Here’s Your CPA Exam Scores Open Thread for the January/February Testing Window

The gmailmen have delivered the following reader question:

Hey Adrienne,

I have already passed BEC back in November 2010, and am sitting for AUD next week. I know with IFRS now being included in the curriculum, I can expect to see a few questions related to IFRS topics. I only have 2009 study materials, so they do not include IFRS.

I know with FAR and REG I will most likely need to either A) Buy new materials or B) borrow another coworker’s, but as far as the AUD test, how much emphasis should I put on studying the IFRS material at this point a week before my exam. I figure a day or 2 to skim through the IFRS stuff should suffice?

Thanks in advance for the advice!

Let’s once again for the 10,000th time consult the CSOs (Content Specification Outlines) for the information we need. When in doubt, this is your go-to for what will be covered on the exam and in what concentrations. While the AICPA doesn’t give exact figures (such as “you’ll get 15 bonds questions per FAR exam”), it is a great tool for figuring out what you can blow off and what you’re going to see a lot of. Hint: no matter what the CSOs say, your particular exam will probably contain an unusually large number of questions on whichever topic you chose not to study.

That being said, the good news is that IFRS has very little relevance in Audit at all (in comparison to FAR, as you pointed out). However, international auditing standards will be tested in AUD, and that part you are going to need to know.

Can you study from outdated AUD materials and still pass? It’s certainly possible. New material only makes up 5 – 10% of the 2011 exam by my estimation (based on the CSOs, my gut feeling and feedback from candidates who have sat for the exam this year), so it’s not all that crazy to suggest that you could do really, really well on old material and still pass. Keep in mind, however, that most people do not do really, really well on any material, new or old.

I would suggest, at a minimum, picking up a used 2011 textbook from Amazon and flipping through the new material. Entire sections have been moved in and out of Audit, meaning you’re going to be missing a huge chunk of it if you’re studying from such outdated material.

Think about it: the exam changes twice a year. So if you have materials from 2009, the exam has changed 4 or 5 times since then, once significantly. Normally this might mean missing a handful of questions but in the case of CBT-e, I suspect the AICPA will be testing larger numbers of new questions going forward as they get more comfortable with the new format.

Good luck!