Scheduling the CPA exam: the NTS, retakes and test centers
How long a Notice to Schedule lasts, what happens when it expires, how soon you can retake a failed section, and where you are allowed to test. Sourced to NASBA. Last reviewed 2026-09-23.
How long is a CPA exam Notice to Schedule (NTS) valid?
A Notice to Schedule (NTS) is valid for 6 months from its issue date in 52 of the 55 jurisdictions. California allows 9 months and Virginia allows 12 months, still counted from the issue date. Texas works differently: it allows 180 days from the date the board approves your eligibility application, so the clock starts before the NTS exists and the same window has to cover paying NASBA and booking a seat as well as sitting the section. The NTS is the document that lets you book a seat with Prometric, and you must present it at the test center or you will be refused entry. The validation period counts non-testing days, so it runs continuously rather than only on days you could have tested.
52 of the 55 jurisdictions sit at 6 months, read from the Validation Periods map in the NASBA Candidate Guide, edition 2026-07-16. That is NASBA's compilation of those boards' rules rather than 52 readings of the boards themselves, so treat it as a starting point and confirm yours. The 3 that differ were each checked against the board or the rule that binds it: California (16 CCR 8.1), Texas (22 TAC 511.73), Virginia. Your own jurisdiction is on its requirements page.
Texas runs this clock from the date the board approves your eligibility application rather than from the date the NTS is issued, and the same 180 days has to cover paying NASBA, scheduling with Prometric and sitting the section. The NASBA Candidate Guide edition of 2026-07-16 groups Texas with the jurisdictions allowing six months from NTS issue, which starts the clock later. Where the two disagree, the board rule is the one that governs.
What happens if your NTS expires before you take the exam?
If your NTS expires before you sit the section, you cannot reschedule, and you receive no credit and no refund of the fees already paid. You must reapply for the section and pay the fees again. NASBA does not extend an NTS except by an approved Exception to Policy for a documented hardship such as a medical emergency, military deployment, visa rejection or a death in the immediate family, requested within 30 days.
What do you do if you lose your CPA exam Notice to Schedule?
Reprint it. NASBA's instruction is that "if you received your NTS via email and still have your original message, you can print another copy. If you received your NTS via U.S. mail, contact NASBA to request a reprint." This is worth doing before the day rather than on it, because you will not be admitted to the test center without a valid Notice to Schedule and the staff there cannot issue one.
What if your Notice to Schedule has incorrect information on it?
Go back to whoever issued it, not to Prometric and not to the test center. NASBA's instruction is to "contact the office/agency to which you submitted your application," and it is explicit that "you must have a corrected NTS to be admitted to the examination." A detail that does not match is not a technicality on the day: the name on your identification has to match the name on the NTS or you are turned away.
What happens on test day covers the identification rules and the lead time an information change needs.
How far in advance should you schedule the CPA exam?
At least five days ahead, and about 45 if you want a choice. NASBA's wording is that you "must schedule at least five days in advance" and that "to increase the likelihood that you will receive your first choice for site location and time, you should schedule your examination 45 days in advance." The five days is a floor you cannot go under. The 45 is about whether you get the seat you wanted, and it matters most around a quarterly discipline sitting, when every candidate in the country is aiming at the same four weeks.
Why can you only apply for one CPA exam section per NTS?
Because candidates were losing money on sections they never sat. NASBA's explanation is that "with the transition to CPA Evolution, it was decided that it was best for the candidates to only allow them to sign up for individual exam sections," since "most candidates who applied for more than one section never took the additional sections and lost those fees associated with the additional sections." So one Notice to Schedule covers one section, and the practical consequence is that you cannot lock in a run of sittings ahead of time. You apply, sit, and apply again.
These four are from the NASBA CPA Exam FAQ, read 2026-09-20, and none of them appears in the Candidate Guide this page is otherwise sourced to. NASBA keeps a number of procedural rules on the FAQ alone, so the Guide is the authority on what it covers rather than on everything a candidate has to know.
How much does it cost to reschedule a CPA exam appointment?
Prometric charges to move a booked CPA exam appointment, and the fee depends on how much notice you give. 60 or more days before the appointment costs nothing, 31 to 60 days before costs $30, 5 to 30 days before costs $60, less than 5 days and more than 24 hours before costs $93.61. Inside 24 hours there is no reschedule at any price: the fees are forfeited and you reapply. A reschedule never moves the expiry date on your Notice to Schedule, so the new date still has to fall before it, and you cannot move to a date within five days of the day you make the change.
| Notice given | Fee to Prometric |
|---|---|
| 60 or more days before the appointment | none |
| 31 to 60 days before | $30 |
| 5 to 30 days before | $60 |
| Less than 5 days and more than 24 hours before | $93.61 or $90.88 |
| Inside 24 hours | no reschedule, you reapply |
The fee column for that last band reads $93.61 while the worked example in the same row reads $90.88. NASBA states no single figure, so budget the higher one and confirm with Prometric when you call.
It is also inconsistent about how long a no-show takes to clear before you can reapply, giving five days on one page and seven on the next. Assume seven.
Fee bands from the NASBA Candidate Guide, edition 2026-07-16. These are Prometric scheduling fees and are separate from the section fee, which is not refunded in any of these cases.
Can you retake a failed CPA exam section right away?
Yes for a core section, subject to a short wait, and only once a quarter for a discipline. The CPA exam uses continuous testing for AUD, FAR and REG, so those are available year-round rather than in fixed windows; BAR, ISC and TCP are administered in the first month of each quarter only, so a failed discipline waits for the next quarterly sitting. After a failing score you must wait at least 72 hours from receiving that score before you can re-register for the same section, and you need a new Notice to Schedule with a new section ID, because a section ID is valid for only one testing event. You cannot apply for a new NTS in advance on the assumption that you failed.
What is continuous testing on the CPA exam?
Continuous testing means the three core sections, AUD, FAR and REG, are offered year-round rather than in fixed quarterly testing windows. It does not extend to the disciplines: BAR, ISC and TCP are administered in the first month of each quarter only. For a core section the only practical limit on how often you can retake is the time it takes for the score to be released, to re-register, to obtain a new Notice to Schedule and to find an available seat. For a discipline the limit is the calendar.
Do you have to take the CPA exam in the state you applied to?
No. You may sit at any Prometric test center that offers the CPA exam, regardless of the jurisdiction you applied to. Your jurisdiction determines your eligibility and your license, not where you physically test.
Can you take the CPA exam outside the United States?
Yes, with two conditions. You must first pay an international administration fee, currently about $390 per section, before international scheduling becomes available on your NTS. And candidates who applied through Alabama, Idaho, North Carolina or the US Virgin Islands are not permitted to schedule at international test centers at all.
How long do you have to pass all four sections once you pass the first?
Once you pass your first section, a rolling 30-month clock starts (measured from that section’s score-release date). You must pass the remaining three within that window or the first credit expires and rolls forward. NASBA amended UAA Model Rule 5-7 in April 2023, replacing the old 18-month window with 30 months. Most jurisdictions have adopted it; a few are still updating their rules. The exceptions are worth naming, because a vague reference to most jurisdictions fails exactly the candidate who is in one: Hawaii still runs 18 months; Indiana, South Carolina, Washington allow 36 months. Check your own jurisdiction rather than assuming 30.
Sources: NASBA Candidate Guide and the NASBA CPA Exam FAQ, retrieved 2026-08-10. Older NASBA state bulletins still circulating describe an 18-month window and fixed testing windows; both were superseded, the window by the April 2023 amendment to UAA Model Rule 5-7 and the windows by continuous testing.
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