United States · Licensing examPut in your exam date and the planner spreads 37 short lessons over the days you have, across FAR, AUD and REG: from the five steps of ASC 606 to audit sampling and S corporation rules. It doesn't cover the Discipline sections, so add your BAR, ISC or TCP Blueprint topics yourself. The last two days are for our 20 practice questions and a redo of the ones you missed.
Pick the date of your test and how long you can study each day. You’ll get a plan that takes you right up to the test.
How should you study for the CPA Exam?
- Download the Blueprint for the year you'll test and list your section's areas, biggest weight first.
- Take the AICPA's free sample test early, so the software, the spreadsheet tool and simulations aren't new later.
- Work through the areas with your course or books, practicing questions as you go.
- Practice simulations, not only multiple choice. They make up three of the five testlets.
- If you fail a section, start again from the weaker areas on your Candidate Performance Report.
What order to take the CPA Exam sections in
You can take the sections in any order; California's board and New York's rules both say so. Two dates shape the choice. Your credit window, usually 30 months, starts when your first passing score is released, so you may want the rest lined up before you pass one. And your Discipline can only be taken in its testing window, so plan the other three around it.
How long to study for the CPA Exam
The AICPA's estimate of 350 to 450 hours is for the whole exam, so roughly a quarter of that per section if you split it evenly; that's our arithmetic, not an AICPA figure. Sections differ in what they ask of you: the Blueprints put FAR's remembering and understanding at 5% to 15%, while ISC's is 55% to 65%.