Since the establishment of the CPA designation more than a hundred years ago, the CPA license has been granted by state board of accountancy in each of the 50+ US jurisdictions. There is never a license-granting centralized agency at the federal level. Because of this historical reason, each state may have slightly different requirements to sit for the exam. The national associations of the CPA and state boards, known as the AICPA and NASBA, have work hard towards a uniform CPA exam and licensing requirements known as the 3Es. That is, Education, Exam and Experience. For the CPA educational requirements, candidates should attain at least a 4-year bachelor degree, plus 150 general credit hours of higher education. Most states require a certain number of accounting and business courses. For the exam, all candidates must take the Uniform CPA exam administrated by the AICPA. For experience, candidates are required to work in relevant field for at least a year, supervised and / or verified by a US CPA. Do You Qualify? The education system in your home country could be very different from that in the US. If you would like to know whether you fulfill the CPA educational requirements, be sure you watch the video above. Questions are most welcome. Please drop me a comment or check out my website at http://ipassthecpaexam.com

1. CPA Exam Educational
Requirements
Copyright © 2014 IPasstheCPAExam.com

2. I am the…
Publisher of IPassTheCPAExam.com
Author of “How to Pass the CPA Exam”
(Wiley, July 2013)
Today’s topic: Overview of the CPA
exam requirements.

3. Overview of CPA
Licensing System

4. First of all, each state grants its own license.
The state boards have slightly different CPA exam
requirements

5. Despite the differences, most state now follows
the “3Es” guideline:
Education
Examination
Experience

6. 1. Education
4-year bachelor or above
150 credit hours of
education
Minimum accounting and
business courses

7. 2. Exam
Uniform across the US
Administered by the AICPA
100% computerized

8. 3. Experience
1-2 year of relevant
working experience
Supervised and / or
verified by US CPA

9. Do You Qualify?

10. 1. The Degree
Requirement

11. 4-Year Bachelor Degree
3-year bachelor + 2-year master’s
is normally accepted
Prefer degree obtained in
classroom setting
Bachelor and master’s degrees
should be related

12. 2. 150 Credit Hour Rule

13. The 150-Hour Rule is Part of the 3E.
Credit
Hours
1 year ~ 30
3 years ~ 90
4 years ~ 120
3 + 2 years ~ 150
Courses can be non-degree and in any subject!

14. 3. Minimum Accounting
& Business Courses

15. Upper-Division Courses
Some state boards only count upper
division accounting courses
Upper-Division = Intermediate or
advanced level
3-year BCOM may not have enough
upper-division accounting courses

16. Federal Taxation Course
Federal taxation course is mandatory
in some states
Non-US tax courses are normally not
counted
US taxation courses available online
If you don’t have tax background, the
course is actually great for your REG
exam section

17. Note to Non-Accounting Majors
You may still get qualified for the CPA exam by
making it up:
• Master’s degree in accounting
• Take extra non-degree accounting courses
More investment in time, money and effort

18. Note to ACCA Members
& Chartered Accountants

19. Not Recognized Recognized
Australia (CA only)
Canada (CA only)
Hong Kong
Ireland
Mexico
New Zealand
ACCA membership
CA in most countries
CMA, CIA, CFA
Most other professional
qualifications

20. Common Pitfalls

21. 1. Degree Not
US Equivalent

22. >150 credit hours doesn’t mean
you must be qualified, e.g.
3 year degree + certs +
diploma
Unrelated bachelor
and master’s degrees

23. 2. Not Enough Accounting
or Tax Classes

24. Solutions
1. Pick a state board with fewer requirements e.g.
Alaska and Maine
2. Take extra courses
Option 2 is better because you complete the
150-hour requirement

25. 3. Exam & Licensing
Requirements are Different !?

26. 120
Credit
Hours
150
Credit
Hours
Many state boards require 120 credit hours
to sit for the exam,
but 150 credit hours to get the license.

27. Other Considerations
for Non-US Candidates

28. Social Security Number (SSN)
May be waived by
state board
Generally not a big
concern
Beware of special rules
in California

29. Experience Requirements
Common bottle neck
We’ll cover this in the
next presentation titled
“CPA experience
requirements”

30. Thanks for
Watching…
… and feel free to ask
me a question in the
comment section!

31. Plan, Study and Pass
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