CPA Exam

The CPA Exam is prepared by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) and is administered by the boards of accountancy of all fifty states, the District of Columbia, Guam, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and Puerto Rico.  The AICPA determines CPA exam content, prepares the questions, determines the scoring methodology, and prepares advisory scores, and compiles statistical analysis of CPA exam results.  Thomson Prometric™ is the testing company which operates computer-based CPA exam testing centers around the word. 

The requirements to receive a CPA license, as well as the rights and obligations of a license are also determined at the state or territory level of the 54 US jurisdictions. So for information on the requirements for taking the exam, candidates should check with the state or US territory where the candidate expects to apply for eligibility and ultimately a license.

The computer-based test has increased emphasis in the areas of  information technology, general business knowledge with additional scope in the audit area.  Research and analytical skills are tested to simulate real word requirements of a CPA’s work.  Successful completion of the test is one of the licensing requirements by the 54 states and territories of the United States.

The duration of the exam totals 14 hours and is broken down by exam section as follows::::

1. Auditing & Attestation: 4.5 hours.
2. Financial Accounting & Reporting 4.0 hours
3. Regulation: 3.0 hours
4. Business Environment and Concepts: 2.5 hours

CPA Exam Candidate Bulletin which contains information for individuals who are planning to take the exam.  It contains information on how to apply to take the exam, where and when to schedule the examination, the testing rules in place at the testing centers, topics covered by the exam, dates scores are released, exam structure, and the roles and responsibilities of the various partners (AICPA, NASB, and Prometric).  Additionally, more information on can be found at http://www.cpa-exam.org . .