CPA Exam Requirements California

Educational Hours Required for Exam

The Certified Public Accountant certification is one of the most prestigious professional certifications available. It indicates that the accountant has satisfied a demanding set of educational, professional, and ethical standards. In addition, candidates must pass the rigorous CPA exam in order to earn the distinction of this credential. Before candidates can sit for the exam, they must satisfy their California CPA Exam requirements and qualifications. Each state has its own set of eligibility requirements for the CPA exam, which should not be confused with licensing requirements. Below we will be discussing the requirements for the state of California.

• A bachelor’s degree or higher
• 24 semester units of accounting subjects
• 24 semester units of business-related subjects.

CPA Exam Fees

$100 for the initial application and $50 for the re-exam application. Candidates can take one or more sections of the exam at a time and must pay the following fees to CPA Examination Services at the time of application:

• Auditing and Attestation (AUD): $224.99
• Business Environment and Concepts (BEC): $224.99
• Financial Accounting and Reporting (FAR): $224.99
• Regulation (REG): $224.99

Scheduling the CPA Exam

Upon successful state application, candidates will receive a Notice to Schedule (NTS), which is valid for one testing event or six months, whichever comes first. The NTS lists the section(s) that the candidate is approved to take, as well as the deadline for testing. An examination appointment cannot be scheduled without a valid NTS. Once candidates receive their NTS, they can then contact Prometric to schedule the examination. All scheduling, rescheduling, or cancellation of testing appointments is done through Prometric.

Note: Appointments are based on a first-come, first-served basis. This means that you will want to schedule your exam as soon as possible for the best chance to get your preferred location, date, and time. You must have your exam scheduled at least 6 days prior to the exam date, which also means there is no “walk-in” testing.

Preparing for the CPA Exam

Currently, the average pass rate for any given section of the exam is about 50%, which is a great indicator of the exam’s difficulty. This is where a great CPA Review Course is instrumental. Review Courses have been preparing accounting professionals to pass the exam for years. Just about every accountant that has become a CPA utilized a review program. In other words, they are a worthy investment. The CPAExam.com CPA Review Course Comparison Chart can help you select the best course for you.

The CPA Exam is no longer administered via “testing windows” with “blackout dates.” Instead, there is rolling testing. Candidates may schedule their exam appointment at www.prometric.com/CPA or alternatively by calling Prometric at 1-800-580-9648.

California CPA Exam Score Release

Upon completing each section of the exam, candidates can obtain their scores online after NASBA has released the information. They can also elect to have exam scores mailed to them.

Additional Information

While we do our best to keep all of this information up to date you are welcome to visit and or contact that California Board of Accountancy with any other questions you might have.

California Board of Accountancy
Address: 2450 Venture Oaks Way, Suite 300 Sacramento, CA 95833
Phone: (916) 263-3680 Fax: (916) 263-3674
Email: pbowers@cba.ca.gov
Web: www.dca.ca.gov
Application Form: California CPA Application Form