[Editor's Note: this article is in reference to the old paper-based exam, not the computer-based exam that is now in use.]

There will be one multiple-choice section on each of the four parts of the CPA Exam. These questions will account for 50 to 60 percent of your overall composite score of each section. Each multiple-choice section may vary in the amount of questions asked, ranging from 60 to 80 or more questions. The AICPA will use 90 percent of questions asked to calculate your composite score. The remaining 10 percent are used by the AICPA as pretest questions for possible use on future Exams. The non-graded questions are randomly dispersed throughout the Exam, however, so you will need to answer all questions with the same amount of effort.

Types of questions
Expect the law and auditing questions to be primarily conceptual, and the tax, managerial, governmental and financial questions to be about 50 percent conceptual and 50 percent computational. The difficulty level of the questions will vary. The test is curved to account for the difficulty of all questions.

Watch the clock
Start each section of the Exam by calculating a time allocation for each multiple-choice question. Use this to gauge your progress during the Exam. Remember to initially set aside the appropriate amount of time needed to complete the other objective format and essay questions. Then divide the remaining amount of time by the number of questions asked to create a desired per question pace. Always note the start time on the beginning of the Exam. Then periodically monitor your progress by checking your time about every ten questions to ensure that you are maintaining a healthy pace. This is very important to practice beforehand to ensure that you have a feel for how fast to work on the actual Exam.

Focus on the question
Before reading each question, cover the answers with your hand or a piece of paper. This will eliminate the tendency to scan the answers before fully understanding the question. Carefully read the entire question noting keywords and concepts by underlining or circling them.

Pause and determine an appropriate answer
Take a second to mentally evaluate what the question is asking and get an idea of the answer you should be looking for. Now uncover the choices and match your interpretation with the selection that best fits the question.

Narrow your options
Multiple-choice questions are simply just a series of true and false statements with only one selection that will correctly answer the question asked. Therefore, while you read each option make a note in the margin whether the option is "T" or "F" to eliminate incorrect choices. You may end up with more than one answer that you have marked correct, but by eliminating as many options as possible you'll be able to focus on the more appropriate choices. After you select an answer, circle the letter on the question sheet and move to the next question.

When in doubt, guess!
If you have trouble selecting between two or more choices, always make an educated guess. There is no penalty for making an incorrect selection. By narrowing your options, you will have already increased your odds of answering it correctly. Try rereading the question and look for the rationale behind what is being asked. Eliminate choices that are inconsistent with this rationale and make a guess between the answers remaining. Put a question mark in the margin on questions you have trouble with so that you may come back to them if time permits.

Transfer your answers
Once you have worked through all of the questions, carefully transfer your answers from the question pages to the bubble sheet. Do this well before your time budgeted has expired to allow enough time to go back and retry the questions you noted with a question mark. Always be careful when transferring your answers because the AICPA uses several different numbering sequences to deter cheating. Therefore, the numbering sequence on your answer sheet is likely to differ on each section of the Exam. Double check about every tenth answer to make sure they follow sequence and ensure that you didn't get accidentally off track. Make sure each bubble is completely darkened.

Balance your answers
Statistically, the CPA Exam has shown that the spread of the letter selections will be fairly even. Therefore, at the end of your Exam calculate your letter distribution to gauge how balanced your answers turned out. If you find that you have an overwhelming amount of "As" and only a few "Cs" then it may be beneficial to review some of your "As" and determine if a "C" could be appropriate. Also, recheck your question-marked questions.

In the end, practice helps make perfect when preparing for the multiple-choice sections of the CPA Exam. Entering the Exam with a comfortable plan of attack will enable you to more effectively relax, maintain your time and perform confidently. Being aware of what to expect and being comfortable with taking this style of test will surely give you the advantage you need to pass the Exam.