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What is the most difficult part of the CPA exam?

Author

Jessica Hardy

Updated on March 08, 2026

What is the most difficult part of the CPA exam?

Financial Accounting and Reporting

Then, which is more difficult the CPA exam or bar?

Keep in mind, the Bar exam has much more difficult requirements to even sit for the exam—you need to go to law school, which is quite a commitment, both financially and in terms of time. While the CPA requires accounting experience and coursework, there's a lower bar for entry for this test.

Also Know, which CPA Review course has the highest pass rate? Roger CPA – “Roger CPA Review's students have an 88% pass rate, the highest pass rate in the industry.” Surgent CPA – “Surgent 89.7% National Average 49.3%. A lot of people are failing with the other guys.” Wiley CPA – “9 out of 10 students who complete the Wiley CPAexcel Course pass the CPA exam.”

People also ask, what professional exam is the hardest?

The World's Most Difficult Exams

  • The United States Medical Licensing Exam. Once you've made it all the way through medical school to get your MD degree, you're still not quite yet ready to actually practice medicine.
  • California State Bar Exam.
  • Master Sommelier Diploma Exam.
  • Uniform Certified Public Accountant Exam.
  • Certified Master Chef® Exam.

What is the best order to take CPA exam?

Logical Order

Then I would suggest taking FAR first, then AUD, REG, and finally BEC. FAR is the most comprehensive of the tests and will allow you to build a strong foundation of accounting principles and financial statement knowledge.

Is Series 7 harder than CPA?

Series 7 is one exam with a pass rate of around 65%. CPA is 4 exams, each of which have a pass rate around 50%. Based on these numbers alone the CPA is easier. CPA also covers a lot more ground than the 7.

Why is CPA so hard?

Why is the CPA Exam Hard? Every section has a time limit of four hours, or a total of 16 hours to complete the entire CPA Exam. To sum up, the CPA Exam is hard, because there is an extensive amount of information covered on the exam and, with most review courses, quite a lot of study time required.

What is the hardest professional exam in the United States?

1.Chartered financial analyst
  • Certified public accountant. Tests like the CPA exam have a similarly brutal pass rate of 40-50% but it's an essential step if you want to get a higher ranking role in finance as many people chase this lucrative credential.
  • The bar.
  • CCIE Exam.
  • Financial risk management.

What is the hardest exam in the United States?

United States Medical Licensing Examination

What is the hardest exam in the US?

USMLE. Of course, you can't have a list of toughest final exams without the inclusion of the USMLE. The United States Medical Licensing Examination is a test that any M.D. is required to pass before being allowed to practice medicine in the United States.

Why is CPA pass rate so low?

One reason why passing rates are so low on the CPA exam is that there is a wealth of material that has to be learned to pass. The CPA exam pass rates may be low in part due to the amount of information, but you can definitely be a part of the 50% or so who pass the exam.

Is CPA exam harder than MCAT?

MCAT has a wider course content from which a candidate is tested upon in comparison to the CPA; which makes MCAT difficult. MCAT is majorly a fact based exam, whereas CPA has both components, facts as well as application of concepts, which makes CPA difficult.

What is the hardest exam in the world?

10 Hardest Tests in the World
  • MCAT. Before being admitted to medical school in the U.S., Canada, Australia, or the Caribbean Islands, you'll need to take the Medical College Admission Test (MCAT).
  • UPSC.
  • Gaokao.
  • CFA.
  • LNAT.

What is the world's toughest test?

Toughest Exams In The World
  • Gaokao.
  • IIT-JEE – Indian Institute of Technology Joint Entrance Examination.
  • UPSC- Union Public Service Commission.
  • Mensa.
  • GRE- Graduate Record Examinations.
  • CFA- Chartered Financial Analyst.
  • All Souls Prize Fellowship Exam.
  • Master Sommelier Diploma Exam.

Which is the toughest course in the world?

Toughest Courses in the World Explained
  1. Engineering. Considered one of the toughest courses in the world, engineering students are required to have tactical skills, analytical skills, critical thinking, and problem-solving abilities.
  2. Chartered Accountancy.
  3. Medicine.
  4. Pharmacy.
  5. Architecture.
  6. Law.
  7. Psychology.
  8. Aeronautics.

What is harder CPA or CFA?

To summarize, the CFA exam is probably 4-5x harder than the CPA exam. However, college prepared me for about 90% of the CPA exam. Even though I have a Master's in Finance, it only covered about 70% of Level 1, and less than 30% of Level 2.

Is it worth it to become a CPA?

The CPA designation is 100% worth the investment for those who plan to have long-term careers in accounting. Although the CFA designation is more distinguished in the finance and investment community, the CPA credential can still be valuable for those who have aspirations in finance.

What is the best CPA Review Course 2020?

The 5 Best CPA Prep Courses of 2020
  • Becker CPA Review: Best Overall.
  • UWorld Roger CPA Review: Runner Up, Best Overall.
  • Surgent CPA Review: Best Artificial Intelligence Tools.
  • Gleim CPA Review: Best Value.
  • Ninja CPA Review: Best Price.

Are Wiley questions harder than CPA exam?

I have studied for the CPA using only the Wiley MCQ books. And I find that my scores on the Wiley practice tests are pretty similar to my score on the actual exam. The SIM scoring is a little more difficult than the exam's scoring, but it's still pretty comparable.

How many hours a week should I study for CPA?

The AICPA recommends that candidates spend between 300-400 hours to study for the entire exam CPA exam.

Can you self study for CPA?

You have three basic options when you plan to take the CPA exam. You can prep for it in a traditional classroom structure, use an online or recorded class, or you can self-study. Each of these study options offers a structure that may be better suited for one individual over another.

What does the average CPA make?

The average salary for a CPA based in the United States is $119,000. Those CPAs who have extensive experience of working in the accounting and finance fields can earn substantially more. An individual with 20 years of experience could command an average of $152,000 in annual pay.

Is Wiley CPA good?

Wiley has several video lectures that are thorough and laid out in a manner that's easy to understand. However, they aren't the best CPA video lectures on the market and have been called dry by students. In comparison, Becker's CPA video lectures carry a more professional and direct air.

What is the best CPA exam review?

2020's Top 7 Best CPA Exam Review Courses Compared
CPA Review CourseIdeal For..
Surgent CPA ReviewStudents who want to study at their own pace
Yaeger CPA ReviewVisual learners who want step-by-step explanations
Gleim CPA ReviewDedicated self-studier
Fast Forward AcademySelf-studier who focuses on weaknesses

How do I get my CPA study material for free?

The AICPA offers some amazing free study materials for the CPA exam which is included below: Exam Blueprints. Information about AICPA Sample Tests.

There are a number of great forums discussing the CPA exam:

  1. Reddit Accounting.
  2. Reddit CPA Candidates.
  3. Proformative.
  4. Accounting Forums.

How many times can you fail a CPA exam?

You are able to retake the CPA Exam as many times as you would like, but only take each section one time per testing window.

How hard is the far CPA exam?

Most CPA exam takers say that the most difficult portion of the test is Financial Accounting and Reporting (FAR). This section of the test involves several complicated accounting concepts and has the lowest pass rates out of all four sections according to data from the AICPA.

Which CPA part should I take first?

Your First Section of the CPA Exam Should Be Your Most Confident Subject. Your first exam section should be the subject that you feel the most confident with.

How can I pass the far CPA exam?

1.Choose the right study materials
  1. FAR multiple-choice question bank. Two of the five testlets that make up the FAR exam contain multiple-choice questions.
  2. FAR task-based simulations. Task-based simulations make up the other 50% of your FAR exam score.
  3. FAR updated for CPA exam blueprints.
  4. FAR study software.

Is Reg or far harder?

FAR is way much harder because those are very book knowledge base. Whereas REG is book knowledge plus real world experience.

What are the 4 CPA tests?

The CPA Exam consists of four, four-hour sections: Auditing and Attestation (AUD), Business Environment and Concepts (BEC), Financial Accounting and Reporting (FAR) and Regulation (REG). You must pass all four sections within 18 months, earning a minimum score of 75 on each part.

Can I pass the CPA exam in 6 months?

It's doable, but most candidates take longer than 6 months. If a candidate passes all exams in 6 months, then he or she probably passed all 4 on the first try.

Is CPA Exam multiple choice?

All four sections of the Uniform CPA Examination contain multiple-choice questions. The AUD, FAR and REG sections have an additional portion for task-based simulation (TBS) questions; the BEC section has a portion for written communication questions, but no TBS questions.