TL;DR: The AICPA says the CPA Exam moves to a new delivery platform in July 2027. No appointments will be available from July 1 to July 11, 2027, and testing resumes on July 12, 2027 on the new platform. For 12 months after launch, we will adjust score release timing because we must recalibrate exam items with real candidate data. Reported targets put Core scores for a Jul 12 to Sep 30, 2027 window at October 19, 2027, and Discipline scores for a Jul 12 to Aug 12 window at September 28, 2027. Every date is a target, not a promise. The practical question is simple: can you finish a section before July 1, 2027, or should you plan around a longer wait after it?
Quick Facts
| Item | What is known |
| Change | New technology delivery platform with user-interface changes, beginning July 2027 |
| Testing blackout (target) | July 1 to July 11, 2027, no appointments |
| Testing resumes (target) | July 12, 2027, on the new platform |
| Score release | Timing adjusted for 12 months after launch |
| Why scores are slower | Items are recalibrated using real candidate response data before scores can be reported |
| Source of the dates | AICPA & CIMA article published August 19, 2026, listing “current target dates” |
| Sections affected | All six: AUD, FAR, REG (Core) and BAR, ISC, TCP (Discipline) |
| Content change | Not addressed in the AICPA article; secondary sources say content and structure are unchanged |
| Notice to schedule guidance | Not addressed in the AICPA article |
| Salary figures | Omitted: no source isolates CPA Exam candidates from the wider accounting population |
The Countdown
From October 15, 2026, there are 259 days until July 1, 2027, the first day of the blackout, and 270 days until July 12, 2027, when testing is targeted to resume. The last day you could realistically sit a section on the current platform is June 30, 2027, which is 258 days away.
That is a long runway for a candidate who has not started, and a short one for anyone who needs to pass four sections. The window matters more than the headline, so the rest of this guide works through it section by section.
What the AICPA Has Actually Said
The AICPA & CIMA published an article on August 19, 2026 titled “CPA Exam User Interface Changes Coming in 2027.” Its main points are brief:
- Beginning July 2027, the CPA Exam moves to a new technology delivery platform, and the user interface changes with it.
- The stated reasons are that the move makes it easier to adapt as technology and testing needs change, and that it brings enhanced accessibility, an improved processing cycle and a more modern exam experience.
- The article lists “current target dates”: a testing blackout from July 1 to July 11, 2027, and a resumption on July 12, 2027.
- The blackout exists so administrators can finish processing data from the previous testing window, retire the legacy system and launch the new platform.
- Score release timing will be adjusted for 12 months after launch, because items need to be recalibrated with real candidate response data before scores can be reported.
- The new interface changes how candidates interact with exam content, and small changes to navigation, accessibility features or screen layout could affect how items perform statistically.
- Candidates planning to test in summer 2027 should factor the blackout and resumption dates into study and scheduling plans.
The article also says more information is coming. It does not describe the new interface in detail, does not say what stays the same, and does not mention notice to schedule guidance.
The official source is the AICPA article: CPA Exam user interface changes coming in 2027.
What the Secondary Sources Add
The score-release table below does not come from the article above. It comes from secondary coverage that cites AICPA announcements made in late August 2026. Candidate-prep providers and state boards of accountancy published the same calendar, and a state board notice, Becker’s coverage, The Accountant Times and the Atlas CPA Index all agree on the dates used here. We label every figure “reported” because we could not locate the full AICPA score-release page itself.
Two points of disagreement are worth knowing about:
- How many Core release dates there are today. Becker describes Core score releases moving from about 8 per year to 4. Atlas describes a move from 16 to 4. The new schedule of four Core releases is consistent across sources; the starting point differs. We use neither number as a planning input.
- Whether the blueprint changes. Becker says content, blueprint and section structure are unchanged, but a FAQ on the same page hedges on the blueprint. The AICPA structure page separately points to blueprints effective January 1, 2027, which is a different change from the July platform move.
The Reported Score-Release Schedule
Core sections (AUD, FAR, REG) are tested in long windows and released in four batches. Discipline sections (BAR, ISC, TCP) use shorter windows and release in four batches too.
Core: AUD, FAR and REG
| Testing window | Reported score release | Days from window start | Days from window end |
| Jul 12 to Sep 30, 2027 | Oct 19, 2027 | 99 | 19 |
| Oct 1 to Dec 15, 2027 | Dec 28, 2027 | 88 | 13 |
| Jan 1 to Mar 15, 2028 | Mar 28, 2028 | 87 | 13 |
| Apr 1 to Jun 15, 2028 | Jun 27, 2028 | 87 | 12 |
Discipline: BAR, ISC and TCP
| Testing window | Reported score release | Days from window start | Days from window end |
| Jul 12 to Aug 12, 2027 | Sep 28, 2027 | 78 | 47 |
| Oct 1 to Oct 31, 2027 | Dec 17, 2027 | 77 | 47 |
| Jan 1 to Jan 31, 2028 | Mar 17, 2028 | 76 | 46 |
| Apr 1 to Apr 30, 2028 | Jun 16, 2028 | 76 | 47 |
The “days from window end” column is the useful one. A Core candidate who sits on the last day of a window waits about two weeks. A Discipline candidate who sits on the last day of a window waits about six and a half weeks. A candidate who sits early waits much longer in both cases, because the release date is fixed to the window, not to the sitting.
Dates in these tables are reported targets. They can move.
The Wait Calculator
The release date depends on the window, not on your sitting date. That makes the planning arithmetic easy. Use this worksheet:
| Step | What to do | Example (Core, Oct window) |
| 1 | Pick the testing window you intend to sit in | Oct 1 to Dec 15, 2027 |
| 2 | Find the reported release date for that window | Dec 28, 2027 |
| 3 | Subtract your planned sitting date from the release date | Sit Nov 5: 53 days |
| 4 | Decide if that wait fits your next step | Next section study can start immediately |
| 5 | Add a buffer of one window for a retake | Retake window: Jan 1 to Mar 15, 2028 |
The key observation is that sitting early in a Core window does not speed up your score. It does free you to start the next section sooner. Many candidates treat the wait as study time for the next section.
Finish Before July, or Wait?
This is the decision that most candidates actually face. The table below compares the two routes for the section you are closest to sitting.
| Situation | Lean toward | Why |
| Section already studied, practice scores consistently passing | Sit before July 1, 2027 | Avoids the blackout and the platform change |
| Section studied, but practice scores are borderline | Sit before July 1 only if a retake is possible before the blackout | A fail close to June leaves no room before July 11 |
| Just starting a section now | Plan for either route, and decide in spring 2027 | 259 days is enough time for a Core section for many candidates |
| Starting after April 2027 | Plan to sit after July 12 | A rushed June sitting rarely beats a prepared July or August one |
| Credits close to expiring | Sit before the blackout, or confirm expiry rules in writing | Expiry rules are set by the state, not by the platform change |
| Anxious about the new interface | Sit before July 1 | You will know the current interface; the new one is untested |
| Anxious about a longer score wait | Sit before July 1 | Current score timing is what you will experience |
There is no universal answer. A candidate who sits in June 2027 and fails faces a short retake runway before a blackout, then a new interface on return. A candidate who sits in August 2027 on the new platform faces unknowns but has no cliff.
Who Should Rush and Who Should Not
Lean toward finishing before July 1, 2027 if you are:
- Within one section of completing the exam and want to be done before the interface changes
- Holding credit that will expire near the blackout
- Applying for a job or licence with a deadline in autumn 2027
- Someone who finds a new interface stressful and has few spare weeks to adapt
Lean toward waiting for July 12 or later if you are:
- Still working through your first Core section with a long study runway
- Balancing a busy-season workload that makes June unrealistic
- Comfortable with an unfamiliar interface and not tied to a deadline
- Planning to use the new-platform windows only once practice materials catch up
A rushed sitting is a worse trade than a planned one. The blackout is a scheduling event, not an exam change that makes a section harder.
What the Blackout Means in Practice
For 11 days, from July 1 to July 11, 2027, no CPA Exam appointments are available. The AICPA says the reason is administrative: finishing data processing from the previous window, retiring the legacy system and launching the new one.
Practical consequences, based on that description:
- No sittings in the first 11 days of July 2027. If you had a July sitting on your plan, it moves.
- Scores for late-June sittings are tied to the window they fall in. The AICPA article does not publish a separate score date for them, so check the window tables above and watch for official updates.
- Existing appointments that fall inside the blackout will presumably need rescheduling. The AICPA article does not describe the process, so confirm with your state board and the testing provider when appointments open.
The article’s statement that candidates should “factor the blackout and resumption dates into their study and scheduling plans” is the most direct official guidance there is today.
Why Scores Slow Down for 12 Months
The AICPA’s explanation is about item calibration. Exam questions are scored using statistical properties learned from candidate responses. A new interface can change how candidates respond: navigation, accessibility features and screen layout can all shift response patterns. After launch, administrators must recalibrate items with real candidate data before scores can be reported.
That explains why the reported schedule has fewer, later release dates. In the old pattern, scores could be released in shorter cycles. In the transition year, the first release after a window is bundled with a longer calibration period.
What it does not explain, and the AICPA has not said, is whether the schedule returns to the pre-launch cadence after 12 months, or what happens to a retake candidate caught between two windows.
The 30-Month Rule and the Platform Change
Passing all four sections is subject to a credit window. NASBA’s board voted on April 21, 2023 to support extending that window to 30 months, and individual states adopt rules on their own timetables. The practical points are:
- Your state sets your credit window, not the AICPA and not the platform change.
- A longer score wait can eat into the window, especially for a candidate whose first passed section lands near the end of a long release cycle.
- Candidates who passed a section in late 2025 or 2026 should check the exact expiry date for each section, then compare it with the release dates in the tables above.
If a credit expiry date falls between a testing window and its reported release date, ask your state board in writing how it will treat the sitting. The platform change has not, to our knowledge, produced a published rule on this.
Example Plans
Plan A: One Core section left, comfortable with the current platform
Sit between February and May 2027. Under current rules the score timing is outside the 12-month adjustment. Keep June free as a retake buffer. Schedule nothing for the July 1 to July 11 blackout.
Plan B: Two Core sections left, mid-year deadline
Sit the first section in March or April 2027 and the second in May or June. If the second section is too tight, move it to the first Core window after launch (Jul 12 to Sep 30, 2027), accepting the reported October 19, 2027 release.
Plan C: Starting AUD, FAR and REG now
Realistically, you will straddle the platform change. Use the next eight months to complete one or two sections on the current platform. Then plan the rest for the Oct 1 to Dec 15, 2027 or Jan 1 to Mar 15, 2028 windows, with reported releases on Dec 28, 2027 and Mar 28, 2028.
Plan D: Discipline section, flexible timeline
The Discipline windows are one month long. If you want a quick score, sit at the end of a window (47-day wait) instead of the start (78-day wait). The score date does not change either way, so sitting early only helps if the next step needs the time.
A Practical Checklist
- Write down your credit expiry dates for every passed section, and compare them with the reported release dates.
- Pick your sitting window using the decision table above, and put the blackout dates (July 1 to July 11, 2027) in your calendar as a hard stop.
- Confirm your notice to schedule validity with your state board and the testing provider. The AICPA article does not address it.
- Book early for June 2027, because candidates racing the blackout will fill appointments.
- Practise the way you will test. Use full-length timed simulations. See our CPA practice tests for Auditing, Financial Accounting and Reporting and Regulation.
- Watch for the next AICPA update. The article says more information is coming, and the interface details are the biggest unknown.
Study Materials and Related Reading
For section-specific preparation, CertMage has CPA exam resources and individual exam pages for Auditing, Financial Accounting and Reporting and Regulation. Our practice tests hub lists every exam we cover.
If you are comparing CPA with other credentials in audit and compliance, see our guide to audit and compliance exams.
A note on terminology: older study guides still refer to Business Environment and Concepts (BEC). The current exam structure has no BEC section; the three Discipline sections (BAR, ISC and TCP) took its place in the model with Core plus one Discipline.
What We Don’t Know Yet
- The new interface. The AICPA has said the interface changes but has not published screenshots, a tutorial or a feature list. Whether tools such as the calculator, the spreadsheet, the research database or the flagging features behave differently is unknown.
- Notice to schedule validity after the change. Neither the AICPA article nor the secondary sources address whether an NTS issued before the blackout stays valid across it.
- What happens to existing appointments booked inside the blackout window.
- Whether the dates will hold. The AICPA itself uses the phrase “current target dates.”
- Whether the 12-month adjustment can be extended. The article says 12 months; it does not say what triggers a return to a normal cadence.
- The score-release page itself. We worked from secondary coverage of the AICPA announcements and could not verify every number against a single official page.
- Pass rates for the first windows. No data exists, and the AICPA has not said when it will publish any.
- Fees. Nothing published suggests the platform change alters exam fees, but nothing confirms they stay the same either.
- Salary effects. We have not included any salary figure, because no source we found isolates people who passed the CPA Exam from the wider accounting workforce.
FAQS
When is the CPA Exam blackout in 2027?
The AICPA lists July 1 to July 11, 2027 as the target blackout period. No appointments are available in that window.
When does testing resume on the new platform?
July 12, 2027, according to the AICPA’s current target dates.
Why is the CPA Exam moving to a new platform?
The AICPA says the change makes it easier to adapt as technology and testing needs change, and cites enhanced accessibility, an improved processing cycle and a more modern exam experience.
Will the content of the CPA Exam change in July 2027?
The AICPA article does not address content. Secondary coverage says content, blueprint and section structure are unchanged, but one source hedges on the blueprint. Separately, blueprints linked on the AICPA structure page take effect January 1, 2027.
Why will CPA scores be slower after the change?
The AICPA says items must be recalibrated using real candidate response data before scores can be reported. It says timing will be adjusted for 12 months after launch.
When are Core scores released after the platform change?
Reported targets are October 19, 2027 for the Jul 12 to Sep 30 window, December 28, 2027 for Oct 1 to Dec 15, March 28, 2028 for Jan 1 to Mar 15 and June 27, 2028 for Apr 1 to Jun 15.
When are Discipline scores released?
Reported targets are September 28, 2027 for Jul 12 to Aug 12, December 17, 2027 for October, March 17, 2028 for January 2028 and June 16, 2028 for April 2028.
Should I take a section before July 1, 2027?
If you are prepared and your practice scores are consistently passing, many candidates will prefer to finish on the current platform. If you are not ready, a rushed sitting is a poor trade. The decision table above compares both routes.
Does sitting early in a window get my score sooner?
Under the reported schedule, no. The release date is tied to the window. Sitting early only gives you more time to start the next section.
Does the platform change affect my credit expiry?
Credit windows are set by your state board. The 30-month rule comes from a 2023 NASBA vote and is adopted state by state. Ask your board how a longer score wait is treated if your expiry date is close.
What happens to appointments booked during the blackout?
The AICPA article does not say. Confirm with your state board and the testing provider.
Is the BEC section still part of the exam?
No. The current structure has three Core sections (AUD, FAR, REG) and three Discipline sections (BAR, ISC, TCP). Candidates choose one Discipline.
