California CPA Exam Requirements

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To sit for the CPA exam as a first-time four-part candidate in California, follow these steps: Before applying for the exam, evaluate your current credentials. You will need:

1. A Bachelor's degree from a regionally or nationally accredited college or university with 24 semester units of Accounting and 24 semester units in business-related subjects. Courses in excess of the 24 semester units in Accounting may apply to the 24 semester units in general business.

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If you meet the educational requirements, create a personal client account with the California Board of Accountancy at www.dca.ca.gov/cba The application fee will be $100 and the exam fees will be $723.20 for a total of $873.20.Your name on the application should exactly match your name on your primary form of identification, which is usually your driver's license. At this time you should also begin planning your study approach by making inquiries into CPA reviews available in your area. The Becker CPA Review offers classes live, online or self-study to accommodate the needs of all candidates.

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Contact any educational institutions attended and request that transcripts be forwarded to the California Board of Accountancy for their evaluation. If you do not expect any problems in processing your application it is best to make plans to start your review at this time. The Becker CPA Review will significantly increase your chances of passing the exam.

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After receiving the required information, the State Board will issue your Authorization to Test (ATT) to the National Association of State Boards of Accountancy (NASBA). You will receive an invoice for exam fees which must be paid within ninety days. Once fees are paid, you will receive a Notice to Schedule (NTS) which is good for nine months; however, since every third is non-testing, the NTS covers six testing months.

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Your NTS allows you to start scheduling your exams. You can sit for the exam parts in any sequence so you can plan your reviews to coincide with your exam scheduling. The most efficient approach is to sit for two parts in each exam window; however, exam fees paid for parts not taken are not refundable. Exam times are scheduled with Prometric and can be set up online at www.prometric.com/cpa. You can take the exam at one of the many sites in California, or any other Prometric location that is convenient to you.