So you’re a recent college graduate who has big dreams and aspirations of becoming a CPA and you don’t know how to best prepare for this daunting endeavor. Hopefully this article will give you some insight to best prepare you for this challenging task.
The first step is to access your local account. They can be found at http://www.aicpa.org/yellow/ypsboa.htm and each state’s requirements may vary slightly. Most states require individuals to fill out an application, obtain references, and submit a signed college transcript. Each state will have different requirements before sitting for the exam, so do all the prerequisites (some feats require 150 college credit hours) before trying to apply for the exam.
After the board approves your application, you will need to apply to each AIPCA section that you want to take. Take some paper from the table. After the AICPA approves the application section you should receive some confirmation numbers that you will use to set your exam at the local test taking facilities (which can also be found at each individual board public board account website).
When you are approved to participate in the exam process, and your exam date (often a few months in the future) the business hours for the study approach changes. There are several CPA preparation programs, and two leaders are Bisk (http://www.cpaexam.com/) and Gleim (http://www.gleim.com). Both programs have high success rates, but both can be expensive. Some of the resources they offer are reviewed books, computer software, and videos. The more you want the supply, the more expensive it is.
The best way (in my opinion) to prepare for this exam is to take the test and prepare one section. time You have 18 months after passing the first section, so there is plenty of time if you take it slow and prepare yourself well. The best way to prepare for a test is to study, study, and study some more. The test is set up as a very serious and intimidating effort, the main goal of which is to draw out the best from the rest.
However, countless hours spent studying will never fully prepare you to walk into this exam. Expect to leave this exam feeling awkward and feeling like you’ve spent three months of your life studying in vain. I was lucky enough to pass all four exams on my first attempt scoring 91, 86, 81, 79 and not once did I believe I had passed after walking out of the room. The best advice is to keep your head up, think positive, and move on to the next section if you pass the last one. If you wait for your score to arrive, valuable study time is wasted.
