I went back and looked at the pass rates for every single quarter since 2006 (that was the earliest data the AICPA had). To put into perspective just how insanely high this quarter's pass rates were, here is some data:
So as has been posted, here are this quarter's pass rates:
AUD – 54.70%
BEC – 60.31%
FAR – 49.17%
REG – 55.75%
Over the previous 49 Quarters (2006 through Q1 2018) here were the average pass rates:
AUD – 47.05%
BEC – 50.87%
FAR – 46.74%
REG – 47.70%
So not only are the current quarter scores way above the averages, BUT, the scores for AUD, BEC, and REG this quarter are the single highest theyve been over the last 50 quarters.
The highest pass rate for FAR over this time period was 53.93% in 2008 Q3. As an FYI, the FAR scores this quarter would rank 11th out of the 50 quarters, so still pretty high.
Previous High Quarter Pass Rate (2006-2018Q1)
AUD – 53.09% (Q2 2008)
BEC – 59.22% (Q3 2015)
REG – 54.03% (Q3 2010)
So assuming the AICPA truly does score the exams the same and higher pass rates simply indicate better preparation by more candidates, then Q2 of 2018 is maybe the most successful test taking window in the exam's history.
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