Kyle Ashcraft, CPA · 2019 CPA Exam Scores · 95 FAR · 98 BEC · 91 REG · 90 AUD
Every CPA candidate asks the same question early on: how long is this actually going to take? There is no shortcut, but there is a real answer, and it comes down to hours per section and how many of those hours you can fit into a week.
Quick answer: plan on 100 to 160 hours per section. I spent about 160 hours on FAR, 140 on REG and 100 on AUD. At 20 hours a week, that is five to eight weeks a section. For all four sections, the common path is 12 to 14 months. Six to eight months works only if you plan on no retakes.
On this page
How many hours does each CPA section take?
Here is what each section took me. These are one person's numbers, not a rule, but they show how much the sections differ.
| Section | My study hours | My timeline | Full plan |
|---|---|---|---|
| FAR | About 160 | 8 weeks | FAR study plan |
| REG | About 140 | 7 weeks | REG study plan |
| AUD | About 100 | 5 weeks | AUD study plan |
Common guidance for REG sits nearer 110 hours. I went past it deliberately, because REG rewards repetition more than most sections.
I sat BEC in 2019, before BAR, ISC and TCP replaced it, so I do not have a personal hours figure for the Disciplines. The Discipline comparison covers how they differ.
Verdict: budget the most time for FAR and the least for AUD, and do not split your hours evenly across sections.
Which study timeline should you choose?
Three timelines tend to work best, depending on how aggressive you want to be:
| Path | Total timeline | Time per exam | Weekday study | Weekend study |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aggressive | 6 to 8 months | 6 weeks (4 new + 2 review) | 3 to 4 hrs/day | 5 hrs/day |
| Standard | 12 to 14 months | 10 to 12 weeks | 2 hrs/day | 4 hrs/day |
| Flexible | 18 to 24 months | 12 weeks (10 new + 2 review) | Same split, spread across a longer calendar | |
The standard 12 to 14 month path is the most common. Two hours on weekdays plus four hours each weekend day works out to 18 hours a week, inside the 15 to 20 hour weekly goal, and gives you 10 to 12 weeks per exam. That leaves room to fail one and still finish on schedule. Failing an exam costs more than retake time, too: budget for the extra time it takes to reapply for a new Notice to Schedule. Here is how soon you can retake a section.
The aggressive 6 to 8 month path only works if you do not plan on any retakes: 6 weeks per exam, with the last 2 weeks reserved for review rather than new content. It takes 25 to 30 hours a week to compress the same material into a shorter window.
The flexible 18 to 24 month path uses the same 10 weeks of new content and 2 weeks of review per exam, spread across a much longer calendar. That slack allows for multiple retakes or a pause if life gets in the way. Before you pick it, check how long your credits last.
I do not recommend spending more than 3 months on any single exam, even on the flexible path. Motivation tends to drop once an exam starts to feel far away, which makes it easier to stop pushing.
Verdict: if you work full time, start with the standard path. Move to aggressive only if you can protect 25 or more hours every week.
What does a study week look like?
Regardless of your timeline, the week has the same shape: new content on weeknights, review on weekends.
| Block | Standard path | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| Monday to Friday | 2 hrs/day | Review the prior night's material, learn new material, apply it with MCQs, and write down why you got any MCQs wrong |
| Saturday and Sunday | 4 hrs/day | No new content. Review everything from that week |
| Weekly total | 18 hrs | Add an hour on each weekend day to reach the 20 hours a week I used |
That way Monday starts with the prior week's material still fresh, instead of needing a review pass a few weeks later.
This is also what most of my students have to work with. On my onboarding survey, the most common answer is 15 to 20 hours a week (12 of 32 responses), and only about a quarter say 20 or more. If you have closer to 10, use the flexible path rather than cutting the weekend review.
What does a 12-week exam schedule look like?
Here is how one exam lays out on the standard or flexible path. On a shorter plan, keep the last two weeks and shrink the new content weeks.
| When | What to do |
|---|---|
| Weeks 1 to 10 | New content on the weekly schedule above |
| Two weeks out | Stop new content. Take practice exam 1 under real conditions and pick your five weakest areas |
| Weeks 11 and 12 | Work those five areas. Review your outlines five times, and reach at least 500 MCQs and 50 simulations in total |
| A few days out | Take practice exam 2 to confirm those five areas moved, then re-read the outline and look for patterns rather than new material |
Aim to finish all new content 10 to 14 days before your exam date.
Which section goes first changes the calendar too. Here is the best order to take the CPA exams.
There is no single correct timeline, only the one that fits your situation. Whichever path you pick, try not to spend more than 3 months on any one exam. If you fail one, that is fine. Once you are licensed, you never have to take these exams again.
Want a full CPA study roadmap?
My free CPA 101 course covers the study approach I used to score 90+ on every CPA exam section.
Common questions
How long does it take to study for the CPA exam?
Plan on 100 to 160 hours per section. I spent about 160 hours on FAR, 140 on REG and 100 on AUD. Across all four sections, the common path is 12 to 14 months at about 18 hours a week. An aggressive 6 to 8 month path works only if you plan on no retakes.
How many hours a week should I study for the CPA exam?
Aim for 15 to 20 hours a week. Two hours on weeknights plus four to five hours on each weekend day gets you there. An aggressive timeline takes 25 to 30 hours a week.
How long should I study for REG?
I studied about 140 hours over seven weeks for REG while working full time. Common guidance is closer to 110 hours. I went past it on purpose, because REG rewards repetition more than most sections.
How many hours should I study for AUD?
I studied about 100 hours over five weeks for AUD: 2 hours on weeknights for new content and 5 hours on each weekend day for review and practice.
When should I stop learning new material?
Finish new content 10 to 14 days before your exam date. Use that time for one or two full practice exams, repeated outline review, and any remaining practice questions and simulations.
Updated November 2026. Hours are my own from my 2019 exams. Weekly hours are self-reported on the Maxwell onboarding survey, February to September 2026.
More on planning your CPA journey
Kyle Ashcraft, CPA scored 90 or above on every section of the CPA exam in 2019. He is the founder and sole instructor of Maxwell CPA Review, a complete CPA review course covering all six sections, where he creates every lecture, textbook and study outline himself.