CPA Exam Blackout 2027: July Dates and Score Delays

There will be no CPA Exam testing from July 1 to July 11, 2027. Testing resumes on the new delivery platform on July 12, 2027, and from that point score releases slow sharply for 12 months. Exam content does not change, and the 75-point passing standard does not change. What changes is the calendar: a Core section data file (the results file for your sitting) received by June 30, 2027 targets a score release on July 13, 2027, while a section taken on July 12, 2027 targets a release on October 19, 2027.

This CPA Exam Blackout 2027 update gives you the blackout dates, the new score tables, and the decision to make before you book. For the full transition guide, read our CPA Exam July 2027 platform guide. Once you have chosen your side of the blackout, build the dated plan with the free study timetable generator.

CPA Exam Blackout 2027: The Dates That Matter

No CPA Exam testing will run from July 1 to July 11, 2027, while the AICPA moves the exam to a new delivery platform. Testing resumes July 12, 2027. Exam content and the 75-point passing standard stay the same, but score releases slow for 12 months.

Date note, please read before you plan around a single date: the first Core release date after the transition is currently shown differently by different prep providers. This post uses October 19, 2027, the date shown by Gleim, Miles, and Atlas CPA Index. Becker currently shows October 9, 2027 for the same July 12 to September 30, 2027 window. All dates in this post are AICPA target dates, subject to change. We will update this page as soon as the AICPA confirms the official date, so check back in the month you book, and do not build a job start date or credit deadline around a target date without that check.

The AICPA describes these as current target dates, and every date in this post carries that same warning. The pause exists so administrators can finish processing results from the previous testing window, retire the legacy system, and launch the new platform with candidate data intact. No Prometric center will offer a CPA Exam appointment during the blackout, so a plan that has you ready to test in early July 2027 needs a new date now: either June, on the current platform, or July 12 or later, on the new platform.

According to the AICPA, the new platform brings enhanced accessibility, an improved processing cycle, and a more modernized exam experience, and it gives the AICPA a system that can adapt to future technology changes more efficiently. On screen, candidates will notice a redesigned interface, with changes to navigation, screen layout, and accessibility features, even though the questions underneath do not change.

CPA Exam Blackout 2027 Score Release Dates

This is where the blackout turns into a planning problem. The AICPA must recalibrate exam items using real candidate response data collected after the new platform launches, because even small interface changes can shift how questions perform statistically. Until that recalibration work is done for each window, scores cannot be reported, so the release schedule stretches from Q3 2027 through Q2 2028.

According to Atlas CPA Index, analyzing the AICPA-published schedule, Core sections move from 16 target release dates across 2026 to just 4 release dates in the 12 months after the transition. That single comparison explains why timing inside each window matters so much after July 2027.

Core sections (AUD, FAR, REG): if you test between	Target score release date
July 12 to September 30, 2027	October 19, 2027
October 1 to December 15, 2027	December 28, 2027
January 1 to March 15, 2028	March 28, 2028
April 1 to June 15, 2028	June 27, 2028

Discipline sections (BAR, ISC, TCP): testing window	Target score release date
July 12 to August 12, 2027	September 28, 2027
October 1 to October 31, 2027	December 17, 2027
January 1 to January 31, 2028	March 17, 2028
April 1 to April 30, 2028	June 16, 2028

Discipline candidates face a smaller shock, because Discipline sections already run in fixed quarterly windows with longer waits. The change lands hardest on Core candidates, who are used to continuous testing with frequent releases. Note also that the first Discipline window after the transition runs July 12 to August 12, 2027, spanning two months rather than the usual single month, before later windows return to the first month of each quarter.

The June 30 Cliff Edge

The most important planning fact in the whole transition is a cliff edge, not the blackout itself. A Core section data file received by June 30, 2027 targets a score release on July 13, 2027, under the current schedule. A section taken 12 days later, on July 12, 2027, the first day on the new platform, targets a release on October 19, 2027. Atlas CPA Index calculates that wait at 99 days. A candidate who tests on September 30, 2027 waits only 19 days for that same October 19 release date.

That gap creates a clear rule for anyone testing after the transition: test late in the window when you can. A Core section taken on September 30 and one taken on July 13 share the same October 19 score date, so the later test gives you more study weeks for the same result date. The exception is a retake buffer. If failing would break a credit deadline or a job start date, test early enough to regroup, and do not trade away your only buffer for extra study time.

Work backwards from the date you need the result, not the date you want to test. A score that lands on October 19 cannot support a September start date, a promotion case, or a credit deadline in September. If any of those dates apply to you, a June 2027 sitting on the current platform protects you in a way no July sitting can.

Before or After the Blackout: A Simple Checklist

Test before July 1, 2027 if any of these apply:

• Your exam credit window is tight, and a three-month score wait could strand a nearly finished candidacy.
• You have a job start, promotion, or busy-season deadline in late 2027 that depends on a score.
• Your Notice to Schedule or eligibility window runs out in mid-2027.
• You are passing sections now, and the familiar interface plus fast score rhythm are advantages worth keeping.

You can wait for the new platform if:

• You are starting from zero in 2027, with no credits running and no deadline pressing.
• Your timeline runs into 2028 anyway, so the adjusted schedule fits inside a longer plan, especially if you test late in each release window.
• Accessibility improvements matter to you, since the AICPA lists enhanced accessibility among the headline benefits of the new platform.

Whichever group you fall into, do not drift into June 2027 without a decision. Seats in the final weeks before a blackout are likely to be contested by every candidate who did the same math you are doing now, and the June 30 cutoff is a data-file receipt date, not just a test date. Confirm how your test center and board treat that cutoff before you book.

What Has Not Changed in July 2027

Preparation strategy does not change at all, and that point is worth stating plainly because the calendar change is so large.

• Exam content. The platform update does not change what the exam tests. Your current review course, textbooks, and question banks remain valid for 2027 sittings.
• Exam structure. The exam keeps its three Core sections, AUD, FAR, and REG, plus one Discipline section of your choice, BAR, ISC, or TCP. Sections can still be taken in any order, subject to your board rules.
• Scoring. You still need a scaled score of 75 to pass a section. The scoring model does not change. Only the calendar for releasing scores changes.
• Eligibility and licensing rules. Education requirements, exam credit rules, and licensure requirements remain matters for your state board of accountancy, and the transition does not alter them. If a credit expiry is close, confirm your position with your board early.

If you are working through FAR material now, keep going. The content you study today is the content the 2027 exam will test, on either platform.

One-Page Revision Box

CPA July 2027 blackout, planning checklist

• Blackout: July 1 to July 11, 2027, no CPA Exam appointments anywhere
• Resume: July 12, 2027, on the new platform and new user interface
• Last fast Core cutoff: data files received by June 30, 2027 target July 13, 2027
• First new Core release: tests from July 12 to September 30, 2027 target October 19, 2027, a 99-day wait for a July 12 test
• Adjusted schedule: 4 Core release dates from Q3 2027 through Q2 2028, versus 16 across 2026
• Discipline first window: July 12 to August 12, 2027, target release September 28, 2027
• Unchanged: content, structure, 75-point passing standard, board eligibility and credit rules
• Rule: all dates are AICPA target dates, subject to change, recheck the official schedule in the month you book

Turn your decision into a dated plan with the free study timetable generator: enter your test date and available hours, and it builds the daily plan for you. Then read the full CPA Exam July 2027 platform guide for the complete timeline and the printable planner.

CPA Exam Blackout 2027 FAQs

Can I schedule a CPA Exam appointment during the blackout?

No. The AICPA has announced a complete testing blackout from July 1 to July 11, 2027, with no appointments available at any Prometric center. Testing resumes on July 12, 2027, on the new platform.

Is the CPA Exam content changing in July 2027?

No. The July 2027 change replaces the delivery platform and the user interface only. Exam content, the three Core sections plus one Discipline structure, and the 75-point passing standard all stay the same, so your current study materials remain valid.

Why will scores take so long after July 2027?

The new interface changes how candidates interact with questions, and even small interface changes can shift how questions perform statistically. The AICPA must recalibrate exam items using real response data from the new platform before scores can be released, which stretches the release schedule for 12 months, through Q2 2028.

Are these dates final?

No. The AICPA labels them as current target dates, subject to change, and has said more information will follow as the launch approaches. Recheck the official AICPA score release schedule in the month you book, and do not build travel, time off, or a job start date around a target date without that check.

Sources: AICPA and CIMA, CPA Exam UI Changes: What Candidates Need to Know (https://www.aicpa-cima.com/professional-insights/article/cpa-exam-UI-tech-changes-what-you-need-to-know); AICPA CPA Exam score release schedule for 2026 through Q2 2028, as republished by Gleim; Atlas CPA Index analysis of the post-July 2027 schedule. All transition dates are AICPA target dates and remain subject to change.