[payfields]

I am not trying to offend anyone, as i know there are a lot of people who have taken parts of the exam multiple times…

But does anyone thing there should be some kind of limit to the amount of times you can take each section of the exam?

I recently heard about an ex employee who took over 40 exams, then finally passed all 4, but not within the 18 month period, actually had one exam expire by two months, then another by 3 days… yet wrote a long complaint letter and asked for a reprieve from the rules and was granted a license.

I was so annoyed to hear not only did they take 40 exams, but they didnt even complete them within the time period, but the BOA still gave them a license!

Unfair to the people who did complete it within 18 months. It then also make me thing of the max number of times for failing a section.

Thoughts?

[A]

I don't like whiners. Clear evidence of a serious struggle to pass should have trumped the exception that was granted. How many people here have (or have had) a 74 blocking their licensure?

However, what incentive does NASBA have for limiting the number of test attempts when the recurring application and exam fees are so lucrative?

B - 77 (2.27.16)
A - 81 (4.18.16)
R -
F -

Roger Review + Ninja MCQs

[Nessie]

I know of someone who is a “Chartered Accountant.”This is the (old) designation of Canada. This person will tell you that a CA is much more difficult to pass. You need an education and work experience before you wrote you exams. Then you would write the UFFI- an exam covering everything. You were only allowed 2 fails for all exams. If you failed a 3rd time, you would not be granted the designation and the 8 years you spent at school and work would be down the drain. It was really embarrassing for people who were already employed by the big 4. Imagine telling your boss you would never become a CA…..This is how it was years back. Apparently, the people with 2 fails racked up were completely stressed, as you can imagine. Now everyone with a CA is warned in 10 years they will have to call themselves CPAs. The profession basically made it easier, so that people would not waste x amount of years, only to fail in the end. The CAs are not happy about this mandate.

REG Aug 20/15: 88
AUD: Feb 29/16: 80
FAR: Jun 10/16: 80
BEC?

Becker self-study, Becker Final Review & NINJA MCQS

[jonm857]

So there's roughly 319,000,000 people living in the US. Based on some article I looked at on google, only 660,000 of them are CPAs, which is 0.21% of the population. I guess the point I'm trying to make is that our career is pretty dang exclusive enough already. If somebody wants to bust their bank account/achieve their dream in becoming a CPA, then they have the right.

B - 81
A - 87
R - 73
F - July 5th

[Missy]

I know plenty of people who passed all 4 on the first time and are completely incompetent in real world practice, and plenty of people who are the best accountants in practice but struggle with the exams. I failed (only) 3 times and frankly the number of attempts to get a license tells me nothing about how qualified you are to do your job. I think its GREAT when people knock them all out but being good at passing tests is only a big deal while you're trying to pass. I think if anything the experience requirement should be MUCH more stringent. I mean in MA (where I live) I was able to waive the experience requirement because I have a masters. (I also happen to have 20+ years' industry experience which I think is a better qualifier than the exam) Its a joke, I don't think my masters gives me much more knowledge than anybody else's 150. I think the experience requirement should be several years and require more than just audit, just tax or just g/l experience.

Licensed Massachusetts Non Reporting CPA since 2012
Finance/Admin/HR Manager

[ChristieF]

I was recently reading the Disciplinary Actions taken by the VA BOA (where I am)… there were 2, possibly 3 people on there that had taken the exams 40+ times and failed. Their ability to sit was postponed, and in order to take the exam have to go before the board and provide “evidence of competence and integrity”. After that they can take the exam, but must pass all 4 parts within the next 2 years (within the required 18 months) , but if they fail they must go before the Board again.

So; at least in VA, it looks like they start putting caps on how many times you can take the exam once you hit that 40+mark. It's interesting reading those disciplinary actions… makes you wonder how ignorant these people are to do some of the things they've done to lose their license. I'm working too hard for this – I'm not doing anything to get it taken away.

[Spartans92]

Frosty I agree at that mark it is kind of speculative but there may be some issues, who knows. But reading @mla comment is encouraging. I am not a great test taker and accounting does not come easy to me. It takes me a LONG time to understand the information and starting work in a few short months is scary to me. I am afraid that I will be incompetent and not be able to do the work they give me. Also, worried that I am not passing the exam fast enough even though my offer said pass within 3 years (sounds like plenty of time).

BEC- PASS

[payfields]

I did not pass all 4 the first try, and I don't think that should be required by any means. But, i wonder if to some extent taking the exam 20, 30, 40 times belittles it some?
The thing that put me over the edge was the multiple fails along with the two expired exams.

I don't know. Just seeing what everyone else thought.

[Jdn9201]

Regarding the OP, I don't think that's right. If 18 months is the rule, then that should apply to everyone, with no exceptions. I don't know where you would draw the line, but I wouldn't mind an attempt limit and/or a work experience increase. I agree that tests do not solely determine if someone is good in accounting – I've worked with some CPA's who I had to hold their hand and practically tell them how to do their jobs. They were actually good motivation – “Hey, if this person is a CPA and is a moron, then I should be able to become a CPA too..” But, there's no way to assess people against a standard without giving some form of exam. I admire people who I've read about who finally get their CPA after taking parts multiple times, but once you get past 10 or 15, you really have to question what someone's intent is and how serious they are about getting their license. I don't want to offend people either, but while this process was grueling, it was not as bad as I expected it would be. Is it hard? Yes, but it's supposed to be and if it wasn't, it wouldn't be worth anything. It's not impossible though, especially if one puts in the time and is focused and motivated.

BEC - 88 8/29/15
REG - 82 11/14/15
AUD - 83 1/8/16
FAR - 80 2/29/16

[Anonymous]

Th expense and opportunity cost to the person that takes it 20-40 times is the biggest question. Is it really worth that much time and cost? Those people could go to law school instead.

[Spartans92]

I get everyones point. I do agree if you end up taking more than 20 times, seriously need to reconsider if this is the right path and for what reason should you continue. I even gave myself a limit if I cannot pass this exam in total of 12x (3 per section) I am just going to stop. Theres no reason I should fail more than twice if I do put in the effort.

BEC- PASS

[payfields]

Like look at all of these people who requested variances!

https://www.flrules.org/gateway/ruleno.asp?id=61H1-28.0052

So unfair to the people who actually did it on time.
I can maybe understand under some extinuating circumstances, but just because you failed it so many times? Come on.

[Son]

I am personally strongly against the board allowing people to retake a section more than 5 times. CPA license is not a right, it's a privilege that signifies a whole other level of commitment to the profession. I am not saying those people should be banned for life, but at least required to take a few years off before attempting again. You can have a perfectly fine career in accounting without the CPA license; it's only important when you're trying to take it to the next level and get a controller's/CFO's position with a larger company that the license would be important. I honestly don't get the people who make it sound like they are entitled to a license just because they've studied accounting and then “worked hard” to pass the exam yet failed more than 5 times. You can fail once or twice, have different life situations etc., but there's a point when it's not about your life situation but about how serious you're taking the exam and how apt you are.

AUD - passed
REG - passed
BEC - passed
FAR - passed

[Missy]

Well I will say one thing regarding someone who took the exam more than 20 times. She did not feel at all entitled to the credential, nor did she think just because she put in the hours she was deserving. She was determined to prove to herself that she could do it. After she passed her final exam, she was diagnosed with thyroid cancer which (no big surprise) has a very pronounced symptom of messing with your ability to concentrate and retain information. By forcing her into a cooling off period the state would basically have been punishing her for having the audacity to get cancer and not diagnose herself.

Yes that is an EXTREME exception and probably only applies to 1/10 of 1% of people that keep trying and trying over and over again. But still, I am not going to put myself in the position to judge those who take a section 6, 8 or 10 times. The people who ARE in a position to make that judgement are on the state board already. Why not let them worry about it.

Licensed Massachusetts Non Reporting CPA since 2012
Finance/Admin/HR Manager

[Anonymous]

I do think there should be a limit on the number of times it should be taken. I don't know what that limit should be, but there should be one. Or at least a limit after which a delay in instated. Like if you don't pass within x tries, then you must wait 5 years before attempting any more exams, or something like that. The ability to just keep trying all the exams every quarter till you pass them can look to people outside the profession like you just have to wait till you get lucky, and people who don't really know anything can just get lucky with one set of tests and pass. Note the emphasized part: I'm not saying I think this, I'm saying it can look like that. When I've mentioned stories of people from on here who had finally passed after 20+ attempts to my partner (romantic not business 😛 ) and some others, their responses have been, “Wait, they don't put a limit on that?” in a “I respect the designation less knowing people can just keep trying forever” type of way.

I wouldn't like the idea of fail x number of times and you're done forever, though, cause sometimes when people are 22 they think they're invincible and do stupid things, which might burn up a few fails. Or, as we've seen case after case on here, people have things going on life (sickness in themselves or their families, deaths in their families, other issues in life) that get in the way of the exams. To lose your chance forever would suck. So, I'd rather something that instituted a waiting period.

I'm also not sure I get the point of the 18 month period. I wouldn't mind seeing that extended or abolished. If the idea is that someone didn't pass one when they were 20 and the rest when they were 50, then OK I get the point, but maybe make it a 5 year window so that they pass within a period of time that's substantially the same exam or something, but the 18 month window just doesn't make a lot of sense to me. 😐

So, while I do think that the people who take it 100x before they pass fully shouldn't be allowed to do so (even though I have dear friends who are well on their way to that number – it's nothing personal, just my professional opinion), I don't think it should be something you lose forever like the Canada CA, and I do think that some of the things that make people have to take it so many times – like the silly 18 month window – should be re-evaulated. I think by the time most people get to 40 tries, they've passed them all once, but when they passed their 9th exam and had passed all 4 it was 19 months after the 1st pass so it didn't count, or something like that, which doesn't make much sense to me.

[Bear-Bear]

As candidates struggling with the exams, it seems we forget that our licensure is a privilege reserved for those who can truly hack it, not some kind of guaranteed right bestowed upon everyone who accumulated adequate accounting hours.

That said, if you were a CFO/CEO, who would you want heading your accounting department – the person who took 40 attempts to get their CPA, or the person who only took 6?

[Author]

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