REG: Regulation
Last reviewed
The REG section of the CPA Exam has a 66.32% pass rate for 2026 through Q3, the highest of the three core sections.
- Pass rate, 2026 through Q3
- 66.32%
- Pass rate, 2025
- 63.12%
- Section type
- Core, required of every candidate
- Length
- 4 hours
- Score weighting
- 50% multiple choice, 50% task based simulations
Federal taxation of individuals and entities, plus business law, ethics, and professional responsibilities. In 2025 it was 63.12%, so it has risen 3.20 points.
REG pass rate by year
| Year | Pass rate |
|---|---|
| 2026 (through Q3) | 66.32% |
| 2025 | 63.12% |
| 2024 | 62.61% |
| 2023 | 59.19% |
| 2022 | 59.85% |
| 2021 | 59.88% |
| 2020 | 62.29% |
| 2019 (through Q3) | 56.51% |
| 2018 | 53.16% |
| 2017 | 47.24% |
| 2016 | 48.45% |
| 2015 | 49.43% |
| 2014 | 49.41% |
| 2013 | 48.48% |
| 2012 | 48.15% |
| 2011 | 44.22% |
| 2010 | 50.66% |
| 2009 | 49.81% |
| 2008 | 48.74% |
| 2007 | 47.03% |
| 2006 | 42.33% |
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 |
|---|---|---|
| REG.I | Ethics, Professional Responsibilities and Federal Tax Procedures | 10 to 20% |
| REG.II | Business Law | 15 to 25% |
| REG.III | Federal Taxation of Property Transactions | 5 to 15% |
| REG.IV | Federal Taxation of Individuals | 22 to 32% |
| REG.V | Federal Taxation of Entities (including tax preparation) | 23 to 33% |
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 REG blueprint area, group and topic
What order to take the sections explains why FAR is usually taken first.
Common questions
What is the REG CPA Exam pass rate?
The REG section of the CPA Exam has a 66.32% pass rate for 2026 through Q3, the highest of the three core sections.
Is REG hard?
The REG section of the CPA Exam has a 66.32% pass rate for 2026 through Q3, the highest of the three core sections. In 2025 it was 63.12%, so it has risen 3.20 points.
What is tested on REG?
Federal taxation of individuals and entities, plus business law, ethics, and professional responsibilities. The AICPA blueprint splits REG into 5 content areas, each with a published score weight range.
How long is the REG exam?
Every CPA Exam section including REG 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