CPA20-week plan
Relaxed pace

20-Week CPA Section Study Plan

A 20-week CPA study plan covers roughly 150 hours at ~8 hours per week for one section. A comfortable pace for working CPA candidates. Best if you are new to the content area, studying alongside a demanding job, or want to lock in deeper retention.

Timeline
20 weeks
Hours per week
~8
Total hours
~150
Plan setup
ExamSun, Oct 11, 2026· Week 2020 weeks · ~8h/week

20-week CPA activity tracker

A visual preview of how exclam.ai turns this 20-week CPA plan into daily area coverage, MCQ drilling, TBS, flashcard, review, and mock streaks. Adjust the start date and review week to fit your exam window.

Preview · planner-style activity
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EP today
3d
projected
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study days
8h
150h total
20w
to exam
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lighter dayfull targetforecastModule startReviewMocksExam

Week-by-week area schedule (FAR example)

A 20-week CPA section plan walks the AICPA Blueprint areas module-by-module. We use FAR's 4 areas below as the canonical example — section-specific schedules sit on each CPA section page (FAR, AUD, REG, and the Discipline sections). Heavier-weight areas get more weeks; lighter ones may pair into a single week.

Module 1 of 3
Weeks 1–4
Blueprint weight 30–40%

Financial Reporting

Preparation and presentation of financial statements for business enterprises, not-for-profits, and governmental entities. Conceptual framework and disclosures. Build flashcards covering every learning objective and quiz yourself before moving to the next module.

Module 2 of 3
Weeks 5–8
Blueprint weight 30–40%

Select Balance Sheet Accounts

Measurement and reporting of specific balance sheet items including cash, receivables, inventory, PP&E, intangibles, investments, liabilities, and equity. Build flashcards covering every learning objective and quiz yourself before moving to the next module.

Module 3 of 3
Weeks 9–11
Blueprint weight 25–35%

Select Transactions

Accounting for specific transactions and events including revenue recognition, share-based compensation, income taxes, business combinations, and derivatives. Build flashcards covering every learning objective and quiz yourself before moving to the next module.

Phase: Review
Weeks 12–16

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
Weeks 17–20

Mocks

Full-length CPA 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.

Pick your CPA section

This plan works for any of the 6 CPA sections. All candidates take the 3 Core sections plus 1 Discipline.

Start your 20-week CPA plan

Upload your review course notes and exclam.ai builds the plan for you. Free to start.

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