2026 EA Exam Changes: New Provider, Remote Testing, and a New Scoring Scale

The biggest 2026 EA exam changes are a new testing provider (PSI replacing Prometric), the option of remote testing for U.S. candidates, a three-section exam format with two optional breaks, and a new scoring scale that runs from 200 to 800 with 500 as the passing mark. The testing window reopens July 1, 2026.

If you're studying for the IRS Special Enrollment Examination (SEE), these updates change how you test, not what you need to know. The exam still covers the same three parts: Individuals, Businesses, and Representation. Here's how to adjust.

A New Provider and a Later Testing Window

For years the SEE was administered by Prometric. Beginning in July 2026, PSI takes over. Alongside that handoff, the testing calendar shifted. PSI scheduling opens May 1, 2026 as usual, but the first available test date is July 1, 2026 — a testing blackout runs from March through June while the systems transition.

The practical upside is more study runway. If you'd planned to sit earlier in the year, you now have extra weeks to drill weak areas rather than racing the clock. The downside is you'll want to rebuild your timeline so your peak readiness lands near your actual test date, not months before it.

The headline accessibility change is remote testing. U.S.-based candidates can now choose between a PSI test center and testing remotely on a compatible personal device. International candidates test remotely only. If you go remote, check the device and environment requirements early so nothing derails you on exam day.

New Format and Scoring

The exam structure changed too. The old 100-question test had a single midpoint break. The 2026 version splits the same 100 questions into three sections (roughly questions 1–34, 35–67, and 68–100), with two optional 10-minute breaks after Sections 1 and 2.

The catch: once you submit a section, you can't go back to it. That makes pacing and in-section review more important than before. Practice finishing a block of questions and committing to your answers before moving on — treating each section as final is the new core skill.

Scoring also moved. The previous scaled score ran 40–130 with 105 to pass. The new scale runs 200 to 800, with 500 as the passing threshold. The pass/fail experience is otherwise familiar: passing candidates don't get a number, and those who fall short receive a score plus a report on their strengths and weaknesses — still a useful study guide.

Practical Takeaway

Three moves to make now: align your study plan with the July 1 reopening, decide on remote vs. in-center testing early, and rehearse the section-by-section format so you're comfortable locking in answers without revisiting them. The content blueprint hasn't changed, so consistent question practice is still what moves the needle. Enrolled Angel gives you 3,000+ practice questions and section-style mock exams so you can build that "submit and move on" confidence well before test day.

Stay current on the format, keep grinding the questions, and the 2026 changes become a logistics detail rather than a curveball.