Strive For 75: A Practical Approach to the CPA Exam

By Daniel Wallace ’25

The Certified Public Accountant (CPA) Exam is a test of accounting knowledge unlike any other. The exam is divided into four sections: Auditing and Attestation (AUD), Financial Accounting and Reporting (FAR), Taxation and Regulation (REG), and one discipline section of your choice: Business Analysis and Reporting (BAR), Information Systems and Controls (ISC), or Tax Compliance and Planning (TCP). With each section demanding a recommended 80 to 120 hours of studying, this is often a young professional’s first experience with a long-term project requiring several consecutive months of dedication. While ample content already exists online pertaining to exam logistics, memorization tricks, and general study strategies, this article focuses on something less talked about: the mental approach a successful CPA candidate should adopt in order to navigate exam challenges with confidence. Let’s get started!

Adjust your Mindset

There is no debate: the CPA exam is tough! Per Becker Professional Education, the industry-leading CPA review material and proud partner of UNC Charlotte, cumulative pass rates hovered around 44% in 2024. While our university’s Master of Accountancy (MACC) program boasts above average pass rates, only an estimated 20% of test-takers nationwide pass all four sections on their first attempt. This is largely due to the breadth and complexity of the material candidates are required to comprehend.

There is one critical difference between a student’s previous academic endeavors and the CPA Exam: the definition of a “good” score. What do I mean by this? Accounting at both the undergraduate and graduate level is a rigorous course of study. Students are often high achievers and are accustomed to earning scores in the ‘A’ range on their university exams. For the first time in many of their test-taking careers, a passing (good) score is anything above a 75. Pursuing a score of 75 rather than 95 in any subject entails a fundamental change in mindset.

As you progress through your review materials, I suggest focusing more on having a holistic understanding of a given CPA section’s principles rather than spending excessive time focusing on minor concepts that, in a worst case scenario, will come up in one or two multiple choice questions on exam day. My inner mantra was never “do I know all of this material like the back of my hand?” Rather, I would ask myself “do I generally understand three out of every four things in this module?”, or mathematically stated, 75% of the required material.

While some students may initially feel uncomfortable with this approach, failure to adjust your mindset in this way is likely to lead to several weeks of overstudying, pushing back your exam dates, and otherwise being too hard on yourself during the review process. It’s important to remember that you receive the same three letters (CPA) with your license whether you score a 75, 99, or anything in between, and that your exam scores will have little to no impact on your overall career trajectory.

How to Stay Accountable

Now that we’ve addressed mindset, let’s switch gears to discuss exam scheduling. The maximum timeline to pass all four CPA exams in North Carolina is thirty months, however, most MACC students hope to have them completed before they begin their full-time role in public accounting. I recommend starting with the tentative start date on your offer letter of employment and beginning to work backwards, paying extra care to scheduling around the restrictive nature of the new discipline exams and/or any crucial dates on your class syllabi. Once you have a realistic estimate of when you plan on taking each of your four exams, the single best move you can make to hold yourself accountable is to schedule your next (or even first) exam before you study that exam’s material for a single minute. Opting to schedule your exam that far in advance accomplishes three key objectives:

1. You can largely guarantee yourself a spot on your preferred testing day, time, and location. Available spaces at Prometric can be difficult to secure on short notice.
2. You are more likely to remain motivated to continue consistently studying, knowing that day is coming whether you are ready for it or not, so you may as well (attempt to) be!
3. You avoid an incredibly common pitfall of “I will schedule my exam when I feel ready.”

There’s nothing quite like seeing your exam date circled on your calendar to keep you moving forward. To expand upon this idea, most of us have heard some version of Parkinson’s law, which states that “work expands to fill the time available for its completion.” Simply put, a student who allows themself only ten weeks to study versus six months to study for a single CPA exam section is far more likely to stay focused and finish faster. Had I given a chronic procrastinator (such as myself, mind you) six months to study for one of my exams, I would have found a dozen daily excuses to not open my review materials. While tighter timelines naturally create a healthy sense of urgency, looser ones typically invite delays. This sense of consistency and discipline leads us to our third and most challenging piece of advice to implement:

Learn to (Temporarily) Say No

Studying for the CPA Exam requires more than just hours, but also new boundaries. You may be frequently accustomed to going out to have fun with friends, accepting invitations for weekend getaways with family, or possibly spontaneous date nights with your romantic partner. Depending on how many hours of study time you have already completed that week, or how close your exam date is, you may choose to miss a few events and that is okay. This is by no means about isolating yourself or burning out; it’s about being intentional with your time. It goes without saying that if something is truly urgent, drop your CPA materials and be there for your loved ones. But for everything else, a little strategic scheduling goes a long way. Take a close friend’s wedding, for example. I would never recommend missing one for an exam, but I would suggest planning your test date around it so you can enjoy the celebration free of any guilt!

You Only Fail If You Quit

For those of you who have received your first passing score, congratulations! My only piece of advice would be to continue doing what works by simply replicating what you already did. For those of you who do not pass: take a breath. A failing score is not a reflection of your intelligence or potential; it’s simply feedback that your exam strategy may need some adjustment. Do yourself the favor of being honest about what happened, whether it was running out of time, test anxiety, or encountering critical topics that you were underprepared for.

Whatever the case, use this moment not as a reason to panic or quit, but as a checkpoint along the way. As noted earlier, four out of every five CPAs fail at least one section of the exam during their journey. What matters most is how you choose to respond. I suggest rebooking your exam while the material is fresh in your mind and approach your second attempt with the benefit of hindsight and renewed focus. The only way to guarantee that you don’t become a CPA… is to stop trying.

Final Thoughts

The CPA exam is as much a test of discipline and focus as it is of accounting knowledge. By embracing the “Strive for 75” mindset, holding yourself accountable with intentional scheduling, and forgoing a little fun in the short-term, you’re not just setting yourself up to pass, but you’re doing it in a way that protects your sanity. Remember that every CPA candidate’s path is unique, and while you might hit a few bumps, that’s part of the process. What matters most is staying focused and not letting setbacks define your progress. If you can keep showing up and putting in the work, earning your CPA license is not a question of if, but when!