How to understand your practice exam performance
We often get asked questions like: ‘What is the pass mark for the practice exams?’, ‘What is the pass mark for the CPA Program exams?’ and ‘How does the CPA Program exam differ to the Guided Learning practice exams?’
Using your practice exam result (multiple choice questions only), we can provide you with an estimated grade range based on how candidates who received the same Practice Exam 1 score performed on their CPA Program exam.
The average result and estimated grade range for each subject is shown in the tables below (except Digital Finance, as this is the first semester for that subject).
There are some things you’ll need to consider when you receive your practice exam score:
- The comparison score is not a guarantee you will receive your desired grade at the end of the semester. It is just a helpful guide.
- It is only based on the MCQs. For subjects with ERQs, if you didn’t complete the MCQs in the appropriate time frame or skipped the extended-response questions, this distorts your result.
- The practice exams help you evaluate your level of knowledge at a point in time but won’t measure the continued revision, preparation and study you, or other candidates, may do before the final exam.
- Results will be distorted if you have done the practice exam before, if you guessed the answers, or if you used the study guide PDF to search the answers.
- CPA Program exams are confidential and hosted by Pearson VUE, so practice exams won’t mirror your exam-day content or functionality, nor determine your final exam result.
- Stress, anxiety or panicking may also affect your performance in your CPA Program exam.
The average result and estimated grade range for each core subject is shown below.
The MCQ result column shows the practice exam result for candidates. The other columns showed the percentage of candidates who achieve each result.
CORE SUBJECTS:
Ethics & Governance (out of 63 MCQ Marks)
Average MCQ result for Practice Exam 1: 43 / 63
Average MCQ result for Practice Exam 2: 43 / 63
A significant majority of people who scored under 27 / 63 on the MCQ portion of the practice exam did not pass the CPA Program exam.
There were not enough candidates who scored above 60 to generate a valid analysis. If you get above 60 you should be quite confident.
Financial Reporting (out of 44 MCQ marks)
Average MCQ result for Practice Exam 1: 26 / 42* (Based on S1 2023)
Average MCQ result for Practice Exam 2: 26 / 42* (Based on S1 2023)
*Note that prior to S2 2023 the MCQ section of the Practice exams and final CPA Program exam was worth a total of 42 marks (The MCQ section is now worth 44 marks)
A significant majority of people who scored under 13 / 42* on the MCQ portion of the practice exam did not pass the CPA Program exam.
Strategic Management Accounting (out of 52 MCQ marks)
Average MCQ result for Practice Exam 1: 32 / 52
Average MCQ result for Practice Exam 2: 35 / 52
The majority of people who scored under 20 / 52 on the MCQ portion of the practice exam did not pass the CPA Program exam.
The majority of people who scored over 45 received a Distinction or HD. (There is not a large enough data set to present a full analysis).
Global Strategy & Leadership (out of 68 MCQ marks)
Average MCQ result for Practice Exam 1: 41 / 68
Average MCQ result for Practice Exam 2: 38 / 68
The majority of people who scored under 26 / 68 on the MCQ portion of the practice exam did not pass the CPA Program exam.
There is not a large enough data set to present a full analysis for those who scored over 60, but you should feel confident if you score in this range.
ELECTIVE SUBJECTS:
Advanced Audit and Assurance (out of 90 MCQ marks)
Average MCQ result for Practice Exam 1: 58 / 90
Average MCQ result for Practice Exam 2: 56 / 90
Australia Taxation – Advanced (out of 53 MCQ marks)
Average MCQ result for Practice Exam 1: 34 / 53
Average MCQ result for Practice Exam 2: 33 / 53
Australia Taxation (out of 50 MCQ marks)
Average MCQ result for Practice Exam 1: 29 / 50
Average MCQ result for Practice Exam 2: 32 / 50
Contemporary Business Issues (out of 75 MCQ marks)
Average MCQ result for Practice Exam 1: 45 / 75
Average MCQ result for Practice Exam 2: 49 / 75
Financial Risk Management (out of 70 MCQ marks)
Average MCQ result for Practice Exam 1: 45 / 70
Average MCQ result for Practice Exam 2: 46 / 70
Digital Finance (out of 71 MCQ marks)
Average MCQ result for Practice Exam 1: 33 / 71
Average MCQ result for Practice Exam 2: 36 / 71
There were not enough candidates who scored about 63 to generate a valid analysis (but you can be confident that if you score between 63 and 71 you are going to perform well in the final exam).
Want to know more about scaled scores?
Here is a short video that explains a bit about it.
We also strongly advise you to focus hard on mastering the CPA study guide materials, rather than figuring out what a minimum pass might be.
Is a passing score of 540 / 900 the same as 50%?
No. The CPA scaled score is definitely not a percentage of the number of correct answers you achieved, and 50% is not the pass mark in your CPA exam.
Why isn’t there a simple ‘CPA pass mark’ so I know what to aim for?
The pass mark for the CPA Program exams is a scaled score of 540. As CPA Australia create multiple versions for their exams each semester, they use scaled scoring that equates exam results across different exam versions. This approach provides a fair, equivalent score and reflects the performance of a candidate more accurately than a percentage of the numerical raw exam score. The scaled score pass mark of 540 has been set as the minimum score required to demonstrate the required competency – that is, the pass mark is based on a determination of the minimum level of knowledge and skills that candidates must acquire to become competent practitioners in the field.
CPA Australia have multiple exams for each subject to protect the integrity of the exams. Each exam may have a slightly different level of difficulty – so 45% in one version of the exam may be the same as 60% in another version. Therefore, scaling helps adjust the results so that each student receives a fair grade. This is why you can’t just give someone a percentage CPA pass mark.
Put simply, a CPA exam with harder questions will need a lower number of correct answers to achieve a pass. If it is an easier exam, you will need to get more answers correct to pass your CPA exam.
CPA Australia make it very clear that a scaled score of 540 is not 67.5%. (This would be very bad mathematics – because the scale is between 100 and 900 not 0 and 900).
Regards,
Courtney Clowes
