Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility

Document Review Simulation: Last Minute Tips

Document Review Simulation

Please enjoy this sponsored content from Gleim CPA Review.

The Document Review Simulation (DRS), a new type of Task-Based Simulation (TBS), will start appearing on the AUD, FAR, and REG sections of the CPA Exam in just one month! If you plan to sit for one of these exam sections on or after July 1, you could encounter a DRS, so prepare yourself by brushing up on these last minute tips for mastering the DRS.

DRS Testing Tips

Familiarize yourself with all the parts of a DRS.

Each DRS includes several tabs. The standardized tabs include:

  • Document Review Tab: shows candidates the actual document they are reviewing
  • Authoritative Literature Tab: contains the FASB Codification Table of Contents, the AICPA Professional Standards, the Internal Revenue Code, or Tax Services for research purposes
  • Help Tab: demonstrates how to use the document review and perform revisions

A DRS may also contain one or both of the following tabs:

  • Financial Statements Tab: displays related financial data
  • Exhibits Tab: contains relevant documents such as emails, letters, invoices, balance sheets, memorandums, and meeting minutes

Some DRSs feature additional tabs named for more useful documents that they hold. Explore the different tabs in each DRS so that you are acquainted with the resources available.

Address every underlined portion of text in the DRS.

To complete a DRS, you must choose an option for every modifiable section. Modifiable sections are indicated by blue, underlined text and are followed by a small blue icon with white outline levels inside of it. When you click on a modifiable section, a window appears that reveals a list of answer choices; you must select and accept one of these options in order to receive credit for your work. When you select an answer choice, the small blue icon will now have a white check mark inside of it.

Read the underlined section carefully and completely.

Don’t rush through any of the crucial components of a DRS. You will be off to a bad start if you misread part of the underlined section, so invest time in understanding all of it before you move on. When you are considering the answer choices, continue to evaluate the information in the underlined section.

Understand the information in the financial statements or exhibits completely.

You will need to use the provided documents to inform your answer decision, so take the time to fully grasp the format and the facts in these documents. Survey the different items and analyze the most applicable areas, then continue to refer to these areas as you narrow down the answer choices.

Read all of the answer choices carefully and completely.

You may be presented with five to seven answer choices for each underlined section of a DRS. One of these options will be to retain the original text, and sometimes, another option will be to delete the text. The other three to five answer choices will offer various ways to revise the text. Even if you believe the correct choice is to keep the text the same or remove it, you still have to click one of these answer choices in order to receive credit. To ensure that you are choosing the best answer, always read thoroughly through all of the answer choices. Confirm the correctness of each word in the choice you prefer before making your official selection.

Check for shared meaning between the answer choices and the documents provided.

The purpose behind constantly comparing the underlined sections and the provided documents is to discover instances in which they say the same thing with different words. This ability to detect meaning shared between diverse sources is valuable to a CPA, so the DRS will definitely test you for it. A solid understanding of accounting basics and practical experience in the industry will help you develop this skill, as will regular practice with Task-Based Simulations.

Make sure you have successfully responded to each underlined section.

If a blue icon with a white check mark follows an underlined section, then you know you have answered it. Go over each section one more time to ensure that you have completed everything before you submit the testlet.

DRS Study Tips

Mastering the DRS requires as much exposure to this type of TBS as possible, so let Gleim Instruct Professor Amy Ford, CPA, CMA, introduce you to a DRS and walk you through the process of completing one by watching the recording of our DRS webinar hosted by Amy. Then, use the Gleim CPA Review Simulation Bank to practice with Task-Based Simulations. As part of the largest CPA Exam test bank available, our exam-emulating Simulation Bank will help you feel right at home with the CPA Exam and the DRS! Finally, challenge yourself with an AUD, FAR, and REG DRS by using the AICPA’s CPA Exam tutorial and sample test.