My Study Approach for AUD - How I Scored a 90

Written By Kyle Ashcraft

Plus an Explanation of an Audit, Review, and Compilation!

 

My Study Approach for AUD — How I Scored a 90

Plus a clear explanation of an audit, review, and compilation

AUD is one of the most misunderstood CPA sections because students often jump straight into procedures and reports before they understand the big picture. This article fixes that by giving you both: my exact study approach for AUD and a clean high-level explanation of what audit engagements are actually trying to accomplish.

Use the section headers to jump to the study strategy, exam structure, and service engagement breakdowns, or read straight through for the full framework.

Why Listen to Me?

I passed AUD with a 90, and I scored 90+ on every CPA section. I built Maxwell CPA Review to teach students the frameworks that actually work on exam day — not just theory in isolation.

Back in 2019, I passed AUD with a score of 90. I also scored a 98 on BEC, 95 on FAR, and 91 on REG. That experience led me to launch Maxwell CPA Review so I could help students pass the CPA exams with a clearer and more strategic approach.

One of the biggest mistakes students make with AUD is trying to memorize isolated rules before they understand what an auditor is actually doing. This article is designed to fix that by giving you the high-level mental model first.

This article covers:

  • My exact weekly study schedule for AUD
  • What makes the AUD exam structurally unique
  • What an audit actually is and how it works
  • Who needs an audit and why
  • How a review differs from an audit

Want to see my complete CPA study framework?

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Part 1: My Study Approach

The structure that worked for me was simple: weekdays were for new content only, and weekends were for review and practice. That separation kept me moving through the blueprint without falling behind.

The 5-Week Schedule That Worked

Across my 5 weeks of studying for AUD, I spent about 2.5 hours per day Monday through Friday and 5 hours per day Saturday and Sunday, for a total of roughly 20 hours per week.

Monday–Friday

Focus: New content only

  • Watch new video lectures
  • Do a few practice questions
  • Create a short summary outline of what you learned

Saturday & Sunday

Focus: Review and practice

  • Review all content covered during the week
  • Do as many practice problems as possible
  • Reinforce weak spots before starting new material

Study Tip: Keep weekdays reserved for new material and weekends reserved for reinforcement. That prevents the common mistake of spending weekdays re-reviewing old content and then running out of time to finish the blueprint.

Part 2: AUD Exam Structure

AUD is unique because it is highly conceptual and process-driven. Unlike FAR, where many questions revolve around calculations, AUD tests whether you understand how audit procedures connect to risk, evidence, and conclusions.

The AUD exam is unlike the other CPA sections. It includes very few calculations and instead focuses on how auditors think, how engagements flow, and how specific procedures address specific risks.

Many multiple-choice questions are only one sentence long, but that does not make them easy. In AUD, a single word like not, except, or best can completely change the answer.

Kyle's 90+ Score Insight: AUD questions are often won or lost on qualifiers. Read every question twice before answering. On this exam, students often understand the concept but miss the correct answer because they skim past one key word.

Part 3: What Is an Audit?

An audit is an examination of a company's financial statements to determine whether they are presented fairly and free of material misstatement. At a practical level, an audit is about verifying management's assertions with evidence.

An audit holds companies accountable for what they report. Management prepares the financial statements, but the independent auditor examines the numbers and tests whether they are supported by evidence.

If the auditor gathers enough appropriate evidence and concludes the financial statements are free of material misstatement, the auditor issues an unmodified opinion.

Three Classic Examples of Audit Testing

Scenario Assertion Tested Audit Procedure
Company reports $100,000,000 in cash Existence / Accuracy Send a bank confirmation
Account balances changed dramatically year-over-year Occurrence / Completeness Inquiry of management to understand the cause
Auditor wants to test accounts payable completeness Completeness Search for unrecorded liabilities using post-year-end cash disbursements

Part 4: Who Needs an Audit?

Public companies are required to have audits, while private companies obtain audits when lenders, investors, or other stakeholders require outside assurance.

Public Companies

The SEC requires publicly traded companies to undergo an annual audit. Those audited financial statements are then published in the company’s 10-K filing.

Private Companies

Private companies may need an audit when a bank, investor, or other outside party wants more assurance over the financial statements. In some cases, a review may be enough instead.

Part 5: Audit vs. Review — Know the Difference

A review is a less thorough engagement than an audit. A review provides limited assurance and relies mainly on analytics and inquiry, while an audit provides reasonable assurance through deeper evidence gathering.

Review

Limited assurance

  • Analytical procedures
  • Inquiry of management
  • No physical testing
  • No external confirmations

Audit

Reasonable assurance

  • Confirmations
  • Physical inspection
  • Testing supporting documents
  • Reperformance and detailed evidence

New to the CPA exam? Start here for free.

My free CPA 101 course covers the fundamentals of every exam section, including audit, review, and compilation engagements.

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Key Takeaways

  • Study new content Monday–Friday and use weekends for review and practice questions.
  • AUD is conceptual — read every question carefully because one word can change the answer.
  • An audit provides reasonable assurance through corroborating evidence such as confirmations and inspection.
  • A review provides only limited assurance through analytics and inquiry.
  • Public companies require annual audits, while private companies obtain audits when outside parties need assurance.

About Maxwell CPA Review

Kyle Ashcraft is a CPA who scored 90+ on all four CPA exams and founded Maxwell CPA Review to help students pass with simpler, more strategic study systems.

Learn more here: https://maxwellcpareview.com/cpa-exam-review-course

Ready to take the next step toward passing AUD?

Start with my free CPA 101 course and get the strategic foundation that helped me score a 90 on AUD and 90+ on every section.

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Kyle Ashcraft
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