CPA Exam Info
What Every Candidate Should Know About the Uniform CPA Exam
The CPA exam, also known as the Uniform CPA Examination, serves to protect the public interest by helping to ensure that only qualified professionals become licensed as Certified Public Accountants (CPAs). Once acquired, a CPA license is valid in any of the 55 U.S. jurisdictions (the 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam and the Commonwealth of Northern Mariana Islands).
The CPA examination is essentially an academic assessment that tests the breadth of material covered by good accounting curricula. It emphasizes the body of knowledge required for the practice of public accounting.
- CPA Exam Content
- CPA Exam Questions, Format & Length
- CPA Exam Schedule
- CPA Exam Cost
- CPA Exam Preparation
- CPA Requirements by State
So, how should candidates get ready? According to Nathan M. Bisk, noted CPA exam expert and founder and chairman of Bisk Education, here is what every candidate should know about the computerized exam:
CPA Exam Content
According to Bisk, exam content was expanded so that it more closely matches the skills candidates need to practice competently today.
“As a CPA and the head of a company that operates on the cutting-edge of e-learning technology, I could see this change coming,” Bisk said. “Technological advances have had a major impact on the work being done by entry-level CPAs. This new format helps determine if a candidate has the ability to use technology to address and resolve client problems — an essential skill for today’s accountants.”
According to the AICPA, the new exam was designed to test for the following skills deemed necessary for entry-level CPAs:
- Communication
- Research
- Analysis
- Judgment
- Understanding
The four areas tested in the CPA Exam are:
- Auditing & Attestation - covers knowledge of auditing procedures, auditing standards generally accepted in the United States (GAAS) and other standards related to attest engagements and the skills needed to apply that knowledge.
- Financial Accounting & Reporting - covers knowledge of accounting principles generally accepted in the United States (GAAP) for business enterprises, not-for-profit organizations and governmental entities, and the skills needed to apply that knowledge.
- Regulation - covers knowledge of federal taxation, ethics, professional and legal responsibilities, and business law, and the skills needed to apply that knowledge.
- Business Environment & Concepts - covers knowledge of general business environment and business concepts that candidates need to know in order to understand the underlying business reasons for and accounting implications of business transactions, and the skills needed to apply that knowledge in performing financial statement audit and attestation engagements and other functions normally performed by CPAs that affect the public interest.
CPA Exam Questions, Format & Length
Multiple-choice questions comprise approximately 80% of the CPA Exam, while the other 20% consist of simulations — case studies that test candidates’ accounting knowledge and skills using real work situations.
“This is an important change”, Bisk noted. “In today’s rapidly changing business world, accountants must have excellent analytical, communication and research skills in order to be successful. These exam simulations will help ensure that they do.”
Bisk added that his company’s popular Online CPA Review and Software CPA Review programs have been updated to include simulations so that students receive a “real exam” experience. Traditional features, such as diagnostic exams, the Bisk Personal Trainer and a final exam simulator, all remain in the review, he added.
The length of the new CPA Exam is as follows:
CPA Exam Schedule
The CPA Exam is offered up to six days a week, during two out of every three months.
The AICPA continues to create and grade the computerized CPA Exam, and NASBA and the state boards of accountancy are responsible for the overall administration of the exam to the more than 100,000 candidates each year.
Prometric, the world’s leading technology-based testing company, delivers the examination to candidates through more than 300 testing centers in the United States and U.S. territories. Prometric sites are located in most metropolitan areas.
Candidates can sit for one or more parts of the exam during a test period but may not take a specific part of the exam more than once during that same test period. Each State Board can establish its own policy on the time frame in which a candidate must pass all four parts of the exam. The AICPA has recommended that the period be 18 months.
CPA Exam Cost
Exam costs vary state by state. The AICPA recently projected the "Total Average Cost for a Typical Candidate" as being $533.
CPA Exam Preparation
So what’s the best way to get ready for the CPA Exam? Well, according to Bisk, that’s a question with an easy answer.
“Our Bisk CPA Review is the most powerful and easy-to-use program out there,” Bisk said. “You can use it to develop personalized study plans, chat with America’s leading CPA Review instructors, pinpoint your test-taking strengths and weaknesses and sit for an unlimited number of final exams that are formatted just like the real thing.”
“There really is no better way to get prepared,” Bisk said. “In fact, complete our program, which is available on CD-ROM or via the Internet, and we guarantee you will pass - or we will give you your money back.*”
The Bisk CPA Review Program has actually broken down passing the CPA Exam into six easy steps:
- Start with the Diagnostic CPA Exam - which pinpoints your exam strengths and weaknesses
- Develop a Study Plan with the Bisk Personal Trainer™ - which analyzes your performance on the Diagnostic Exam and develops an extensive study plan just for you.
- Master the Content with Online Classrooms and Streaming Video Lectures - attend class anytime, anywhere you have access to a PC, nothing could be more convenient.
- Speak Directly to CPA Exam Experts through Online Communication Tools - including email, chat rooms and message boards.
- Get Ready with the Bisk CPA Exam Simulator - which allows you to take an unlimited number of final exams that are formatted just like the real thing.
- Take the CPA Exam and Pass Guaranteed.*
Professor Bob Monette, JD, CPA, who has helped tens-of-thousands of candidates pass the CPA Exam, has seen Bisk’s CPA Review and reports that it is “state-of-the-art.”
“Bisk’s CPA Review program, which was designed by leading e-learning experts, simulates the actual test environment,” said Monette, who is the former owner of the Gross-Monette CPA Review, Philadelphia’s largest live review. “Candidates who complete this review will not only do well on the exam, but they will feel confident and assured prior to sitting.”
For more information on the CBT or on Bisk’s CPA Review materials, please call 800-404-7231 or email info@cpaexam.com.
*Call 800-404-7231 for details.
CPA Requirements by State
Although CPA licensing occurs at the state level, the exam is uniform at all testing sites and is accepted nationally. Passing the CPA exam in one jurisdiction generally allows a candidate to obtain a reciprocal certificate or license in another jurisdiction, provided they meet all jurisdictional requirements.
It is important to note that requirements for the exam differ from state to state. The National Association of State Boards of Accountancy (NASBA) maintains information on each state board’s requirements on its website. Please click here to find out more information on your state’s exam requirements.
