subject: Pass Rate Statistics For The Cpa Exam [print this page] While the 2009 pass rate of the CPA Exam still hovers under 50%, the great news is that the pass rate has steadily improved over the past five years. In comparison to other professional licensing tests, such as the Professional Engineer, a passing rate of less than half is fairly typical and does indicate the difficulty in passing the test. What do these CPA pass rate statistics tell us?
Recently, the CPA Exam website released the pass rates for 2009: overall, the average was 49.1% of those who took the test, passed the CPA Exam. Breaking those stats down, we find that the pass rates for each of the sections are:
Why is the Pass Rate for BEC the lowest of the four? BEC is thought to be the easiest section because:
*It takes only 2.5 hours to complete, making it the shortest part.
*It doesn't have any simulations or written communications in 2010.
*The topics covered are not as difficult to master. Why are people failing this section at a rate of 51.7%?
*Do they underestimate this section and not study as hard?
*Are the less difficult subjects of basic economics and business structure not studied in as much detail in college classrooms or in CPA Review Courses?
*Are people not prepared for the questions on cost accounting and information technology? Suggestion: Don't underestimate this part of the CPA exam. Failing it could be like tripping over the first hurdle in the race.
Why does AUD have the highest pass rate? Because AUD is the longest exam covering 4.5 hours, many students who have little or no experience with auditing over prepare for this section.
The truth is that many people, including the neophytes, actually finish this section with time to spare! The key is to understand how audit works and the logic of applying which audit procedure in which situation. Learning when to apply what you have learned will bring you success on this section.
The Key to Passing: Delve into understanding the concepts, the situations in which they are applied and what the examiners are seeking. The examiners need to know if you can do the right procedure at the right moment. And yes you can!
Pass Rates: Are they getting better or worse? Actually, the pass rates this year are higher than they have ever been before! This is good news! To see how much progress has been made, here are the pass rates from the 1st Q 2005:
*AUD: 40.0% *BEC: 43.0% *FAR: 36.0% *REG: 35.0%
Aha! Fans of statistics look at this!
*Pass rates for FAR and REG, considered the more difficult sections, increased by an amazing 12-13%.
*Pass rates for BEC, considered an easier section, increased but only by 5%. Why did the pass rates improve? There could be several reasons:
*In the 1st Q 2005, there was a change in the exam format from twice each year to a computerized format. As a result, students prepared with materials aimed at taking the entire exam in a short window, instead of taking each section one at a time, over the period of several months. The older method of studying for the exam may not have helped prepare students for the computer based testing.
* As time went on, more students correctly prepared for taking the exam one section at a time and were able to pass in the new format.
*With more time to study and to focus on one section at a time, retention of material improved, as did the pass rates.
What did we learn? If you concentrate on one section at a time, your pass rate will probably be better than if you try to learn all four sections at once.
