[Ryan]

If you are upset about the 18-month exam expiration rule and would like to help get rid of it, sign this petition!

https://www.change.org/p/national-association-of-state-boards-of-accountancy-eliminate-the-18-month-exam-expiration-rule-for-the-cpa-exam?recruiter=774519130&utm_source=share_petition&utm_medium=copylink&utm_campaign=share_petition

[Pork Flavored Bacon]

I like that comment about taking a year off to celebrate. There is a running joke here in the office where a director I worked with made Partner and then he disappeared for about seven months. We used to see him every day but as soon as he was promoted, the dude just disappeared. We all say he was celebrating his partnership the whole time.

To keep on topic, if the 18-month rule was extended to 24, there will be people who say 24 is too short and it should be extended to 30. Seems to be the nature of people. I like the 18-month rule but I feel like I will need to re-take the exam every two years so my knowledge does not become obsolete.

FAR - 75 | REG - 87 | AUD - 82 | LAW - 81

[Kimberly]

I think 18 months is more than fair under normal testing circumstances – ie: no four month score delay and regular score releases after that are not limited to once a quarter.

During these times, such as experienced this year, I do not think 18 months is really amounting to 18 months when you take the delays into consideration. A 3-4 month delay in score release should allow for additional time for those that had to wait for scores because they could not operate as they would normally be able to – take test, get result in 2-4 weeks, retake if needed in the beginning of the next quarter. I'm sure anyone that found out in late August they failed a test in April or May would feel the same.

In normal years, however, 18 months seems fine to me.

[Ana]

@Kimberly right on the money!

[Earla Riopel (NYCARE)]

Agree with @Jeff,
“It puts pressure on you – similar to scheduling an exam…it's easy to put it off, but when faced with a deadline, it forces you to get to work.”

My accounting career has always been one in my list of secondary priorities in the past, the reason why I am still here.

Also, being a Canadian resident doesn't help either. But with a lot of ‘remote', ‘online' work available, getting that CPA designation will definitely a huge asset these days.

I can't move to the US for at least 10 years, even if I wanted to. US CPA in Canada can be a huge asset if you apply for organizations that can use your designation. There are a few in my list.

For now, I just accepted the fact, I want to be a US CPA. It's part of my life. I might not make as much, and have the maximum return on it, but it makes me happy, challenges me and most of all, something that it always belongs to me.

No one can take away your education. Upset with 18-month rule? Not really. It makes you think, make a decision, and answer the question, are you in or not?

[lilac]

Um, just a different perspective. The bar exam is between 12 and 18 hours in most states (about the combined length of the CPA exam). And you sit for it over 2 days. You don't have months to pass various sections of the bar exam. The reason some say the bar exam is harder than the cpa exam is because you have to pass the bar in order to practice law. In most instances, you don't need your CPA license to be an accountant. Adding additional time I believe would just give test takers more time to put it off, because for many, there's really no urgency in the first place.

[Anonymous]

@lilac – “you don't need your CPA license to be an accountant.” Exactamundo!! And actually some people think non-CPAs in managerial/executive positions are being given the keys to the kingdom when they don't deserve to have them. As I and others on here have said thousands of times, it's not necessary for a good career. It's just that it is necessary for many jobs, and if you want those jobs, you must have it!

Referring back to my earlier post about public knowledge about CPAs, I think they also realize that CPA doesn't always mean “expert.” I have a friend who got licensed in 2004. He took one of the last paper-pencil versions of the test in an auditorium. He knows very little about advanced accounting topics. He's an auditor and community college Accounting 101 and 102 instructor.
He asks *me* about IFRS and other adv. acct. stuff! And, he is not a tax expert by any stretch.

[Anonymous]

Two lawyers told me a few years ago that they didn't pursue the CPA exam because they felt more confident that they could pass the BAR. Weird, no?

[jenpen]

I worked in law for about 8 years before I made the switch to accounting. A few of the attorneys I worked for were also CPAs, which I never did understand. I live near a big city in another state, so they had taken the Bar in 2 states. They all said the CPA exam was much harder than either Bar.

AUD - 56 - 68 - 61 - 9/8/16
REG - 75
FAR - 7/15/16
BEC - TBD

Wiley CPAexcel and NINJA 10 Point Combo

[Author]

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