# CPA FAR cram plans for candidates running out of time. CPA FAR cram plans for candidates short on time: what fits, what gets cut, and a daily plan for first attempts and retakers. Canonical URL: https://exclam.ai/cpa/far/cram/ CPA FAR in 7 days? Still on Chapter 1? A typical CPA FAR candidate budgets ~180h over 14 weeks (13h/week). Pick your remaining window below and we compress that into an honest, time-bounded plan — what fits, what gets cut, and exactly what the daily schedule looks like for first-attempt and retaker. Free to start. $8/week or $30/month if you upgrade. No credit card to start. ### Honest triage We show which topics get cut and why, with the weight band attached so you can override us. ### Retaker-aware Failed last cycle? The advice flips. Toggle between first-attempt and retaker below. ### Real schedule The visual tracker shows a compressed daily plan with module starts, review, and mocks — not a stock graphic. [CPA changed January 1, 2026. Confirm your prep matches the right version before cramming. See changes hub](https://exclam.ai/cpa/changes-2026/index.md) ## How many days do you have? Different window, different math, different cut list. Pick the one that matches your real exam date — everything below updates instantly. [CPA FAR home](https://exclam.ai/cpa/far/index.md) Plan length 7 days14 days30 days45 days 5 h/day · ~150h total 30 days · Condensed but doable Cram window 30 days Daily commitment 5 h/day Total hours ~150 ## The math, honestly 30 days × 5h = 150 total hours, about 83% of typical CPA FAR prep. All published topics fit. A first-attempt candidate can pass at this pace with discipline — a retaker can use it as a proper rebuild. Typical CPA FAR prep runs ~180 hours over ~14 weeks at ~13 hours per week. This cram window gives you **150 total hours (30 days × 5 h/day)**. The plan below allocates ~75% to coverage and ~25% to review + at least one full mock — that ratio shifts later as the window tightens. Compared to typical prep 83% of usual 180h prep window Honest, not marketing math ## What this plan covers — and what it cuts CPA FAR has 3 topic areas. With a 30-day window we keep the highest-weight + load-bearing topics and explicitly drop the rest. The cuts below are deliberate — you only pick those topics back up if you finish higher-priority material ahead of schedule. ### Kept (3 topics) - Financial Reporting30–40% - Select Balance Sheet Accounts30–40% - Select Transactions25–35% ### Nothing cut Every published CPA FAR topic fits inside a 30-day window at this hours/day level. Tight, but no triage required. Lower-weight topics get fewer hours but stay on the schedule. ## Your 30-day compressed schedule What a real 30-day CPA FAR cram plan actually looks like. Heavier topics get more time. Review starts at ~55% of the window. Final stretch is mock-driven. Adjust the start date below to align with your exam. Plan setup StartsMon, Oct 12, 2026 Review beginsNov 2· Week 4 ExamSun, Nov 15, 2026· Week 55 weeks · ~35h/week #### Your full plan · 5 weeks to exam day 5 weeks · ~35h/week CoverageReviewMocks· chips show the task mix for that week; buffer days are the planned rest ##### October 2026 1. Wk 1Oct 12 – Oct 18Financial ReportingCoverageReadQuizFlashcards30–40%6 study · 1 buffer 2. Wk 2Oct 19 – Oct 25Select Balance Sheet AccountsCoverageReadQuizFlashcards30–40%6 study · 1 buffer 3. Wk 3Oct 26 – Nov 1Select TransactionsCoverageReadQuizFlashcards25–35%6 study · 1 buffer ##### November 2026 1. Wk 4Nov 2 – Nov 8ReviewReviewQuizFlashcards6 study · 1 buffer 2. Wk 5Nov 9 – Nov 15MocksMocksQuizFlashcards6 study · 1 buffer Exam daySun, Nov 15, 2026End of week 5 ### 30-day CPA FAR cram tracker A visual preview of how exclam.ai compresses 3 CPA FAR topics into 30 days. Update the start date so the exam date aligns with your sitting. Active days 24 Best day 2 h 42 min Total study time 35 h 24 min Avg / study day 1 h 29 min LessMore Study activityReview / at riskExam day Sample activity — your own streaks, study time, and module milestones appear here once you upload. ### Phase-by-phase breakdown Module 1 of 3 Week 1 Exam weight 30–40% #### Financial Reporting Cover Financial Reporting end-to-end. Build flashcards covering every learning objective and quiz yourself before moving to the next module. Module 2 of 3 Week 2 Exam weight 30–40% #### Select Balance Sheet Accounts Cover Select Balance Sheet Accounts end-to-end. Build flashcards covering every learning objective and quiz yourself before moving to the next module. Module 3 of 3 Week 3 Exam weight 25–35% #### Select Transactions Cover Select Transactions end-to-end. Build flashcards covering every learning objective and quiz yourself before moving to the next module. Phase: Review Week 4 #### Review Weak-topic drilling. exclam.ai surfaces topics where you underperformed during coverage and re-quizzes them. Daily FSRS flashcard reps across all 3 topics to prevent decay. Start doing timed question batches focused on the heaviest-weight sections. Phase: Mocks Week 5 #### Mocks Full-length CPA FAR practice exams under timed conditions. Target one mock every 3–5 days. Same-day error review: for every question you miss, re-derive the solution from scratch. Taper in the final 3 days — light flashcards only. ## Which one are you? Cram advice is dramatically different for first-attempt candidates and retakers. The plan above is the same; the playbook is not. First attempt Retaker FAR is the toughest first-attempt cram on the CPA exam. \<30 days is not realistic for a first-attempt candidate from zero. 45+ days is the floor. Pick a single vendor (Becker is most common) and do not switch. Do 50 MCQs + 1 TBS per day minimum. Save consolidations and leases for the final week — they're the highest-yield TBS practice. Drill them under timed conditions. GASB and not-for-profit content: at least 2 dedicated days. Crammers who skip these usually find they cost the exam. Do at least 2 full-length practice exams during cram — pacing on FAR is brutal and you need calibrated timing. ## Cram-specific pitfalls for CPA FAR Patterns that show up specifically when CPA FAR candidates compress the timeline. Worth scanning before you start your week. FAR has the lowest pass rate (~40–45%) and the most raw content of any CPA section — 180+ hours typical. Crammers must accept this and skip nothing. GASB / not-for-profit reporting is in Financial Reporting (~10–15 MCQs) and is often the first thing crammers cut. Do not cut it — those points add up fast. FAR skill mix is 80%+ Application + Analysis. Memorization-style cram will not work — every cram day needs MCQ + TBS practice. Crammers underestimate consolidations, leases, and pensions — these are the heaviest single TBS topics. Drill those specifically over and above general MCQ volume. FAR has 50 MCQs + 7 TBSs in 4 hours — average ~3.5 min per MCQ and ~18 min per TBS. Pacing practice is mandatory. ## Cram questions Can I really pass FAR in 30 days from a first attempt? Only with recent intermediate accounting coursework + 8+ hours daily commitment + strong vendor prep. The honest answer for most first-time candidates: 30 days is below the realistic floor. Push to 45+ days if possible. How does FAR cram differ from AUD cram? FAR is content-volume-bound; AUD is judgment-bound. FAR cram = more MCQ volume to cover content breadth. AUD cram = more TBS practice for judgment integration. The cram strategy flips. Should I skip a section area like GASB if I'm crammed? No. Even small-area neglect costs points on FAR because the pass-rate margins are tight. If you have to cut, cut depth on the lightest topic within an area — not the area itself. ### Source Topic names and weight bands are paraphrased from the public 2026 AICPA FAR Blueprint (public). Verify the current outline before your sitting. [2026 AICPA FAR Blueprint (public)](https://www.aicpa-cima.com/resources/download/cpa-evolution-exam-blueprints) ### Not the CPA FAR? See cram plans for other exams. We have cram landings for NCLEX (RN + PN), CFA (all 3 levels + L3 pathways), CPA (all 6 sections), PMP, AWS associate certs, SOA actuarial (P, FM, FAM), USMLE (all 3 Steps), and MCAT. If you're sitting an exam we haven't built a public landing for, upload your materials and exam date in the app — the planner handles compressed timelines for any exam. [All cram plans](https://exclam.ai/cram/index.md)