(Posted February 2025)
Practice exams are a great way to test whether you are ready for the real thing. They allow you to evaluate your ability to retrieve the information you have learned in a time-constrained exam setting. Densmore offers a full 4-hour practice exam for each PEP Core and Elective module that are aligned with the CPA examination blueprint for those modules. These are included in our EDGE courses or can be purchased separately.
If you choose to take a practice exam, it is important to use them correctly to maximize your learning potential.
When to Write
We recommend writing a full practice exam approximately two weeks before you are scheduled to write your PEP Module Core or Elective final exam. Any earlier than that means you likely have not finished your review of the topics, and any later will not give you time to adequately debrief and learn from the experience.
Writing a 4-hour practice exam is an 8- to 10-hour time commitment. In addition to the four hours it will take to write the exam, you will also spend approximately two hours marking the exam and at least another four hours debriefing the exam.
Exam Conditions
Practice under exam conditions, so you know you are adequately prepared. This includes:
1. Following the suggested time
When writing the practice exam, you should stick to the suggested times given for the exam as a whole and for the components within. On a Core 1 or Core 2 exam, you should not spend more than 1 hour on the practice case, and you should be spending 3 hours on the multiple choice question (MCQ) portion. That means approximately 2.4 minutes per MCQ since there will be 75 questions. On the Elective exams, you should spend no more than 200 minutes on the two cases, and that would leave 40 minutes for approximately 30 questions.
If you spend longer than the suggested time on your practice attempts, you are setting yourself up for failure on the actual exam because you will not have that extra time to write.
2. Using only available resources
Avoid using resources that you will not have access to on the actual exam. For example, do not access any technical resources, like the CPA eBooks, that you are unable to use on the exam. Practice only with those resources available (e.g., the Handbook, the reference schedule) and use them in the way you expect to on the exam.
Avoid using external monitors, websites, or any applications that you will not have access to during the actual exam. Practice with the actual laptop or computer set-up you plan on using. We recommend you review the applicable exam regulations.
3. Avoiding distractions
Avoid distractions while writing. Place your phone on silent or in another room. Ensure you are in a quiet location where you will not be disturbed by family, friends, or coworkers. Write the practice exam in a single block of time since you will not be able to take a 15-minute break part way through the actual exam.
Marking
Once you have completed the practice exam, mark your results. Marking MCQs is relatively straightforward as each question will be correct or not correct.
Case marking requires more judgment. To mark the case effectively, mark the response in the order in which it is written. Start with the marker grid for each assessment opportunity and understand what is required. Then read the response and use the marking guide as needed to evaluate whether the requirements in the marker grid are met.
Debriefing
Once you have marked the practice exam, you need to turn your attention to debriefing the practice exam. This is where the learning happens. Debriefing is the process of working through your responses to evaluate what was done well and what needs improvement.
For MCQs, this means reviewing each and every question regardless of whether you got it correct or not, to understand what the right answer was and why, and also why the other answers were incorrect.
For cases, this involves understanding what it would have taken for your response to score Competent. This may involve reviewing the technical in the marking guide, refining your response using track changes to learn how to improve it, or writing requireds under time constraints if you did not attempt them in your original response.
Do not forget to also assess your time management on the practice exam. Did you stick to the suggested time for the various components? Or, do you need to make a change to how you will manage your time on the exam?
If you need a deeper dive on debriefing, read our blog on PEP debriefing here.
After The Practice Exam
You may feel wholly unprepared after writing the practice exam, but there are a couple of things you should remember.
First, you are never going to see this exact practice exam again. The case scenario you encounter will be different and you will likely see different issues on the actual exam. The MCQs will also be different and may cover different topics or aspects of the technical topics. One practice exam is not an exact predictor of your success on the actual exam. It is a tool for you to use to gauge your readiness and to practice under exam conditions. It is not a reason to panic if you did not do well. Remember that you have learned a lot from the experience that will help you succeed on your actual exam.
If you took your practice exam two weeks before the exam date, you still have time for more learning. Do more technical review in your weak areas or review the case writing approach so you are prepared for the actual exam. Remember that for elective exams, most of the exam is graded based on the cases, so your focus on these exams should be on case writing, which is a different style of technical review from MCQ.
Finally, make sure that you save some time to unwind and rest before your actual exam. Stop studying about 2 days before the exam and ensure that your brain has a chance to relax and recuperate. This will help you go into the exam ready to accept the challenge with a clear mind.