- Exam has 50 multiple-choice questions, a two-hour limit, is open-book, and requires 75% to pass.
- Fees are $80 (member) / $100 (nonmember) for the exam, plus $40 / $50 for a retake.
- Certification requires 75%+ on both the Accounting Analysis course and the exam itself.
- Schedule by 3:00 p.m. Mountain Time the prior business day; the exam link arrives by 3:30 p.m. MT.
Quick Facts Snapshot
If you only have five minutes before your exam window opens, this section is your entire review. The Accounting Analysis Certification from the National Association of Certified Public Bookkeepers (NACPB) is administered through the NACPB Online Testing Center, with supporting materials linked from the Consortia Accounting School (where the same 14 topics appear under the title "Accounting Advisor Certification"). This page focuses only on the standalone Accounting Analysis Certification - not the broader Certified Accounting Analyst license - so every number below applies specifically to that credential.
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Questions | 50 multiple-choice |
| Time limit | 2 hours |
| Access | Open-book |
| Passing score | 75% |
| Exam fee | $80 members / $100 nonmembers |
| Retake fee | $40 members / $50 nonmembers |
| Course price | $319.20 members / $399 nonmembers |
| Course length | 14 chapters, suggested 14-week pace, 6 months access, 28 CPE credits |
| Prior experience required | No |
| Expiration | Certification does not expire |
For a deeper breakdown of what each dollar buys and where the retake fee applies, see the full NACPB-ACCOUNTING-ANALYSIS Certification Cost 2026: Complete Pricing Breakdown.
Registration and Scheduling Mechanics
The scheduling process for the Accounting Analysis exam is time-sensitive in a way that trips up a surprising number of candidates. You must schedule by 3:00 p.m. Mountain Time on the business day before your intended exam date. The testing center then emails your exam link by 3:30 p.m. Mountain Time that same day. Miss the scheduling cutoff and you push your test date back - there is no same-day scheduling shortcut.
- Schedule the day before, by 3:00 p.m. MT.
- Watch your inbox for the exam link, delivered by 3:30 p.m. MT.
- Take the exam on the scheduled date; once you start, you must complete it in one sitting.
- The two-hour timer begins the moment you log in - not when you finish reading instructions.
For the full breakdown of testing windows, blackout considerations, and how far in advance to plan, review NACPB-ACCOUNTING-ANALYSIS Exam Dates 2026: Testing Windows, Deadlines & Scheduling.
Exam Format at a Glance
The Accounting Analysis exam is 50 multiple-choice questions delivered in a two-hour, open-book format through the NACPB Online Testing Center. Open-book does not mean open-ended - with roughly 2.4 minutes per question, you don't have time to look up basic definitions. The book access is best used to confirm formulas, verify account classifications, or double-check a journal entry structure you already recognize but want to confirm before submitting.
Key Takeaway
Treat "open-book" as a safety net for verification, not a primary study substitute. If you need to look up a concept from scratch mid-exam, you'll run out of time before finishing all 50 questions.
Passing requires 75% on the exam itself, and separately, 75% on the Accounting Analysis course (or its approved equivalent, submitted via transcripts). Both thresholds matter - a strong exam score doesn't offset a weak course grade, and vice versa. For the exact scoring mechanics and what counts toward each 75% threshold, see NACPB-ACCOUNTING-ANALYSIS Passing Score 2026: Exactly What You Need to Pass.
14-Domain Cheat Sheet
NACPB publishes 14 exam domains for Accounting Analysis, and the same 14 topics carry over into Consortia's linked "Accounting Advisor Certification" page. Below is a condensed cheat sheet - treat this as your rapid-recall list, not your primary study source.
Domain 1: Accounting: Information for Decision Making
Understand how financial data supports management, investor, and creditor decisions.
- Users of accounting information and their differing needs
Domain 2: Basic Accounting
Foundational concepts: the accounting equation, debits/credits, and account types.
- Classifying assets, liabilities, and equity accounts correctly
Domain 3: The Accounting Cycle: Capturing Economic Events
Journalizing and posting transactions as they occur.
- Recording original entries from source documents
Domain 4: The Accounting Cycle: Accruals and Deferrals
Adjusting entries that align revenue and expense recognition with the correct period.
- Distinguishing accrued vs. deferred revenue and expenses
Domain 5: The Accounting Cycle: Reporting Financial Results
Closing the books and producing the core financial statements.
- Sequencing the closing process and post-closing trial balance
Domain 6: Merchandising Activities
Accounting for buying and selling goods, including discounts and returns.
- Gross vs. net methods for purchases and sales
Domain 7: Financial Assets
Cash, receivables, and related valuation issues.
- Estimating and recording uncollectible accounts
Domain 8: Inventories and the Cost of Goods Sold
Inventory costing methods and their effect on COGS and net income.
- FIFO, LIFO, and weighted-average comparisons
Domain 9: Plant and Intangible Assets
Acquisition, depreciation, amortization, and disposal of long-term assets.
- Choosing and applying depreciation methods
Domain 10: Liabilities
Current and long-term obligations, including notes payable and contingencies.
- Distinguishing current from long-term classification
Domain 11: Stockholders' Equity: Paid-In Capital
Stock issuance, par value, and additional paid-in capital transactions.
- Recording common and preferred stock transactions
Domain 12: Income and Changes in Retained Earnings
Net income flow-through and retained earnings statement mechanics.
- Dividends' effect on retained earnings
Domain 13: Statement of Cash Flows
Operating, investing, and financing classifications under direct/indirect methods.
- Reconciling net income to operating cash flow
Domain 14: Accounting Analysis
Interpreting financial statements through ratios and comparative analysis.
- Liquidity, solvency, and profitability ratio interpretation
Because this cheat sheet is deliberately compressed, pair it with the full walkthrough in NACPB-ACCOUNTING-ANALYSIS Exam Domains 2026: Complete Guide to All 14 Content Areas before exam day.
Course Requirements vs. Exam Requirements
A frequent point of confusion is treating "the course" and "the exam" as one hurdle. They are two separate 75% thresholds. The Accounting Analysis course itself is self-paced, spans 14 chapters, and carries a suggested 14-week schedule with six months of access from first use, earning 28 CPE credits along the way. Certification requires completing the Accounting Analysis course (or an approved equivalent verified through transcripts) at 75% or better, and then separately passing the 50-question exam at 75% or better.
Note also that CPE credits and course access are tracked independently of certification maintenance - because the certification itself does not expire, those 28 CPE credits and the six-month access window are relevant to the learning phase, not to keeping your credential active later. For a full eligibility checklist, see NACPB-ACCOUNTING-ANALYSIS Requirements 2026: Eligibility, Prerequisites & How to Qualify.
One-Page Week-by-Week Review Plan
The course's own suggested pace is 14 weeks - roughly one chapter, and one domain, per week. If you're using this cheat sheet as a final review rather than a first pass through the material, compress that same structure into a shorter final sprint focused on the domains most likely to eat exam time: adjusting entries (Domain 4), inventory costing (Domain 8), and ratio-based analysis (Domain 14).
Foundations
- Re-drill Domains 1-3: decision-making context, the accounting equation, and original entry capture
Cycle Completion
- Rework accrual/deferral adjustments (Domain 4) and full-cycle reporting (Domain 5)
Asset-Side Topics
- Merchandising entries (Domain 6), receivables (Domain 7), and inventory costing methods (Domain 8)
Long-Term Items
- Plant/intangible assets (Domain 9), liabilities (Domain 10), and paid-in capital (Domain 11)
Statements and Analysis
- Retained earnings flow (Domain 12), cash flow statement (Domain 13), and ratio analysis (Domain 14)
This structure mirrors the course's own chapter sequencing rather than an arbitrary generic template - if you're building a study calendar from scratch, the detailed version of this plan lives in the NACPB-ACCOUNTING-ANALYSIS Study Guide 2026: How to Pass on Your First Attempt.
Who Hires Accounting Analysis-Certified Bookkeepers
The Accounting Analysis Certification is aimed at bookkeeping and accounting-support professionals who need to demonstrate command of the full accounting cycle - from capturing transactions through analyzing the resulting statements. That range, spanning Domain 2's basic mechanics through Domain 14's ratio-based analysis, signals to employers that a candidate can move beyond data entry into interpretation: reading a set of statements and explaining what liquidity or profitability ratios actually indicate about a business.
Because the certification doesn't require prior work experience, it's commonly pursued by bookkeepers looking to formalize skills they've built on the job, as well as by those transitioning into roles that expect comfort with financial statement analysis rather than just transaction recording. If you're evaluating whether this credential fits your career trajectory, the practical outcomes are covered in NACPB-ACCOUNTING-ANALYSIS Jobs and NACPB-ACCOUNTING-ANALYSIS Salary Guide 2026: Complete Earnings Analysis.
Common Mix-Ups to Avoid
- Confusing course completion with certification. You need 75%+ on both the course and the exam - passing one does not automatically satisfy the other.
- Assuming CPE credits maintain your certification. The 28 CPE credits are earned through the course; certification itself does not expire and has no separate renewal cycle.
- Missing the Mountain Time scheduling cutoff. The 3:00 p.m. MT scheduling deadline and 3:30 p.m. MT link delivery are fixed - plan your time zone conversion ahead of exam eve.
- Mixing up member and nonmember fees. Exam fees run $80/$100 and retakes run $40/$50 depending on NACPB membership status - confirm which rate applies before you pay.
- Treating this as the Certified Accounting Analyst license. This cheat sheet covers the standalone Accounting Analysis Certification specifically, not the broader license.
If any of these distinctions feel unclear, the broader context is laid out in What Is NACPB-ACCOUNTING-ANALYSIS Certification? and Is the NACPB-ACCOUNTING-ANALYSIS Certification Worth It? Complete ROI Analysis 2026.
Key Takeaway
Print or bookmark this page the week before your exam. Cross-check every fee, deadline, and domain name against your own registration confirmation, since NACPB occasionally updates course pricing and scheduling logistics.
Once you've reviewed the facts above, reinforce your recall with timed practice questions modeled on the real 50-question, two-hour format at our practice test platform. Working through realistic multiple-choice sets under the same time pressure you'll face in the NACPB Online Testing Center is one of the fastest ways to confirm this cheat sheet has actually stuck. You can also revisit the main practice test hub anytime you want to drill a specific domain from the list above.
FAQ
The exam has 50 multiple-choice questions with a two-hour time limit, taken open-book through the NACPB Online Testing Center.
You need a minimum of 75% on the exam. Certification also requires 75% or higher on the Accounting Analysis course or its approved equivalent.
No. Prior work experience is not required for the Accounting Analysis Certification; eligibility is based on completing the course or an approved equivalent.
The exam fee is $80 for NACPB members or $100 for nonmembers. Retakes cost $40 for members or $50 for nonmembers.
No. NACPB certifications do not expire. Course access and CPE credits are tracked separately and are not part of ongoing certification maintenance.