My Skill Lab
AccountingIntermediate

CPA Exam Foundations

How the CPA exam works and the FAR, AUD and REG essentials.

Taught by Pooja Adhikari · Chartered Accountant

What you'll learn

  • Explain the Core plus Discipline structure, section formats, scoring and the credit window of the CPA exam
  • Map your eligibility, choose a section order and build a week-by-week study plan you can sustain
  • Apply the FAR conceptual framework and prepare journal entries for revenue, leases, bonds and income taxes
  • Work through the AUD engagement cycle from risk assessment to the auditor's report
  • Compute individual and entity taxable income and identify the business law principles REG tests
  • Choose a discipline section and use exam-day techniques for multiple-choice and task-based simulations

About this course

The CPA licence is one of the best-known accounting credentials, and the exam that guards it changed shape in 2024 with the Core plus Discipline model. This course is for accounting graduates, working accountants and international candidates who want a clear map before they buy a review course or book an exam date. You will learn how the CPA exam is structured and scored, how to build a realistic study plan around a full-time job, and the high-yield topics in Financial Accounting and Reporting (FAR), Auditing and Attestation (AUD) and Taxation and Regulation (REG) that carry the most marks. The final lesson helps you choose between the BAR, ISC and TCP disciplines and prepares you for exam day. Prerequisites: an accounting degree or equivalent coursework in financial accounting, auditing and US tax. Independent study material — not affiliated with or endorsed by the AICPA or NASBA.

Course content

7 lessons
  1. 1How the CPA Exam Works in 2026Core plus Discipline sections, question formats, scoring, testing windows and eligibility basics.Preview
  2. 2Building a Study Plan That Survives Real LifeSection order, hours per section, weekly structure and the review cycle that turns reading into passes.
  3. 3FAR Essentials: The Framework and the StatementsThe conceptual framework, the full set of financial statements and the balance sheet classifications FAR tests.
  4. 4FAR High-Yield Topics: Revenue, Leases, Bonds and Income TaxesThe four transaction areas that generate the most FAR simulations, with the journal entries to memorise.
  5. 5AUD Essentials: Risk, Evidence and ReportsThe audit cycle from acceptance to opinion, with the assertions, procedures and report types AUD tests most.
  6. 6REG Essentials: Individual Tax, Entity Tax and Business LawFederal income tax for individuals and entities, property transactions and the business law topics REG covers.
  7. 7Choosing Your Discipline and Exam Day TechniqueHow BAR, ISC and TCP differ, how to pick one, and tactics for multiple-choice questions and simulations.