Exam Content
WHat you need to know
Exam Design
The Uniform CPA Examination (the Exam) is comprised of four sections, each four hours long: Auditing and Attestation (AUD), Business Environment and Concepts (BEC), Financial Accounting and Reporting (FAR) and Regulation (REG). The table below presents the design of the Exam by section, section time and question type.
• 5 minutes — Welcome/launch code
• 5 minutes — Confidentiality/section information
• 4 hours — Testing time
• 15 minutes — Standardized break
• 5 minutes — Survey
Exam Structure
Approximately 600 representative tasks that are critical to a newly licensed CPA’s role in protecting the public interest have been identified. The representative tasks combine both the applicable content knowledge and skills required in the context of the work of a newly licensed CPA. Based on this required knowledge, each section of the exam has it’s own format structure.
Audit
The Auditing and Attestation (AUD) section of the Uniform CPA Examination tests the knowledge and skills that a newly licensed CPA must demonstrate when performing:
> Audits of Issuer and Nonissuer Entities (including governmental entities, not-forprofit entities, employee benefit plans and entities receiving federal grants)
> Attestation Engagements for issuer and nonissuer entities (including examinations, reviews and agreed-upon procedures engagements)
> Preparation, Compilation and Review Engagements for nonissuer entities and reviews of interim financial information for issuer entities.
Newly licensed CPAs are also required to demonstrate knowledge and skills related to professional responsibilities, including ethics and independence. The engagements tested under the AUD section of the Exam are performed in
accordance with professional standards and/or regulations promulgated by various governing bodies.
Business Enviroment & Concepts
The Business Environment and Concepts (BEC) section of the Uniform CPA Examination (the Exam) tests knowledge and skills that a newly licensed CPA must demonstrate when performing:
> Audit, attest, accounting and review services
> Financial reporting
> Tax preparation
> Other professional responsibilities in their role as certified public accountants
The content areas tested under the BEC section of the Exam encompass five diverse subject areas. These content areas are corporate governance, economic concepts and analysis, financial management, information technology, and operations management.
Financial
The financial accounting and reporting frameworks that are eligible for assessment within the FAR section of the Exam include the standards and regulations issued by the:
> Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB)
> U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (U.S. SEC)
> American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA)
> Governmental Accounting Standards Board (GASB)
> International Accounting Standards Board (IASB)
The Financial Accounting and Reporting (FAR) section of the Uniform CPA Examination (the Exam) assesses the knowledge and skills that a newly licensed CPA must demonstrate in the financial accounting and reporting frameworks used by business entities (public and nonpublic), not-for-profit entities and state and local government entities.
Regulation
The Regulation (REG) section of the Uniform CPA Examination (the Exam) tests the knowledge and skills that a newly licensed CPA must demonstrate with respect to:
> Federal Taxation
> Ethics and Professional Responsibilities Related to Tax Practice
> Business Law
The Regulation (REG) section of the Uniform CPA Examination assesses the knowledge and skills that a newly licensed CPA must demonstrate in analyzing & preparing taxes, Business Law, Ethics and Professional Responsibilities.
2022 exam changes
Read about the various changes the AICPA has approved for the 2022 CPA Exam
Scheduling your Exam
Find out about Scheduling your CPA Exam, Testing Windows and Costs of Taking your Exam
Exam Scoring
Find out Where to get your Scores, Passing Rates & When Exam Scores are Released
Exam application process
Learn about what you need to be Eligible to sit for the CPA Exam & How to Apply
Exam Content
Find out what Content to Expect from each Section of the Exam & How the Exam is Structured
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