Testing Higher-Order Skills Will Become a Bigger Focus in 2017

The Journal of Accountancy has an article we feel all CPAs or those about to take their CPA exam should read. The full article can be found here, but below is the article introduction and a few of the major CPA exam issues it covers:

"As the business environment has changed, a shift has occurred in the type of work newly licensed CPAs perform.Technical proficiency of accounting, auditing, and tax concepts remains important. Following the AICPA Examinations team's most recent practice analysis, feedback from the profession indicated that the Uniform CPA Examination should evolve so that it will continue to measure the knowledge and skills a newly licensed CPA uses on the job.

As a result, the CPA exam's historical assessment of remembering and understanding and application skills is being modified, with an increasing emphasis on higher-order analysis and evaluation skills. In April, the AICPA announced the details of the updated CPA exam design, which will include assessment of those higher-level skills (see the chart, "New Focus for the CPA Exam," for a comparison of how the questions will be distributed on the next exam).

The next CPA exam will debut in April 2017 in its first major update since 2011.

"Remembering and understanding certain fact patterns isn't enough," said Michael Decker, AICPA vice president—Examinations. "Outsourcing and technology have dramatically impacted the work that newly licensed CPAs undertake earlier in their careers. Newly licensed CPAs have to be able to assess situations and apply professional judgment. So it's not just being book-smart, but the young CPA's ability to apply that knowledge in completing tasks they will encounter as a newly licensed CPA."

In the article you will also read:

Why the Exam is Changing

What's New

New Blueprints for Preparation

Score Results

Additional Future Changes

New Type of Question Debuts

At the end of the article are some very helpful videos concerning the CPA exam you also might want to watch. With all of this information, anyone about to take their CPA exam should be more than prepared to ace it.