Certified Public Accountant

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2. CPA:
Certified Public
Accountant
BY
AWAIS LAKHO
BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION
SHAH ABDUL LATIF
UNIVERSITY KHAIRPUR

3. Introduction
• Stands for Certified Public Accountant
• Trusted financial advisor who helps individuals, businesses,
and other organizations plan and reach their financial goals
• All CPAs are accountants, but not all accountants are CPAs
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4. CPA
• 3 E’s are required for licensure:
– Education
– Exam or Uniform CPA Examination
– Experience
State Boards of Accountancy determine the laws and rules for
each state/jurisdiction
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5. A. Education
Most states require 150
semester hours of college
education to sit for the
exam.
Continuing professional
education of 120 contact
hours (not college semester
or quarter hours) over
three year reporting
periods with no less than
20 hours in any one year is
a common requirement in
most states.

6. B. Examination
 The AICPA Board of Examiners administers the
Uniform CPA Exam as a computer-based
examination in four parts
1. Auditing and attestation—4.5 hrs
2. Financial accounting and reporting—4 hrs
3. Regulation—3 hrs.
4. Business environment—2.5 hrs
 Consists of multiple-choice testlets (24-30
questions each) and simulation problems where
students electronically research a solution to a
problem.
 Revealing exam material can result in
certifications being revoked.
 Testing is on demand with 75% considered a
passing score.

7. C. Experience
Although not a
requirement to sit for the
CPA exam, accounting
experience supervised by a
competent accountant is
required to become
certified.
Generally 2 years for
persons with a bachelors
degree and 1 year for those
with a masters.
Some states require the
experience to be in public
accounting.

8. AICPA
•AICPA membership provides:
• National membership organization for the profession
• Support for the diverse membership and efforts to build the
future of the profession
• Advocacy with standard setters and state boards
• Professional excellence in terms of professional ethics, training,
peer review
• Discounts and affinity programs (even for students!)
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9. Work
• A certified public accountant supports corporations,
organizations, or individuals with tax and financial statement
planning. Tasks performed by CPA include studying financial
records, preparing tax forms, and overseeing audits. CPA’s must
have an accounting degree and a CPA certification.
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