Study · 17 recordsStudy for the CPA exam

The CPA exam is passed one section at a time, and most candidates are studying alongside a full-time job. This picks the first section, schedules it before the study starts so the date is real, builds a weekly plan of multiple-choice questions and simulations, and keeps an eye on the window your board gives you to pass every section.

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The whole plan, before you install it

Goal

Pass the first CPA section Month 3

One section, a real date, and a schedule that fits around work.

Set up Week 2

The section, the date, and the rules of the window.

  • Check my state board's eligibility and credit window rulesDo firstDay 3
  • Choose the first sectionDo firstDay 5
  • Apply, then schedule the exam date once it is allowedDo firstDay 12
  • Choose one review course and stop comparingDo firstDay 7

Study the section Month 2

Questions and simulations every week, not just lectures.

  • Finish the first pass of the materialDo firstWeek 6
  • Take a full practice exam under timed conditionsDo firstWeek 7
  • Review weak areas from the practice examDo firstMonth 2
  • Take a second practice examDo firstMonth 2
  • Plan the next section while this one is freshMonth 2

Routines

  • CPA study sessiondaily
  • Weekly question and simulation reviewweekly
Skills
  • CPA exam preparationIntermediate → Advanced

    Log study hours per section. Hours reviewing wrong answers count for more than hours of lectures watched.

✦ It puts something in the calendar

Dates you will not have to remember

CPA exam

Month 208:30240 min
✦ It comes with a note

Questions, not lectures

Watching lectures feels like studying and is the least effective part of it. Multiple-choice questions and task-based simulations, with every wrong answer reviewed, are what move the score.

Schedule the exam before the study starts. A date on the calendar is what stops a section expanding to fill six months.

Questions

Study for the CPA exam, answered.

Many candidates plan for something like 80 to 150 hours per section, depending on the section and their background, spread over two or three months alongside work. This plan is dated to ten weeks for a first section and is easy to stretch.
Often the one closest to your day job or your most recent studies, so the first pass builds confidence and starts the credit window on a strong footing. Since 2024 the exam is three core sections (AUD, FAR and REG) plus one discipline section of your choice.
It is a rolling window set by your state board, commonly 18 or 30 months from passing the first section. Check your own board's rule before scheduling, because it decides how aggressively the remaining sections need to be planned.
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