CPA Exam (Core Sections) Diagnostic Quiz

Not sure where to start? This 24-question diagnostic samples every CPA domain in proportion to its weight on the real exam, then tells you which domains to study first. It takes about 8 minutes, there is no timer, and nothing leaves your browser.

24 questions about 8 minutes 3 domains free, no sign-up

Find your weak spots

24 questions, about 8 minutes, no timer. Every domain is sampled, weighted the way the real exam weights it. You get a band for each domain and a study-first list, not a pass prediction.

24 questions~8 min3 domains

No feedback until the end. Your result is saved in this browser only.

Sample CPA diagnostic questions

These are real items from the CPA bank, one from each of three domains, shown with their answers so you can see the format before you start. The diagnostic itself draws 24 questions from 69 CPA terms , and does not reveal answers until the end.

  1. Financial Accounting and Reporting (FAR)

    Which best describes “Income Statement”?

    • ✓ A statement reporting revenues, expenses, and net income over a period of time.
    • · The change in equity from non-owner sources, equal to net income plus other comprehensive income.
    • · A statement of financial position showing assets, liabilities, and equity at a point in time.
    • · A statement classifying cash receipts and payments into operating, investing, and financing activities.

    Exam tip: The income statement covers a period, while the balance sheet is at a point in time.

  2. Regulation (REG)

    Which best describes “Contracts”?

    • · A relationship in which an agent acts on behalf of a principal and can bind the principal to third parties.
    • · Article 2 of the Uniform Commercial Code, which governs contracts for the sale of goods.
    • ✓ Legally enforceable agreements formed by offer, acceptance, and consideration.
    • · Written promises or orders to pay, such as notes and drafts, governed by UCC Article 3.

    Exam tip: A valid contract needs offer, acceptance, consideration, capacity, and a legal purpose.

  3. Auditing and Attestation (AUD)

    Which best describes “Engagement Letter”?

    • · A letter from management confirming its responsibilities and key representations to the auditor.
    • · The auditor's conclusion, expressed in the report, on whether the financial statements are fairly presented.
    • ✓ A written agreement establishing the terms, scope, and responsibilities of an audit engagement.
    • · The requirement that an auditor be free of relationships that impair, or appear to impair, objectivity.

    Exam tip: The engagement letter documents the understanding with the client and helps prevent misunderstandings.

What the CPA diagnostic covers

The quiz mirrors the exam blueprint. Financial Accounting and Reporting (FAR) carries the most weight on the real CPA, at about 34% of the test, so it gets the most questions here; Regulation (REG), at about 33%, gets the fewest, but never fewer than 3, because a band should never rest on a single question. The questions draw on the site's CPA term bank, so they measure how well you know the concepts and vocabulary the exam is built on. They are not full-length scenario items.

  1. Financial Accounting and Reporting (FAR)

    34% of the exam

    Exam Sections

    The FAR Core section — the conceptual framework and U.S. GAAP for preparing and presenting financial statements, plus select topics for state and local governments.

    22 terms · 3 study sets

  2. Auditing and Attestation (AUD)

    33% of the exam

    Exam Sections

    The AUD Core section — the audit and attestation process from ethics and independence through risk assessment, internal control, evidence gathering, and forming and reporting an opinion.

    25 terms · 3 study sets

  3. Regulation (REG)

    33% of the exam

    Exam Sections

    The REG Core section — U.S. federal taxation of individuals and entities, business law, and the ethics and professional responsibilities of practitioners in tax practice.

    22 terms · 3 study sets

How your result is scored

Each domain comes back as a band rather than a percentage: Needs work (under 50% correct), Developing (50% to 79%), or Solid (80% and up). A handful of questions per domain is enough evidence to say "this needs work"; it is not enough to trust a number like 67%, so we do not show one.

The study-first list ranks domains by the share of the exam each one puts at risk: its blueprint weight multiplied by the fraction you missed. On the CPA that maths has teeth, because the domains are not equal — Financial Accounting and Reporting (FAR) is worth about 34% and Regulation (REG) about 33%, so half-knowing Financial Accounting and Reporting (FAR) costs you roughly 17 points of the exam while barely knowing Regulation (REG) costs about 26. Up to three domains make the list; if all 3 come back Solid, the list is empty and the full-length mock exam is the next real test.

Every question you miss is written into that study set's flashcard deck as due now, so the review queue starts with your actual gaps — across the 3 study sets in Financial Accounting and Reporting (FAR) alone, that is the difference between re-reading things you already know and drilling the ones you do not. Your attempts are kept in this browser (the last five), and a retake shows which domains moved up or down since last time.

This is a study map, not a prediction. The real CPA runs 90 questions in 120 minutes and is administered by AICPA; this is 24 untimed questions drawn from the same blueprint. No sample that short can estimate a result on it, and the site's own mock exam uses a 75% practice target rather than a pass prediction for the same reason.

What to do with your result

  1. Step 1

    Open your first focus domain

    Start with the top of the study-first list. Its study sets are linked right on the results screen; flashcards for the terms you missed are already due.

  2. Step 2

    Drill the set, then quiz it

    Flashcards build recall; the per-set quiz checks it with confusable distractors drawn from related terms.

  3. Step 3

    Retake, then take the mock exam

    After a study block, retake the diagnostic to see which bands moved. When the focus list is empty, the timed CPA mock exam is the next real test.

All CPA Exam (Core Sections) study modes → · How to pass the CPA →

Frequently asked questions

How long is the CPA diagnostic quiz?
24 questions, untimed. Most people finish in about 8 minutes. Every domain gets at least 3 questions, and the rest are spread in proportion to each domain's weight on the real exam.
Does the result predict whether I will pass?
No. A 24-question sample can tell you which domains need work; it cannot estimate a real CPA result. Treat it as a study map, then measure progress with the full-length mock exam.
Where is my result stored?
In your browser only, using local storage. Nothing is uploaded and no account is needed. Retake the quiz later and the results screen compares the two attempts domain by domain.
What happens to the questions I miss?
Each missed term is scheduled as due in that study set's flashcards, so your next review session starts with exactly the gaps the diagnostic found.