A statutory title for licensed or registered accountants, Certified Public Accountant (also known as CPA) is a designation used to identify accountants who passed the licensure examination in any state in the United States. Becoming a CPA is not easy since there are several requirements that you need to satisfy to acquire this title. If you want to know how to become a CPA, below are the steps that you should follow as well as the requirements that you need to complete.

Guidelines for Becoming a Certified Public Accountant

To become one of the certified public accountants in America, the first step that you should consider is the college or university where you plan to study. It is necessary that the school offers an extensive baccalaureate degree on accounting. If you do not want to specialize in accounting, make sure that the degree that you will take has at least 24 hours of accounting subjects and 18 hours of other courses related to accounting like business management and business law. To have an advantage over other graduates, it is important that you get high grades in these courses.

After finishing a baccalaureate degree, you need to get a copy of your transcript from your college registrar or college secretary. As soon as you have your transcript, visit the State Board of Accountancy and ask the schedule of the accounting examination. Before registering for the examination, you need to fill up the application form for the examination and you should pay the exam fee. In some states, the board requires applicants to have a work experience on accounting. In this regard, it is important that you work with a CPA after graduation.

To become an accountant, you need to pass the licensure examination that the National Association of State Boards Accountancy administers. After getting the results of the exam, follow the steps to get a license so that you can practice as a Certified Public Accountant. To maintain the license, it is important that you finish continuing education units required by the state board.

Additional Information and Other Important Details

If you completed or finished a degree in accounting in another country, be sure that you inform the state board before you take the examination. To improve the chances that you will pass the examination, you can enroll in CPA review centers or you can read books that offer extensive information on accounting as well as other concepts that may be included in the exam.

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