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Board reviews Q1 2026 CPA exam data and flags a display discrepancy
Summary
Staff told the State Board of Accountancy Connecticut's Q1 2026 CPA pass rate is about 46.5% and an average score of 70.5, while a displayed summary box on a shared screen showed "40"; staff said they will follow up with NASBA to reconcile the mismatch and will report back.
The State Board of Accountancy spent significant time reviewing Q1 2026 CPA exam data from NASBA, with staff describing Connecticut’s overall pass rate at roughly 46.5% and an average exam score reported as 70.5.
During the presentation a board member pointed out an apparent discrepancy on the shared screen: a small summary box displayed the number "40" while the data sheets showed an average score of 70.5. Chair and staff agreed to follow up with NASBA to determine whether the box represented a different metric or a display error.
Paul Grabowski, the board’s legal program director filling in for an absent staffer, walked the board through trends: unique candidates testing fell from 1,639 in 2023 to 1,379 in 2024, then rose to 1,712 in 2025, and the first quarter of 2026 showed the highest quarterly candidate total in four years. Grabowski flagged that many candidates have been electing the TCP discipline and noted relatively low pass rates in Business Analysis & Reporting (BAR) and FAR nationally.
A board member asked whether NASBA shares these data with state universities; Grabowski said he would check and report back. Board members also noted NASBA and the AICPA are monitoring national pass-rate patterns and that the reasons for inter-state differences (for example, why Massachusetts shows a higher pass rate) are not evident from the data alone.
Chair said staff will reconcile the on-screen summary with NASBA and return with clarification at a future meeting. The board did not take regulatory action during the discussion.
