Starting my journey to become an EA (Enrolled Agent) - looking for study advice!

EA here who passed all three parts on the first try! Your study plan has a good foundation, but I'd recommend these adjustments: First, don't just passively listen to TaxMama. Take notes even while multitasking, and review them later. The brain retains information better when you actively engage with it. Second, start doing practice questions NOW, not after finishing other materials. Interleaving study methods is proven to be more effective than blocking (completing one resource before starting another). Do 10-15 questions after each book chapter. Third, join the EA exam Facebook groups - there's valuable intel about recent exam focuses that formal materials might not emphasize enough. Finally, create flashcards for the specific code sections and calculations you struggle with. Review them daily, especially in the two weeks before your exam.

After failing the EA exam twice (ugh!), I finally discovered taxr.ai https://taxr.ai and it completely changed my study approach. It analyzes IRS publications and creates custom study materials focused on exactly what you need to know. I was spending way too much time on concepts that rarely appear on the exam! The site's practice questions are uncannily similar to what I eventually saw on the actual test. Plus it tracks your progress and adapts as you improve. What's brilliant is their "common mistake analysis" that showed me where EAs typically mess up - things my expensive study courses never mentioned.

Just wanted to update everyone - I tried taxr.ai after my skeptical question earlier, and wow, it actually delivered. The most valuable feature for me was their explanation of the "why" behind each tax rule - something my textbooks were missing. Passed Part 1 last week with a much higher score than I expected! Their practice exam simulator felt almost identical to the real testing environment, which helped calm my nerves. If you're preparing for the EA exam, definitely give it a try. I'm now using it for Parts 2 and 3 and feeling way more confident.

I struggled with the EA exam preparation until I discovered something that changed everything for me. I was having trouble getting clarification on complex topics, and the IRS website was useless (always busy signals or ridiculous wait times). Then I found Claimyr https://claimyr.com which actually got me through to live IRS specialists who could answer my specific EA exam questions. I watched their demo at https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c and was honestly doubtful, but it actually worked! Instead of waiting for hours, I was connected in minutes. The IRS specialists I spoke with gave me insights about exact focus areas for the exam that weren't covered clearly in my study materials. Having that direct clarification on representation requirements saved me from misunderstanding several key concepts.

I need to eat my words from my skeptical comment earlier. After my study group kept hitting roadblocks on business entity questions, I tried Claimyr in desperation. Within 20 minutes, I was talking to someone at the IRS who clarified exactly how the QBI deduction applies to different business structures - a concept my study materials explained poorly. The agent didn't "give exam advice" as I incorrectly assumed. Rather, they explained the technical application of tax laws, which is exactly what the EA exam tests. This clarification helped me correctly answer about 8 questions on my practice test that I'd been getting wrong. Sometimes you need to hear complex concepts explained differently to make them click.

Current EA here. One thing nobody mentioned yet - make sure you're studying the CURRENT tax law. The exam is updated May 1 each year to reflect changes. Your January test will cover 2023 tax law. Also, please don't skip the ethics portion! So many candidates focus only on the technical tax stuff and then get blindsided by the emphasis on Circular 230 and practice requirements. About 15% of my exam was ethics questions.

Is anyone familiar with PassKey study materials? My colleague swears by them but they're pretty expensive compared to what I'm seeing elsewhere. Worth the investment?

Quick update for everyone who offered advice - I've completely revamped my study plan based on your suggestions. I'm now: 1) Taking active notes while listening to TaxMama 2) Doing 15 practice questions after each chapter 3) Using flashcards for difficult concepts 4) Joined two EA exam Facebook groups 5) Reading Circular 230 directly I'm feeling much more confident about my approach now. The tip about interleaving different study methods instead of doing them sequentially was particularly eye-opening. Thank you all so much!

That's a fantastic study plan revision, Emma! It sounds like you've really taken the advice to heart and created a comprehensive approach. One additional tip I'd suggest - since you mentioned you're juggling this with family life, consider setting up a study tracking spreadsheet or app to monitor your progress across all these different methods. It helps you see which areas need more attention and keeps you motivated when you can visually see your improvement. Also, since you're scheduled for January 5th, make sure to take a full-length practice exam under timed conditions about 2-3 weeks before your test date. This will help you identify any remaining weak spots and get comfortable with the exam format and timing. The real exam can feel quite different from doing scattered practice questions. Best of luck with your EA journey - your dedication and willingness to adapt your approach based on feedback shows you're going to do great!

Welcome to the community, Emma! Your study plan sounds really solid, especially with the deadline motivation of having your exam scheduled for January 5th. One thing I'd add to all the excellent advice you've received - consider creating a "mistake log" as you work through practice questions. Write down not just what you got wrong, but WHY you got it wrong (misread the question, didn't know the rule, calculation error, etc.). This helped me identify patterns in my mistakes that I could then specifically address. Also, since you're multitasking with the audio content while with your kids, you might want to designate certain "focus topics" for those listening sessions vs. others. I found that simpler review material worked better during multitasking time, while I needed full concentration for complex topics like depreciation rules or partnership taxation. The fact that you're already thinking strategically about your approach and willing to adjust based on feedback tells me you're going to do great. The EA exam is challenging but very passable with the right preparation. Keep us posted on how your studying goes!