US CPA (Certified Public Accountant)
The US CPA certification is offered by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA). This is a highly qualified designation and in order to acquire this designation, a candidate needs to fulfil all the predefined educational and experience criteria.
If you want to be an individual with complete knowledge of Accounting Principles then of course becoming a CPA is the best way to go. AICPA certifies CPAs to be trusted financial advisors to help businesses, individuals and other organizations to reach their financial goals. CPAs have a huge demand in various fields like public accounting, business and industry, not-for-profit, government, and education.
CPA Course Details
If one is planning to go for the CPA certification, it is very necessary to know all the particulars of this course and exam. Here are the basic details of the course.
CPA Eligibility Criteria
To be eligible for the CPA there are some education and experience requirements that are to be fulfilled by the student. Minimum education requirements are that the student should have 120 credits for the CPA exam and about 150 credits for the CPA license which means that the student should be a postgraduate like:
- Members of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India.
- Members of the Institute of Cost and Works Accountants in India.
- Members of the Company Secretaries in India.
- Master of Commerce
- MBA
In general, CPA certification needs a Bachelor’s Degree in any discipline in English medium with a minimum aggregate. In the Uniform CPA examination, there are 4 papers which you need to clear to successfully be a CPA. Candidates who score 75% marks will be qualified for the CPA certification.
CPA Course Certification
The candidate needs to successfully clear all the four parts of the Uniform CPA Examination administered by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) which are - Auditing (AUD), Business & Environment Concepts (BEC), Financial Accounting & Reporting (FAR), and Regulation (REG).
The CPA exam at present basically takes about 14 hours for all the four parts of CPA. Once you pay the exam fees, NASBA will send you the NTS or Notice to Schedule. This exam is a computer-based examination. Your exam application would be approved and then you get your NTS after which you can accordingly schedule your exam with Prometric.
CPA Course Fees
Approximate Fee Structure for the US CPA Certification is given in the table below. Application Fee costs around $ 140.00.
SECTIONS |
FEES |
Auditing and Attestation (AUD) |
$ 187.00 |
Business Environment and Concepts (BEC) |
$ 140.78 |
Financial Accounting and Reporting (FAR) |
$ 175.44 |
Regulation (REG) |
$ 152.33 |
Previously students had to bear additional expenses for accommodation and traveling since they had to appear for the exams in the US only. But, now that is not the case, as per the latest update by NASBA & AICPA - CPA exam is now going to be held in India itself, which is indeed an amazing news for all the CPA candidates as they can save on a lot of expenses this way. Latest update on CPA exam in India : Testing for CPA Exam candidates at test centers in India will begin January 1, 2021. Also, the candidates may begin to use the scheduler on November 2, 2020.
US CPA Exam Pattern
There are four Exam sections which are broken down into five smaller sections called testlets. These basically have multiple choice questions (MCQs), written communication tasks, and task-based simulations (TBS).
EXAM SECTIONS |
TIME TAKEN |
QUESTIONS |
Auditing and Attestation (AUD) |
4 Hours |
90 questions and 7 task-based simulations |
Business Environment and Concepts (BEC) |
3 Hours |
72 questions and 3 written communications tasks |
Financial Accounting and Reporting (FAR) |
4 Hours |
90 questions and 7 task-based simulations |
Regulation (REG) |
3 Hours |
72 questions and 6 task-based simulations |
The number of MCQs and TBSs tested varies depending upon the specific section taken. You will receive at least one research question (research-oriented TBS) in the AUD, FAR and REG sections. To complete them, you will have to search the related authoritative literature and find an appropriate reference.
Best Coaching Institute for CPA in India
When one decides to do a certification and one which is so highly valued - US CPA, having the right institute to train you and guide you through this journey is very essential. Researching and knowing how any institute can help you through this is required. Simandhar Education is one of the best institutes indeed for training CPA students in order to ace the exam and achieve their goal. Simandhar has trained many students all over India and also helped them get placed in some of the best companies and Big 4s. It is important for you to know why Simandhar is the best institute for CPA training in India, well here are the reasons:
- Becker CPA review which is one of the leading institutes all over the world with Simandhar gives you almost everything that is required to successfully clear all the four parts of the CPA examination.
- 450+ hours of pre-recorded sessions from Becker and 275+ live video lessons by top CPA instructors.
- Simandhar provides live online classes 365 days & is supported by Becker recordings and about 1400 flashcards.
- Simandhar also regularly has grooming sessions and webinars with top leaders and CFOs of eminent companies like EY, SAP, DE Shaw, Infosys etc.
- Another point to be noted is that Simandhar also provides evaluation support and licensing assistance for all its students.
- Also helps and supports the students by getting them placed in topmost F&A companies, Big 4s etc.
CPA Career Options
CPA Course is an ultimate qualification that gives you endless possibilities to showcase your skills in the field of accounting. After completing your CPA Course you can begin your career in the following fields like accounting & Auditing Firms, Investment banks, Research firms, Hedge Funds, Commercial banks, Private equity firms, Mutual funds, Merger & Acquisition, etc.
- Insurance firms
- Credit agencies
- Central banks
- Asset management firms
CONCLUSION
There are basically many opportunities for a CPA out there and this is a highly respected profession. If one wants to become a CPA, knowing all about the course is obvious so I hope this article has helped you gain knowledge on the CPA course, eligibility criteria, career options etc. In case you have any more queries which haven't been clarified yet, you can drop your comment in the comment section and we will get back to you.