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Are CPA Exam Scores Confidential?

Are CPA Exam scores confidential? Yes, they are. And are CPA Exam scores confidential from employers? Absolutely. In fact, no one can look up your scores, and no one will know how many times you took the CPA Exam unless you tell them. Therefore, let’s review what to do if someone asks about your CPA scores.

Are CPA Exam Scores Public?

Many aspects of the CPA Exam are confidential, such as the wording of specific questions. Moreover, on your exam day, you must sign the AICPA Confidentiality Agreement and consent to not discuss the exam content. And that means that once you’re finished, you shouldn’t talk about the material your exam tested.

But the questions aren’t the only confidential parts of the CPA Exam. Your scores are confidential, too. When you take the CPA Exam at a Prometric testing center, Prometric sends your exam data files to the AICPA. Then, the AICPA passes that information along to NASBA. And finally, NASBA delivers your score data to your state board of accountancy and your score report becomes available. However, during this process, your CPA Exam scores will stay confidential.

Are CPA Exam scores confidential to employers?

Your employer, including your current boss and future employers, cannot request to see your scores. So, even if they write to NASBA, the AICPA, or your state board, they cannot see the results of your exam.

So what info is public?

Actually, regarding your CPA Exam status, the only information that is public is whether or not you have a CPA license. Plus, people can check to see if that license is active. That is, no one can even check to see if you’ve attempted the CPA Exam and failed.

What if Your Employer Asks for Your Scores?

For many accountants and employers, simply passing the CPA Exam is the end goal. After all, everyone knows how hard it is to pass. In fact, the pass rate only hovers around 50%. So, that means that there is a 50-50 chance that your supervisors didn’t even pass on their first try.

Since the CPA Exam is so difficult, most employers don’t care about your scores. They only care that you passed. Therefore, for many people, a score of 75 gets you as many accolades as a score of 95.

So don’t worry. Most employers—including future employers if you’re interviewing for a new job—won’t ask about your scores.

But what if they do?

If someone asked you about your scores, you have a few ways to respond. Now of course, this is just my advice based on what I would do in this situation. But these things are sticky, so use your best judgment at the moment.

You have a couple of options:

  • If you think the person asking is just curious, and you already have a good relationship, you could share that information if you want.
  • Or, if you haven’t passed yet, you can simply respond that you’re still studying and plan to pass at a future date.

Additionally, you can ask for clarification, especially if the person asking is your employer or potential employer. Is the person truly asking for your scores, which are confidential? Or, is your employer asking for your score report? After all, as a young accountant, it’s very possible to pass the CPA Exam and have a score report in hand that proved you passed. However, if you haven’t met all of your state’s education and experience requirements, you won’t have your license yet. So until you receive your license, your score report is the only proof you might have that you’ve passed the CPA Exam.

Will Your Employer Know if You Failed the CPA Exam?

Your employer won’t automatically know if you failed a section of the CPA Exam. That is, neither the AICPA, NABSA, or your state board of accountancy will send your boss a notice that you failed.

However, your employer can write to your state board of accountancy and request the status of your license. Of course, you’ll pass the exam as just one step toward getting your license. But your employer cannot find out where you are in the process of obtaining that license.

Be honest

Regardless if you decide to share your scores or not, just be honest. If you haven’t passed all of your sections yet, you don’t have to let everyone know that you’re struggling. But don’t lie—just explain that you’re still studying and working at it.

Along the same lines, never lie to your employer or future boss. After all, if you lie about your scores or the status of your exams, it’s possible that you could get caught later. Failing the CPA Exam isn’t the end of the world, but lying could really hurt your career in the long run.

Need More Information about CPA Scores?

If you’re looking for more information about CPA Exam scores, check out these articles:

About the Author S ML

Susan L. is one of the biggest cheerleaders on the I Pass the CPA Exam team. She loves seeing our readers succeed. You'll often find her writing about all things accounting.

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