How Difficult Is the CPA Exam? 2026 Data and Section Comparison

The CPA exam is a four-section professional licensing exam with a cumulative pass rate of approximately 45-55% across all sections. FAR (Financial Accounting and Reporting) has the lowest pass rate of the core sections at roughly 40-45%. The difficulty is real but quantifiable -- and understanding exactly where candidates fail changes how you prepare.

#Key Points

• FAR has the lowest pass rate of any core CPA exam section: approximately 40-45% historically
• The 2024 CPA Evolution restructured the exam to three core sections (AUD, FAR, REG) plus one discipline section (BAR, ISC, or TCP)
• A passing score of 75 is scaled, not a raw percentage -- you do not need to answer exactly 75% of questions correctly
• FAR's difficulty comes from content breadth (22 topic groups), not depth -- it covers more topics than any other section
• The 18-month rolling window creates compounding pressure: failing one section affects your timeline for all four
• Retakers face a different difficulty profile than first-timers, primarily around content decay and morale

#How is the CPA exam structured after the 2024 Evolution?

The CPA exam changed significantly in January 2024. The old four-section model (AUD, BEC, FAR, REG) was replaced with three core sections plus one discipline section. Every candidate must pass:

1. AUD -- Auditing and Attestation
2. FAR -- Financial Accounting and Reporting
3. REG -- Taxation and Regulation
4. One discipline section (candidate's choice): BAR (Business Analysis and Reporting), ISC (Information Systems and Controls), or TCP (Tax Compliance and Planning)

All four sections must be passed within an 18-month rolling window. The exam is available year-round at Prometric testing centers by appointment. Score release typically occurs within 2-3 weeks after each testing window closes, with NASBA publishing target dates in advance.

Source: AICPA Uniform CPA Examination Blueprints, effective January 1, 2026.

#What are the pass rates by section?

Pass rates vary by section and by reporting period, but historical ranges are consistent enough to identify clear patterns. The following table uses approximate ranges based on publicly reported AICPA and NASBA data:

Note: Discipline section pass rates (BAR, ISC, TCP) are based on limited data since these sections launched in January 2024. Ranges will stabilize as more candidates sit for these sections.

FAR consistently sits at the bottom. The gap between FAR's pass rate (40-45%) and REG's (55-60%) is not trivial -- it represents a fundamentally different difficulty level.

#What makes FAR the hardest section?

FAR's difficulty is a function of breadth, not depth. It does not test any single topic more deeply than other sections test their hardest topics. Instead, it tests more topics than any other section.

The 2026 AICPA blueprint for FAR defines three content areas containing 22 topic groups:

Three specific factors drive FAR's lower pass rate:

1. Government and not-for-profit accounting. Area III includes governmental fund accounting and not-for-profit financial reporting. These topics use different accounting frameworks than the GAAP-based material in Areas I and II. Candidates who studied exclusively at for-profit-focused programs often encounter these topics for the first time during FAR preparation. The learning curve is steep and the blueprint allocates up to 35% of the exam to Area III.

2. Memorization volume. FAR requires candidates to know specific recognition, measurement, and disclosure rules across dozens of standards (ASC 606, ASC 842, ASC 820, ASC 350, government GASB standards, and more). The sheer number of discrete rules to retain -- compared to AUD's procedural frameworks or REG's tax code logic -- creates a higher memory load.

3. Broad TBS simulations. FAR's task-based simulations can draw from any of the 22 topic groups. A single TBS might require knowledge of inventory valuation, lease classification, and financial statement presentation. This integration across topics is more pronounced in FAR than in sections with narrower content areas.

#How does difficulty differ for retakers versus first-timers?

Retakers and first-time candidates face different versions of the same exam. The questions are the same, but the psychological and strategic dynamics diverge.

First-timer difficulty factors:

• Everything is new -- no baseline familiarity with exam format, pacing, or question style
• Content learning and exam strategy must develop simultaneously
• No score report data to guide study allocation

Retaker difficulty factors:

• Content decay -- material studied early in the first attempt may have faded
• Morale drag -- scoring 72-74 and having to restudy is psychologically taxing
• Study method inertia -- retakers tend to repeat the same study approach that produced a failing score
• The 18-month window is now shorter -- time spent retaking FAR is time not spent on remaining sections

The retaker advantage is data. A NASBA score report provides Stronger/Comparable/Weaker ratings for each content area. This allows retakers to build a targeted plan instead of restudying everything. For a detailed retake framework, see how to recover after scoring 74 on FAR.

#How does the 18-month window affect difficulty?

The 18-month rolling window is not just a scheduling constraint. It is a compounding pressure mechanism.

Here is how it works: the clock starts when you pass your first section. From that date, you have 18 months to pass the remaining three. If you do not finish in time, your earliest passing score expires and you must retake that section.

Example timeline:

• January 2026: Pass AUD (clock starts)
• April 2026: Fail FAR (73)
• June 2026: Retake FAR, pass (clock continues from January 2026)
• You now have until July 2027 to pass REG and your discipline section
• If you fail FAR twice, you may lose months that push your other sections past the 18-month deadline

This window pressure makes FAR strategically important. Many CPA candidates choose to take FAR first precisely because it has the lowest pass rate. Failing FAR after already passing other sections creates the most scheduling risk.

#What does a passing score of 75 actually mean?

The CPA exam uses a scaled scoring system ranging from 0 to 99. A score of 75 is the minimum passing threshold, but it is not a raw percentage.

The AICPA uses item response theory (IRT) to score the exam. This means:

• Harder questions are worth more toward your score than easier questions
• The second MCQ testlet may increase in difficulty if you perform well on the first
• Your raw percentage correct does not map directly to your scaled score
• A candidate could theoretically answer fewer than 75% of questions correctly and still pass, or answer more than 75% correctly and fail, depending on question difficulty

The practical implication: do not use raw percentage correct on practice exams as a direct predictor of your exam score. Use it as a relative measure -- if your accuracy is increasing week over week, you are moving in the right direction. Most candidates who consistently score above 70% on quality practice questions are in the passing range.

#How many study hours does each section require?

Study hour estimates vary by source, but the following ranges are broadly consistent across major prep providers and candidate-reported data:

FAR requires the most study hours because it has the most content to cover. The retaker ranges reflect targeted study -- reviewing only weak areas rather than restudying the full curriculum.

For a detailed week-by-week FAR study schedule calibrated to different weekly hour commitments, see FAR study plans for working professionals.

#What do candidates actually struggle with on FAR?

Based on NASBA score report patterns and candidate-reported data, the most common struggle areas on FAR are:

1. Government fund accounting -- Distinguishing governmental funds, proprietary funds, and fiduciary funds; understanding modified accrual vs. full accrual basis; government-wide vs. fund-level statements
2. Not-for-profit accounting -- Net asset classifications, contribution revenue recognition, NFP-specific financial statements
3. Lease accounting (ASC 842) -- Classification criteria, right-of-use asset calculations, lessee vs. lessor accounting
4. Consolidation and equity method -- Intercompany eliminations, partial ownership, variable interest entities
5. Pensions and postretirement benefits -- Projected benefit obligation components, pension expense calculation, corridor approach for gains/losses

These topics share a common trait: they require understanding a complete accounting framework, not just a single rule. Government accounting alone uses a different basis of accounting, different fund types, and different financial statement formats than everything else on the exam.

#How does FAR compare to other professional exams?

For context, the CPA exam is one of several professional licensing exams in accounting and finance. Approximate pass rates for comparison:

FAR's pass rate is comparable to CMA Part 1 and CFA Level I -- all of which are considered among the more difficult professional exams. The CPA exam's additional complexity is that you must pass four separate sections within a rolling window, while CMA and CFA are sequential with no expiration between levels (CFA has no section expiration; CMA parts must be passed within 3 years).

Source: AICPA Uniform CPA Examination Blueprints, effective January 1, 2026. Pass rate ranges are approximate and based on historically published data from the AICPA, NASBA, CFA Institute, and IMA.