Accountants who work directly with the public or for businesses must be
licensed and certified to be able to practice their profession legally. The
initiation of the certification and licensing process began in part, to protect
both the accountant as well as the individuals or companies they worked for.
Being licensed as a Certified Public Accountant, or CPA, brings credibility to
the profession. It also assures clients the accountants are adequately trained
and prepared to handle any financial situation presented to them. Once an
accounting student graduates with their specific degree, they must prepare for
the licensing exam that will certify their qualifications and license them to
work in their respective state.
Check your state's requirements needed to qualify to sit for the CPA exam.
Each state has similar requirements that accounting students must meet before
they can take the CPA exam. For the most part, states are relatively uniform in
what they require in terms of semester hours, number of hours in business and
accounting classes and the student's grade point average.
You must know the number of semester hours of education
needed to qualify to sit for the CPA exam. All states require a minimum of
150 semester hours of education. 30 hours of graduate classes in accounting and
24 graduate hours business courses are required to be able take the CPA exam.
Another 3 hours dedicated to ethics is also a mandatory requirement.
A person must have the grades needed to prove they have a working
understanding of accounting practices and protocols. In most cases, state's
require at least a 3.0 grade point average to be able to sit for the CPA exam.
They also mandate at least 3.0 GPA must be carried in each accounting class to
ensure the student's understand the concepts and protocols they are taught.
The uniform CPA examination must also be taken before a student can sit for
the state required certification and licensing tests. The uniform CPA
examination is just what its name implies. It is a generalized form of the CPA
test that allows reviewers to determine if an applicant has the skills and
knowledge needed to take the final licensing and certification test.
While this seems like a lengthy process to reach your goals of becoming a
licensed accountant, it is one that thoroughly prepares you for the exacting
profession you are dedicating your life to. Meeting the requirements needed to
qualify to sit for the CPA exam proves you are adequately prepared and are able
to advance into the licensing aspect of the process. You are ready to take on
the world and assume the duties you have chosen to assume.