[startupcfo]

I heard that the CPA exams will change in 2017

1. What is the official word on when in 2017 the new test will go active? Is it going active January 1st, April 1st, or still undecided?

2. What is going to change? I heard there’s going to be less Mutliple Choice, which concerns me. Are they going to lengthen the sims, increase the # of sims, or add a new type of testing format altogether?

BEC - 87 | 02/28
REG - 70 | 06/10, REMATCH | 08/30
AUD - XX | 09/10
FAR - XX | 12/10

[Bnots]

The new sim type, the document review, will be added for the third and fourth testing windows of 2016. You can practice one in each of the free AICPA sample tests.

From the AICPA website:

“The DRS presents a realistic task that simulates what a newly licensed CPA might do on the job. The item features a primary document as well as related source materials for candidate review. Highlighted words, phrases, sentences or paragraphs in the DRS document may or may not be correct, requiring the candidate to select appropriate edits based on the relevant source materials.”

Here's the AICPA document explaining the anticipated changes to the exam for 2017:

https://www.aicpa.org/BecomeACPA/CPAExam/nextexam/DownloadableDocuments/Next-CPA-Exam-Exposure-Draft-20150901.pdf

Highlights include:

A focus on “higher order skills,” which I take to mean that they want to make the exam harder. The way I'm reading it, questions will focus more on whether you know how to apply knowledge to real situations rather than just recalling it to answer exam questions.

REG and BEC are being lengthened to four hours to match FAR and AUD.

BEC will include sims.

Fewer MCQs. 70-75 for FAR and AUD, 60-65 for REG and BEC.

More sims. 8-9 for FAR, AUD, and REG. BEC will have 4-5 in addition to 3 written communications.

Becker currently says it will go live April 1, 2017. As far as I've found on the AICPA website,they're still saying the changes will be “announced in 2016 and included in the Exam in 2017”

[Author]

Replies