Okay, so the purpose of the Elijah Watt Sells post was not to make any of you feel like you’re lesser accountants. We just figured that a good portion of you were hung over today and the story of 10 individuals that got vomit-worthy scores on the CPA exam would get you past the nausea and running to the bathroom to lose that 3 am breakfast.
Now that you’re feeling better, we want to appeal to the rest of you. We want your CPA exam horror stories. Not because we want you to send you running back into the bathroom to sob in the stall. Not because some people we know passed all four sections in one sitting and don’t have any good stories. No, no. We want your stories because we here to listen to you. Besides, they’re probably funny now anyway. Aren’t they? Even if you’re still mortified or pissed off, this your opportunity to vent about it.
Sooooo, did you run out of gas on the way to the exam site? Did your computer crash with 10 minutes to go and you had to re-take the entire exam? We’re you caught cheating?!? Or watching porn? Impress us…
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The CPA Exam Goes International Without a Hitch
- Adrienne Gonzalez
- August 9, 2011
The AICPA, NASBA and Prometric yesterday announced the successful launch of the U.S, CPA Examination in international locations – the first time in history it has been administered outside of the United States and its territories.
On August 1, the first candidates took the exam in Japan, Bahrain, Kuwait, Lebanon and the United Arab Emirates. Throughout the remainder of the month, 1,165 candidates will sit for 2,065 examination sections. Future month-long testing windows will take place in November, February, May, and every third month thereafter.
The U.S. CPA exam is offered internationally as a service to foreign nationals in response to escalating international demand for U.S. CPA licensure. In 2010, more than 10,000 international candidates traveled to the U.S. to take the U.S. CPA exam, a 22 percent increase from 2009. Nearly one-third of international candidates came from Japan.
The international exam, offered in English, is the same as the U.S. exam administered by the AICPA, NASBA, and Prometric in the United States. Licensure requirements for international candidates are the same as for U.S. CPA candidates, meaning candidates must meet the qualifications of the jurisdiction in which they apply.. Along with passing the Uniform CPA Examination, international candidates must meet educational and experience requirements as mandated by U.S. state boards of accountancy.
In the United States, state boards have the governmental legal authority to award the U.S. CPA license. Applications may be made through certain U.S. state boards of accountancy offering eligibility for international candidates. A list of participating state boards and information about fees is posted on the NASBA website at www.nasba.org.
Testing in the new international locations is open to citizens and long-term residents of the countries in which the exam is being administered. In the Middle East, citizens of Egypt, Jordan, Oman, Qatar and Saudi Arabia may take the exam in one of the Middle East locations. U.S. citizens living abroad are eligible to test at any location.
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What to Do If You’re Stumped on One Section of the CPA Exam
- Adrienne Gonzalez
- September 22, 2011
I’m assuming not all of you are going to have great news as CPA exam scores trickle out, so maybe the following reader question can help you, too.
Adrienne,
Hi I’m looking for some advice regarding the Audit section. I have passed FAR, BEC, and Regulation thus far. However, I can’t wrap my brain around auditing.
The first time I took audit I got a 73 and I felt like I did not know any of the material. This was with three weeks of studying with Becker.
The second time I took audit, I got a 71 and I felt like I knew everything. This was with one month of studying with Becker and the computer Becker Final Review.
I just started working and I’m trying to determine the correct approach for studying audit again. I feel that it would be a waste to watch all of the Becker videos again unless I’m just absolutely confused on a section.
I plan on purchasing another study tool for more problems, etc, but I’m not sure which one to buy. I’m torn between the Gleim, Wiley, and Yaeger CRAM. The reasoning I have to purchase another tool is that I have a familiarity with the Becker questions already since I have tried them all twice.
Do you have any advice?
I absolutely have some advice, having seen a good chunk of our CPA review students go through this for a variety of reasons, none of which was related to the quality of the material or even the material itself.
Audit, of all the sections, can sometimes be the one that requires your brain to be the most bulimic (meaning learn it and barf it out at Prometric), mostly if you have no educational experience in that area and no affinity for the material covered. Auditors are – as we all know – unique, so it requires a different sort of thinking to truly thrive in that area.
You have the right idea. If you score between 70 – 74 (especially twice), you already have an excellent command of the information, so watching lectures you’ve already watched is a waste of time and won’t help you understand the concepts any better unless, as you said, you’re really lost on a particular part. You’re also doing the right thing by considering a supplement that will provide you with new problems, as memorization is not only a waste of time but also a detriment on exam day.
I have heard good things about Gleim’s MCQ, and some have had success using those alone. Since you already have the foundation of a full review, a cram is also a good option. But keep in mind crams involve videos and I don’t think it’s the basics you’re struggling with, it’s the tedious details. Crams usually cover the most heavily-tested material, which is probably not your issue at all.
Your best bet at this point will probably be to do as many practice questions as you can leading up to your exam retake. You have hopefully scheduled it soon while the information is still fresh in your mind.
I leave it to our readers who have undoubtedly been in a situation similar to yours to take it from here and tell you which they used to get over the hump as it were. Good luck!
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Ambitious Future CPA Wants to Shortcut CPA Exam Application
- Adrienne Gonzalez
- October 3, 2011
While I have not and will not ever sit for the CPA exam as we have already discussed ad nauseum, I still know a thing or two about how to get through it and – most importantly – how to buck the system. So if you have a CPA exam question, please get in touch. I haven’t missed an answer yet, must be doing something right.
Today’s question comes from an ambitious future CPA exam candidate interested in getting this nonsense over with as quickly as possible so he can move on with his life and pursue his dreams of a fantastic life in public accounting. I love candidates like this, they breeze right through the exam and leave it beaten and battered they run off to make tons of money.
Hi Adrienne,
I’m e-mailing in response to something you mentioned in a post you made last November about a CPA exam sign up short cut that involved “fake” applying to sign up for the exam before eligibility so that when you re-apply it goes through much quicker. My situation is I’m a dual degree major, I get my 150 credits this coming May, graduation date of 5/21/2012. I have a full-time big four job lined up and want to get the whole thing out of the way before I start in Sep/Oct, as I’ve heard I have a snowballs chance in hell of getting it done while working. While my state (Virginia) allows you to sit with 120 (which I have) you have to have an official bachelors degree, which they don’t give me until May. Since my spring semester is going to be very light, I was hoping to try your little trick and see if I can study during the spring and sign up really quickly in May and get one part out of the way. There would be 9 days left in May after I’m official. Is this doable? Or just dumb? Worst case scenario I just don’t have a summer and take all four in one period. Thanks.
Regards,
CPA Scheduler
The trick to which this candidate refers involves applying for the CPA exam before you are actually eligible in order to cut down on processing time when you do actually qualify. A re-application only takes a week or two (not including the time it takes to get your payment coupon and NTS), so you can start scheduling exams much sooner than you’d be able to if you waited to apply after you got your degree and met the other requirements. To my knowledge, this works in California for sure and the board will even tell you to do it if you talk to the right person. I don’t see why it wouldn’t work in other jurisdictions as well, and if anyone in another state has done this, please let us know.
Anyway, even if this candidate does that, there’s no way he’s going to be able to get in two parts before the close of the April/May window.
The other option here would be to apply in a different state that doesn’t require a bachelors. Off the top of my head, I can’t name one but NASBA’s Accountancy Licensing Library should be able to help. Sit for the exam in that state, then just transfer either your exam scores or license over after the fact. It’s easier to transfer a license than scores but in order to be licensed in the state you applied to that isn’t your own, you’ll probably have to meet that state’s experience requirements, which might require experience under a licensed CPA in that state. Contact any state boards you are looking at and your own for more info straight from the source on how transferring works.
Long story short, even if you can only manage to get two – three parts done over the summer before you start work, you’ll be in great shape. Just the fact that you’re thinking about these things now tells me you will do just fine and will figure out where to make time to study even after you’re working. I wouldn’t recommend trying to knock out all 4 in one testing window, mostly because you don’t actually have to do that. If you think you’re up for it then by all means knock yourself out but there’s no reason to put yourself through that if you don’t have to.
Let us know how it goes and good luck! You’re one I won’t be worried about at all.