[Need a Napa]

Well, I’ve been pretty burned out since tax season started. I’ve found it even harder than usual to find time to study for AUD between working longer hours and still wanting to spend time with the kids. I have done my best, and actually felt pretty confident for my test today (way more confident than when I took FAR).

It was a big deal for me to take time off during tax season for this CPA test, so I really wanted to do a good job. I drove the 90 minutes to the Prometric center, and when I was being logged in, the lady said, “You know your drivers license is expired, right?” I actually thought she was joking, but she showed me. It expired 2/12/2011, ten days ago! I had no idea! Long story short, she would not budge, even though I’ve taken 2 other tests at this same center, and she remembered me (I know it is not her fault, but it is just one of those things that can make you want to snap). This was at 11:30, and the test was scheduled for 12:00. She said that if I could get to the DMV, renew my license, and bring back the temporary ID before 12:00, she’d be okay with it. This made me even angrier, considering the temporary ID does an even worse job identifying me than my expired drivers license. I got directions and drove to the DMV, thinking that if there were not many people there, I could just run in and run out and still have a chance of making it. No shot! The line was out the door and around the corner, just like any other DMV office. The parking lot was completely full. I didn’t even stop… I then thought I could renew it online on my phone, and show her the lady that it had it had been renewed, but California obviously doesn’t have enough money to keep the DMV website up and running.

So I drove back to Napa, where I have been on the phone with Prometric, NASBA, and the California Board of Accountancy. It looks like there is a slight chance that I’ll still be able to take AUD in this window (for another $140), but based on my experience so far, I’m not getting my hopes up.

So I would like to ask everybody to please make sure their drivers licenses are not expired/expiring soon. It never even crossed my mind that mine would be. Please do yourself that favor… and don’t be like me.

BEC - 83 (8/31/2010)
FAR - 85 (11/30/2010)
AUD - 82 (2/27/2011)
REG - 87 (5/31/2011)

[Anonymous]

wow! THanks for sharing!

[Anonymous]

I always bring my drivers license and passport just in case.

[Anonymous]

Me too even tho the lady at the prometric site says I only need one.

[Anonymous]

yup same here.. but you never know when they are going to change it back to 2 id's! So I always bring both!

[Anonymous]

Reminder: that you should also be at the testing center 30 minutes before the exam time… I completely forgot about this..

Luckily the center called to tell me I could come earlier and reminded me that I have to be there 30 minutes ahead of time.. If they didn't tell me,, I would have sat in my car until 5 to 12. Thank goodness they reminded me.. I still made it in time 🙂

[whitesoxfancpa]

Don't they send you notices to let you know that you have to renew your license?

AUD 96 FAR 95 REG 94 BEC 88

[herbert7890]

Wow. I hope you do get to sit for the exam on this window. Best of luck.

FAR 88 - BEC 86 - AUD 90 - REG 85

[jeff]

One of my photo IDs (credit card) wasn't signed – they “wrote me up” but let me take my exam anyway. That sucks!

Jeff Elliott, CPA (KS) | Another71 | NINJA CPA | NINJA CMA | NINJA CPE

[75orbust]

That prometric lady sounds like a stereotypical Cali hippie to me. I realize they have a job to do but they need to use a little discretion! That is just stupid, I could see if it was your first exam, you had a license that was expired for months or years maybe, but the fact it was 10 days and they already had your picture saved on their computer and a copy of your driver's license from prior tests, etc. that is a total joke. If that would have happened to me I don't think I would have become a CPA after the tirade I would have put forth in the testing center.

FAR-1/04- 86 KAPLAN Review
REG-5/12- 89 MN Licensed CPA
BEC-7/17- 81 ETHICS - 100
AUD-8/31- 85

[Anonymous]

I wish i read your post.

I was scheduled to take FAR 8 am this morning, arrived at 7:25, nice lady upfront checked my License, gave me a number and i sat at the lobby for 40 minutes, finally had my number called up…i was all prepared and confident… the lady inside told me to write my section ID on the sheets and grab 2 pencils.And just as i was about to take my fingerprints…”Your driver license expired 5 days ago”..”sorry cant let you take the test”…i pleaded with her i live 7 minutes from the test center,let me grab my passport…”sorry we are busy today,call the 1800 number…I was boiling inside,but said thank you so much and walked out.

I called Prometric, and they said nothing we can do,you will need to get a new NTS from nasba..so am here now,waiting until monday to talk to nasba.

And i have taken two exams at the same site within the last 6 months

[jeff]

The irony of Form over Substance affecting the CPA Exam.

Jeff Elliott, CPA (KS) | Another71 | NINJA CPA | NINJA CMA | NINJA CPE

[Anonymous]

with only 2 days left in the window, what are my chances? Do they let you sit for the exam in March? i would hate to face more IFRS stuff in the next window and wait for my score until June.

[jeff]

It all depends on how they flagged you- as a no-show? I'm really not sure…call the testing center asap.

Jeff Elliott, CPA (KS) | Another71 | NINJA CPA | NINJA CMA | NINJA CPE

[Need a Napa]

Sorry it took me a while to update… Being tax season, I've been quite busy.

After spending hours on the phone (and in the Napa DMV) on Tuesday, I was able to get Delia, who was very nice, at the California Board of Accountancy to approve “reinstatement” of my NTS. That was at about 3 p.m. pacific time. She said she sent an email to NASBA, and that I should call over there so I could pay my fee. I called NASBA, and of course the California representative was gone for the day (why would the California representative work on California time?). I started panicking, because there are not many seats left (or days for that matter) in this testing window. I was really uninterested in trying to retain my audit knowledge for another month during the middle of tax season.

Wednesday morning, I called back to NASBA and talked to the guy who gladly took my money. I asked him if there was any way he could turn around my paperwork the same day, and of course he could not. Said he would get back to me when the paperwork went through, but even then, it would probably take another full day to get updated at Prometric.

Long story short, I never got a call back from the guy at NASBA, but I tried every couple of hours to schedule my exam, and eventually on Thursday mid-day, it worked!! So now I'm scheduled to take the exam tomorrow morning in Santa Rosa. Not feeling as good about it as I was on Tuesday when I was supposed to take it, but I am happy that I can get this done in this testing window.

This whole thing has taken a lot of energy out of me, and I'm wondering if I should have just waited until tax season is over to start taking tests again. I guess I see the point of the rules… Yes, technically, it was my fault that I didn't know my license was expired, even though I never received notification from the DMV, but it seems like given the circumstances the expired license could have been overlooked. I guess if they were known for bending the rules, though, everybody would try to do it.

Total cost of this little mishap: $130 cpa fees, a tank of gas in my truck, a day off work during tax season, and a small part of my soul.

BEC - 83 (8/31/2010)
FAR - 85 (11/30/2010)
AUD - 82 (2/27/2011)
REG - 87 (5/31/2011)

[Anonymous]

Sorry for the costs! ouch. But gooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooood luck to you 🙂

[Author]

Replies