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
Back to CPA hub
Plan setup
ExamSun, Nov 15, 2026· Week 2020 weeks · ~8h/week

Week 1 · Financial Reporting

Your first 7 days · reading paired with its quiz and flashcards
  1. Mon, Jun 29ReadFlashcards4 EP
  2. Tue, Jun 30ReadFlashcards4 EP
  3. Wed, Jul 1ReadQuizFlashcards4 EP
  4. Thu, Jul 2ReadQuizFlashcards4 EP
  5. Fri, Jul 3Buffer / rest
  6. Sat, Jul 4Buffer / rest
  7. Sun, Jul 5Buffer / rest

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.

EP / day
4
daily target
Projected streak
3days
if you never miss
Study days
79
Modules
3
Per week
~8h
~150h total
To exam
20weeks

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Every module dated to your exam, with quizzes and FSRS flashcards generated from your own materials.

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.