Taking the CPA Exam

Before Taking the Examination

To become licensed as a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) you must pass the Uniform CPA Examination. To do your best on the CPA exam, you must be prepared and familiar with the exam’s functionality and navigation, as well as with the content.

• The exam is computer-based, and although it sounds simple, make sure you’re comfortable with the use of a computer keyboard, mouse, and common word processing and spreadsheet functions. Note that the word processor and spreadsheet applications in the examination are NOT identical to Word or Excel features.

• Take the tutorial and sample test (several times, if necessary) before you take the exam. The tutorial and sample tests are available at www.cpa-exam.org.
  
  More information about how the CPA exam is scored can be found here.

• Pay special attention to the software features that are unique to this examination:

  • History button: Use this to find the last page visited. (A Back button is not available.) By clicking on History, you may obtain a list of up to 20 last page visits, in reverse order.

  • Copy/paste: You can copy/paste only ONE paragraph at a time; you can highlight only a block of text (NOT separate lines or words) at a time. 

  • Search: You have to scroll down to view all topics returned by a search; if you spell words incorrectly, you won’t receive any search results.

  • Calculator: You can enter numbers on the online calculator using the keyboard or the keypad with the NumLock feature turned on. Be sure you understand how to move the calculator on the screen.

Reminder: The examination consists of several sections (groups of multiple choice questions called testlets or simulations.) You can review questions within any testlet/simulation, but you CANNOT go back to a testlet/simulation once you have exited from it.

Scheduling

• Schedule your examination appointment through www.prometric.com/cpa. This Web site is available 24 hours a day, and can also be used to cancel or reschedule appointments.

• Schedule early.  It is recommended that you schedule 45 days in advance of your preferred date.

Your appointment time (on your schedule confirmation) is 30 minutes earlier than your exam time to allow you to complete the sign-in process and survey. This extra time is independent of the exam. Completing the sign-in activities quickly will NOT give you extra time on the examination.

At the Test Center

• Bring your Notice to Schedule (NTS) to the testing center!  You may not test without it.

• Bring two valid forms of ID to the testing center. Information on your two forms of ID must match the candidate information on the NTS exactly.

• Arrive at least 30 minutes early and be sure to have your Exam Section ID on hand (it’s provided on your Notice to Schedule) when you’re seated at the workstation.  You have a limited amount of time available to enter your examination password.

•  Be sure to follow research problem directions.  If you’re having difficulty entering a response in the space provided, you may not be using the expected response format.

• Report any functionality problems to the Test Center Administrator (TCA). If possible, wait until the end of the session. If you encounter a problem in a simulation, be sure to identify the TAB in which it occurred.

• Don’t be distracted by any issue as long as you’re able to continue testing. For example, if your responses don’t generate the expected color changes in pencil icons, continue testing. Report this matter to the TCA at the end of the session so that a report can be filed. The system will verify the capture of your responses.

For more details, check out the Frequently Asked Questions section of the CPA exam Web site: www.cpa-exam.org.