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6 top scorers on CPA Exam earn Elijah Watt Sells Award

By Bryan Strickland
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Six of the more than 87,000 candidates who sat for the CPA Exam in 2025 earned the Elijah Watt Sells Award for extraordinary performance.

Those individuals obtained a cumulative average score above 95.5 across four sections of the Uniform CPA Examination, passed all four sections on their first attempt, and completed testing in 2025.

“The Elijah Watt Sells Award represents one of the highest honors in the CPA profession, and this year’s recipients have demonstrated extraordinary commitment, intellect, and discipline,” Sue Coffey, CPA, CGMA, the AICPA’s CEO–Public Accounting, said in the news release. “These individuals exemplify the highest standards of achievement and are well positioned to help shape the future of the profession with integrity, innovation, and a strong sense of purpose.”

A news release has details about the winners.

The award was established by the AICPA in 1923 to honor Elijah Watt Sells, one of the country’s first CPAs. A founding member of the firm now known as Deloitte, Sells played a significant role in advancing the accounting profession, particularly in education and professional standards.

The CPA Exam is owned by the AICPA and administered in Prometric test centers by the National Association of State Boards of Accountancy (NASBA) on behalf of the 55 U.S. boards of accountancy.

“The Elijah Watt Sells Award recognizes not only technical excellence but also a deep commitment to the accounting profession’s highest standards,” NASBA President and CEO Daniel J. Dustin, CPA, said in the news release. “On behalf of NASBA and our member boards of accountancy, we congratulate this year’s recipients on their outstanding accomplishment. Their performance on the CPA Exam places them among the top candidates nationwide and reflects both their dedication to personal achievement and their future contributions to the profession.”

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— To comment on this article or to suggest an idea for another article, contact Bryan Strickland at Bryan.Strickland@aicpa-cima.com.