Louisiana CPA Exam Requirements

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To sit for the CPA exam as a first-time four-part candidate in Louisiana, follow these steps: Before applying for the exam, evaluate your current credentials. You must have been a continuous resident of Louisiana for 120 days within one year of applying and you will need:

1. A Bachelor's degree, or higher, with 150 credit hours from an academic institution recognized by the Board, and
2. 24 hours in business courses other than accounting with at least 3 hours in commercial law as it affects accounting, and
3. 24 undergraduate hours of accounting with 6 hours in Intermediate, 3 hours in Cost Accounting, Income Tax and Auditing, and 9 hours in Accounting electives*, or
4. 21 graduate hours of accounting with 3 hours in Intermediate and Cost Accounting, Income Tax and Auditing, and 9 hours in Accounting electives*.

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If you meet the educational requirements, submit your application to the CPA Examination Services Louisiana Coordinator in Nashville, Tennessee. The application fee will be $130, the exam fees will total $809.71, 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.

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Contact any educational institutions attended and request that transcripts be forwarded to CPA Examination Services 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, CPA Examination Services will issue your Authorization to Test (ATT) to the National Association of State Boards of Accountancy (NASBA). 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 a site in Alexandria, Baton Rouge, Bossier City, Metairie, or any other Prometric location that is convenient to you.