Short answer
Candidates often find FAR the hardest because it covers so much material, but pass rates vary by quarter. Check the AICPA’s latest published pass rates.
CPA Exam Pass Rates and Scoring
Every section is scored from 0 to 99, and 75 passes. It’s a scaled score, not a percentage. Here are recent CPA exam pass rates from AICPA data:
| Section | 2025 (full year) | 2026 (through Q2) |
|---|---|---|
| AUD | 48% | 49% |
| FAR | 42% | 43% |
| REG | 63% | 67% |
| BAR | 42% | 44% |
| ISC | 68% | 68% |
| TCP | 78% | 80% |
FAR and BAR are the hardest sections; TCP has the highest pass rate of any section.
Good to know
Core scores are released on a rolling basis, often within a few weeks. Discipline scores usually come out several weeks after each testing window closes.
USA CPA Exam: Quick Facts
- Developed by
- AICPA (administered with NASBA and Prometric)
- Sections
- Core: AUD, FAR, REG · Discipline: BAR, ISC or TCP
- Length
- 4 hours per section
- Passing score
- 75 (scale 0–99)
- Credit window
- 30 months in most jurisdictions
- Study time
- Roughly 300–400+ hours total
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