[Anonymous]

Hi Folks, brand new to …. well … everything (forum, CPA exam, materials, etc.). I’m looking for a basic explanation and understanding of the timelines and logistics of doing this. and I do mean as rudimentary as possible – super basic. I’m picking up bits and pieces but I don’t have the big picture of how this whole thing plays out. These are the facts I have so far:
A. I’ve read that I have an 18 month timeline to get all 4 sections done.
B . There are 4 sections with varying difficulties.
C. I tell KY that I’m awesome and they then say, “why yes, of course you must take this exam! We can clearly see from
your school transcripts that you are a genius!”
D. The Kentucky state of Accountancy then gives me permission with some type of ID pass/permission slip/member
card/ticket to greatness (I’m assuming)
E. I take the 4 sections at a Prometric center located near me.
This is where my knowledge comes to a glorious end.

So … I’ve got some questions and would be most appreciative if someone can help me put it all together.
Once the state allows a person to sit for the exam is that the day to schedule your first section?
Can you pick your first and subsequent sections or do they do it for you?
Do you schedule all sections at one time? Or can you take an exam and then pick your next section?
Do you have limited amnt of time to schedule the next one?
Is there a certain window when some sections are available at certain times of the year and unavailable at other times?
I’ve read that someone retook an exam in the 18 month window – is that really possible?
And any other rudimentary information you’ve gleaned

[Rainbow Butterfly]

You do not need to take all the exams at the same time, I wouldn't even schedule all the exams at once. The 18 month clock starts after you take and pass your first exam. So take the hardest one first, whatever you define as hard. Depending on your time line and if you work or not, you may or may not want to have at most 2 exams scheduled (not on the same day). you can only take 1 exam during one quarter. aka FAR in Q1 only once. but you could take FAR and BEC in Q1 no problem. the third month of a quarter is called a “dark month” limited to no scheduling.

Personal advice, start as soon as you can, do FAR first cause it has almost 2 times the amount of material you will need to cover compared to some of the other exams. that way you aren't wasting your clock on sooooooooooo much material.

[Anonymous]

For Kentucky you will complete an initial application, the process can be found on this page:
https://cpa.ky.gov/examcandidates/Pages/Initial-Application-and-Instructions.aspx

With that initial application you can pay an application fee for any of the parts you want to take. The above mentioned page explains the other parts of the process.

You can take any of the 4 sections of the exam throughout the testing windows of the 4 Quarters, you just cant take the same section more than once per quarter. Testing Windows:

Q1: January 1-March 10
Q2: April 1- June 10
Q3: July 1 – September 10
Q4: October 1 – December 10

The only limitation within these windows is getting a seat at your specific ProMetric location on the day you want. So you could take the exams within those windows however you want. 1 Per window, all 4 in the same window, etc., however your study is going to work out. I wouldnt recommend ever taking all 4 in the same window, I just mentioned it to show there's no limit on you doing that.

[Anonymous]

Hey

Step 1: Find yourself a good review course
Step 2: Figure out which of the 4 exams you want to hit first and figure out how long it will take you to study for that exam.
Step 3: Click on the link that Colin provided to apply for NTS (notice to schedule) FOR THE EXAMS YOU WANT TO TAKE WITHIN THE NEXT 6 MONTHS – This is important, do not apply for all 4 exams at once because you only have 6 months to take them from the date your NTS is issued. Why do some people apply for all 4 at once? Because you can save some money in the short run, but if the NTS expires then you will be spending much more money to reapply for those expired NTSs. Many people will apply for two exams on the same NTS – this is reasonable. It will take 6-8 weeks for your first NTS to be issued. It will take a couple of days for any subsequently applied for NTSs to be issued.
From your post “C” & “D” is step three. Basically provide your basic information and transcript to the state. The state will then review and do a background check on you and issue the NTS for the exams your applied to take.
Step 4: Using your results from Step 2, schedule your exam at your preferred Prometric location. You can reschedule it as many times as you want. Note, however, you will pay a fee if rescheduling within 30 days of your exam and an even larger fee if rescheduling within 5-7 days.
Rainbow and Colin explained the limitations on taking same exams during the same quarter – this is important. Also the “dark month” keep that in mind – refer to Rainbow's response.
Yes you can retake an exam in the 18 month window – if you fail one. You can retake exams as many times as your wallet will allow.

Important – on exam day, make sure you are aware of all of the identification items and document items that you need to bring with you. You will not be able to take the exam unless you have everything with you. Basically, for most people it is just Driver's License and NTS. You may need one more identification, such as a passport.

[itooshallpass]

Hey, welcome to this glorious journey! Based on my experience, this is the advice I would give:
Apply for only one or two exams per NTS, depending on what time period your state gives you. My state gives you a 6 month window, so I applied for 2 sections at a time. This was the most doable and cost effective way for me. Also be aware that with NASBA's new online system, you might get your NTS as soon as a couple of days after your state authorizes you, so keep that in mind with planning the timing of your exams. I was expecting the three to six week wait from before the new system, but my NTS the second time around was issued like 3 days after my state authorization, so I had to re-organize the timing of my review plan and scheduling of those two exams. (hopefully that makes sense?)
Exam order: I took them in the widely recommended order of FAR, AUD, REG, BEC. Looking back, I think FAR-AUD-BEC-REG, or REG-FAR-AUD-BEC would have made it quite a bit easier. REG is really an outlier from the other three as far as material, and the concepts between FAR, AUD, and BEC are far more interrelated, so I think it would be easier to have taken those three consecutively, with REG on its own either first or last. Just my two cents! 🙂

[Author]

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