Our success comes only with your success



Certified Public Accountant Exam Information

The CPA license is the leading professional qualification in the world for accountants and auditors. Though it has no legal status in countries other than the United States it is recognized around the world by the business community.

For more information about the CPA Preparatory Program that HOCK provides in Russia, please contact Galina Matveeva. She will send you full information about the program and the next available courses.

More information about the exam can be found at www.cpa-exam.org.

Who Gives the CPA Exam

The CPA Exam is set by the American Institute of CPAs (AICPA), the leading professional organization for accountants, auditors and tax professionals in the United States.

The exam is given by the AICPA, but the exam is administered individually by each state in the US. This means that the administrative rules for the exam are different in each state, but the exam itself is the same.

CPA Exam Topics

The CPA Exam is made up of four parts. The parts may be taken one at a time, but all four parts must be passed within an 18 month period. This means that the fourth part must be passed within 18 months of the day the first part was passed. The four parts of the exam and their lengths are:

• Auditing and Attestation - 4.5 hours
• Financial Accounting and Reporting - 4 hours
• Regulation - 3 hours
• Business Environment and Concepts - 2.5 hours

Exam Format and Passing Scores

The exam is a computer-based exam, meaning that questions will be delivered via computer and your answers will be entered directly into the computer.

All of the parts of the exam will include multiple-choice questions. In addition, all of the parts except for Business Environment and Concepts will include a case study component called simulations. Simulations provide a set of facts and require the candidate to complete tasks related to that information and also to access authoritative literature related to the information. More information about the simulations and sample simulations will be provided to candidates during their preparation process.

Obtaining the CPA License

After passing all of the exams, a candidate must demonstrate that they have the necessary experience. Though this experience requirement is determined by each state individually, most states require two years of public accounting experience in audit or taxation.

CPA Eligibility Requirements for non-US Citizens

There are a number of states in which candidates educated outside of the United States may be eligible to sit for the exam. We would recommend you to register in New Hampshire (NH) as it has the most loyal requirements for CPA candidates outside US. In order to be eligible in NH, a candidate must have 12 US semester credit hours of accounting, tax or audit and 12 US semester credit hours of other business topics. Candidates who have been educated outside of the US need to have their education evaluated by Josef Silny & Associates, Inc. (JS&A), or similarly qualified organization. Because of the importance of this topic, more information about this process is located here.

When the CPA Exams May be Taken

The exams can be taken during the following months:

• January and February
• April and May
• July and August
• October and November

Where the CPA Exams May be Taken

The CPA Exam is available to be taken only in the United States. However, because the exam is now computer based, a candidate can sit for the exam in any State. This will provide much more flexibility for candidates to be able to take the exam when they would like to take the exam.

Who Should Take the CPA Exams

The CPA Exam is the most highly regarded and widely recognized accounting qualification in the world and individuals who work in the field of audit should obtain the CPA designation.

CPA Pass Rates

The pass rates on the individual parts of the CPA Exam are around 35%. The percent of candidates who pass all four parts on their first attempt is approximately 20%.

On the past three CPA exams, 61% of all Moscow first time candidates who have prepared with HOCK have passed all four parts of the exam on their first attempt.