Self-study CPE · Assessment floors

Review questions and final-exam floors for self-study CPE

Two separate question requirements govern a self-study CPE course: review questions distributed through the program (Standard 5.01.2.1) and a qualified final assessment (Standard 6.01.2). They have different floors and different rules — and apart from one adaptive-learning carve-out (Standard 6.01.2), one can't stand in for the other.

Review questions: at least 3 per credit (Standard 5.01.2.1)

Reinforcement tools must be distributed through the program at intervals frequent enough that a participant can spot what to re-study. The floors:

3 review questions (or equivalent scored-response tools) per CPE credit; a half-credit program needs 2.
Fractional chart: a 0.2-credit program needs none; past the first fifth-credit, one scored tool at 0.4 credit, two at 0.5 and 0.6, three at 0.8 and at the full credit — the same pattern repeating beyond each full credit.
True/false items do not count toward the minimum.
Scored simulations that walk participants through structured decisions may substitute for review questions.
There is no required passing rate on review questions — but feedback is mandatory: at minimum, each response must be marked correct or incorrect (Standard 5.01.2.2).

The final assessment: at least 5 per credit, 70% to pass (Standard 6.01.2)

Credit may only issue after the participant passes a qualified assessment — taken mid-program or afterward — with a cumulative score of at least 70%. The floors:

5 scored questions per credit — a 5-credit course needs at least 25; a 5.5-credit course at least 29.
Fractional chart: 2 questions at 0.2 credit, 3 at 0.4, 4 at 0.5 and 0.6, 5 at 0.8 and per each further full credit; 4 for a half-credit program.
No true/false or yes/no items on the assessment.
Review questions may not be duplicated on the assessment unless recall is the explicit learning strategy.
The assessment must cover at least 75% of the program's learning objectives (less only when a randomized generator draws from a bank that itself covers ≥75%).
Adaptive programs: the question minimum must hold on the fastest completion path; if in-path questions gate progression at 100% success, no separate final assessment is needed.

Retakes and feedback (Standard 6.01.2)

Retake count is the sponsor's call. With a test bank, the bank must be large enough to limit question overlap for a typical repeat taker; without a bank, no feedback may be given on a failed attempt (feedback on a pass is optional).

Nano programs (Standard 6.01.2)

A concluding qualified assessment with a 100% passing grade, a minimum of two questions, and no forced-choice (true/false, yes/no) items; failing means retaking the whole nano program.

Questions also change your credit math

Every question — review questions even beyond the minimums, exercises, and assessment questions — adds 1.85 estimated minutes to the word-count formula (Standard 7.02.6). So the question count has to clear two bars at once: the floors above, and consistency with the credit you award. The word-count formula guide covers the second bar.

See how your counts interact. Type your word count, A/V minutes, and question count into the free ProveStead calculator and it shows what the formula awards — arithmetic visible, nothing stored. Ten seconds, on your own numbers.

Common questions

How many review questions does a self-study CPE course need?

At least 3 review questions or equivalent scored-response tools per CPE credit under Standard 5.01.2.1 (2 for a half-credit program). True/false items do not count toward the minimum.

How many final exam questions does a self-study CPE course need?

At least 5 scored questions per CPE credit under Standard 6.01.2 — a 5-credit course needs at least 25 — with no true/false or yes/no items, and a passing score of at least 70%.

Can review questions reappear on the final exam?

Not by default. Standard 6.01.2 bars duplicating review questions on the assessment unless recall is the explicit learning strategy.

What passing score does a nano learning assessment require?

100%, per Standard 6.01.2 — with a minimum of two questions and no forced-choice items; a failed attempt means retaking the whole nano program.

Recompute your credit — free, 10 seconds How ProveStead maps the NASBA Standards

No approval implied. ProveStead maps course materials against published standards by locator. This guide paraphrases the Standards for orientation — it is not the Standards' text, not legal advice, and implies no NASBA or AICPA review, endorsement, or approval. Boards of accountancy and applicable licensing bodies hold final authority over credit acceptance.

This guide reflects the August 2026 edition of the NASBA/AICPA Statement on Standards for CPE Programs. The edition applies on a staged schedule: 2026-08-01 for applications for a new or added delivery method, 2027-03-01 for programs still in development or making first publication, and 2028-11-01 for programs existing as of 2026-07-31 — state licensing bodies may set different dates. Locators cite the Statement on Standards for CPE Programs; ProveStead publishes its own paraphrases only — never the standard's text.