After years of undergraduate and graduate studies, you are now ready to begin your career as a South Carolina Certified Public Accountant. But before you can practice to qualify as a CPA you will need to sit and pass the South Carolina CPA Exam. To do this you need to arm yourself with some basic information about where and how to apply, what to study, and what to expect on your day. This article successfully contains everything you need to know about taking the South Carolina CPA Exam.
South Carolina Board of Accountancy
110 Cneterview Drive-Kingtree Building
Columbia, SC 29210
(803) 896-4770 phone number
(803) 896-4554 fax number
http://www.llr.state.sc.us/POL/Accountancy
[email protected] or [email protected]
Requirements to Sit for the South Carolina CPA Exam
There are a few basic requirements that you must meet in order to qualify to sit for the South Carolina CPA Exam. The first requirement to sit for the Carolina CPA exam is that the candidate has earned at least a bachelor’s degree with 150 semester hours including 24 semester hours of accounting courses and 24 semester hours of general business courses. In order to sit for the South Carolina CPA Exam a candidate will need to meet all of these educational requirements and residency requirements and must be at least 18 years of age. There is no state requirement in this state.
Application process
The first step in the application process is to download or request a complete card package. This can be found in the South Carolina Board of Accountancy. Here you will find the payment rates for the file and the email address. You will need to complete and return the application package with all required documents and supplementary documents. You will also need to request that your college or university send your transcripts directly to the South Carolina Board of Accountancy to prove that you meet the educational requirements to sit for the South Carolina CPA Exam.
If you need accommodations because of a disability, you will need to request accommodations at the time you submit your application. You must fill out the accommodation form, which will be in your application file. You must also submit the application fee with your completed application and supplemental forms. To see what the most recent application fees are, you need to visit the South Carolina Board of Accountancy website.
Keep in mind that this file will take approximately 30 days to be reviewed and processed before you can proceed to the next steps of the registration process. The deadlines for submitting applications have been canceled because now the testing takes place two months out of every three months. The only time limitation is that you will only have six months to take your exams after you submit your application, so do not apply for more exams than you can successfully complete within six months.
After the Board receives your application, processes it, and approves it to sit for the South Carolina CPA Exam, they will present you with the NASBA Test License. NASBA will then issue you a certificate for the tests you have applied for. Then you will not have 90 days to pay this invoice before your application expires and you will have to apply again. The cost for each part of the Uniform CPA Exam will vary from year to year so you will need to visit www.nasba.org to check the most current rates. However, to give you an idea of what to expect, the 2006 NASBA fees for the Uniform CPA Exams were as follows:
AUDIT (Audit and Attestation) $159.25
VALE (Financial Accounting and Reporting) $148.00
ARE (Regulations) $125.50
LPR (Business Environment and Concepts) $114.25
After your payment is received in full for your tests, the Notice Schedules will be sent. This notice will contain scheduling and proofs, and will tell you what your identification number is, and when your scheduling window will expire. You will have about 6 months to schedule and receive all the tests you have applied for.
You can schedule your exam at any time during the six months that is convenient for you as long as the testing center is open and has space to fit. you in. It is recommended that you register early to get a test space on the day you want. Most testing centers are open Monday through Saturday during the following time windows:
January 2 – February 28 (29).
April 1 – May 30
July 1 – August 31
October 1 – November 20
There are several ways in which you can set up your exam. First, you can call the Prometric Student Testing Service Center at 1-800-580-9648, or you can go to their website at http://www.prometric.com/cpa, or contact center approved site
Thomas Prometric Test Center
154 Lawrence St
Aiken, SC 29801
(803) 502-0227 Site Code: 5142
Thomas Prometric Test Center
1954 Ashley River Road, Suite G
Charleston, SC 29407
(843) 766-5599 Site Code: 5102
Thomas Prometric Test Center
121 Executive Center Dr
Columbia, SC 29210
(803) 354-9221 Site Code: 0049
Thomas Prometric Test Center
2141 C Hoffmeyer Rd. West Office Gate
Florence, SC 29501
(843) 667-3227 Site Code: 5170
Thomas Prometric Test Center
10 Enterprise Blvd., Suite #100
Greenville, SC 29615
(864) 676-1506 Site Code: 2100
Thomas Prometric Test Center
232 Cherry Rd., Ste 130A
Rock Hill, SC 29730
(803) 980-8025 Site Code: 5171
When your exams come up, you’ll be ready to study for the Uniform CPA Computer Exam.
What you need to know about the Uniform CPA Computer Exam
AUD will remain for 4.5 hours
It will remain valid for 4.0 hours
They will last 3.0 hours
LPR will last 2.5 hours
If you are considering taking the Audition and Attestation (AUD) section of the Uniform CPA Exam, then you will want to study the following information:
1. Auditing operating procedures
2. Auditing standards in general
3. Other applicable certification standards
4. Battle plan
5. Internal Controls
6. How to Obtain and Document Information
7. How to Review Concerns and Review Information
8. How to Prepare Communications
If you are thinking about taking the Financial Accounting and Reporting Section (FARE) Uniform CPA Exam then you should study the following information:
1. Generally accepted Business Accounting Principles efforts
2. Common Accounting Principles for Non-Profit Enterprises
3. Apply Accounting Principles to Government Entities
4. Concepts and Standards for Financial Statements
5. What are the common elements in the Financial Statement?
6. Know how to account for and report various transactions
If you are considering taking the Uniform CPA Exam (ARE) Section, then you may want to study the following information:
1. Federal Taxation operating procedures and regulations for individuals
2. Ethical Profession
3. Customer Legal Responsibilities
4. Law enforcement
5. Federal Taxation Procedures and Regulations for Entities (both for-profit and not-for-profit)
If you are thinking about taking the Business Environment and Concepts Section of the Uniform CPA Exam then you will want to study the following information:
1. Business Structures
2. Economic concept
3. Money Management Issues
4. Information Technology
5. Homework and measurements
6. Account Used as CPA
Format of the Uniform CPA Exam
The Uniform CPA Exam recently transitioned from a paper and pencil exam to a computerized exam. Because of this transition, the exam form is also created. Each part will consist of a multiple choice test consisting of 24 to 30 questions. Each test will then be supplemented with a case study called simulation. You will be given 30 to 50 minutes to complete each simulation. The simulations will test your ability to perform entry-level CPA duties.
Study Tips
Researching for the Uniform CPA Exam will be very challenging as it requires six years of college education. To help you with this process, it is strongly recommended that you enroll in a CPA Exam Preparation class offered by a college or university. However, this does not have to be done, and there are many quality self-study CPA Exam Review Courses available to you.
You can also use the study materials provided by the exam boards, including the exam tutorial, which is provided at the following page: http://www.cpa-exam.org/lcr/exam_tutorial.html. This tutorial will provide you with lots and lots of revenue to pass the Uniform Computerized CPA Exam. First, this website will provide you with an explanation of how the test is designed and what topics it will cover. It will also identify what types of questions it will answer, and what types of answers they are looking for. Finally, you will be able to go through a few sample questions and a case study to get a computerized exam.
In addition to taking the CPA Exam Review Course and using the exam tutorial, it is highly recommended that you know the following information before sitting for the CPA Exam:
1. It is familiar with towels, and you will be able to use them. You also need to know how to write spreadsheets and spreadsheets that will calculate orders and other financial calculations.
2. You will also be expected to know how to use a four-function calculator to obtain financial statements.
3. You will need to be familiar with, and be able to use, the information contained in authoritative literature online. You may practice this skill at home by accessing these authorities and looking for rules, guidelines, and standards to experience. Review the questions.
4. Review the Internal Revenue Code and Federal Tax Regulations that were in effect six months before your exam. You can find this information at the IRS website: http://www.irs.gov.
5. Know the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 as it will be used in the exemption.
6. AICPA standards will also be used, so know them and how they are used in different situations.
7. Learn and memorize federal laws that relate to accounting and reporting.
What to expect on test day
On the day of your test, you’ll want to arrive early, at least 30 minutes early, so check in and get into the site before the test begins. You must provide two forms of personal identification, which has both your signature and a photograph on it. For example a valid driver’s license and a valid passport are accepted forms.
After you are checked in, you will be assigned a computer and given instructions. Begin testing only after you have been given permission to do so. Don’t be fooled or distracted, as these actions can get you kicked out of the testing center, and possibly even banned from taking the CPA Exam again.
Your scores will be available as soon as they are ready, but please wait 4 to 6 weeks before hearing anything. If you have questions about when and where your scores will be available, contact http://www.nasba.org.
