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Enrolled Agent exam study tips

Passing the Enrolled Agent exam is the most difficult step of becoming an Enrolled Agent, so it is vital that you are well prepared. From your first study session to exam day, be sure to implement study strategies that work.

Enrolled Agent exam study tips

Before you begin your studies, create a study schedule and strategy. Creating a study schedule will help you stay consistent, and implementing a study strategy will make your study sessions more effective. Neither of these needs to be absolute. If something isn’t working in your plan, figure out why it’s not working and change it.

Once you’ve developed your study plan, use these tips to achieve your goals:

Stick to your study schedule.

Your study schedule is intended to help you meet deadlines and ensure that you cover all of the material needed to pass the exam. If you find yourself consistently falling behind, re-evaluate your study plan and make sure it is realistic for your life and goals.

Take short breaks during your study sessions.

Study breaks will keep your mind sharp as you read material, complete quizzes, and watch videos. For every hour you study, take 15 to 30 minutes to give your brain a break and help you refocus when you return.

Reward yourself as you complete benchmarks.

Rewards will help motivate you and keep you on track to pass. Plan out your rewards and write them on a calendar or in your study plan. This way you have something to look forward to as you study.

Rewards can be as simple as a special dinner for finishing a tough topic or a few days off from studying for passing an exam!

Review material after you have completed it.

For candidates with study plans spanning a few months, reviewing material you have already covered is especially important. You want to make sure you can maintain mastery of the material throughout your studies.

Take a Prometric Test Drive .

Prometric offers candidates the chance to go through all of the administrative steps for their exam. Much like practicing with the exam software, this helps reduce stress on exam day. This is also a prime opportunity to make sure you have accurate driving instructions so you know the best route to the test center on the day of your exam!

Practice using exam-emulating software.

Practicing in a setting similar to what you will face on exam day will help you feel relaxed and in control when it counts. If you are comfortable with the testing software, you can spend less time going over tutorials and more time getting right to the questions at the test center.

THE Gleim Logo SOLUTION 

Gleim Enrolled Agent Review mirrors the Prometric exam software so candidates can practice from start to finish in a realistic setting. Candidates can practice using these features in quizzes, getting more comfortable as they study. Try our demo to practice answering quiz questions.

Multiple-Choice Question study tips for the Enrolled Agent exam

All of the questions on the Enrolled Agent exam are multiple-choice. Candidates should not only know the topics, but also implement test-taking strategies that can help them select the best answer.

Example multiple choice question for Enrolled Agent exam study tips

Learn from the answer explanations.

It is important to know why an answer is right or wrong to make sure you’re learning the right lesson from the question. Sometimes you might select the right answer for the wrong reason or answer a question that isn’t actually being asked (incorrect answer choices are designed to capitalize on common mistakes), so take a moment to review the answer explanations once you’ve completed your quiz.

Watch our free on demand video to see our Gleim Instruct lecturer walk-through a sample Enrolled Agent exam question.

Practice time management.

Don’t wait until right before you sit for the Enrolled Agent exam to practice your time management strategy. Monitor your time on your Enrolled Agent quizzes to speed up your test taking and become comfortable answering questions at your exam-day pace.

The best way to practice is to set a firm 30-minute time limit on your 20-question quizzes. Once time elapses, put your pen down and start your review. If you are taking a longer quiz, still make a note when you finish 20 questions—it should be within 30 minutes of when you started.

Avoid memorizing questions.

Once you start memorizing questions, you’re wasting your time. Since the Enrolled Agent exam is non-disclosed, your practice questions won’t be the same as the questions on your exam. For the best results, ensure you understand and master the concepts behind the questions. Use a large test bank and randomize the answer choice order so you’re engaging with the concepts and not answering by rote.

NOTE: Make sure you have access to complete Enrolled Agent content coverage. It isn’t good enough to use a provider with a large volume of questions if most of them are on the same few topics. Due to the non-disclosed nature of the Enrolled Agent exam, be sure that the number of questions in every area is large enough to provide variety and help you avoid memorization.

Enrolled Agent exam-day tips

Once you have studied for the Enrolled Agent exam and scheduled your exam, we have a few tips to help ensure your success on exam day.

Tips for the days before your Enrolled Agent exam

one

If you can, drive to your testing center before exam day to familiarize yourself with the route.

two

The night before your exam, relax and get a good night's rest. This is important for maintaining focus during your exam.

three

Review your appointment confirmation and arrive 30-60 minutes before your appointment.

four

Bring a valid government-issued ID with a current photo and signature. The first and last name on the ID must match the names you used to register for the exam. Put these in your wallet or purse the night before to avoid leaving them behind.

Exam-day tips for the Enrolled Agent exam

one

Bring snacks and drinks that can be easily left in a small storage locker, but leave everything else not essential at home or in the car.

two

Wear comfortable clothing and consider wearing layers that can be easily removed. Each test center controls their own temperature, so you don’t want to be distracted by being too cold or hot. You want to remain focused on your exam.

three

Set up a time management system that you can stick to.

You will have 3.5 total hours to answer 100 questions. Each EA exam is broken into two sections of 50 questions each. With the Gleim Time Management System, answering each question in 1.5 to 2 minutes will leave you with time at the end of each half to review.

There will be a timer on your exam screen that will count down from 3:30 to 0. Use a piece of scratch paper (provided by Prometric) to benchmark your time and keep yourself on track. The Gleim Enrolled Agent Review System mimics the exam software perfectly, so you can have plenty of practice during your studies!

Our free Enrolled Agent Exam Guide goes over the Gleim Time Management System in more detail.

four

Have a plan for the 15-minute break.

Three and a half hours is a long time to maintain focus, so the IRS and Prometric added a 15-minute break in the middle of the exam. You do not need to take the break if you don’t want to, but itis a great opportunity to stretch, grab a snack from your locker, or use the restroom.

You will need to go back through the security procedures at the end of your break, which will be included in the 15 minutes. If you are not back in time, the exam clock will start again without you, so plan ahead!

five

Read each question and answer choice carefully.

The Enrolled Agent exam will often ask questions that look for an exception. These questions will usually use a word such as NOT or EXCEPT. These words are usually UPPERCASE on the exam, but do not assume they will be every time.

Your mind will be the most focused right after you’ve read a question. Make a prediction about what the right answer should be before reading the answer choices.

NOTE: Even if you do see your predicted answer, still read all the other choices carefully to make sure there is not a better option.

Always select the best answer choice, even if another can be argued as correct. Treat each option like a true or false question and compare it to the answer you believe is correct. Small details can help you decide if one answer choice is better than another.

six

Answer each question on your first pass.

You won’t lose points for answering questions incorrectly on the Enrolled Agent exam, so never leave questions blank. Even a random guess has a 25% chance of being right, and if you can eliminate two of the answers through educated guessing, that increases your chance to 50%!

seven

Use educated guessing skills.

Rule out answers you think are incorrect right away. You can right-click to strike through a response and eliminate it as a distraction.

Ask yourself if one of the remaining answers more completely addresses the question than the others. Most questions can be narrowed down to two choices. Pick the best one of the two.

Unless you are sure you made a mistake, stick with your first choice and don’t spend a lot of time worrying about it. Usually your intuition is correct!

After your exam

After weeks of studying, getting the “Pass” result is a huge relief. Whether it is your first exam or your last, you should celebrate your achievement!

If you do have more exams, use the momentum you have created and don’t spend too much time celebrating. The sooner you pick your study routine back up the easier studying for the next part will be.

Once you have passed all of your exams, don’t wait to file Form 23 to officially enroll as an Enrolled Agent. As soon as you are enrolled, you can begin earning your Continuing Education (CE) hours. Check out our CE bundles specifically designed for Enrolled Agents!