A 12-minute briefing before you buy prep
Start with the authority that controls your path. Then map the exam, choose a Discipline from evidence, and verify that every resource matches your test window.
Your route
Write down each output before moving to the next card. That one habit prevents most planning drift.
Which board will decide your eligibility, credit window, and license requirements?
Open that board’s current rules. Record education, residency, experience, ethics, and credit-expiration requirements in one place.
What will you take, and in what order?
Plan AUD, FAR, REG, plus one Discipline. Each section is four hours; you may take them in any order.
Which Discipline overlaps most with work you can already explain and apply?
Compare BAR, ISC, and TCP blueprint task statements against your recent work and coursework. Do not choose from pass rates alone.
Does every resource match the blueprint and law dates for your test window?
Use the 2026 blueprints effective January 1, 2026. Recheck tax and law timing before buying or beginning a study plan.
Exam architecture
The exam is 16 hours total: four separate four-hour sections. You can take the sections in any order.
Official structure: NASBA 2026 Candidate Guide
The Discipline decision
Pass rates describe groups of past candidates. Your stronger signal is the blueprint work you can already perform accurately and explain under time pressure.
You regularly work with financial analysis, technical accounting, reporting, or government accounting.
You have credible depth in systems, security, IT controls, data, or SOC engagements.
Your strongest experience is individual or entity tax compliance, planning, and property transactions.
Mark every 2026 blueprint task as “can explain,” “can apply,” or “new.” Choose only after comparing the totals and the importance of your gaps.
Score reality
It is a scaled score on a 0–99 scale—not a percent-correct result, and not a curve.
Practice percentages do not convert directly into an official CPA Exam score. A study product should never promise otherwise.
Read the AICPA scoring explanationRates reflect different candidate groups and section choices. They do not estimate your personal probability of passing.
Practice with the right shape
Every section uses multiple-choice questions and task-based simulations. The reported score weights are 50% MCQ / 50% TBS for AUD, FAR, REG, BAR, and TCP; ISC is 60% MCQ / 40% TBS.
Verify the format with AICPAProduct boundary
This Koydo surface is deliberately informational while the retired prep bank lacks the review evidence needed for defensible exam-readiness claims.
Official source desk
Reviewed August 30, 2026. Rules and tested content can change; the linked authorities control, not this summary.
Ready for the first decision?