[Mr. CPA]

I know that you pretty much have to know your stuff in and out (three times over), but if you do miraculously score great and win the elijah sells watt award, How easy will it be to get into big 4 or another other firm for that matter. I was told that the big 4 will find you! Anyways, what do you think??!!

[potatogun]

Did you receive it :)? I think the type of person who succeeds to that level on the CPA exam is already someone that many firms would want to hire regardless. So I don't think it is so much it makes you marketable inherently as it is just another aspect of your qualifications that stands out.

FAR 92 - AUD 91 - REG 94 - BEC 86

[Mr. CPA]

No, I didn't receive it! I wish I do that well! I'm actually scheduled to take fare in october! And then I'm taking bec in November! There's nothing wrong with dreaming though! lol

[Anonymous]

What the hek is this award? I have never heard of this.

[potatogun]

Top 10 scorers each year overall, who pass on the first try for each test. I think the Big4 all give $20k if you get it as a bonus in addition to whatever the award is.

FAR 92 - AUD 91 - REG 94 - BEC 86

[Anonymous]

OMG I didn't even know this existed! That would be awesome!

[Anonymous]

I don't think I qualify anymore. (looks at score)

But what if I retake BEC and get a score in the 90s… should I?

[Anonymous]

PricewaterhouseCoopers gives you $20k bonus for receiving the award plus $5k bonus for passing the exam. It's ok to dream but you have to get 99s on all 4 and have to pass all of them your first try. And yes all those people are probably already hired by huge firms. But yeah any big 4 would take an award winner!

I'm shooting for my 75!

[Anonymous]

Btw I know plenty of people at Big 4 who passed all 4 with 97-99 and went to my school, these scores did not place them in top 10! And the school I went to isn't anything close to MIT, UPenn or Harvard! Just a regular state school!

[potatogun]

I assume there are also more than 10 people who tie for the top scores, so I wonder how that works. But ya success on the CPA exam and working Big4 is not really based on what college you went to.

Big4 recruit from all sorts of universities. For instance in CA, there are both UCs and a handful of CSUs that are recruited from equally.

FAR 92 - AUD 91 - REG 94 - BEC 86

[Anonymous]

Yes and unless you are in top 10, there is no difference if you got a 99 or a 75, it just how it works. I remember one of my accounting professors always say “The CPA certificate does not say ‘barely made it'” 🙂

[viperbmx03]

I went to school with a pretty cool kid who won the Elijah Watts a few years back.. he told me he got 3, 99's and a 98 or 97 on BEC. Super brilliant kid.. he's no longer in public.. if i'm not mistaken he's out saving the world's economy..

FAR - 2008 - 73 ~ Retook 8/28/2010 ~ 92
BEC - 2008 - 86 ~ Lost it 10/23/2010 ~ 90
AUD - 2009 - 79 ~ Lost it 11/30/2010 ~ ??
REG - 1/8/2011 ~ ??

[Anonymous]

Even if I was close to getting it, I don't think you could even promise me that I would win if I had to retake FAR! 75s in each exam is as much of a CPA as one with all 99s (though if you win the award, I'm sure you are guaranteed a job at any public accounting firm you want).

[potatogun]

Maybe…but doing well on the CPA hardly makes for good performance in public accounting. But maybe a firm would want them just for “bragging” rights.

FAR 92 - AUD 91 - REG 94 - BEC 86

[Author]

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