How to Schedule the EA Exam with PSI (2026-2027)

Get a PTIN and create your PSI profile

You need an IRS-issued Preparer Tax Identification Number before scheduling. Create your user profile in the PSI IRS portal, and enter your first and last name exactly as they appear on the original, unexpired government-issued identification you will use on test day.

Choose a U.S. test center or remote appointment

Domestic candidates may test in person at a U.S. PSI test center or remotely with a proctor. International testing will be remote only, but international scheduling and testing are temporarily delayed; check the IRS FAQ and PSI portal for a new start date before making travel or study-timing decisions.

Select the part, time, and payment

Schedule online or by phone at least 24 hours in advance. Parts 1, 2, and 3 are booked independently and may be taken in any order. The fee is $317 per appointment, paid when you schedule, and is generally nonrefundable and nontransferable.

Save and verify the confirmation

PSI sends a confirmation with the exam part, date, time, location or delivery method, and confirmation number. Review it immediately, correct any error with PSI, and keep the number because you need it to change or cancel the appointment.

Change plans before the 48-hour cutoff

Cancel or reschedule at least 48 hours before the appointment to avoid a change fee. Inside 48 hours, PSI generally requires another full examination fee. Missing the appointment or arriving 30 minutes or more late also forfeits the fee.

Prepare your room and accommodations

Remote candidates must install PSI's proctoring software and use a private, walled room. Request testing accommodations through the PSI candidate portal during scheduling and allow 3-5 business days after submitting the required documentation for review.

Arrive and check in

For a test-center appointment, PSI says to arrive at least 30 minutes early. Remote check-in can begin up to 15 minutes before the scheduled start. Bring one original, unexpired government-issued photo ID with your name, photo and signature. If one acceptable ID does not contain both a photo and signature, PSI requires a second original, unexpired government-issued ID. Review PSI's full ID requirements before the appointment, especially for name-change or alternative-ID arrangements. Military IDs may be accepted at a test center when they include a photo and valid signature, but not for remote testing.

Know the clock

Each part contains 100 multiple-choice questions: 85 scored and 15 unscored. Exam time is 3.5 hours; total seat time is four hours to allow for the tutorial, survey and two scheduled breaks.

Use only provided tools

The exam is closed book. An onscreen calculator is provided. Test-center candidates receive scratch paper and a pencil; remote candidates use an electronic whiteboard and may not use paper or pencil.

Finish each section before a break

Two optional 10-minute breaks are offered after questions 34 and 67. Review the section before you acknowledge it: completed sections lock and cannot be reopened. If you overrun a break, the exam clock restarts and the test may be subject to termination.

Follow the rules for your delivery method

At a test center, an unscheduled bathroom or locker break is allowed after notifying staff, but the exam clock keeps running. Remote candidates may not take unscheduled breaks. Leave the testing area or camera view only during an authorized scheduled break, after notifying the proctor; complete PSI's re-entry and ID check before resuming. Remote testing also requires one monitor, a private walled room, a clear workspace and no other person present.

Seven items to verify the day before

Your PSI confirmation and PSI's current Candidate Information Bulletin are controlling if anything changes. Confirm the date, start time, delivery method and location in the PSI message, and make sure the first and last name on your acceptable ID exactly match the registration record.

• Appointment date, start time, location or remote-delivery method
• Exact first-and-last-name match on acceptable ID
• Travel and parking time, or remote system check and room setup
• No prohibited reference, recording or communication device
• Test-center locker plan, or remote clear-desk and camera plan
• Two section-lock points after questions 34 and 67
• Latest IRS FAQ, PSI bulletin and appointment instructions