District of Columbia CPA exam application process

To sit for the CPA exam as a first-time four-part candidate in the District of Columbia, follow these steps: You must be at least 18 years of age and you will need:

1. A baccalaureate degree with a concentration in accounting conferred by a college or university recognized by the Board, or holds that which the Board determines to be substantially the equivalent thereof; or a baccalaureate degree acceptable to the Board supplemented with the equivalent of an accounting concentration, including related courses in other areas of business administration; AND the applicant must possess one hundred twenty (120) semester hours of college education.  Applicant will not be eligible for licensure unless or until the candidate possesses one hundred fifty (150) semester hours of college education.
2. NOTE: Educational requirements must be completed no later than 90 calendar days after the actual date the candidate took the first exam section. A certificate of enrollment form must be submitted.

If you meet the educational requirements, submit your application to the District of Columbia Board of Accountancy using the link to Promissor provided in the Becker website. The application fee and exam fees will total $959.51, and the process may take as long as eight weeks. 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.

Contact any educational institutions attended and request that transcripts be forwarded to Promissor 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.

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).  No further fees are due. You will receive a Notice to Schedule (NTS) which is good for six months; however, since every third is non-testing, the NTS covers four testing months.

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 a site in The District of Columbia or any other Prometric location that is convenient to you.