Eligibility for CPA Exams
With a promising future awaiting those who wish to be certified as public accountants and work as CPAs; it comes as no big surprise that a lot more students are now thinking of getting into the field of public accountancy.
But getting a certification and license to practice as a CPA takes careful planning from the time we step into college up to the time that we are going to take the required CPA Exam.
To be eligible for the CPA Exam, we should carefully check all the CPA Exam Requirements in order to complete all the necessary steps prior to taking the tests. This will help us avoid unnecessary delays in our becoming certified as public accountants.
HOW TO BE ELIGIBLE FOR CPA EXAMS
There are actually a few specific CPA Exam Requirements, depending on the state where we wish to practice in public accountancy. But basically, a Bachelor’s Degree is required in order to qualify for the CPA Exams; although we do not have to have majored in accounting in order to qualify.
As a general rule, at least one hundred fifty semester hours are included among the necessary CPA Exam Requirements; plus at least one to two years of continuous practice in public accountancy in order for us to be certified.
Again, the number of years in public accountancy will depend on the state where we will be taking the CPA tests. On the other hand, the CPA Exam Requirements of one hundred fifty semester hours will be dictated by the college which usually include subjects in accounting and business.
ONE-TIER AND TWO-TIER CPA REQUIREMENTS
There are states that have implemented either the one-tier or two-tier requirement in order to obtain a certification in public accountancy.
Some states only practice the one-tier system for becoming a CPA. After fulfilling all the necessary CPA Exam Requirements; those who wish to be certified must of course pass the CPA Exams and must have completed the required number of continuous years in public accountancy in order to get both the certification and the license to practice.
While other states have in place the two-tier system. Once we have completed all the CPA Exam Requirements and have taken the said compulsory CPA Exams; we will then be immediately given our certification upon passing the tests.
After which, we can then start to complete the necessary number of continuous years of service in public accountancy in order to obtain the license to practice as a Certified Public Accountant.
Other basic requirements are specifications on age, residency and citizenship; although most states do not require one to be a citizen in order to practice. We simply need to fulfill the number of years required in residency.
To help us find out the exact specifications of the state we wish to practice as CPAs, we should check with the state board to see if we have fulfilled all necessary requirements or if we need to work on some other specifications before we can take the CPA Exams.
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Author: JensPeter
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