Upcoming Changes to the Uniform CPA Exam
As you probably already know, the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) will be administering a new version of the Uniform CPA Exam starting April 1, 2017.
Why the Changes to the CPA Exam?
In a practice analysis conducted by the Board of Examiners of the AICPA, which aimed to make sure that the exam remained current, reliable, defensible, and maintained its commitment to protecting public interest, it was found critical for newly licensed CPAs to have an increased emphasis on higher order skills and elevated competence in:
- Recognizing Issues
- Identifying Errors
- Challenging Assumptions
- Professional Skepticism
What Kind of Changes Can Candidates Expect to See?
Per the practice analysis, testers can expect to see an increase in task-based simulations, which the AICPA will add an additional testlet to each section to accommodate for. Other changes include:
- Each exam section will now be four hours in length
- Standardized 15-minute break at the midway point of each section
- Exam blueprintshave been created for each section, replacing the Content Specification Outline (CSO) and Skill Specification Outline (SSO)
- Additional testlet for each the exam’s four sections
- Cost increase for taking the exam
- Item distribution on the new exam:
| Section | Multiple Choice Questions (MCQ) | Task-Based Simulations (TBS) | Written Responses |
| AUD | 72 | 9 | N/A |
| BEC | 62 | 5 | 3 |
| FAR | 66 | 9 | N/A |
| REG | 76 | 9 | N/A |
Although there’s been a number of changes to the 2017 CPA Exam, one thing that has remained the same are the tested sections:
- Auditing and Attestation (AUD)
- Business Environment and Concepts (BEC)
- Financial Accounting and Reporting (FAR)
- Regulation (REG)
What Does This Mean for CPA Candidates?
The new changes to the 2017 CPA Exam will now essentially require students to move away from their traditional study habits of memorization to now focusing on real-word application of concepts of public accounting principles.
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