• EDUCATION REQUIREMENTS
• TESTING WINDOW & FEES
• PREP COURSES
• TESTING CENTERS

EDUCATION REQUIREMENTS

Requirements to sit for the CPA exam vary by state. For more specific information please review the requirements for your intended state of practice by visiting the local state board of accountancy.

In general, to sit for the exam, most states require 120 semester credit hours of education; 24 of which should be in accounting courses, and another 24 should be in business related courses.

There are often additional education hours required for licensing. In general the total number of credit hours required to become a licensed CPA is 150; 36 of which should be in accounting courses, and another 36 should be in business related courses.

TESTING WINDOW & FEES

Currently the CPA exam closed during the third month of each testing window. Therefore, the exam is not available during the following months: March, June, September, and December.

Testing and licensing fees can vary by state, see the local state board of accountancy for details.

PREP COURSES

The CPA Exam consists of four (4) parts: Auditing (AUD), Business Environment and Concepts (BEC), Financial (FAR) and Regulation (REG). Most of the courses you take at the College of Charleston are designed to prepare you to be a leader in the accounting profession, and are NOT specifically designed to prepare you for the CPA Exam. In an attempt to support your attempts to pass all 4 parts of the exam, the College has built relationships with 4 providers of CPA Exam Review support: Bisk, Becker, Gleim and Kaplan.

Most CPA Exam Review products have 3 components:

• Audio/Video Lessons – Instructors walk you through material that will be covered on the exam and discuss strategies for passing the exam.
• Testing Software – Thousands of questions from past exams are presented in a format similar to the actual exam.
• Books – Written materials support the audio/video lessons and prepare you for the questions presented by the testing software.
  

Becker CPA Review
Contacts:
Ashley DeVeau {adeveau@beckerreview.com}

Caroline Kinnett{cfkinnet@edisto.cofc.edu}

Morgan Bauserman {mbauserm@edisto.cofc.edu}

Becker awards several scholarships to graduating CofC students with intentions on taking the CPA Exam within 6 months of graduation. Winners are chosen via an application process each Spring. Becker also hires 2 sales representatives from our student body to help them promote their product to students. Sales reps receive a “full-ride” for the Becker course. Additionally, Becker will be running its LiveCourse on the College’s campus each Summer.  CofC students will have access to a reduced rate for the LiveCourse.

Bisk CPA Review
Contacts:
Dr. Bill Koprowski, ACLS Dept Chair (koprowskiw@cofc.edu)
Leonard Allen (Bisk) at 1-800-280-9921 ext. 4579 – for privileges on Bisk web-site; also can provide all 4 Bisk books for one reduced price
In addition to having all of the Bisk materials available to be borrowed by you in our CPA Exam Review Room (405 Beatty Center, across from Dept Chair’s office), you also have access to a “deal” from Bisk that will give you access to a significantly reduced price for the Bisk books for around $500 and a significant amount of questions, answers and study materials derived from prior CPA Exams.  Call Leonard Allen at the above number for more details.

Gleim CPA Review
Contact:
Ms. Ceil Fewox, Visiting Professor (fewoxc@cofc.edu)
You can access Gleim software free of charge. The software has been added to 6 computers in the Accounting Lab on the 1 st floor of the Beatty Center (near the back door of the building). Each computer that has the Gleim software is labeled “CPA TEST PREP.” Additionally, you can purchase the Gleim books (value = $1,000) for $355 as a CofC student.

TESTING CENTERS

The CPA exam is administered electronically through Prometric test centers. To locate the closest center, visit www.prometric.com/cpa.

It is recommended to schedule your exam at least 45 days in advance of the desired testing date.