A 16-week CPA study plan covers roughly 150 hours at ~9 hours per week for one section. The sweet spot for working CPA candidates. 9 hours per week is sustainable and leaves time for full question bank cycles and mocks.
A visual preview of how exclam.ai turns this 16-week CPA plan into daily coverage, MCQ, TBS, flashcard, review, and mock streaks.
A 16-week CPA section plan splits into four phases: Conceptual coverage, MCQ drilling, TBS practice, and Mocks + final review. This structure works for all 6 sections.
Work through every area in your study manual (Becker, Wiley, Gleim, Surgent). Watch lectures, read summaries, take notes. Daily flashcard reps on high-yield concepts. Do not skip slow areas — mark them for heavier review.
Full question bank cycles by area. Target 75%+ on practice MCQs before moving forward. Same-day error review for every missed question. Diagnostic testing to identify weak areas.
Task-based simulations are where most candidates lose points. Practice with authentic AICPA-released TBS samples (free on aicpa.org). Time yourself. Focus on research-task TBSs which use the Authoritative Literature database.
Full-length mock exams under timed conditions. Target 72%+ on final mocks to feel confident for the 75 passing score. Last 3–5 days: flashcard reps only. No new content. Rest before exam day.
This plan works for any of the 6 CPA sections. All candidates take the 3 Core sections plus 1 Discipline.
Upload your review course notes and exclam.ai builds the plan for you. Free to start.