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

Circular 230 Disreputable Conduct Practice Question

Work the complete fact pattern before revealing the explanation. This question is adapted from the IRS public sample set for the current exam law period.

By Jordan AshbyUpdated August 13, 2026Adapted from the IRS sample set

Under Treasury Department Circular No. 230, which action is incompetence or disreputable conduct?

  1. A

    Conviction of any misdemeanor under federal, state, or local law

  2. B

    Conviction of a criminal offense involving dishonesty or breach of trust

    Correct answer
  3. C

    Willfully disclosing return information with the taxpayer's consent

  4. D

    Forgetting, due to reasonable cause, to sign a return when required

Conviction of a criminal offense involving dishonesty or breach of trust

Circular 230 specifically identifies conviction of a criminal offense involving dishonesty or breach of trust as disreputable conduct.

Reference testedCircular 230, Section 10.51

Transfer the reasoning, not the wording.

Restate the tested rule without the answer choices. Then change one decisive fact and explain which option would need to change. That short exercise makes the explanation retrievable instead of merely familiar.

Official sample source

PassFast adapted this public IRS sample for web practice and added the concise explanation above.