Stay ConnectedThis was a podcast for anyone thinking about pursuing the CPA – featuring interviews with AICPA Exams Team staff, NASBA, recent exam-passers, and more.
It was brought to you by the American Institute of CPAs, the developer of the Uniform CPA Examination®, Next Stop CPA is the official podcast for the CPA Exam.
Contact us at NextStopCPA@aicpa-cima.com
You’ve got questions. We’ve got answers. Join the AICPA Exams team as they answer the most frequently asked questions about the CPA Exam. Whether you’re just getting started with the Exam process or have a few sections under your belt already, we’re here to support you. Find more resources and register for free AICPA Student Affiliate membership here: https://thiswaytocpa.com/join-aicpa/
Get a behind-the-scenes look at how a multiple-choice question (MCQ), or item, is developed, from start to finish. Members of the AICPA Exams Team pull back the curtain and share how we determine what content to include on the Exam, just how many people and subject-matter experts contribute to the development of an item, the careful wording considerations of each item, and more. Interested in contributing to the CPA Exam? Email us at CPAExam@aicpa-cima.com
This is part 2 of the repurposed How Scoring Works audio from a recent webcast with the AICPA Exams Team. In this episode they address popular questions directly from Exam candidates all about the scoring, review and appeals process.
This is part 1 of a two-part episode all about how the CPA Exam is scored. AICPA Exams Team members give a detailed overview of the scoring process, address commonly asked candidate questions, and speak about how the score review and appeal process works. For more information on how CPA Exam scoring works, visit https://future.aicpa.org/resources/article/learn-more-about-cpa-exam-scoring-and-pass-rates
This episode contains audio clips from recent section specific webcasts held by the AICPA Exams Team, where they go into detail about what changes are coming to each of the 4 Exam sections as of July 1, 2021. Presenters cover content changes and answer popular candidate questions like "Will the Exam be harder?", "How did these changes come to be?", "Will the updated Exam be longer?" and more. To watch recordings of the full section-specific webcasts, visit ThisWaytoCPA.com.
Scholarships are one of the best ways to fund your education and the AICPA offers several of them. Last year, 140 students earned over $720,000. In this episode, we'll hear from Edwin Gonzalez, MBA, Associate Manager of Scholarship Programs at AICPA, Anita Eti, current AICPA Legacy Scholar and Zachary Lane, former AICPA Legacy Scholar, who will share what you need to do—and when—to give yourself the greatest shot at receiving an AICPA Legacy Scholarship. For more information about the scholarships discussed in this episode, visit ThisWaytoCPA.com.
We're back after a short hiatus with 20 of the most popular Exam questions that you submitted to NASBA via social media. NASBA/AICPA leaders took time to answer those questions in this short but informative episode. You can also access the original NASBA article here: https://nasba.org/blog/2020/08/12/20-questions/
This timely episode addresses many of the frequently asked questions candidates have had related to test center openings and the Exam process. For the latest updates, visit the following sites: Planned test center openings: https://www.prometric.com/site-openings Social distancing guidelines at Prometric: https://www.prometric.com/covid-19-update/social-distancing-policies NASBA's testing FAQs: https://nasba.org/uniform-cpa-examination-testing-faqs/ AICPA's score release info: https://www.aicpa.org/becomeacpa/cpaexam/psychometricsandscoring/test-windows-score-release.html
Michael Kimble, CPA is an Elijah Watt Sells Award winner. That means he obtain a cumulative average score above 95.50 across all four sections of the Exam, passed all four sections on his first attempt and completed testing in 2018. No easy feat. We sat down with Michael to better understand what his strategy for tackling the CPA Exam was and what tips he has for our listeners to feel better prepared on Exam day. For more information on the Sells Award, including the latest list of 2019 winners, visit https://www.aicpa.org/press/pressreleases/2020/aicpa-recognizes-top-2019-cpa-exam-performers-with-elijah-watt-sells-award.html
What does continuous testing mean and how will it add convenience and flexibility for test takers? Get the details from NASBA's Pat Hartman, Director of Examination Services, and James Polite, Director of Program Management in this short but informative episode. For the latest update on continuous testing, visit https://nasba.org/exams/continuous-testing/
ThisWaytoCPA, an AICPA parnter, is a great free resource for college students and young professionals to research Exam eligibility requirements, check out Exam candidate recommendations for review courses, discover scholarship opportunities, read young CPA career profiles, and so much more. Get the lowdown on why ThisWaytoCPA and Beta Alpha Psi are essential resources for aspiring CPAs. For more information, visit thiswaytocpa.com and bap.org.
CPA state society membership is not just for practicing CPAs. In fact, many offer a range of services and programs targeted specifically to aspiring CPAs, with each state offering its own unique advantages to its members. In this episode, we speak with the CEO of the New Jersey Society of CPAs, Ralph Albert Thomas, CPA, as he discusses the many benefits of becoming a state society student or candidate member. To learn more about the benefits of joining a state society, visit https://thiswaytocpa.com/education/articles/make-the-most-of-your-education/state-society-student-membership/
How early should you plan to arrive? What if you need special accommodations? What should you do if your computer stops working mid-test? These are just a few of the questions we cover in our latest episode that focuses on top tips and most frequently asked questions when it comes to a candidate's Prometric test center experience. Featuring a discussion with Prometric's Client Success Manager, Chealsea Lupo.
Did you that know the AICPA has an extensive network throughout the country of subject-matter experts who help develop questions for the CPA Exam? From conception to completion, the process of item development is not a simple one, and can often go through much scrutiny along the way. In this episode, we speak with Exam writers Mike Vanscoy, Director of SolomonEdwards, and Jimmy Mo, Partner at EisnerAmper who explain what the process is like, and why being an Exam writer helps them stay ahead with industry trends. We're also joined by Carie Chester, Lead Manager of Exam Operations and Services at AICPA, who oversees the recruitment and management process of the AICPA's network of external writers.
While the AICPA is a main source of information related to the CPA Exam, sometimes feedback from your fellow candidate can be of great value as well. In this special episode hosted by Lauren and Mike, we discuss some of the insights shared by candidates with one another on various online discussion forums. Topics include tips for a great Exam strategy, how many hours to study for each section, is there a right order to take the Exam, how to tackle the Exam if you work full-time, motivational advice, and much more.
Understanding what goes into the development of a CPA Exam question may provide extra insight for test day. In this episode, we speak with AICPA Exam Team members Dr. Timothy Habick, Ph.D. and Renee Warias who share some of the behind-the-scenes considerations from creation to approval, fairness in the wording, as well as knowing with certainty that each multiple-choice question has only one right answer.
With so much information floating around out there about the CPA Exam and license, it's hard to decipher what's fact and what's fiction. We speak with AICPA Exams Team member Lori Kelly, CPA, who dispells some of the most common Exam myths. Topics include eligibility requirements, International candidate requirements, is there a right order to take the Exam, is there a certain number of hours you should dedicate to studying, etc.
If you're listening to this podcast, you probably know the vital role NASBA plays in the CPA Exam administration process. From eligibility determination to score releases, NASBA is an essential part of any Exam candidate's journey. We sat down with Pat Hartman, Director of Examination Services with NASBA, as she tackles some of the more frequently asked questions she receives from candidates on a regular basis.
Long hailed by many candidates as the most challenging of the four Exam sections, Financial Accounting and Reporting (FAR) can seem pretty intimidating to many candidates. AICPA Exams team members Lori Kelly, CPA and Randi Lockhart, CPA, are here to reassure listeners that passing FAR is very doable with the right preparation. They'll share details about the section's content as well as recommendations for how best to approach studying for FAR.
There's a number of ways an employer can support its employees on their path to the CPA. In this episode, we speak with the AICPA's Senior Manager of Firm Services, Kari Hipsak, CPA, on why employer support is so crucial for CPA candidates, how to find out during the interview stage what kind of support an employer offers, and recommendations for how to discuss your CPA career path with your employer.
In this episode, we're pulling back the curtain and giving you a glimpse into the assembly-line-like process it takes to create an Exam question, or item, from start to finish. We speak with AICPA Exams Team members Jessica Lucas and Jeff West, who share with us the journey an Exam item goes through before you see it on test day, and why understanding this process can be beneficial to an Exam candidate.
Someone says Reguation (REG) and many candidates automatically think taxation. But there's more to learn about this section as host Mike Horan is joined by AICPA Exams team members Debbi Luhman, CPA, and Ann Avallone, CPA. They'll get you up to speed on REG content and offer a personalized view into what this section's all about. Get the REG Blueprints at https://www.aicpa.org/becomeacpa/cpaexam/examinationcontent.html
Would you purchase a car before test driving it? Generally, no. The same goes for the CPA Exam. Before test day, you'll ideally want to familiarize yourself with the format and functionality of the Exam. In this episode, we're joined by Henrietta Eve, AICPA's Lead Manager of Product Development, who will focus on the difference between a sample test and practice, what you can expect from the CPA Exam tutorial video, and why the sample tests and tutorial are essential to a candidate's preparation strategy. Access the sample tests and tutorial at https://www.aicpa.org/becomeacpa/cpaexam/forcandidates/tutorialandsampletest.html
In this episode, we talk with longtime friends and CPAs, Sarah Sullivan of BDO and Jessica Gray of the AICPA Exams team about how they supported each other along their CPA journey, the strategies they used, what order they felt was right for taking each section, and how having those three "magic" letters after their names have boosted their careers.
The Business Environment and Concepts (BEC) section entails a little bit of everything important to a CPA, which can be somewhat intimidating. But AICPA Exams team members and BEC section leaders Rob Tangen, CPA, and Cathy Miskiv, CPA, aim to bring some clarity to the section as well as some helpful tips as they discuss BEC's content and format with Mike. Get the BEC Blueprints at https://www.aicpa.org/becomeacpa/cpaexam/examinationcontent.html
Take a deep dive into all things AUD as host Mike Horan speaks with Kevin Gouldey, CPA and Jennifer Bukowski, CPA, two AICPA Exams team members who develop and maintain the Auditing and Attestation (AUD) section of the Exam. They'll discuss content covered by the section along with other information helpful to candidates tackling this section. Get the AUD Blueprints at https://www.aicpa.org/becomeacpa/cpaexam/examinationcontent.html
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