[Anonymous]

Hey guys,

I passed FAR with a 77, and it looks bad but at least it is passing lol. Do firms care at all or they only care that I passed/have a certificate?

[Anonymous]

why does it look bad? A 77 isn't a score that's graded like a C in school. That's a slap in the face for those who pass with 75-79. A pass is a pass. They don't care about score. As long as you're on your way to getting the CPA license, that's all that matters to them.

[Anonymous]

oops sorry guys if I offended anyone by my comment!! Did not intend to!

[Anonymous]

Anna, you over studied. How dare you! LOL

I don't think anyone asks for scores.

[Anonymous]

I wish I could say they don't care, but I recently applied at a CPA firm for a job and on their application form, I had to put my passing scores for all 4 sections. If they didn't care, why are they asking me to put down the scores? Why not just a check mark or something if I passed it?

[Anonymous]

CPAMan, because they have too many candidates and are trying to differentiate them in every aspect.

[Anonymous]

It's amazing how hard it is to get a job in a CPA firm today. I can now see why some people wish the CPA exam were harder. The fact that it's getting very hard to get an Accounting job today just proves that too many people are passing these tests. They definitely need to make the exams harder so there becomes more a demand for CPAs and therefore, it would be easier to get an accounting job.

[littlenumberrobot]

@CPAMan

I respectfully disagree. Although this may be the ways of the Big 4 firms to skim through candidates, many of my local firms hire non-licensed people ALL THE TIME. It was very surprising to me. I know everyone's goals are different but I am perfectly fine with a small to medium firm in the city where I grew up.

Plus personally, I dont want the exam any more difficult 😉

CA CPA - All because of the journey listed below
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
FAR - 53('10), 8/25/12 79 PASSED!
REG - 66('11), 69('12), 12/06/12 77 PASSED!!
BEC - 58('10), 74('12), 01/05/13 77 PASSED!!!
AUD - 43('11), 66('12), 69('13), 74('13) 7/29/13 85 PASSED!!!!!

(Combinations of Roger, Yaeger, Wiley Book, Wiley TB, & NINJA Notes)

Ethics 90%

[Anonymous]

Yes, but I'm talking about CPA firms that hire licensed people or those that already passed. It seems like getting a job that leads to the CPA certification is becoming increasingly difficult and that's because these firms get an overwhelming number of candidates. If this exam were harder, the number of candidates would decrease.

[porschify]

@ CPAMan How many positions have you applied to and of those how many have requested your scores? I do not see how knowing your scores would be used to ween out potential candidates. If someone that passed the exam and obtained their license in 2010 applied for the same position as you the two scores are simply not comparable, because of the major format and material changes of the exam.

In your opinion, do you think that the reason your having a difficult time finding a job is that there is a lack of CPA's and companies are settling for someone with out the license that they are able to pay less?

Do you actually have a license or have you just passed the exam and need to meet the experience requirement? If so, do you think that corresponds to the difficulty of finding a job?

REG- 81
BEC- 72,76
AUD- 67,88
FAR- 78

Done!

[Anonymous]

@ AnnaMay – I spoke with a recruiter and with an employment counselor at the school I graduated from, and they both said to NEVER mention your actual scores on your resume or even during the interview. I was told that if you even start discussing your exam scores, they usually consider that as a “mark” against you in the interview. They'll pretty much ask (even though it states so on your resume) where you stand with the exams, you say you completed X many or all of them, and that's it.

Becoming a CPA is a career change for me, so I know where you're coming from regarding the nuances of entering a new industry.

Best of luck and congrats with the 77!

[Anonymous]

I'm not a CPA, but I will become one if I can just get that work experience. Why some firms request scores is beyond me? I have applied to MANY firms….too many to count in fact. And I only got a call to interview with one… just one and that was the firm that asked for the scores on the application form. Not sure if I'm going to get this job as I haven't heard back from the company yet, but the thing is, they are doing a background check on me this week, so maybe that is a good sign, I don't know.

And no, my scores have nothing to do with me having a hard time finding a job. I'm just saying how difficult it is to get a job in a CPA firm, that's all. I'm not ashamed of my scores, so I don't think firms will look down on that. I just think these firms just get way too many candidates for these positions and that is why they have to lock and bolt their doors….which is why I only got one phone call out of the MANY firms I applied to. Too many people pass the CPA exam, so too many people apply for jobs thereby making is very difficult to find a job leading to the CPA certification. That is why I finally agree that the CPA exam is just not hard enough.

[Anonymous]

@CPAMan – How's the view from the glass house :))) I must say that I find it interesting that a person who failed the exams on multiple occasions feels that the exam is not hard enough. If you take a test 4 times and fail, rest assure it's not an issue of material, it's the test takers knowledge base (or lack thereof).

No offense, of course.

[Anonymous]

Not sure why everyone here is having such a difficult time understanding the logic behind my posts. CPA firms have suddenly gotten quiet and don't hire as many people as they used to. The cause?…. too many people are passing the exams and applying for jobs. Too many applicants = less demand for accountants. Too many people passing = exams not being hard enough. Plain and simple!

In my opinion, the exam is very hard. But the fact that so many people are applying for jobs at CPA firms that they're forced to lock and bolt their doors and not hire people just goes to prove that way too many people are passing these exams. I may find it difficult, but a lot of people out there certainly don't think so. 5 years ago, getting a job at a CPA firm was a cinch. Now, it's close to impossible. How do you explain that?? And don't say it's the economy. Bad or good economy, if there is a high demand for people in a certain profession, then it should always be easy to get a job.

[MeaDebitum]

@CPAMan

Anything in economics is rarely dependent on just one variable.

On another note, if you are having trouble getting call backs after passing all of your exams I would recommend getting your resume checked out.

[Anonymous]

My resume has been checked out and it's as good as can be. Look around the forum and you will see that many people are having trouble getting the working experience. It's not just me. So, I don't know why people are making it seem that way.

[Author]

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