The AICPA announced recently that the Uniform CPA Examination is changing, effective April 1, 2017. The new Exam is the first major update since 2011.“To compete, today’s businesses rely on CPAs who are technically competent and more,” says Deborah Curry, FICPA president/CEO. “From their first day on the job, newly-licensed CPAs must be able to think critically, problem-solve and demonstrate analytical abilities as never before. For this reason, the Exam is evolving – to help ensure that new CPAs are ready, confident and competent.”

The current four-part format is not changing – the new Exam still includes multiple-choice questions in Auditing and Attestation, Business Environment and Concepts, Financial Accounting and Reporting and Regulation. Additional task-based simulations are being introduced to assess each candidate’s higher-order cognitive skills and professional skepticism. Total testing time for the four-part Exam is increasing from 14 to 16 hours.

Video:  CPA Exam Explained in 90 Seconds 

Learn More:  New CPA Exam – Coming 2017