Obtaining a CPA license is a lucrative career move for both experienced accountants and aspiring students. Students should make it part of their career goals after working on their degrees. Obtaining a CPA license is not only open doors to financially rewarding opportunities; it also earns respect in the general public and business owners in particular. However, you should meet certain requirements to get certified and obtain your very own license.

The Three E’s

It is true that the CPA exam you will undertake will be the same whatever state you go to. However, you should still take note of the license requirements for your particular state. Take note that each state has its own accountancy board. This board will be chiefly responsible in determining the amount of education and level of experience one needs in order to obtain a license.

More often than not, these accountancy boards will usually require all three E’s to obtaining a CPA license. These necessary three E’s are experience, education, and examination. You’ll most likely be required to obtain all three things mentioned. In addition, you should also check with your state’s accountancy board for any other necessary requirements.

Complete Education and Experience Requirements

Every state will certainly require both education and experience for those who are on the path to obtaining a CPA license. You will either go over a two-tier or one-tier system in obtaining a CPA license depending on your state. Each state will have either the single tier or two-tier system.

If your state has the two-tier system then this simply means you can go right ahead and take the CPA exam even before getting the experience requirements done. After passing the exam you can work on the relevant experience required. Obviously the one-tier system will have it the other way around. Either way, the education requirements for all states are pretty much the same, which is 150 semester hours.

Study Hard

Of course, you will need to really put all the 150 semester hours to good use, which basically means studying hard. This also rings true especially when the time to take the CPA exams is near.

Settle Business with the Board

Contact the exam board for your state and apply for the exam. You may request to have them send the necessary forms to you. Fill out the forms, submit them, and pay the necessary fees. If there are any other requirements that your local board requires and accomplish them preferably ahead of time. Make use of any information your local board will give you.

Becoming a Certified Public Accountant is not easy since there are some requirements that one should satisfy before the person attains the statutory title CPA. The requirements depend on state boards so it is necessary that an individual coordinate with the state board before they take the Uniform Exam. For individuals who want to get a license in Texas, discussed below are the requirements and other important information that they need to know before they become eligible to sit for the Texas CPA exam.

Residency and Educational Requirements

In qualify for the Uniform CPA exam in Texas, applicants should satisfy the educational requirements set by the state board. It is necessary that they have a baccalaureate degree and they have completed 150 semester units. In addition to these requirements, applicants must have finished 30 semester units in accounting and 21 units in courses related to business administration or business management. Above all, applicants should have finished three semester units in ethics.

When it comes to residency requirements, the state board is lenient about the citizenship of applicants. It does not limit the eligibility to take the exam to residents of the state as well as citizen of the United States. Even citizens of other nations who want to get CPA license and work in the state are allowed to file their applications for the exam.

Testing Dates

To avoid having problems, applicants should have ideas about the schedule or testing dates for CPA in Texas. The usual dates of the exam are from January 1 to February 29, from April 1 to May 31, from July 1 to August 31 and from October 31 to November 30. The schedule of the exam is subject to change so applicants should coordinate with any of the staff of the state board.

The Uniform CPA Exam

To prevent complaints from applicants, the state board makes sure that the examination contains valid and reliable questions. To make the exam, members of the state board define the knowledge and skills that should be evaluated. Afterwards, experts will make an outline of the examination. The outline will be given to the assigned committee of the board. The committee will evaluate the outline. As soon as the outline was approved, state board members will develop the questions that would be included in the exam. The questions should have multiple-choice answers. Aside from the multiple-choice part of the exam, the state board also develops simulations that would test the skill of applicants on accounting concepts and theories.

The requirements for becoming a Certified Public Accountant or CPA differ in states. These requirements should be satisfied by an applicant before the person took the examination and before the individual gets the license. To avoid having problems, applicants can easily remember the requirements since these are classified into three categories, namely education, examination and experience. To assist applicants, below are the detailed descriptions of each of these categories.

Education

To sit for the Uniform Certified Public Accountant examination, accounting graduates should attain a bachelor degree in any recognized college or university in the United States. Most states in America implement a 150 hour rule, which means that applicants should complete 150 semester hours in the college. Some states that do not implement this rule include Delaware, Colorado, California, New Hampshire and Pennsylvania. The state board of Virginia implements a 120 hour rule, which means that applicants should complete 120 semester hours before they be allowed to take the licensure examination. It is important that applicants completed several semester hours in accounting, business management, economics and finance. In addition, some of the states in the country prioritize applicants who finish several semester hours in ethics.

Examination and Experience

It is necessary that applicants pass the Uniform Certified Public Accountant to get their licenses. However, before taking the exam, applicants are advised if the board in their states implement the two-tier rule. This rule means that applicants should pass the exam and should have sufficient work experiences before they get their licenses. The states that implement the two-tier rule include Illinois, Alabama, Nebraska and Montana. Other states that implement the rule are South Dakota and Ohio. States that do not implement the rule include Oregon, Colorado and Virginia.

Ethics and Continuing Professional Education

Aside from the accounting examination, there are states in the America that require applicants to pass a special ethics examination. In present times, at least 40 states do not give licenses to accountants until they pass the exam. When it comes to maintaining their licenses, accountants are required by finish several continuing education units. The requirements for the renewal of licenses differ from one state to another. Some states require accountants to complete 40 hours of continuing professional education courses every two years while the others require them to finish 50 hours of the courses for three years. To enhance the morale of accountants, CPAs are required to take ethics examinations every time they renew their licenses.

To become a certified public accountant (also known as CPA) in the United States, it is important to pass the Uniform CPA examination administered by the state boards. In order to take the exam, applicants should satisfy the requirements set by the boards. The requirements vary from one state to another. Applicants who reside, work or study in Illinois should have ideas about the different parts and the structure of the test given to those who want to gain the statutory title of CPA. To assist applicants, discussed below are the requirements as well as the structure of the exam.

Requirements

Before taking the Illinois CPA exam, applicants should satisfy the requirements set by the state board. It is important that they attain a baccalaureate degree to be eligible to sit for the examination. Aside from this, it is necessary that they have completed 24 semester hours of courses related to accounting as well as 24 semester hours of courses related to business law and business management. In addition to the above-mentioned requirements, candidates must have finished at least 24 semester hours in the graduate level. The state board of Illinois requires them to submit their transcripts to prove that they qualify to take the exam.

Schedule of Exam

After submitting the requirements, applicants should choose the date when they want to take the exam. The state board allows applicants to take the exam during the following months; January, February, April, May, July, August, October and November. To increase the chances that they will pass the examination, it is best if they enroll in review classes so that they can have ideas about the structure and the different parts of the exam.

Structure and Parts

The Uniform CPA examination administered by the Illinois state board is composed of 70 per cent multiple-choice questions and 30 per cent simulations. The exam is divided into four parts, namely regulation, auditing and attestation, financial accounting and reporting as well as business environment and concepts. Some of the concepts and topics included are federal taxation, business law, professional responsibilities, information technology, nonprofit organizations and governmental entities.

Applicants should finish the auditing and attestation section within four and a half hours while they need to answer the questions in the financial accounting and reporting section within four hours. The facilitators of the exam also require applicants to answer the questions on regulation and business concepts within three hours and two and a half hours, respectively.

There are plenty of free CPA exam downloads available online. If you’re studying to be a CPA, it’s crucial you know how to take advantage of this. At the same time you need to be aware of the potential pitfalls.

Download What You Need

There are a lot of files you can choose from. Don’t just download everything. Decide on what you need right now. Is it a general study guide? Or is it a test exam simulation? Do you need information on the software? Or is it the requirements in your state?

By getting only what you require, you’ll get to focus on the subject. Getting only the free CPA exam downloads you need should keep you from being overwhelmed.

Picking the Right Site

The right website means one that has accurate and updated materials. Don’t let the flashy graphics fool you. Download one file and read it. Is the info correct? It also won’t hurt to visit forums or blogs. These are excellent places to find links to free CPA resources.

When downloading software, be sure to perform a virus scan. Almost all review courses charge for using software. If a site offers one for free, run a virus scanner. These free CPA exam downloads might contain viruses, so it’s best to be sure.

Quality is of the Essence

This fact can’t be emphasized too much. A free download doesn’t necessarily mean it’s no good. There are a lot of free quality CPA products out there. However a lot of them are not updated. They may have been good resources a couple of years ago but totally useless now.

It’s important to realize CPA exams are constantly being revised. That’s the reason why CPAs still study every few years or so. Don’t bother using free but outdated material. It will only make things worse during the actual exam.

The point here is that you need to be discerning. Although they are free, you have to scrutinize the contents. If the grammar is poor or there are obvious inaccuracies, delete the file. Don’t hesitate to compare the materials in review courses with the stuff you find there.

Supplements, Not Replacements

Keep in mind that even the best free CPA exam downloads are complementary tools. They don’t replace the CPA review courses. They don’t take the place of the self study books or classes (live or online). It’s best to think of these downloads as supplements to the review materials you’re using.

A few other things to remember about using these materials: study all the information provided. Set aside specific times for studies. Give yourself enough time to learn before taking the exam.

Of course you should download the stuff that meets your needs. Pick materials that are most pertinent to your state requirements. Eventually you’ll learn to distinguish between the good stuff and the fluff.

When it comes to free CPA exam downloads, there is no shortage of websites to choose from. With a little bit of research, you’ll get these resources to work for you.