Current for the 2026-2027 EA examPSI scheduling update
EA Exam Part 3 / Specific Areas of Representation

30-Day and 90-Day Notices

Learn the decision pattern the exam can test, then apply it to a realistic taxpayer fact pattern.

By Jordan AshbyUpdated August 13, 2026Official IRS source below
Part 3Representation, Practices and Procedures
20 of 85questions in this domain
One decisionto practice before moving on

What changes the answer?

Responding to the IRS after a notice of deficiency does not extend the court petition deadline.

A tax-practice scenario

A taxpayer receives a proposed adjustment, delays, and later receives a deficiency notice. Preserve the correct forum at each stage.

How to approach it

Identify the taxpayer, entity, transaction, and tax period first. Write the controlling tests in order, apply only the relevant facts, and keep the reporting result separate from any planning recommendation.

Do not take this shortcut.

Treating both letters as ordinary correspondence with negotiable response dates.

Turn the rule into recall.

Identify notice type immediately and calendar administrative, court, payment, and refund paths separately.

  1. ExplainState the governing distinction without notes.
  2. ApplyChange one fact in the scenario and predict the new result.
  3. RetrieveAnswer an unseen question, then review every option.

Official source and scope

This lesson follows the current PSI content outline and uses the IRS reference below for the underlying tax or practice framework. Always confirm current forms, instructions, thresholds, and effective dates before advising a taxpayer.