About the CPA sections

What comprises the CPA Exam?

The CPA Exam is a four-part exam that tests entry-level accountants’ skills to practice public accounting. The exam contains four separate exams, referred to as sections. Testing time totals 16 hours, equal to four hours per section, and assessment occurs at the Prometric test center.

CPA Exam format

The exam includes three core sections which all candidates must take: Auditing and Attestation (AUD), Financial Accounting and Reporting (FAR), and Taxation and Regulation (REG). Additionally, each candidate must choose one of three discipline exams to complete the CPA Examination: Business Analysis and Reporting (BAR), Information Systems and Controls (ISC), and Tax Compliance and Planning (TCP). The following question types appear on the CPA Exam:

CPA Exam content areas, topics and weightings by section

Auditing and Attestation (AUD)

AREA I: Ethics, professional responsibilities and general principles (15-25%)

• Ethics, independence and professional conduct
• Professional skepticism and professional judgment
• Nature and scope
• Terms of engagement
• Requirements for engagement documentation
• Communication with management and those charged with governance
• Audit and quality assurance

AREA II: Assessing risk and developing a planned response (25-35%)

• Planning an engagement
• Understanding an entity and its environment
• Understanding an entity’s control environment and business processes, including information technology (IT) systems
• Materiality
• Assessing and responding to risks of material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error
• Planning for and using the work of others
• Specific areas of engagement risk

AREA III: Performing further procedures and obtaining evidence (30-40%)

• Use of data and information
• Sufficient appropriate evidence
• Sampling techniques
• Procedures to obtain sufficient appropriate evidence
• Specific matters that require special consideration
• Misstatements and internal control deficiencies
• Written representations
• Subsequent events and subsequently discovered facts

AREA IV: Forming conclusions and reporting (10-20%)

• Reports on auditing engagements
• Reports on attestation engagements
• Accounting and review service engagements
• Reporting on compliance
• Other reporting considerations

Financial Accounting and Reporting (FAR)

AREA I: Financial Reporting (30-40%)

• General-purpose financial statements: for-profit business entities
• General-purpose financial statements: nongovernmental, not-for-profit business entities
• State and local government concepts
• Public company reporting topics
• Financial statement ratios and performance metrics

AREA II: Select balance sheet accounts (25-35%)

• Cash and cash equivalents
• Trade receivables
• Inventory
• Property, plant and equipment
• Investments
• Intangible assets
• Payables and accrued liabilities
• Debt (financial liabilities)
• Equity

AREA III : Select transactions (25-35%)

• Accounting changes and error corrections
• Contingencies and commitments
• Revenue recognition
• Accounting for income taxes
• Fair value measurements
• Lessee accounting
• Subsequent events

Taxation and Regulation (REG)

AREA I: Ethics, professional responsibilities and federal tax procedures (10-20%)

• Ethics and responsibilities in tax practice
• Licensing and disciplinary systems
• Federal tax procedures
• Legal duties and responsibilities

AREA II: Business law (10-20%)

• Agency
• Contracts
• Debtor-creditor relationships
• Federal laws and regulations (e.g., employment tax, qualified health plans, bankruptcy, worker classification and anti-bribery)
• Business structure

AREA III : Federal taxation of property transactions (5-15%)

• Basis of assets
• Cost recovery (depreciation and amortization)

AREA IV: Federal Taxation of Individuals (22-32%)

• Gross income (inclusions and exclusions)
• Reporting items from pass-through entities
• Adjustment and deductions to arrive at adjusted gross and taxable income 
• Loss limitations
• Filing status
• Computation of tax and credits

AREA V: Federal Taxation of Entities (23-33%)

• Differences between book and tax income (loss)
• C corporations
• S corporations
• Partnerships
• Limited liability companies
• Tax-exempt organizations

Business Analysis and Reporting (BAR)

AREA I: Business Analysis (40-50%)

• Current period/historical analysis including the use of data
• Prospective analysis, including the use of data

AREA II: Technical accounting and reporting (35-45%)

• Indefinite-lived intangible assets, including goodwill
• Internally developed software
• Revenue recognition
• Stock compensation (share-based payments)
• Research and development costs
• Business combinations
• Consolidated financial statements
• Derivative and hedge accounting
• Leases
• Public company reporting topics
• Financial statements of employee benefit plans

AREA III : State and local governments (10-20%)

• Format and content of the financial section of the annual comprehensive financial report
• Deriving government-wide financial statements and reconciliation requirements
• Typical items and specific types of transactions and events: measurement, valuation, calculation and presentation in governmental entity financial statements

Information Systems and Controls (ISC)

AREA I: Information systems and data management (35-45%)

• Information systems
• Data management

AREA II: Security, confidentiality and privacy (35-45%)

• Regulations, standards and frameworks
• Security
• Confidentiality and privacy
• Incident response

AREA III : Considerations for Systems and Organization Controls (SOC) Engagements (15-25%)

• Considerations specific to planning and performing a SOC engagement
• Considerations specific to reporting on a SOC engagement

Tax Compliance and Planning (TCP)

AREA I: Tax compliance and planning for individuals and personal financial planning (30-40%)

• Individual compliance and tax planning considerations for gross income, adjusted gross income, taxable income and estimated taxes
• Compliance for passive activity and at-risk loss limitation (excluding tax credit implications)
• Gift taxation compliance and planning
• Personal financial planning for individuals

AREA II: Entity tax compliance (30-40%)

• C corporations
• S corporations
• Partnerships
• Trusts
• Tax-exempt organizations

AREA III : Entity tax planning (10-20%)

• Formation and liquidation of business entities
• Tax planning for C corporations
• Tax planning for S corporations
• Tax planning for partnerships

AREA IV : Property transactions (disposition of assets) (10-20%)

• Nontaxable disposition of assets
• Amount and character of gains and losses on asset disposition and netting process
• Related party transactions, including imputed interest