CPA Exam Prep FAQ — LedgerGrind

Question 1

What is LedgerGrind? Why "grind"?

Accepted Answer

LedgerGrind is CPA exam prep that finds your blind spots before the exam does. It maps your strengths and weaknesses across all six exam sections (FAR, REG, AUD, BAR, ISC, and TCP), focuses your study time where it matters, and tells you when you're ready to pass — not just when you feel ready. Why grind? Because the science is settled: drilling questions beats everything else . It's called retrieval practice — actively pulling information from memory produces dramatically better long-term retention than re-reading, watching videos, or highlighting your way through a textbook. The bestselling book Make It Stick (Harvard University Press) put it bluntly: underlining, highlighting, and rereading create the illusion of mastery — but gains fade quickly. Practice testing produces durable learning. Translation: that 45-minute lecture video feels productive. Answering 30 tough MCQs in the same time is productive. Your brain doesn't learn by absorbing — it learns by struggling to recall. Every wrong answer teaches you more than a right highlight ever will. So yeah, we grind. On purpose.

Question 2

What is the CPA exam structure?

Accepted Answer

The Uniform CPA Examination is administered by NASBA and developed by the AICPA . You take it at Prometric testing centers. 3 Core sections (everyone takes these): • FAR — Financial Accounting and Reporting (50 MCQs + 7 TBS)
• AUD — Auditing and Attestation (72 MCQs + 8 TBS)
• REG — Regulation (72 MCQs + 8 TBS) Pick 1 Discipline section: • BAR — Business Analysis and Reporting (50 MCQs + 7 TBS)
• ISC — Information Systems and Controls (68 MCQs + 7 TBS)
• TCP — Tax Compliance and Planning (68 MCQs + 7 TBS) Each section is 4 hours . You must pass all 4 sections (3 core + 1 discipline) to earn your CPA. Scores range from 0 to 99, and the passing score is 75 . The exam uses two question formats: MCQs (multiple-choice questions) and TBS (task-based simulations) — real-world scenarios where you work through problems using exhibits, documents, and spreadsheets.

Question 3

Which section should I take first?

Accepted Answer

Most candidates start with FAR. Here's why: • FAR has the most content — it covers the entire financial accounting and reporting framework. It's the biggest mountain to climb.
• It's widely considered the hardest section , and pass rates back that up.
• Taking it first means you tackle the toughest section while your motivation and study momentum are highest.
• Many FAR concepts (financial statements, journal entries, GAAP) show up again in AUD, REG, and the discipline sections — so passing FAR first builds a foundation for everything else. That said: There's no official required order. Some candidates prefer starting with their strongest area to build confidence. If you have a strong tax background, REG first might make sense. If you're in audit, AUD could be your launchpad. The most important thing is to start . Pick a section and commit. The 30-month clock doesn't start until you pass your first section, so there's no penalty for choosing "wrong."

Question 4

What is the 30-month credit window?

Accepted Answer

Once you pass a CPA exam section, that credit is valid for 30 months (2.5 years). If you don't pass all 4 sections within 30 months of your first passed section, your earliest credits start expiring — and you'd have to retake those sections. Example: • You pass FAR in January 2026 → FAR credit expires July 2028
• You pass AUD in June 2026 → AUD credit expires December 2028
• If you haven't passed REG and your discipline section by July 2028, your FAR credit disappears and you'd need to retake it Key points: • The clock starts when you pass your first section, not when you schedule or sit for it
• Each section has its own 30-month countdown from the date it was passed
• Failing a section does NOT start the clock — only passing does
• Some states have slightly different rules, so check with your state board Bottom line: Once you pass your first section, you have 30 months to finish the rest. Plan accordingly and keep momentum.

Question 5

What are core vs discipline sections?

Accepted Answer

The CPA exam has two tiers: Core sections (3 required — everyone takes these): • FAR — Financial Accounting and Reporting
• AUD — Auditing and Attestation
• REG — Regulation These cover the foundational knowledge every CPA needs regardless of specialization. Discipline sections (pick 1 based on your career goals): • BAR — Business Analysis and Reporting: best if you're going into financial reporting, advisory, or corporate accounting. Covers data analytics, technical accounting, and government accounting.
• ISC — Information Systems and Controls: best if you're interested in IT audit, cybersecurity, or SOC engagements. Covers information systems, data management, and security.
• TCP — Tax Compliance and Planning: best if you're heading into tax. Covers individual and entity taxation, tax planning, and property transactions. How to choose: Pick the discipline that aligns with where you want your career to go. If you're unsure, BAR is the most general-purpose choice. If you're already working in tax, TCP is a natural fit. If you're in IT audit or advisory, ISC makes sense. You must pass all 3 core sections + your 1 chosen discipline section (4 total) to earn the CPA credential.

Question 6

How are your questions made?

Accepted Answer

Every question goes through a six-stage validation pipeline: grounded in AICPA standards and authoritative accounting literature, adversarially reviewed, cross-validated by multiple independent systems, and verified by human experts through statistical sampling. We're obsessive about accuracy because bad questions don't just waste your time — they teach you the wrong stuff.

Question 7

Found a question error — what do I do?

Accepted Answer

Hit the "Report Issue" button after you answer it. Pick a reason (wrong answer, unclear wording, typo, whatever), add a note if you want, and send it. This actually matters. Every flag goes into a review queue. Confirmed issues get fixed or the question gets deleted. Patterns from flags also improve how we generate future questions. Not sure if something's really wrong? Flag it anyway. We'd rather review 10 questions that are fine than miss one real error.

Question 8

How does "adaptive" learning actually work?

Accepted Answer

Every question updates your mastery profile. We track performance at the subtopic level and weight recent answers more heavily. When you practice, we pull: 40% from your weak areas, 30% from questions you've missed before, 20% from stuff you haven't seen yet, and 10% review from what you've mastered. Every session is built to maximize improvement. This works especially well for the CPA exam because topics overlap between sections — mastering revenue recognition in FAR, for example, strengthens your foundation for related AUD and BAR questions. The adaptive engine accounts for these connections.

Question 9

What's the readiness score?

Accepted Answer

It's two things combined: how well you know the material (mastery) + how much you've actually covered (coverage). High mastery in half the topics? Still a low readiness score, because you have blind spots. The score penalizes gaps so you don't walk into Prometric with holes. We track readiness separately for each CPA section, so you can see exactly where you stand on FAR, AUD, REG, and your chosen discipline section.

Question 10

Is this free?

Accepted Answer

Free tier: practice questions across all six CPA sections — enough to get started and see how the platform works. Premium ($15 lifetime): full question bank, advanced study modes, detailed analytics, and section-specific mastery tracking. Veterans and active military: LedgerGrind is free for life. Reach out to hello@ledgergrind.com for access. Thank you for your service.

Question 11

Can I use this like an app on my phone?

Accepted Answer

Yep! LedgerGrind is a Progressive Web App (PWA) — you can install it to your home screen and use it fullscreen like a native app. iPhone (Safari only): 1. Open ledgergrind.com in Safari (not Chrome — iOS only lets Safari install web apps)
2. Tap the Share button (square with arrow) at the bottom
3. Scroll down → "Add to Home Screen"
4. Tap Add Android (Chrome): 1. Open ledgergrind.com in Chrome
2. Tap the ⋮ menu → "Install app"
3. Confirm Once installed, it opens fullscreen — no browser bar, no tabs. Feels like a real app. Offline note: We cache the app shell (logos, fonts, styles) so it loads fast even offline. But practicing questions and viewing your dashboard require internet — your data lives on the server. Think of it as making the app feel faster, not an offline study tool.

Question 12

What's your refund policy?

Accepted Answer

We handle refunds on a case-by-case basis, and honestly? It mostly comes down to whether you actually used the thing. You'll get a refund if: • You signed up, took one look around, and decided it wasn't for you
• You subscribed by accident (we've all been there)
• Life happened and you never got around to using it
• You changed your mind within the first few days You probably won't get a refund if: • You answered 1,000 questions, used all the analytics, generated study plans, and then decided you want your money back
• You passed all four sections and now want a refund because you don't "need it anymore" (congrats on the CPA though!)
• You've been using it daily for weeks Basically: if you barely touched it, we're not going to fight you on a refund. If you got value from it and used it heavily, we're going to politely say no. We're humans, not robots — just email hello@ledgergrind.com and we'll figure it out together.

Question 13

How does the "likelihood to pass" prediction work?

Accepted Answer

We look at everything: your accuracy trends, content coverage, study consistency, mastery across subtopics, readiness score, question volume, time management — the whole profile. Then we match you against real exam outcomes from users with similar preparation profiles. Instead of an abstract algorithm guess, you see concrete data: "Of 127 users who studied like you, 108 passed (85%)." That's a real pass rate from real people, not a formula. Since each CPA section is scored independently, predictions are section-specific. Your FAR readiness and your REG readiness are tracked and predicted separately — because they're completely different exams. The confidence level depends on sample size. With 10 similar users, we show a wide range. With 100+, we can narrow it down to within a few percentage points. You always see how much data is behind the number.

Question 14

Should I upload my score report (even if I didn't pass)?

Accepted Answer

YES! Upload no matter what. Every single NASBA score report makes the prediction engine stronger for the entire community. For you: • Your score report shows exactly where to focus (Stronger/Comparable/Weaker by content area)
• We build a personalized study plan targeting the areas that matter most
• Get specific recommendations based on your actual performance gaps For everyone (this is the big one): Every uploaded score report powers our statistical matching engine . Here's how: 1. We build your preparation profile: Readiness score + content area breakdown + study patterns + question volume 2. We match you to similar users: "127 users with your profile took this section" 3. We show real outcomes: "108 passed (85%), 19 didn't (15%)" Instead of abstract predictions, you see: "People who studied like you pass at this rate." That's concrete, actionable data. Why every outcome matters: The model needs the full picture — both passes and non-passes — to give accurate predictions. Without both sides of the data, it can only say "most people pass," which isn't useful to anyone. Your result, whatever it is, helps future candidates know exactly where they stand. Didn't pass? You're not alone — plenty of CPA candidates need more than one attempt on a section. Your experience is valuable, and sharing it helps the next person in your shoes get better guidance. Every report makes predictions better for everyone who comes after you. Privacy: Your data stays private. We only use anonymized, aggregated stats for matching. No one sees your individual results.

Question 15

What if I can't afford premium?

Accepted Answer

Email us at hello@ledgergrind.com . If you genuinely can't afford it or work for a non-profit, we'll do our best to help with complimentary access. Just reach out.

Question 16

I want a feature that doesn't exist. Can you build it?

Accepted Answer

Yes! Tell us what you need. We build features fast — often within days. If you have an idea, a pain point, or something you wish existed, email us at hello@ledgergrind.com . Seriously. We want to know:
• What would make studying easier for you?
• What's annoying or missing?
• What would make you more likely to pass? We're not a giant company with a roadmap locked in for 18 months. We're small, fast, and we actually build the stuff you ask for. The best features on the platform came from user requests.

Question 17

How do I get in touch?

Accepted Answer

Email hello@ledgergrind.com . We read everything. Question error? Use the "Report Issue" button on the question itself — fastest path. Everything else? Email us.

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