Online CPA Exam - An Introduction

CPA is the short form of Certified Public Accountant. A CPA is a licensed public accountant. For receiving a license it is essential to pass the Uniform Certified Public Accountant Examination. The online CPA exam, which is set by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) and administered by the National Association of State Boards of Accountancy (NASBA), can only be taken at any one of the 300 authorized Prometric Testing Centers in the US and not from anywhere else.

The CPA exams are jointly controlled by three organizations. They are the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA), the National Association of State Boards of Accountancy (NASBA), and Thomson Prometric.

The AICPA is responsible for preparing and the scoring of the examination, the NASBA for maintaining the database of candidates, and Thomson Prometric for the delivery of the examination at the authorized test centers. Those applying online can apply for the exam with the Virginia Board of Accountancy. This board, after it receives the complete applications, checks whether the person meets the requirements for taking the test.

The applications of the eligible candidates are sent to the NASBA. NASBA reviews the data against the National Candidate Database.

If a candidate has not applied to appear for the test in another country, the NASBA issues a valid Notice to Schedule (NTS) to the candidate. Once this valid NTS is issued, the candidate can take an appointment to take the test through Prometric's website or a toll-free number. This information is often available on the NTS. It should be kept in mind that the NTS is valid for a year and expires after that.

Successfully passing the CPA exam ensures for a candidate a license as a CPA. This guarantees that a person fulfills the criteria required for becoming a good accountant. Since accountancy is even handled by inexperienced people, some respect is given to this job by introducing the CPA examination.

The educational eligibility criterion for a candidate taking this exam is that he/she should have at the minimum a baccalaureate degree and minimum 150 semester hours of college credit earned as prescribed by Board Rules with accountancy as a subject and successful completion of 24 hours (in some US States this is 27 hours) of specific Board approved upper level accountancy and also business as a subject and successful completion of 24 hours (in some US States this is 21 hours) of specific Board approved business courses

The online CPA exam consists of four parts and all the parts should be completed within 18 months, else the first one is often canceled. To finally qualify for the exam, it is essential to pass at least two parts, but it is also essential to complete all the four parts within the given time duration. Once the person receives the license, he handles jobs like accounting, auditing, taxation, and consulting.

After they pass the online CPA exam, after taking it only at one of the 300 authorized Prometric Testing Centers in the US and not from anywhere else, these accountants have a variety of career options. Some accountants may also set up their own business.