Still confused about your CPA eligibility? Share your details with us at certifications@wiley.com
OR
Fill out the form below
What is CPA?
CPA is the highest qualification in the field of accountancy with its examination administered by the American Institute of CPA (AICPA). It enables the CPAs to transition their career from accounting to any area in Finance like Analysis & Planning, Income Tax, Regulatory Reporting and many others
What does a CPA do?
The job responsibilities of a public accountant include preparing and analysing reports on transactions, reviewing corporate and personal income tax return and providing tax consults and on-boarding for new clients.
Which are the global companies employing CPA?
Some top accounting firms to work for include Ernst & Young, Grant Thornton, Deloitte, PricewaterhouseCoopers, KPMG, Plante Moran, Moss Adams, Rothstein Kass, Eide Baily, BDO, Crowe Horwoath and RSM US.
CPA Global Trends
More than 100K aspirants take CPA (USA) exam every year. The growth rate for number of candidates taking the CPA exam is more than 10% year over year. With the exam becoming a global standard, job opportunities have also increased. There is an uptrend of 14% in the job opportunities for Chartered holders. More than 60% companies currently employing CPA professionals are looking forward to hire more CPA professionals. With the exam getting more and more holistic, the uptick and career opportunities for Chartered holders is at an all-time high.
Opportunities for CPA holders in India
The demand for CPA has increased significantly in recent times with the growth in MNCs and outsourcing of Finance & Accounting work from Big4s in India.. MNCs and Big 4s (Delotte, EY, PwC, KPMG) are constantly on the look-out for CPAs. Many of them also sponsor their professionals to pursue the CPA course
Exam 1 Financial Accounting & Reporting (FAR) Exam 2 Auditing and Attestation (AUD) Exam 3 Regulation (REG) Exam 4 Business Environment & Concepts (BEC)
You can take the Uniform CPA Examination four times per year. The testing windows are as follows:
Q1 January 1 - March 10 Q2 April 1 - June 10 Q3 July 1 - September 10 Q4 October 1 - December 10
12,000 questions, unlimited practice exams, and more.
Master an entire lesson in 30-45 minutes
Access the most up-to-date materials and software.
Learn from a full team of accredited university professors.
Pass at a level you did not know was possible.
Wiley experts will help you determine your CPA Exam eligibility.
Partner Until You Pass Guarantee with free online content & courseware updates until you pass. Your Wiley CPAexel Course has no expiration date. Use it until one year after you pass the exam. Course repeats, online content updates, and software upgrades are free.
Efficient Learning System with bite-sized lessons, exam planner, discussions, unlimited practice exams and more. Read More. Built around a 30-minute "bite-sized" content framework, Wiley CPAexcel's lessons contain text and video instruction, as well as mini assessments flash cards. Progress and outcomes are constantly tracked and regularly reported back to you for self-assessment, building the confidence and motivation critical to your success. Wiley CPAexcel enables you to master an entire lesson in about 30 minutes. That's a realistic approach for your real-world schedule.
Study Guides map perfectly to the lessons in the courseware. Read More. The four volume set reviews all four parts of the CPA Exam. The eBook is mapped perfectly to the courseware and feature Wiley CPAexcel's popular Bite-Sized lessons.
The powerful companion mobile app includes video lectures, practice questions with complete explanations and digital flashcards. Practice sessions and metrics sync with the full online course across all devices. Study on the go, online or offline.
Professor Mentoring with online support from subject-expert professors. Get the support and answers you need from experienced, subject-expert professors. With Professor Mentoring, you can post your CPA Exam related questions and get a response within 48 hours or less. Need an immediate response? Access the archived discussions to find what you are looking for. Answers in 48 hours or less: Post your CPA Exam related question, and get an answer from experienced subject-expert professors. Archived discussions: Access prior discussions so you can often find the answer that you need immediately and see what types of questions your peers are asking. Expert team of professor mentors: Every Wiley CPAexcel mentor is a distinguished university professor and an expert in their field.
Virtual Classroom Series with live, online instruction and support. A blend of pre-recorded lectures and live online classes led by instructors who discuss the most frequently missed questions in the course. You ll have the opportunity to ask questions of live instructors and access archived lectures.
Online Test Bank with additional 4,400 exam questions and 160 task-based simulations.
With the CPA Online Test Bank included with your CPA Platinum Review Course, you will have access to more than 12,000 practice questions and 600+ task-based simulations- -more than any other course available.
Focus Notes with acronyms and mnemonics. Reinforce key concepts for every section of the CPA Exam with these easy-to-read and carry spiral-bound supplements. Learn acronyms and mnemonic devices to help you remember accounting rules, checklists and more.
Digital Flash Cards to reinforce and improve retention. Use Flash Cards to reinforce and improve knowledge retention in all four sections. Order the complete 4-parts (1,000 cards) or individual sections (250 cards/section).
The most popular supplement in CPA-land with 4,500+ CPA Exam practice questions with detailed answer rationales and 200 task-based simulations, including new Document Review Simulations (DRS). Boost your review with the ultimate online practice tool.
4,200+ CPA Exam Multiple Choice Questions with Detailed Answer Rationales 200+ Task-based Simulations, Including 10+ New Document Review Simulations Tracks Your Strengths & Weaknesses Forms & Formats for the Most Current Exam 1 Year Access When Purchased as a Stand-alone Supplement Replicates the Prometric Interface
Use the Wiley CPA Online Test Bank to sharpen your skills, replicate the real test environment, identify and tag weak subject areas, or customize question sets.
The complete (4-part) Wiley CPAexcel Test Bank features 4,200+ CPA Exam multiple choice questions, 200+ task-based simulations, and 3 written communications with 2 years of unlimited, online access. Or purchase just the exam part(s) you need for a smaller sub-set of questions with 1 year of unlimited, online access.
View your progress by topic, and understand where you have reached passing threshold. Customize reports by including or excluding saved sessions. Filter progress reports by subtopic and view as a raw score or in percentages.
You now have complete control over the data in your history.
AICPA, the body administering CPA exam requires a minimum of 150 accounting credits to take the exam. For Indian students this means a B. Com and M.Com degree or B.Com and other Master’s program. Chartered Accountants, Masters in Accounting and a few Diploma courses along with B. Com make you 100% eligible for the exam. Though there are exceptions always. Since this can be very confusing for aspirants, Wiley provides Free U.S. CPA Eligibility test services to all candidates. To get your eligibility check just send us an email with your education documents to certifications@wiley.com.
CPA review course gives you the freedom to go at your own pace and allows you to plan your study as per your convenience. You can choose to create a relaxed study plan (12 months max) or a relatively intensive plan (e.g. 3 months) whichever is more suited for your individual preferences.
The course will be available to you for a period of 1 year. Since Wiley students have more than 87% success rate, we are confident you will succeed within this period.
To regain the access, students just need to provide a proof of non-appearance or failing the CPA exam.
No need to worry, we’re got you covered. If you are experiencing any glitches or technical issues; please contact our support team: https://www.efficientlearning.com/support/. Our team will try to resolve your problem at the earliest.
We have a multi-level support system for all your preparation needs. You can ask any question you have during live online classes and our subject experts will get back to you in less than 48 hours. However, if you are looking for an immediate response, you may refer to the discussion forums and seek help from other students.
Careers in public accounting focus on auditing and tax functions. Public accountants usually work for several clients as part of a firm or on their own.
The ROI of a CPA license depends upon your individual interests, experience and the kind of industry you’re working in. On an average, a CPA license holder garners 10-15% higher salary. Moreover, since this license opens up the global market opportunities, self-employed CPA licensees could expand the gamut of their services beyond national territories and earn a premium on their regular services. As per a study, a CPA license holder typically earns $75,000 at the start.
No, US citizenship or residency is not necessarily required for the CPA exam. International candidates are allowed to appear for the CPA exam provided they meet the necessary eligibility requirements of the state board. In fact, Asian countries like India and China have the most number of CPA exam takers annually after USA.
CPA exam remains the same no matter where it's taken. However, every US state/jurisdiction has its own set of education and experience requirements that individuals must meet in order to qualify for the exam. For Indian graduates, the minimum requirement is B.Com with M.Com , Chartered Accountants with B.Com, B.Com with Accountancy Masters or B.Com with MBS. You can get your eligibility checked by our expert counsellors.
In general, there are three main requirements:
The CPA exam has multiple costs which include preparation, registration, enrolment, exam fee and many others. While course curriculum typically costs around Rs.80,000 to Rs.1,20,000. Since AICPA does not have an exam centre in India, there are other costs incurred by Indian students due to the travel and the accommodation required to take the exam. For an Indian candidate the total expense can be anywhere around Rs. 3 lakh to Rs.5 lakh approximately. This includes the travel cost to the test taking centre, the curriculum cost and the cost for Visa and accommodation.
Many states require the candidate to have 2 year experience under a Charter holder. Many states/jurisdictions also accept non-public accounting experience (e.g., industry, government), although the number of years deemed acceptable are typically higher than for public accounting.
Under one-tier system, candidates must pass the CPA exam and fulfill the experience requirements to obtain both the certificate and license. On the other hand, under two-tier system you can obtain the certificate upon passing the exam and then must fulfill the experience requirements to obtain the license to practice in public accounting. Because so many factors determine whether a state/jurisdiction is considered one- or two-tier, it is recommended that you contact your state board for interpretation.
CPAs need to meet requirements defined by their licensing state board of accountancy to maintain their license. Many state licensing boards require that CPAs improve their skills through continuing professional education (CPE) courses and other avenues for professional development.
1. Continuing Professional Education (CPE) Courses
2. Renewal every period: This depends on the licensing state board you’re registered with. For example, CPA licenses are valid for two-year periods in California and expire every other year at midnight on the last day of the licensees’ birth month.
To pass the CPA exam, you need to earn a score of at least a 75 or higher on each section score for all sections is 75 or higher. Each section of the Exam is evaluated on a scale from 0 to 99. This means passing scores are from 75 to 99 and “study more scores” are from 0 to 74.
CPA is a completely online computer based test and is administered at various pre-defined test centres of AICPA. It is offered in four segments namely AUD, BEC, FAR and REG. These exams are 4-hours each which include multiple choice questions, task based simulations and document review simulation. Wiley course curriculum and the test banks provide the candidates real exam questions and questions prepared by World’s best authors which ensures that Wiley’s students get the exam level questions for practice. This is the reason Wiley’s students have over 87% success rate in the CPA exam compared to the Global average of 47% from other course providers and trainers.
Average pass rate is 46%. Due to the high quality of content and the learning platform that helps candidates plan their study, the pass rate among Wiley CPAexcel students is 87%. This is highest success rate among all the course providers globally. Wiley’s students have passed the course in as small as 3 months time studying on their own using Wiley’s content and Wiley’s Learning platform.
The CPA exam is offered quarterly in what is referred to as a “testing window.” The testing window is generally the first two months in a quarter for a calendar year. The third month is referred to as a “blackout month.” Each section may be taken separately, during one of the following testing windows:
The CPA exam is offered quarterly in what is referred to as a “testing window.” The testing window is generally the first two months in a quarter for a calendar year. The third month is referred to as a “blackout month.” Each section may be taken separately, during one of the following testing windows:
CPA is a 16 hour exam in total which includes 4 exam sections namely AUD, REG, FAR and BEC. A candidate gets 4 hours to complete each section.
No, you can choose to give different section exam in different testing windows in any order. Only thing that must be kept in mind is that you have to complete all the four parts within 18 months after passing any one of the parts. Otherwise your passing credits would be forfeited and you would have to pass all sections all over again. Moreover, you cannot take the same section more than once during any one testing window.
Section | Questions | Testlet | |
Type | Weight | ||
Auditing & Attestation (AUD) Time to complete: 4 hours |
72 MCQs 8 TBSs |
50% 50% |
#1 36 MCQs #2 36 MCQs #3 2 TBSs #4 3 TBSs #5 3 TBSs |
Business Environment and concepts (BEC) Time to complete: 4 hours |
62 MCQs 4 TBSs 3 Written Communication |
50% 35% 15% |
#1 31 MCQs #2 31 MCQs #3 2 TBSs #4 2 TBSs #5 3 Written Communication |
Financial Accounting & Reporting (FAR) Time to complete: 4 hours |
66 MCQs 8 TBSs |
50% 50% |
#1 33 MCQs #2 33 MCQs #3 2 TBSs #4 3 TBSs #5 3 TBSs |
Regulation (REG) Time to complete: 4 hours |
76 MCQs 8 TBSs |
50% 50% |
#1 38 MCQs #2 38 MCQs #3 2 TBSs #4 3 TBSs #5 3 TBSs |
The NTS or Notice to Schedule is issued by NASBA. It is your approval ticket to sit for the CPA exam. The validation period of NTS differs for each state board of the USA and depends on the state you have registered your exam with. The NTS validity period starts from the date of issue of NTS and is valid for the period as per the states. For most of the states the NTS is valid for a period of 6 months. Except for Texas, California, Hawaii, Louisana, Utah, North Dakota, South Dakota, Virginia which have NTS period from 3months to 12 month.
Earlier Indian candidates needed to travel to the USA to give the CPA exam. However, with recent changes candidates can take their exam at Prometric centres located in US, Bahrain, Kuwait, Lebanon and United Arab Emirates