CPA Exam Time Management Tips

Has the cut-off for AUD slipped by 2 marks and finding it difficult to round it up for the one last time? It’s not that your preparation was not up to the mark, a guided time management plan is all you need to up the game this time.

Let’s drill it down further. The general tendency of any CPA test-takers would be to attempt the MCQs first before the task-based simulations (TBS). If you fail to up the game for MCQ sections, there are high chances that you might miss out on the scope of scoring in TBS.

You need to remember that the CPA Exam is made up of task-based simulations and written communications. TBS being scored positively there are high chances that getting them correct will make it easier for you to get that coveted 75 cutoff which you were longing for several attempts.

Here are a few codes and conduits to save you from blunders -

• 40-60 rule

At the CPA exam It’s crucial that you be mindful of what you choose to allocate the minutes as per testlet.

Following the section weighting chart mentioned above, the number of MCQs to be answered is more than the number of TBSs to complete. But here is to note that TBS takes a lot more time to solve than an MCQ section, if done correctly, it assures a good score for each part. Therefore it should not take you more than 1.5 hours to complete the MCQs while the rest 2.5 hours would be enough to complete the simulations, a 40-60 division is all you need.

Mind the difficulty gap

A multistage testing format is used for the CPA Exam. Time management is important, as if you do well on one testlet, the next one will be harder. Plan to move quickly on the first testlet as the difficulty set would be moderate to low, the rest of the tests is sure to consume more time, hence investing your time wisely. You can also ask your CPA training institute to share some insights on how to plan it for D-day.

• Guesstimating the scenario

You probably have learned many techniques to calm your nerves at the CPA exam, yet no one can guarantee the situation that you are about to face in an exam. Anything could go wrong, there you have to think quickly and befit the practices that you have been following at the CPA mock exams. It’s very important to remember that mocks are to exercise the responses not a scale to predict your actual performance. Even if you do poorly at a mock, re-engineer your thoughts that might be the worst-case scenario you can get into.

• Practice to perfect

Practicing MCQs while Preparing for the CPA exam is easier said than done. When you have a long day at work, CPA videos + 10 MCQs + 5 TBS, would be fine to get you acquainted with the CPA exam patterns. Eventually, you can target for chapters then section-wise practice to learn how the questions are structured for each. This will help you to build confidence and speed over time, hence it’s better to start early on to avoid the huddle later.

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