CPA Exam Score Release Dates 2026: Full Schedule

CPA Exam scores come out on a published schedule, not on a fixed number of days after you test. For the Core sections (AUD, FAR, REG), the AICPA posts a target release date for every two-to-three-week batch of exam data; the remaining 2026 targets are August 25, September 15, October 9, November 10, November 24, December 16, and January 12, 2027. For the Discipline sections (BAR, ISC, TCP), scores are released only once per testing quarter — September 11 for July testers and December 15 for October testers. Most candidates see their score in the NASBA Candidate Portal on or shortly after the target date.

2026 CPA score release schedule by section

The schedule comes from the AICPA's score release page (aicpa-cima.com), which NASBA links to in its own release announcements. The key distinction under CPA Evolution:

• Core sections (AUD, FAR, REG) are scored continuously. The AICPA groups incoming exam files into batches and publishes a target release date for each batch. Your date depends on when the AICPA receives your exam file from Prometric, not strictly on the day you sat.
• Discipline sections (BAR, ISC, TCP) are only offered during the first month of each quarter (January, April, July, October), and each quarter's scores are released together on one date.

Core sections: AUD, FAR, REG

Exam data received by AICPA	Target score release date
July 23, 2026	August 7, 2026 (released)
August 15, 2026	August 25, 2026
September 7, 2026	September 15, 2026
September 30, 2026	October 9, 2026
October 23, 2026	November 10, 2026
November 15, 2026	November 24, 2026
December 8, 2026	December 16, 2026
December 31, 2026	January 12, 2027

Earlier 2026 Core release dates have already passed and are no longer listed on the AICPA page, so they are omitted here. If you tested before July 23, your score has already been released.

Discipline sections: BAR, ISC, TCP

Testing window	Target score release date
July 1-31, 2026	September 11, 2026
October 1-31, 2026	December 15, 2026

The January and April 2026 Discipline windows were released earlier in the year. The AICPA has also posted the first 2027 Discipline dates: January testing releases March 16, 2027 and April testing releases June 9, 2027; 2027 Core batch dates are on the same page.

What "target date" means in practice

A few details matter more than the calendar itself:

• The clock starts when the AICPA receives your file, not when you finish. Prometric transmits exam data to the AICPA after your session, and the AICPA's own note is that an exam "can't be scored until the AICPA has received your file from Prometric."
• NASBA posts scores on a rolling basis after it receives them. NASBA's score information page says scores are generally posted within 48 hours after it begins receiving them from the AICPA. Many candidates see scores on the target date; NASBA does not publish an official hour.
• Discipline scores cannot come early. Because each quarter's Discipline exams are scored together, a July ISC tester and a July 31 ISC tester both wait until September 11.
• Your official score notice follows the advisory score. NASBA states that score notices are generally available in the portal within 72 hours after the advisory score is posted.

How to check your CPA Exam score

For most jurisdictions, scores are released through NASBA:

1. Sign in to the NASBA Candidate Portal (CPA Central) or the NASBA CPA mobile app with the account you used to apply.
2. Your advisory score appears first; the formal score notice, which includes exam credit information, follows within about 72 hours.
3. If you did not pass, a Candidate Performance Report is attached. It compares your performance to candidates who scored in the just-passing range (75-80) and rates each content area as Stronger, Comparable, or Weaker.

Not every state board releases through NASBA. NASBA's own wording is that "some jurisdictions do not release scores via our website"; California, Illinois, Kentucky, Maryland, and North Dakota are commonly cited as boards that release scores through their own sites. If yours is one of these, check the board's website rather than the NASBA portal.

The passing score: 75

NASBA's statement is direct: "To pass any section of the Uniform CPA Exam, you must earn a score of 75 or higher." Two things to understand about that number:

• It is a scaled score, not a percentage. Multiple-choice questions and task-based simulations are weighted (50/50 for most sections; ISC is weighted 60/40), and raw points are converted to a 0-99 scale. A 75 does not mean you answered 75 percent of items correctly.
• The exam is not curved. NASBA notes that "scores are not curved," meaning you are measured against a fixed standard, not against the other candidates in your release.

A 74 is a fail; there is no rounding and no conditional pass.

The credit window: 18 months becoming 30 months

Historically, passing your first section started an 18-month clock to pass the other three. That is changing, but not uniformly:

• On April 21, 2023, the NASBA Board of Directors amended UAA Model Rule 5-7 to increase conditional credit from 18 months to 30 months, and to start the clock on the date scores are released rather than the date you tested.
• The Model Rules are recommendations. NASBA's guidance is that each board "may consider the amendment to Model Rule 5-7 and, if so choose, commence a process to change the rules at the state level," and that "current Exam candidates remain under existing rules until, if and when, the board to which they applied makes changes."

In other words, many jurisdictions have adopted 30 months, but the rule that governs you is the one your board has adopted. Confirm your window on your state board's site before you plan a long gap between sections, and note which date the board counts from — score release or test date — because that shifts your expiration by weeks.

Retaking a failed section

The CPA Exam uses continuous testing, so there is no waiting for the next quarter to retake a Core section. The practical sequence:

1. Wait for the score to post. You cannot re-register for a section until the failing score has been released and processed; allow at least a few days after release before expecting the system to accept a new application for that section.
2. Reapply through your board or NASBA for that section only and pay the re-examination fee your jurisdiction charges (fees vary by state; check your board's fee schedule).
3. Receive a new Notice to Schedule (NTS). NTS validity is set by each jurisdiction, with six months being the common term. Schedule with Prometric once the NTS arrives.
4. Use the Candidate Performance Report to decide what to restudy.

Discipline retakes are constrained by the quarterly windows: fail in July, learn on September 11, retake in October, and the new score arrives December 15. Build that delay into your credit-window math.

Score review and appeal

There are two formal options, and neither is a re-grade:

• Score Review costs $240. NASBA is explicit that it "does not re-grade your responses or reconsider alternative answers. Instead, it confirms that the scoring process was completed accurately."
• Score Appeal costs $550 plus $100 per item and takes place at NASBA's office in Nashville. It is not available to candidates in CA, DC, GA, IL, MT, TX, or VA. NASBA also notes that a score has never been changed as a result of an appeal.

Requests must be submitted within a limited period after your score is reported; see the NASBA score page for the deadline.

Using the wait productively

The gap between sitting and scoring is two to three weeks for Core and up to ten weeks for Discipline. Start the next section rather than waiting on the result, and use the downtime to build practice from your own materials:

• Turn your own materials into practice. Upload your review course notes, lecture slides, or the AICPA Blueprints to Scholarly and generate practice tests and flashcards from the exact content you studied, so the retake plan is built on your weak areas rather than a generic question bank. A study schedule generator can lay the remaining sections out against your credit expiration date.

For a section-by-section approach to preparation, see our guide on how to study for the CPA Exam with AI.

Quick FAQ

When do CPA scores come out in 2026? Remaining 2026 Core targets are August 25, September 15, October 9, November 10, November 24, December 16, and January 12, 2027. Discipline scores release September 11 (July testers) and December 15 (October testers).

How long do I have to pass all four sections? Under the amended UAA Model Rule 5-7, 30 months from the release date of your first passed section — but only if your state board has adopted the change. Some boards may still apply 18 months; check yours.

The bottom line

Mark the target date for your batch, expect the score in the NASBA Candidate Portal (or your board's site in CA, IL, KY, MD, and ND) on or shortly after that date, and remember that 75 is a scaled cutoff with no rounding. Verify your board's credit window before planning gaps, and if a section does not go your way, the fastest path is a new NTS and a focused retake, not a $240 review. Dates were checked against the AICPA and NASBA sites on August 21, 2026; confirm there before scheduling.