Is the CPA Exam Harder Than the Bar Exam?
“Is the CPA exam harder than the bar exam?” is a question that comes up often among professionals weighing different certification paths, but it is also a question without a single correct answer, because the two exams test entirely different domains using different formats, administered by entirely different organizations. What follows is a comparison of how each exam works, rather than a verdict on which is universally “harder.”
How the CPA Exam Is Structured
The CPA Exam, governed by the AICPA and administered through NASBA and state boards, consists of four sections under the CPA Evolution model: three Core sections (AUD, FAR, REG) and one Discipline section (BAR, ISC, or TCP), each four hours long, combining multiple-choice questions and task-based simulations. Each section is scored on a 0 to 99 scale, with 75 required to pass, and candidates generally have a 30-month rolling window from their first passing score to complete all four sections.
How the Bar Exam Is Structured
The bar exam, by contrast, is administered by individual state bars in coordination with the National Conference of Bar Examiners (NCBE), and in most states includes components like the Multistate Bar Examination (MBE), Multistate Essay Examination (MEE), and Multistate Performance Test (MPT). Format, scoring, and passing requirements vary by state, and the exam tests legal knowledge and reasoning rather than accounting, auditing, or tax content.
Comparing Pass Rates and Choosing Your Path
Pass rates for the CPA Exam vary by section, generally ranging from roughly 40 to over 60 percent depending on the section and period, with no overall “CPA exam pass rate” that applies uniformly, since each section is reported separately. Bar exam pass rates vary considerably by state and by the law school attended, making direct comparison between “the CPA exam” and “the bar exam” as single numbers difficult, since both are really collections of section-level or jurisdiction-level outcomes rather than single statistics.
For accounting and audit professionals, the more useful question is usually not which exam is harder in the abstract, but which exam aligns with your career path, and how to prepare effectively for that specific exam. If your path involves the CPA Exam, CPA Study Materials covering all six CPA Evolution sections, along with one-on-one tutoring and group bootcamps, are built specifically around that exam's current structure. For bar exam preparation, candidates should consult the NCBE and their state bar directly for current requirements and format details.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which exam has a higher pass rate, the CPA exam or the bar exam?
Both exams report pass rates that vary considerably, by section for the CPA Exam (generally 40 to over 60 percent depending on the section) and by state and law school for the bar exam, so there is no single comparable figure for either exam as a whole.
Do the CPA exam and bar exam test similar skills?
Not directly. The CPA Exam tests accounting, auditing, tax, and business knowledge through multiple-choice questions and task-based simulations, while the bar exam tests legal knowledge and reasoning through formats like the MBE, MEE, and MPT. The subject matter and skills tested are largely different.
Is "is the CPA harder than the bar" the same question as "is the CPA exam harder than the bar exam"?
Yes, these are typically asked with the same intent, comparing the overall difficulty of the two professional exams, even though, as discussed above, both exams are better understood as collections of section or jurisdiction-level outcomes rather than single difficulty scores.
Sources
• AICPA – CPA Exam Scoring and Pass Rates