Becoming a certified public accountant isn’t an easy one. There are several steps that need to be done before you can even apply to take the dreaded CPA exam. First you have to fulfill all the educational requirements in order to be eligible to sit for the test. Even state sets different standards, so it’s important to look up your state CPA exam requirements before you think about taking the exam. Some states require less college classes while other require a full blown masters degree just to apply. Take some time and figure out what your state needs before you pursue a license.
After you complete all the educational hours required by your state, you will have to apply to apply to take the test. Yes, that’s right. You actually have to apply to get an application. First, your education must be approved by the state board of accountancy in order to be able to receive a valid application. To do this, you will have to send in authorized transcripts from any academy institute you attended while earning your degree. This can be a real pain if you attended more than one college. After you have the approval of the board, you can fill out the actual application. This could take a few weeks depending on how quickly your state board works.
Next you can fill out your application. After it is approved, you are ready to log onto the Prometric website and schedule a testing date. Once you’ve paid your fees and have a test date set, you will get a notice to sit notification that you MUST bring with you on your exam day.
As you can see, the CPA exam process is kind of involved. It takes some understanding, but after you know how it works, you will be fine.
The biggest thing that holds most people back from becoming a true professional accountant isn’t their lack of intelligence or lack of understanding about general accounting topics. It’s their lack of study skills and willingness to commit themselves to the exam in full. There are many different steps that need to be taken in order to fully commit yourself to passing the CPA exam, but one of the main steps that most people don’t understand is that they need to get a review course. A lot of candidates don’t want to spend the money on a CPA exam review course, but I’m telling you that a full course is the one thing that will prepare you for the test like no other. This is the best CPA exam tip I can give you.
Don’t kid yourself thinking that you will be able to read an outdated text book and be able to perform at your best when your test date comes up. You won’t be able to unless you have studied properly. In order to fully cover the information that the AICPA tests on the exam, you need to get a proper review course. Most courses on the market offer a series of different options including video lectures, virtual classrooms, practice exams, multiple choice questions, and practice simulations. Without these resources you will not be able to pass the exam on your first try. Who knows. You might not be able to pass it at all. That’s why it’s so important to invest your time and money into a course that will prepare you for the exam day.
Trust me. After you pass, you will be happy that you spent the money on getting a proper prep course because you can finally start your career as a professional certified public accountant. You can find more useful CPA exam study tips here.
You will hear all kinds of stories around the web of people having the secret sauce to passing the certified public accountant examination and how if you follow their simple tips and instructions you will be able to pass the exam without any problems. We don’t me to burst your bubble, but no such system works.
Every standardized exam requires hundreds of hours of study and preparation. You will not be able to walk into the testing center and just take the exam because you followed a few simple tips. Now that that is covered, let’s talk about a few tips that will help you actually prepare the your big test date.
The first tip is to always show up early to the testing center. This sounds like a simple tip, but so many people mess this up. By arriving to the Prometric center late or on time, you run the risk of not getting into your exam. They need to have time to process you and sign you into the room. Always show up at least an hour and half early.
Tip number two is to make sure you study every single day. The CPA exam takes time to learn all the concepts. There are tons of them and if you don’t review small sections each day, you will probably forget most of them before it’s actually time to sit for the test. Make sure you clear a few minutes a day to sit down and review the material that you have already covered on previous days. I thought using the Gleim cpa Review study course worked the best. Make sure to purchase a course that will work for you.