EA24-week plan
Relaxed pace

24-Week EA Exam Study Plan (All Three Parts)

A 24-week EA exam study plan covers all three SEE parts at ~6 hours per week (~135 total hours). A comfortable pace with generous buffer. Best if you are prepping all three parts across a full year, are a career-changer new to tax, or want maximum retention.

Timeline
24 weeks
Hours per week
~6
Total hours
~135
Plan tracker preview

24-week EA activity tracker

A visual preview of how exclam.ai turns this 24-week EA plan into daily IRS publication coverage, flashcards, quizzes, review, and mock streaks.

Updates as you study
JunJulAugSepOct
lighter dayfull targetReview startsExam week

Week-by-week phase breakdown

A 24-week EA plan covers all three SEE parts across Individuals, Businesses, and Representation & Procedures. Upload IRS publications (free) or your commercial prep materials and exclam.ai schedules the phases automatically.

Phase 1
Weeks 1–8

Part 1 — Individuals

Pub 17 as the backbone. Work through filing status, dependents, income recognition, deductions, credits, and AMT. Daily practice questions on Schedule C, retirement income, and itemized deductions. Take Part 1 at the end of this phase or schedule 1–2 weeks after.

Phase 2
Weeks 9–18

Part 2 — Businesses

Pub 334, 15, 541, 542, 946. Focus on entity choice decision framework, partnership K-1 mechanics, S corp reasonable compensation, and MACRS depreciation. This is the longest phase because Part 2 is the densest.

Phase 3
Weeks 19–23

Part 3 — Representation & Procedures

Circular 230 line-by-line. Pub 947, 556, 594. Learn the examination, appeals, and collection processes. Memorize section-number references from Circular 230. Short phase because Part 3 is narrower.

Phase 4
Weeks 24–24

Review + mocks

Full-length mock exams for all three parts. Same-day error review. If planning to take all three parts in a single testing window, schedule 4–6 weeks apart with mocks concentrated in the final week before each part.

What this plan covers

All three SEE parts in a single plan. Each part has its own exam date and its own set of IRS publications that form the free corpus.

Is a 24-week plan right for you?

This plan works if…

  • You want maximum flexibility and depth
  • You are a career-changer new to tax
  • You have significant work or family commitments
  • You prefer low-stress weekly workload with buffer

Consider a different plan if…

  • ×Your target exam dates are closer than this plan assumes
  • ×You risk losing momentum over a longer stretch
  • ×You already have strong tax background and do not need the buffer

Other EA durations

Start your 24-week EA plan

Upload free IRS publications or your own prep notes — exclam.ai builds the plan for you. Free to start.

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