Computer-Based CPA Exam on Track

By Dennis O’Leary, Director of Governmental Relations

NEW YORK—The computer-based test (CBT) for CPA candidates is on schedule to commence April 5, 2004, the National Association of State Boards of Accountancy announced last month.

The final paper-based version of the CPA exam will be administered on Nov. 5 and 6, 2003, according to the American Institute of CPAs, which will continue to create and grade the CBT.

NASBA representative Denise Hanley, who attended the April 23 meeting of the New York State Board for Public Accountancy, said a tutorial for the CBT should soon be made available at www.cpa-exam.org. Currently the site contains a video introduction to case simulations, a new CPA exam component to be included on the CBT that will “test candidates’ accounting knowledge and skills using real life work-related situations.” Board member Richard D. Isserman cautioned that CPA candidates should consult the tutorial for the CBT and will be expected to know how to use the exam spreadsheet.

During the meeting, state board Executive Secretary Daniel Dustin said the board will be considering an amendment to state rules and regulations for conversion to the CBT, with possible action by the New York State Board of Regents in November. One rule change would give candidates 18 months rather than the current 36 months to pass all four sections of the CBT—a time frame that the AICPA Board of Examiners recommends because the number of attempts to take the exam has doubled, from two times a year to four times a year.

Unlike the paper-and-pencil CPA exam that traditionally has been given twice a year, the CBT will be offered up to six days a week during two out of every three months, with the AICPA Board of Examiners recommending that each section be taken individually, and in any order, or all at one time. However, like the time frame, this is a decision that is left to individual state boards of accountancy. Additionally, NASBA and the 54 state boards will remain responsible for the overall administration of the exam, according to the AICPA.

Dustin announced that another rule change under consideration would be to switch to a pass/fail grade for New York state candidates based upon a minimum competency score of 75 percent. Therefore, numerical scores would not be provided to candidates taking the CBT. They would instead be informed of whether they had passed or failed.

Board member Barry Seidel expressed concern that information about the CBT is not reaching candidates, and urged the New York State Society of CPAs to help publicize the exam.

More FAQs

Test site operator Prometric will administer the CBT to candidates at more than 300 testing centers throughout the country and in U.S. territories.

Individual state boards of accountancy will continue to determine if a candidate is eligible to take the CPA exam in their jurisdiction. Approved candidates will register directly with a testing center, either by phone or via the Internet, to take one or more sections of the exam. Candidates will take the exam at a local testing center or state-appointed facility, according to information posted on www.cpa-exam.org.

Hanley indicated that, upon scheduling, candidates will also be given an alternative test site within a 60-mile radius of their preferred site, in the event that the preferred site is unavailable to them. Dustin also pointed out that all candidates probably will be able to sit for the exam in any jurisdiction.

The AICPA will compile and forward test results to the state boards, www.cpa-exam.org states.
For more information on the CBT, visit www.cpa-exam.org, www.aicpa.org or www.nasba.org. If you want to be licensed in New York, contact CPA Examination Services at 800-CPA-EXAM (800-272-3926).