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Washington CPA exam application process

To sit for the CPA exam as a first-time four-part candidate in Washington, follow these steps: You will need:

  1. A Bachelor's degree, or higher, from an accredited institution, with 150 hours of college credit and
  2. 24 hours in Accounting* with at least 15 hours at the upper division or graduate** level, and
  3. 24 hours in other business* subjects.
*See state website for specific acceptable, and non-acceptable courses.
**Graduate hours covering Accounting classes for the Accounting requirement convert at 1.5 hour to 1 undergraduate hour.
NOTE: Educational requirements must be completed no later than 180 calendar days after the actual date the candidate took the first exam section. A certificate of enrollment must be submitted with application.

If you meet the educational qualifications, complete the online application with CPAES to determine eligibility. The application fee for four parts is $155.00 and the exam fees are $743.20. 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 CPAES, 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, CPAES 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 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 Mountlake Terrace, Puyallup, Spokane, or any other Prometric location that is convenient to you.