CPA Study Planner & Accountability Guide
How to Use This Guide
- This CPA study planner breaks down how much work is involved in passing a typical CPA exam and helps you select a timing strategy that fits your situation. It's simplified compared to the personalized study planning in our courses, but it's a good place to start.
- AICPA recommends 150 hours of study for each exam. This is a reasonable guideline to keep in mind depending on your prior knowledge and approach to studying.
- Pay special attention to the Key Insights in the Practice Schedule for data-driven insights that can save you time and money by helping you pass the first time.
Total Study Weeks
Study Days per Week
Timing Guidance
Planning to pass a CPA exam in 8 weeks is a solid approach. It is often recommended as the sweet spot giving you enough time to learn everything without extending your schedule so long that it becomes more difficult to keep everything fresh in memory.
Practice Schedule
| Activity | Success Benchmarks | Daily Average | After Lessons Finished | Key Insights |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs) | Recommended: 800+ Excellent: 1,200+ | 25-38/day | 29-75/day |
|
| Task-Based Simulations (Sims) | Recommended: 35+ Excellent: 50+ | 2/day | 4/day |
|
| Timed Practice Exams | 2 | N/A | 0-1/day |
|
Things to keep in mind
- Of the 150 hours typically needed to pass a CPA exam, that time is spread across several activities including watching lessons, memorizing key information, reviewing notes, and practicing questions and sims. Everyone takes different amounts of time for each activity, but our data shows that reaching the Success Benchmarks is a major predictor of success on exam day, making the Practice Schedule's pacing guidelines key levels that almost everyone should aim for. After finishing all lessons it makes sense to increase focus on MCQs and Sims.
- Life can throw curveballs, and the amount of time you'll be able to study each day often varies. ExamPrep.ai CPA Review students don't need to worry about trying to track everything manually since our platform provides personalized recommendations and accountability support that continually adapt to your situation and help you stay on track. Try it free!
