CPA Format

The CPA exam consists of four sections. The first three sections of the CPA are Auditing & Attestation, Financial Accounting & Reporting, and Regulation. The fourth section is the Business Environment & Concepts, which is the latest addition and covers knowledge of the general business environment and business concepts. The total testing time period of the CPA exam is 14 hours. Students who complete one section of the test are allowed time duration of 18 months to complete the other 3 sections.

The Auditing & Attestation section covers the content area of audit and has to be completed with in a time frame of 4 and half hours. The Financial Accounting & Reporting section as the name suggests covers the areas of financial accounting & reporting. The time limit of this section is 4 hours. The Regulation section which is the third section has to be completed in 3 hours and covers the

accounting & reporting (ARE) topics. The last section is the Business Environment & Concepts covering the areas of law & professional responsibilities (LPR). This section has a time limit of 2 and half hours to be completed

Students taking the CPA exam at the Prometric test centers are allowed an extra 30 minutes before each session to complete the sign-in process and survey to avoid using up the allocated time of the examination. This does NOT indicate that examination time is extended for those who finish the sign-in process quickly. There is no change in the fixed exam time limit.