CPA Section Study Guides
These section guides explain the study focus. Only the FAR guide links to a complete original practice form in this release. Use current primary objectives for the precise scope and testing policies.
AUD · Auditing and Attestation
Core · 78 MCQs + 7 simulations
Ethics and professional responsibilities, risk assessment, audit evidence, conclusions and reporting.
Begin with the purpose of the engagement and the assertion being tested. An inventory observation can support existence, while ownership may require separate evidence. Link each procedure to the risk and assertion, and distinguish the evidence gathered from the conclusion it supports.
Practice evaluating contradictory documents and deciding what additional work is needed. For reports, identify the engagement type and the issue before selecting wording. The existing AUD study center provides orientation. A complete original AUD practice form is not included in this release.
FAR · Financial Accounting and Reporting
Core · 50 MCQs + 7 simulations
Financial reporting, selected balance sheet accounts and selected transactions.
Build a rollforward before choosing an adjustment. Keep gross receivables, the allowance and net receivables separate, and identify whether a simulation asks for a balance or a change. Trace entries into the financial statements and reconcile cash-flow adjustments with their accounting reason.
The dedicated FAR Online Center includes one full-length original practice form, 36 flashcards, fourteen worked review topics and three domain guides. Use the separate MCQ and simulation-cell results to choose the next accounting topic to review.
REG · Taxation and Regulation
Core · 72 MCQs + 8 simulations
Professional responsibilities and federal tax procedures, business law, property transactions, individual taxation and entity taxation.
Read each tax problem for the taxpayer, tax year and transaction before applying a rule. Separate book income from taxable income and keep basis calculations organized. A property's adjusted basis begins with its starting basis and reflects the increases and decreases required by the applicable tax rules.
Build a topic checklist from the current REG objectives, then practice identifying the authority and facts behind each treatment. Business law and tax-procedure topics need study time alongside computations. This section guide is an orientation, not a tax return instruction or a complete REG practice course.
BAR · Business Analysis and Reporting
Discipline · 50 MCQs + 7 simulations
Business analysis, technical accounting and reporting, and state and local government accounting.
Compare an actual result with the relevant budget or forecast, then investigate the cause of the variance. A revenue increase alone does not establish a margin improvement if the related costs rise faster. Reconcile the data before drawing a conclusion.
BAR also requires technical reporting and state and local government work. Keep the reporting entity, measurement focus and accounting guidance visible in your notes. Compare those objectives with FAR rather than assuming that a completed FAR review covers every BAR task. A complete original BAR practice form is outside this release.
ISC · Information Systems and Controls
Discipline · 82 MCQs + 6 simulations
Information systems and data management, security, confidentiality and privacy, and SOC engagement considerations.
Follow a transaction through the system and identify the control that addresses a specific risk. Separating the ability to create a vendor from the ability to approve payment reduces one person's control over the payment process, but the design and operating evidence still need evaluation.
Distinguish security from confidentiality and privacy, and connect access management, change management and data handling to the objectives they support. For SOC engagements, study the report type and scope before interpreting a conclusion. Use the current ISC objectives for the full task list. This guide is not a full ISC simulation.
TCP · Tax Compliance and Planning
Discipline · 68 MCQs + 7 simulations
Individual tax compliance and planning, personal financial planning, entity tax compliance, entity planning and property dispositions.
Keep the taxpayer and transaction assumptions explicit when comparing tax alternatives. A strategy that changes the timing of income or deductions must still be evaluated under the applicable rules, transaction facts and planning period. Compute the baseline treatment before considering an alternative.
Study the relevant entity-level and owner-level effects together, including basis and applicable loss limitations. Compare the current TCP objectives with REG so you can identify the planning and compliance tasks that need additional preparation. Tax thresholds and testing policies change. Consult current official sources rather than reusing an old-year table. A complete original TCP practice form is outside this release.