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If you are planning a CPA sitting in 2027, three things have changed and one of them will cost you time.
No testing at all from 1 to 11 July 2027
The AICPA has confirmed a blackout from 1 July to 11 July 2027. No exam appointments are available in that window while the old system is closed down and candidate data is processed. Testing resumes on 12 July 2027 on the new platform.
If you were planning to sit in early July 2027, you cannot. Move it to either side of that gap.
A new delivery platform from 12 July 2027
From that date the exam runs on what the AICPA calls a new technology delivery platform, with a redesigned interface. The stated aims are better accessibility, a faster processing cycle and a more modern exam experience.
The content is not changing. This is how the exam is delivered, not what it tests.
Scores get slower for twelve months
This is the part worth planning around. Because the interface changes, exam items have to be recalibrated using real candidate data before scores can be released. The AICPA has confirmed an adjustment to the score release schedule for the 12 months following launch.
In practice that means long testing windows with a single score date at the end, instead of the current rolling cadence.
Core sections
• Test 12 Jul – 30 Sep 2027 → scores 19 Oct 2027
• Test 1 Oct – 15 Dec 2027 → scores 28 Dec 2027
• Test 1 Jan – 15 Mar 2028 → scores 28 Mar 2028
• Test 1 Apr – 15 Jun 2028 → scores 27 Jun 2028
Discipline sections
• Test 12 Jul – 12 Aug 2027 → scores 28 Sep 2027
• Test 1 – 31 Oct 2027 → scores 17 Dec 2027
• Test 1 – 31 Jan 2028 → scores 17 Mar 2028
• Test 1 – 30 Apr 2028 → scores 16 Jun 2028
Sit a Core section on 15 July 2027 and you wait until 19 October for the result. That is about three months, against roughly two to three weeks today.
What this means for your plan
If you can finish before July 2027, do. The current schedule returns scores far faster and you avoid the transition entirely.
If you will still be sitting after the switch, build the wait into your sequence. A failed section discovered in late October leaves you retaking in a window that does not score until December. Two such loops and you have lost most of a year.
Check your own state board rules on credit expiry against those score dates before you commit to a sitting, as these vary by jurisdiction.
Sources: AICPA & CIMA, CPA Exam user-interface changes coming in 2027 and CPA Exam score release dates.
If you sat a CPA Discipline section (BAR, ISC, or TCP) during the July 1–31 testing window, your target score release date is September 11, 2026. Core sections (AUD, FAR, REG) are on continuous testing: if the AICPA received your exam data file by September 7, your target release is September 15, 2026. These are target dates — allow up to an additional 48 hours for scores to post on the NASBA candidate portal, and some states add processing time.
What to do now: watch your NASBA CPA portal and email around these dates, and make sure your contact details are current so you don't miss the notification.
If you are sitting CFA Level III, the exam you prepare for is not the one candidates sat a couple of years ago. CFA Institute now splits Level III into three specialised pathways, and the pathway you pick is worth 30–35% of the whole exam – the single largest block on the paper.
The three Level III pathways
You choose one when you register. All three lead to the same charter; they differ in what the biggest chunk of the exam asks you about:
- Portfolio Management – the traditional route, and the default if you are unsure.
- Private Markets – private equity, private debt, real assets and infrastructure.
- Private Wealth – individual and family wealth, tax-aware planning, behavioural finance.
Level III topic weights
| Topic area | Weight |
|---|---|
| Your chosen pathway (Portfolio Management / Private Markets / Private Wealth) | 30–35% |
| Asset Allocation | 15–20% |
| Portfolio Construction | 15–20% |
| Derivatives and Risk Management | 10–15% |
| Ethical and Professional Standards | 10–15% |
| Performance Measurement | 5–10% |
Ethics stays heavily weighted at every level, and it is still the tie-breaker if you land near the minimum passing score. Do not treat it as the topic you revise last.
What this means for Level I and Level II candidates
The pathway choice only applies at Level III, but the earlier levels have their own current weights worth planning around:
| Topic area | Level I | Level II |
|---|---|---|
| Ethical and Professional Standards | 10–15% | 10–15% |
| Quantitative Methods | 11–14% | 5–10% |
| Economics | 6–9% | 5–10% |
| Financial Statement Analysis | 11–14% | 10–15% |
| Corporate Finance / Issuers | 6–9% | 5–10% |
| Equity Investments | 11–14% | 10–15% |
| Fixed Income | 11–14% | 10–15% |
| Derivatives and Risk Management | 6–9% | 5–10% |
| Alternative Investments | 6–9% | 5–10% |
| Portfolio Construction | 8–12% | 10–15% |
Note how Portfolio Construction grows from Level I to Level II and then, through the pathway, dominates Level III. The programme funnels you steadily from valuing single instruments towards managing whole portfolios.
Level III exam dates and deadlines
Level III runs in only two sittings a year – February and August. It is not offered in May or November, which catches people out.
| Sitting | Exam dates | Registration closes |
|---|---|---|
| February 2027 | 18–21 February 2027 | 5 November 2026 |
| August 2027 | 11–14 August 2027 | 29 April 2027 |
Level III also costs more than the earlier levels: USD 1,240 early or USD 1,590 standard, before local taxes. For the August 2027 sitting the early deadline is 20 January 2027 – registering by it saves USD 350.
How to choose your pathway
Pick the one that matches the job you want, not the one that looks easiest. All three are marked to the same standard, and the pathway appears nowhere on your charter. If you work in or want to move into private equity or private credit, Private Markets is the obvious fit. If you advise individuals and families, Private Wealth is. If you are early in your career or still deciding, Portfolio Management keeps the most doors open.
You can practise the shared Level III material free on Professional Career Club – no signup needed to attempt questions.
Source: CFA Institute – CFA Program curriculum and exam dates and fees, cfainstitute.org. Verified 3 September 2026. Always confirm dates and fees with CFA Institute before you pay.
Two CPA Exam score releases are almost here. Candidates who sat a Discipline section — BAR, ISC, or TCP — during the July 1–31, 2026 window get their scores on September 11, 2026. Discipline scores release only a few times a year, so this is the date many have been waiting on. For Core sections (AUD, FAR, REG), the next target release is September 15, 2026 for exams processed by September 7 (the most recent Core release was August 25).
Scores appear in your NASBA CPA Portal on the target date, usually by end of day. If you tested in these windows, watch the portal — and remember Discipline sections are only offered in the first month of each quarter, so the next Discipline sitting after this is October.
The ICAI CA September 2026 exams are just days away. CA Intermediate begins September 1, 2026 (Group 1, Advanced Accounting) and CA Foundation starts September 2, 2026, with papers running through mid-September in the standard 2:00 PM afternoon slots. Admit cards (hall tickets) for both Foundation and Intermediate are already live on the ICAI eservices portal.
If you're sitting this attempt, download and print your admit card now, confirm your exam centre and reporting time, and carry a valid photo ID on exam day. Don't wait for the final weekend — portal traffic spikes as exams approach.
The ICAI CA September 2026 admit cards (hall tickets) are out. ICAI activated the download link for CA Foundation and CA Intermediate on 14 August 2026. This matters immediately: the exams begin in early September, and your admit card is the document you must carry to the exam hall. Download it now, check every detail, and report any error to ICAI right away rather than on exam day.
ICAI CA September 2026 exam dates
| Course | Exam dates |
|---|---|
| CA Intermediate Group 1 | 1, 3 and 6 September 2026 |
| CA Intermediate Group 2 | 8, 10 and 12 September 2026 |
| CA Foundation | 2, 5, 7 and 9 September 2026 |
CA Intermediate exams begin first (1 September), followed by CA Foundation (2 September). Papers are held in the afternoon session; confirm the exact reporting time and duration for each of your papers on your admit card, as timings can differ by paper.
How to download your admit card
- Go to the ICAI Self Service Portal at eservices.icai.org.
- Select your level (Foundation or Intermediate).
- Log in with your student registration number and password, or your SSP (Self Service Portal) login.
- Open the admit card, review it, and print it.
Print at least two colour copies and keep them with a valid photo ID for exam day.
Check these details right away
On your admit card, verify your name, photograph, roll number, exam centre, exam dates and reporting time. If anything is wrong, contact the ICAI exam helpdesk immediately for a correction. Fixing a discrepancy now is far easier than discovering it at the centre on exam day.
What about CA Final?
CA Final admit cards for the November 2026 sitting will be released closer to those exams. If you are a CA Final student, watch the ICAI Self Service Portal for that download link nearer the time.
While you wait for exam day, keep your concepts sharp with free CA practice questions on Professional Career Club, with instant feedback and no signup needed.
Exam dates are as published by ICAI and can change; always confirm the details on your official admit card and the ICAI portal.
If you sat a CPA Core section recently, your next scoring milestone is close. For the current 2026 schedule, candidates whose exam data file reaches the AICPA by August 15 have a target score-release date of August 25, 2026. Miss that data-file cutoff and your score rolls to the next target date of September 15 (for files received by September 7). Scores generally post within 48 hours of the target date, usually just after midnight Eastern, though a few state boards take an extra day to release.
What to do now: confirm which target window your section falls into based on your test date, then check your NASBA/state-board account on and just after August 25. Don't panic if it's not there at 12:01 a.m. — give it the full 48-hour posting window.
The August 2026 CFA exam window is officially underway. Level III testing runs August 13–17, Level I follows August 18–24, and Level II wraps up August 25–29. If you're sitting this window, the rescheduling deadline (Aug 3) has passed, so your appointment is locked in — now it's about logistics. Log into your candidate portal to reconfirm your exact date, time, and test-center address, and make sure the first and last name on your travel ID (passport for most centers) exactly matches your registration. Arrive 30–60 minutes early, bring your approved calculator (BA II Plus or HP 12C), and leave prohibited items in the car or locker.
Results won't be instant: CFA Institute releases scores 5–9 weeks after the window closes, so August candidates should expect emails and portal results around late September into mid-October. Watch your inbox and the results page.
CFA Program Candidate Resources (portal & appointment details) · CFA Exam Results & Pass Rates
If you recently sat a CPA Core section (AUD, FAR, or REG), the next target score release is August 26, 2026 for exams whose data reaches the AICPA by August 15 — so if you tested in early-to-mid August, this is your window. The following Core cutoff is September 7 (scores targeted September 16). For the Discipline sections (BAR, ISC, TCP), candidates who tested in the July 1–31 window have a target release of September 11.
Remember that scores post to the NASBA candidate portal up to 48 hours after the AICPA sends them, so don't panic if they're not visible the moment the date hits.
The CFA August 2026 exam window is under way across all three levels. Here are the exact dates for each level, plus the exam-day essentials to sort out now so nothing trips you up at the test centre.
CFA August 2026 exam dates
| Level | Window |
|---|---|
| Level 3 | 13 to 17 August 2026 |
| Level 1 | 18 to 24 August 2026 |
| Level 2 | 25 to 29 August 2026 |
If you are sitting Level 1 or Level 2 in the next couple of weeks, now is the time to lock down the logistics.
Exam-day checklist
- Confirm your exact appointment date and test centre in your CFA Institute account.
- Check your ID matches your registration name exactly - a mismatch is a common reason candidates are turned away.
- Re-read the exam-day admission and appointment rules (what you can bring, arrival time, calculator policy).
- Plan your route and arrival so you are early rather than rushing.
When are results released?
CFA Institute releases results several weeks after each window closes - within 5 to 7 weeks for Levels I and II and within 6 to 8 weeks for Level III. CFA Institute confirms the exact results date for each window, so check your candidate account for your specific date rather than relying on an estimate.
Keeping your recall sharp between now and exam day helps - practise free finance and CFA-style questions on Professional Career Club, with instant feedback and no signup needed.
Dates are as published by CFA Institute and can change; confirm your appointment and exam-day rules in your official CFA Institute candidate account.
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