AUD: Auditing and Attestation
Last reviewed
The AUD section of the CPA Exam has a 50.03% pass rate for 2026 through Q3, number 2 of the three core sections.
- Pass rate, 2026 through Q3
- 50.03%
- Pass rate, 2025
- 48.21%
- Section type
- Core, required of every candidate
- Length
- 4 hours
- Score weighting
- 50% multiple choice, 50% task based simulations
The audit and attestation process: ethics, risk assessment, evidence, internal control, and reporting. In 2025 it was 48.21%, so it has risen 1.82 points.
AUD pass rate by year
| Year | Pass rate |
|---|---|
| 2026 (through Q3) | 50.03% |
| 2025 | 48.21% |
| 2024 | 45.79% |
| 2023 | 46.92% |
| 2022 | 47.90% |
| 2021 | 47.98% |
| 2020 | 52.84% |
| 2019 (through Q3) | 52.06% |
| 2018 | 50.97% |
| 2017 | 48.59% |
| 2016 | 45.86% |
| 2015 | 47.28% |
| 2014 | 46.35% |
| 2013 | 45.87% |
| 2012 | 46.89% |
| 2011 | 45.62% |
| 2010 | 47.80% |
| 2009 | 49.79% |
| 2008 | 49.10% |
| 2007 | 47.57% |
| 2006 | 44.01% |
Years before 2024 are from the four-section exam, when every candidate also sat BEC. Every section, every year has the quarterly figures and where each year comes from.
What is tested, by AICPA blueprint area
| Area | Content | Score weight |
|---|---|---|
| AUD.I | Ethics, Professional Responsibilities and General Principles | 15 to 25% |
| AUD.II | Assessing Risk and Developing a Planned Response | 25 to 35% |
| AUD.III | Performing Further Procedures and Obtaining Evidence | 30 to 40% |
| AUD.IV | Forming Conclusions and Reporting | 10 to 20% |
Area weightings are the AICPA published score ranges. Pass rates are the AICPA published candidate pass rates for 2026 through Q3, read from AICPA & CIMA on 2026-10-22. The AICPA publishes them quarterly.
Every AUD blueprint area, group and topic
What order to take the sections explains why FAR is usually taken first.
Common questions
What is the AUD CPA Exam pass rate?
The AUD section of the CPA Exam has a 50.03% pass rate for 2026 through Q3, number 2 of the three core sections.
Is AUD hard?
The AUD section of the CPA Exam has a 50.03% pass rate for 2026 through Q3, number 2 of the three core sections. In 2025 it was 48.21%, so it has risen 1.82 points.
What is tested on AUD?
The audit and attestation process: ethics, risk assessment, evidence, internal control, and reporting. The AICPA blueprint splits AUD into 4 content areas, each with a published score weight range.
How long is the AUD exam?
Every CPA Exam section including AUD is 4 hours. 5 testlets per section: 2 multiple-choice + 3 task-based simulations.
See also
- CPA Exam pass rates by section
- Pass rates by year since 2006
- What score you need to pass
- When scores are released
- When your credit expires
- Which section is hardest
- Which discipline to choose
- What order to take the sections
- When the 30 month window starts
- Which standards the exam tests
- CPA requirements by state