[kky617]

Hi,

I have BA in Psychology and finally fulfilled the 150 credit requirement (including the required Accounting and Business credits( to take the CPA exam. I have no experience in accounting field.

I thought my worries would be over once I am done with the credit requirement, but now, I am more worried about the career options. I am a permanent resident (can work legally in private and public sectors just not the government job) and will apply for citizenship in July of 2015 (next summer).

I live in Colorado Springs, CO.

I am debating whether to pursue CPA license or just pursue EA license.

Pursuing CPA license would require me to find a CPA firm that will hire me after I pass all 4 sections of the exam or to get a graduate degree in order to fulfill licensing requirement through education in lieu of experience (totaling 18 more hours in Accounting and 15 more hours in Business related subjects). Getting the golden CPA license would allow me to work in various industries (public/private/government once I get my citizenship).

Pursuing EA license would require me to study a lot more about taxation and pass the SEE exam. One good thing about getting this license is that I don’t have to have additional work or educational experience to get licensed upon passing the exam. With EA license, I would need to open my own business (most likely) and advertise a lot to recruit my clientele in order to stay in business.

Please help me decide.

Thank you so much :)!

[Anonymous]

kky617- thank you for the support!! I promise after this designation, that will be the last time I get laid off. I plan on working for myself to eliminate the chance of if happening again!

[Anonymous]

kky617- thank you for the support!! I promise after this designation, that will be the last time I get laid off. I plan on working for myself to eliminate the chance of if happening again!

[Anonymous]

I got my EA license shortly before I started on the CPA exam. I would say it is somewhat harder than REG (which I am currently working on), but not by much. It is certainly focuses more on tax than the CPA. If you want to own a tax/accounting business, EA is great and few people question your licenses. It gives me an edge because it is a tax specialty whereas some CPAs don't do taxes. However, many people have called me a CPA no matter how many times I correct them because they think accountant=CPA.

What the CPA offers that the EA doesn't, is more opportunities in other fields; i.e. government, private, auditing. If you like tax or want your own firm, consider both EA and/or CPA. If you don't like tax, stick with the CPA only.

[Anonymous]

I got my EA license shortly before I started on the CPA exam. I would say it is somewhat harder than REG (which I am currently working on), but not by much. It is certainly focuses more on tax than the CPA. If you want to own a tax/accounting business, EA is great and few people question your licenses. It gives me an edge because it is a tax specialty whereas some CPAs don't do taxes. However, many people have called me a CPA no matter how many times I correct them because they think accountant=CPA.

What the CPA offers that the EA doesn't, is more opportunities in other fields; i.e. government, private, auditing. If you like tax or want your own firm, consider both EA and/or CPA. If you don't like tax, stick with the CPA only.

[Skynet]

@kky617 – Yes i plan on keeping the EA once i get my CPA. You actually dont have to be in an association to maintain the EA. Just have to keep up with the CPEand go through the renewal process every three years.

[Skynet]

@kky617 – Yes i plan on keeping the EA once i get my CPA. You actually dont have to be in an association to maintain the EA. Just have to keep up with the CPEand go through the renewal process every three years.

[Study Monk]

Assuming you recently passed REG how many hours of study(average person) do you think it will take to get an EA?

I spoke to an ancient wise man who sent me on a mushroom induced journey through an ancient forest to find the key to passing the CPA exam. A talking spider monkey told me to throw the last of my drinking water in the dirt to find what I was looking for. So I followed his instructions and the following message appeared in the soil:

"Do 5000 multiple choice questions for each section"

[Study Monk]

Assuming you recently passed REG how many hours of study(average person) do you think it will take to get an EA?

I spoke to an ancient wise man who sent me on a mushroom induced journey through an ancient forest to find the key to passing the CPA exam. A talking spider monkey told me to throw the last of my drinking water in the dirt to find what I was looking for. So I followed his instructions and the following message appeared in the soil:

"Do 5000 multiple choice questions for each section"

[univegabw]

I live in Colorado and you can gain your experience from public, industry or government. It doesn't have to be just public. I'm racing the 150hrs limit and take my first exam Apr. 4th.

A- 53, 55
B- Passed!
F- Not Yet Taken
R- 1/17/2015

[univegabw]

I live in Colorado and you can gain your experience from public, industry or government. It doesn't have to be just public. I'm racing the 150hrs limit and take my first exam Apr. 4th.

A- 53, 55
B- Passed!
F- Not Yet Taken
R- 1/17/2015

[Anonymous]

@Study Monk:

I don't know how long it would take another person. I have three kids under 5, full-time job, and didn't know much about taxes when I took the EA exams. Plus, there are a lot of people smarter and more disciplined than me. Give it a shot and let me know. Anybody who can pass the CPA exam is a freaking genius. You can do anything.

[Anonymous]

@Study Monk:

I don't know how long it would take another person. I have three kids under 5, full-time job, and didn't know much about taxes when I took the EA exams. Plus, there are a lot of people smarter and more disciplined than me. Give it a shot and let me know. Anybody who can pass the CPA exam is a freaking genius. You can do anything.

[M.O.D.]

The EA requires 3 separate 100 question tests at Prometric called the SEE (special enrollment examination). Individual, Business and IRS Procedures/Ethics tests.

I took a class to prepare for it and if you have 2-3 tax classes, or maybe 3-4 years of tax experience, you could pass during the one semester class. The students had a chance to take their midterms at prometric or on Gleim/FastForward software.

Most opted to take it at Prometric, and almost all who tried passed all the tests. You get an instant pass/not pass result at prometric. I don't know what the passing rate is, but I suspect the bar is set lower than the CPA exam.

The disadvantage is that EAs are regulated by the IRS, not the independent State Boards of CPAs. Their tax returns are examined upon application, and there is a lot of powerlessness dealing with IRS bureaucracy, continuing education, regulations, etc.

BA Mathematics, UC Berkeley
Certificates in CPA and EA preparation, College of San Mateo
CMA I 420, II 470
FAR 91, AUD Feb 2015 (Gleim self-study)

[M.O.D.]

The EA requires 3 separate 100 question tests at Prometric called the SEE (special enrollment examination). Individual, Business and IRS Procedures/Ethics tests.

I took a class to prepare for it and if you have 2-3 tax classes, or maybe 3-4 years of tax experience, you could pass during the one semester class. The students had a chance to take their midterms at prometric or on Gleim/FastForward software.

Most opted to take it at Prometric, and almost all who tried passed all the tests. You get an instant pass/not pass result at prometric. I don't know what the passing rate is, but I suspect the bar is set lower than the CPA exam.

The disadvantage is that EAs are regulated by the IRS, not the independent State Boards of CPAs. Their tax returns are examined upon application, and there is a lot of powerlessness dealing with IRS bureaucracy, continuing education, regulations, etc.

BA Mathematics, UC Berkeley
Certificates in CPA and EA preparation, College of San Mateo
CMA I 420, II 470
FAR 91, AUD Feb 2015 (Gleim self-study)

[vanadium3]

just here to shed some light as I'm doing the last part of EA test as we speak. each 3 part is composed of 100 questions. 3.5hr time limit per section. it took me about 50-60hrs to prepare for each section. so if you are somewhat familiar with corp and indiv tax, you can do it in a month if you study crazy full time like you would REG (given you passed REG on 1st try).

Part 1 individual pass rate 80%

part 2 business 60%

part 3 IRS ethics.. more rules than regular ethics/common sense sadly… 80%

I passed the first 2 part 1st try. doing part 3 soon. I would say the whole EA test difficulty is almost as hard as REG at least for the time put in. this is really because EA test is based on “if you know it or you don't” with no SIMS. Unlike REG where they really would trick you if you don't RTFQ.

CPA

[Author]

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