Editorial Policy: CPA Review Course Testing Methodology

1

Acquire Hands-On Course Access

We secure hands-on access to each provider — through trials, demos, and direct platform testing — so our analysts evaluate the entire curriculum a candidate would receive.

2

Study as a Candidate Would

Our team works through the material section by section, documenting how effectively each course teaches high-difficulty FAR and REG topics from first exposure to mastery.

3

Benchmark the Question Engine

We measure question-bank depth, explanation quality, and simulation realism against the actual AICPA exam blueprint and the Prometric testing interface.

4

Evaluate Support & Mentoring

We test access to instructors, tutoring, and study coaching, and assess how responsive and useful that support is when a candidate is stuck.

5

Apply the AIS Scoring Formula

Each course receives a weighted score across curriculum quality, adaptive technology, value, support, and pass-rate evidence using our proprietary formula.

6

Verify & Update Annually

We re-validate every score against the latest pass-rate data, course revisions, and CPA Evolution changes so our recommendations stay accurate.