Information for Potential CPA Candidates

If you want to download any application forms or other information you can get it here: www.tsbpa.state.tx.us

A few important points you should notice as you read the booklets:

1) You need to have completed 150 hours of college credit before applying to sit for the exam. Thirty credit hours must be in core accounting courses. The beginning-introductory accounting courses do not count in these thirty hours. All of the thirty hours of accounting must be upper division courses (i.e. no community college courses). You also need twenty-four credit hours of other business courses. All of the twenty-four hours of business courses must be upper division courses (i.e. no community college courses). There is one exception to the community college rules. If after you have earned a baccalaureate degree, you take classes at an approved community college (Houston Community College is an approved community college), some of their classes may be approved towards the thirty hours of accounting or the twenty-four hours of business courses. Check before taking any classes at a community college that you want to count for the CPA exam.

2) New Rules effective July 1, 2011. The Board requires that a minimum of 2 semester credit hours in research and analysis be completed. The semester hours may be obtained through a discrete (stand-alone) course or offered through an integrated approach.  Typically an advanced auditing course or a tax research course will meet this requirement as a stand-alone course. For a program to meet the requirement through an integrated approach two courses must be identified which each contribute one-third of the course to research and analysis of authoritative rules.

    In addition the Board  requires that a minimum of 2 semester credit hours in accounting communications or business communications be completed. The semester hours may be obtained through a discrete (stand–alone) course or offered through an integrated approach. Typically a business communication course will meet this requirement.

3) To have the State Board review your eligibility status you should file an Application of Intent. The Application of Intent form is on the above referenced web site. The review by the State Board is good for two years. The cost to have the State Board review your status is $50.  After the State Board reviews your transcripts and you have completed any deficiency requirements that they may have noted, they will send you an application to take the exam.   All required class hours must be completed and an updated transcript submitted before the State Board will send you an official personalized CPA Exam Application. Be aware of due dates for the Application of Intent and for the official CPA Exam Application, as they are strictly enforced. The cost to file the CPA Exam Application is $15 per section of the exam or $60 for the complete exam. This fee is paid to the Texas State Board of Accountancy.  There is also a separate fee paid to the testing center (National Association of State Boards of Accountancy) for each section of the exam. The total separate testing fee to take the full computerized exam is $741.91 (Auditing & Attestation  = $209.33; Business Environment & Concepts = $161.63; Financial Accounting & Reporting =$197.40; and Regulation =$173.55) and is due with the official CPA Exam Application. Thus the total cost for the Application of Intent, the CPA Exam Application, and the testing fee is $851.91 for the full exam. For most students this is not a cheap date. However, you can pay and take each section of the exam separately. You do not have to take or pay for all four sections at one time.

3) You should also be aware that there is no longer a paper and pencil type CPA exam but instead the exam is computer based. You can learn more about the computerized exam and coverage at the above referenced website or by clicking on this link.  http://www.tsbpa.state.tx.us/pdffiles/cbtinfo1.pdf

4) You will need one year of accounting experience working under the supervision of a CPA before the State Board will issue you a CPA certificate. You do not need the work experience before sitting for the exam, just before you can be issued a certificate. The qualifying experience is discussed at this link.

Good luck