So, develop a customized study schedule with frequent breaks and mock tests. Starting with the right section will motivate you to study further. Keep your priorities in mind, as this step will decide your entire exam schedule. Hence, finish taking all the sections within 12 months. However, dragging out the time unnecessarily may de-track you from your ultimate goal.
- Anyone who wants to know how to pass the CPA exam will find this helpful.
- Finally, BEC stands out with a 56.52% pass rate but includes written communication tasks, necessitating focused exam preparation.
- The BEC now also has 4-5 task-based simulations (TBS).
- These questions often involve complex calculations, research, or decision-making processes.
- Having a solid time management strategy can make the difference between passing and failing.
- Most CPA candidates allow themselves the full 18 months to complete the four sections.
But with plenty of hours committed, it won’t be awfully difficult. Without studying, the CPA exam would be a brutal ordeal. Prepare to spend 300+ hours studying in total.
But FAR’s dense financial reporting content often trips up candidates—it’s like memorizing a tax code while juggling spreadsheets. The window begins from the time you pass the first section. However, it is important to know that you only have an 18-month rolling window to pass all four sections. Interestingly, each testlet (even if it’s for the same section) can be drastically different from one another in terms of topics and questions. He aims to provide affordable tutoring solutions to smart accountants struggling to pass the CPA exam. The scope of the CPA exam goes much wider than just the study material.
Statistically, BAR has the lowest pass rate at 40%, followed closely by FAR at 41%, making them the hardest to pass, while TCP has the highest pass rate at 76%. Find out everything you need to know about CPA Exam scoring, pass rates, and how the AICPA calculates passing scores. If you fail a section of the CPA Exam, you can retake it as many times as needed, but you must pass all 4 sections within a 30 or 36-month window, depending on your jurisdiction. Scores are scaled based on question difficulty, but each candidate is graded against a consistent standard, not against other test-takers. Select a discipline section based on your education, experience, interests, and career goals rather than relying on perceived difficulty.
What Makes The CPA Exam Difficult?
- For instance, there might be topics on the exam that you either like or dislike, and studying the areas you do not like might be challenging.
- But, if I had to name one as the hardest, I would personally pick FAR due to the amount of information.”
- These courses provide structured study plans, practice tests, and a wealth of study materials.
- Lastly, the AICPA made the exam computer-based, and you’ll take your test at a Prometric Testing Center.
- The difficulty of the exam depends on several factors, primary among them being the candidate’s abilities – which are totally subjective.
- The answer is—it becomes hard when you focus only on theory and forget how to apply it.
- But still, we can compare some general aspects of the CPA and Bar exams.
These include textbooks, video lectures, and flashcards, all of which are typically part of a comprehensive CPA review program. The comprehensive nature of the exam reflects the diverse responsibilities of a certified CPA in professional practice. Whether it’s preparing journal entries, analyzing financial data, or ensuring tax compliance, newly licensed CPAs are expected to handle these tasks with accuracy and efficiency. Each section of the CPA Exam is scored on a scale from 0 to 99, with a passing score set at 75. Some courses emphasize video lectures, while others focus on task-based simulations or provide interactive learning tools.
Read more about the features and tools that Gleim offers at our CPA Exam Resource Center and start your journey to passing the CPA Exam today! However, they began to diverge in 2011 due to the massive change the CPA Exam went through that year, the largest changes since the exam became computerized in 2004. In those days, passing the CPA Exam might have been the only signifier accountants had to prove their mastery of accountancy! From the very beginning the CPA Exam needed to be hard because it served as the standard for what an accountant needed to know.
Scoring and testing process
REG, while still strong at 60.73%, showed meaningful quarter-to-quarter movement in Q4, a reminder not to over-index on pass rates alone; candidates should approach REG as a demanding section and prioritize TBS-style practice alongside multiple-choice questions. Historically, the CPA exam has an average pass rate of approximately 50%, underscoring its difficulty. The CPA exam demands months of dedicated preparation, with candidates often studying 300–400 hours in total. In 2025, the pass rate for the CPA Exam was around 56%, but, because there are six sections of the exam, it makes more sense to consider the individual pass rates for each section. Despite its difficulty, the CPA exam is passable with the right preparation. You’ll find the CPA Exam generally harder than the MCAT due to its rigorous structure, complex task-based simulations, and lower pass rates.
While the national CPA Exam pass rates help illustrate overall trends, many individual candidates turn to structured review resources to support their preparation. When reviewing these pass rates, you should remember that candidates are evaluated against an established standard of competence, and that the CPA Exam is scored and scaled so that scores are comparable across test forms and over time. The hardest CPA exam section, based on pass rates, is considered to be Financial Accounting and Reporting (FAR) because of it length. To get a better understanding of what you can expect, we’re going to explore CPA Exam pass rates, what makes the exam so difficult, and tips on how you can pass. These factors influencing pass rates create a formidable challenge for anyone aspiring to pass the CPA exam, necessitating strategic preparation and time management skills. The low pass rates of an exam are usually an indicator of its difficulty.
The scoring methodology of the CPA Exam employs a sophisticated multi-stage adaptive testing model that adjusts the difficulty of questions based on your performance. By incorporating practice exams into your study routine, you can significantly enhance your chances of passing the CPA exam. Practice exams play a crucial role in your CPA exam preparation, serving as a bridge between theoretical knowledge and practical application. Utilizing structured CPA review platforms can provide you with tailored study materials, including video lectures and practice questions that align with the CPA exam structure.
The exam’s difficulty is one of the reasons why the certification is sought after by so many aspiring accountants. There’s no doubt the CPA Exam is hard, but this difficulty is by design. But cutting too many corners can cost you—studying for an exam section a second time will more than erase any time you might have saved.
Common Challenges
With the exception of ISC, where MCQs make up 60% of your exam score, and TBSs make up the other 40%. In each section, the two MCQ testlets contribute to half of your exam score. To test these skill levels, each four-hour exam section is divided into five testlets.
People often ask if it is hard to clear the CPA, but staying positive makes all the difference. Students struggle with task-based simulations (TBSs). It also shows how knowing how much to study for CPA helps you stay on track. The answer is that if you study using the correct method, That’s why students ask if it is hard to clear the CPA. Students who ask how to crack the CPA exam must follow this schedule.
Why Is the CPA Exam So Difficult?
In this article, we will explore what makes the CPA exam difficult, break down the exam’s structure, and provide tips to help you prepare and succeed. ” The answer depends on several factors, such as your background, preparation, and the study resources you use. After meticulously analyzing the CPA exam market, Vishal felt a lot of the CPA review courses didn’t do so. This underscores the importance of thorough preparation and a strategic study plan. Interestingly, nearly 25% of candidates don’t pass any section on their first attempt. This statistic reflects the exam’s complexity and the extensive preparation needed to tackle its diverse topics effectively.
Yes, for sheer volume and time—CA takes 4-5 years vs. CPA’s 1-2. The CPA emphasizes US GAAP, tax law, and auditing standards, making it ideal for Big Four firms or US-based roles. The US CPA, administered by the American Institute of CPAs (AICPA) and state boards, is the gold standard for public accounting in the US. Diving into new information you haven’t been exposed to prior to the CPA Exam or learning something completely from scratch might also be challenging.
Becker’s Exam Day ReadySM students achieve a 64% higher overall pass rate, and an 81% higher pass rate for BAR and FAR, by engaging with at least 80% of lecture videos and MCQs/TBSs, and scoring 50% on simulated exams. Is it a flex to pass this exam without hardly studying? Here are the top 10 programs with the highest CPA Exam pass rates, based on when this ranking was last published.
Conclusion: Is the CPA Exam Hard? Yes, But You Can Pass
” Many different answers were received, but present value of 1 table the majority of those who answered seem to think FAR is by far the hardest. ” While there is no definitive answer, we decided to get to the bottom of this (a general consensus) and ask the best experts around…current CPA Exam candidates! As a whole, the CPA Exam consists of several question types that test the knowledge and skills required of newly licensed CPAs.
