The CPA Exam is Changing

You’ve all been asking, so here it is. The rumors are true; the CPA Exam will undergo some major changes starting January 1st, 2011. The American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) is working hard to ensure that the exam is consistent with the knowledge and skills required of entry level CPAs in the industry.

Content:
One of the biggest questions we receive is whether or not the exam will include IFRS. The answer is yes. The AICPA recently conducted a survey of CPAs with 2-15 years of experience. Based on the results, it was determined that all entry level CPAs should be somewhat bilingual in IFRS and US GAAP, although US GAAP is expected to prevail in the US for some time. Therefore, there will be a mixture of both types of questions on several sections of the exam. You can expect to see IFRS questions on the AUD, FAR and BEC sections. For now, REG is free of IFRS, but this will probably change in the future. Don’t worry, we’ll keep you posted!
Aside from IFRS, there will be a revamp of the topics covered on each section.

Below is an overview of how these topics will change.

Format:
The actual format of the CPA Exam is changing as well. It will still be a 14 hour fun-filled experience, but the time allocation, along with the actual format will be adjusted.

In the current format, AUD, FAR and REG all have three testlets of Multiple-Choice questions, two Simulations and two Written Communication tasks. In the new format, the Multiple-Choice testlets will stay the same, but the Simulations and Written Communication tasks will change. Simulations are currently long formatted questions that should take about 40-45 minutes for candidates to complete. Beginning January 1st, they will do away with these long problems, and replace them with six to seven shorter Task-Based Simulations (TBS). Of the six to seven TBS’s, two will not count towards your overall score, and will be used for the AICPA’s research. Of course, you won’t have any idea which ones will affect your score! Furthermore, Written Communication will no longer be a part of these three sections.

BEC is currently made up of three Multiple-Choice testlets containing 30 MCQ each (total of 90 MCQ). These three testlets will remain in the new format, but will have 24 MCQ per testlet (total of 72 MCQ). The BEC section will also include three Written Communication tasks. One of these tasks won’t be counted towards your final score. Again, you’ll have no idea which it will be.

In order to accommodate these changes and to keep the overall CPA Exam at 14 hours, the following time changes will be made:

• AUD, which is currently a 4.5 hour exam, will decrease to an even 4 hours.
• BEC, which is currently a 2.5 hour exam, will increase to an even 3 hours.
• The FAR section will maintain its status at 4 hours.
• REG will remain at 3 hours.

The charts below should help you wrap your mind around the new format:

Weight/Scoring:
In order to pass the CPA Exam, you will still need to have at least a 75 out of a possible 99 points on each section of the exam. With the new format, each area will have different weight towards your final score. Below shows how each sections’ weight will change:

The new changes and Roger CPA Review:
We understand that many candidates are concerned that their CPA Review Course will not keep them up to speed with the upcoming changes—especially in regards to content. You can be certain that, at Roger CPA Review, we are making all of the necessary changes to our lectures and materials to ensure our students continue to achieve pass rates of 86% or better. Whether you plan on taking your exam before or after these changes are implemented, our course will meet your needs. As leaders in this industry, we’re proud to meet the challenge these changes present, and are committed to helping our students pass with the most motivating instruction and up-to-date information.