.

Gleim CMA Review

The Gleim CMA Review study planner is one of the best because it also lets you add test dates and input your availability before producing a detailed schedule of all your study sessions. When you add or remove blackout dates, the Gleim CMA study planner adapts your study session assignments accordingly. It also notifies you about missed study sessions.

With effective study planners, you can pick the best test dates and ensure that you’re totally prepared in time.

Best Customer Support

How can you distinguish a good CMA review course from a great one? Customer service. The best CMA courses go above and beyond to offer dedicated support to candidates. Standard customer service includes contact via phone, email, live chat, and social messaging. Exceptional customer service encompasses tapping in to the knowledge of experts for friendly and convenient assistance with specific issues.

Gleim CMA Review

Gleim CMA Review’s customer service can’t be beat for three reasons. First, Gleim always assigns an exam mentor called a Personal Counselor to each candidate. Your Personal Counselor helps you create a study plan, answers your questions, and encourages you throughout your exam journey. Second, you can work with technical experts to resolve any computer or course access problems. Finally, you can receive deeper insight into exam topics by using the practice question inquiry system within the course to communicate with accounting experts.

Study aids like this can make a world of difference on the path to CMA exam success, so prioritize courses that prioritize you.  

Best Budget CMA Review Course

Many CMA review courses cost over $1,000. Some of these courses offer a lot of value for the price, but if you have limited funds, you still might not be able to pay for them. In that case, I recommend purchasing what I consider to be the best budget CMA review course: Gleim CMA Review.

Gleim CMA Review is the most widely used course in the industry and one of the best courses on the market. So, you don’t really have to settle when you let your wallet choose your CMA review. Gleim CMA Review is a great value, as it includes 70+ hours of video lectures, one of the largest test banks on the market, assistance from Personal Counselors and accounting experts, audio lectures, and more. And with the Access Until You Pass® guarantee, you can take as long as you need to pass the CMA exam and never have to pay for course access or updated materials again.

With my Gleim CMA review discount, you can get study materials for both exam parts for less than $1,000. Gleim created the first CMA review course in the industry, and the fact that they are still making CMA exam prep today is a testament to their quality. When you use my discount to purchase Gleim CMA Review, you can’t go wrong on the CMA exam.

My Recommendation: Gleim CMA Review

Best CMA Prep Course for Candidates Who've Already Failed the CMA Exam

Failing the CMA exam can happen for several reasons. You may not have studied well enough, long enough, or with the right materials. It may be tempting to blame your review course right off the bat, but you should thoroughly evaluate your own study habits first. If you can honestly say you put all your effort into your studies, used the review course exactly as instructed, and still failed, then you probably do have a good case against your course. When you need to switch out your CMA exam prep, I recommend turning to Becker CMA Review.

With adaptive technology powering its course, Becker is the course for CMA exam re-takers. The technology adjust to your study needs, identifies your weak areas, and saves you time as you move through your studies. On top of that, Becker CMA Review includes a free trial and a great guarantee. Finally, our Becker CMA discounts makes the low price even better for re-takers. Therefore, Becker may be just what you need to deliver a passing performance on the CMA exam.

My Recommendation: Becker CMA Review

The Cost of CMA Review

CMA review course prices vary, but the average cost for a full package is well over $1,000. Most of these courses pack a lot of value into their price points, but you don’t want to pay any more than necessary, especially when you consider the other CMA exam fees you’ll have to cover.

If you don’t purchase CMA review with unlimited course access, you may also have to pay course renewal fees. To avoid this, pass each part the first time and/or choose a course with candidate-friendly guarantees.

To make sure you’re getting the best course for you before you buy, explore the free trials that many providers offer. If you discover the course you’ve chosen doesn’t help you pass like you’d hoped, you may need to purchase another course, which will cost you even more. Signing up for a free demo that shows you how the course works and how well it fits your learning style helps you buy the best course the first time.