
We Asked Twitter What’s the Second Most Important Issue in the Accounting Profession Right Now, Here’s What They Said
Bored of writing and talking about the dire accountant shortage and the consequences it could have on the entire financial system as we know it, the other day I tweeted a question to find out what else folks think is plaguing accounting. Thanks to everyone who chimed in, I know sometimes Twitter feels like shouting […]

Here’s How People Did on the CPA Exam in 2022
The AICPA has released Q4 CPA exam pass rates which means we have a cumulative score for all of 2022 YIPPEE. As we did not discuss pass rates at all last year, let’s take a look at the whole chart and see how CPA exam candidates performed in 2022: Section Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Cumulative […]

What Would You Like to See Tested on the CPA Exam?
With the completely redesigned CPA exam only 514 days away, there’s been a lot of discussion around the proposed Blueprints and questions about whether or not this content aligns with CPA Evolution’s stated goal of maintaining the relevance of the CPA credential. That is as yet an open-ended discussion but in the meantime, saw this […]

NASBA Is (Still) Considering Remote CPA Exam Testing Even With Virus Concerns Waning
There are big changes coming to the CPA exam in the future, but one thing that hasn’t changed much since 2004 is the process of testing at Prometric. When the exam went computerized at the turn of the century, gone were the massive gymnasiums and chicken tables of yore and in came the soul-crushing sterility […]

Taking the CPA Exam In 2023? Here’s What You Need to Know About Rolling Your Scores Over In 2024
I was tempted to start this post with “it’s hard to believe it’s already 2022,” but you know what, time has been pretty nebulous for at least the last two years, if not longer, and it really doesn’t even matter anymore. It’s as if the aliens who run the simulation cranked us up a la […]

Is Accounting an Obsolete Major?
Is accounting an obsolete major? That’s the question posed by John “Jack” Castonguay, PhD, CPA, in the August/September 2021 CPA Journal. He writes: Accounting — at least as an independent field of study — is becoming obsolete in today’s technology- and analytics-focused world. Its value lies in its interdisciplinary applicability and position as a foundational […]

NASBA Will No Longer Publish CPA Exam Performance Data Until the New CPA Exam Debuts in 2024
This just in, NASBA is shelving its annual Candidate Performance on the Uniform CPA Examination book and publication of candidate performance data for the next few years as it invests the bulk of its efforts into the CPA Evolution project: IMPORTANT UPDATE: Due to the necessary and important focus on bringing CPA Evolution to fruition, […]

The Bar Has Been Raised For New Hires and There’s One Skill In Particular Firms Are Looking For
Although the old guard (read: Boomer partners who refuse to retire) might tell you that kids these days have it too easy, the reality is that today’s accountants are expected to possess a far more varied Swiss Army Knife of knowledge compared to the whittlin’ stick of yore. What’s our evidence for this claim? The […]

The CPA Exam of the Future Includes the Flexibility to Adapt to … the Future?
In a move wholly uncharacteristic of the accounting profession, the benevolent overlords of the CPA exam are thinking ahead. WAY ahead. So far ahead we can’t even imagine what the world might look like by then. Here’s hoping you still have a job and Alexa has figured out how to turn my dining room Christmas […]

AICPA Report: Accounting Education Is Lagging Woefully Behind Necessary Real-World Skills
Not sure if y’all heard but we live in the future now. Not the cool Ray Bradbury one with casual weekend trips to exotic Mars destinations and robots to do all the tedious things we’d rather not, but the future no less. And here in this dystopian nightmare glorious future, technical aptitude is in high […]

Looks Like There Will Be a Very Different CPA Exam by 2024
The Journal of Accountancy reported this week that the NASBA Board of Directors voted unanimously to support the proposed CPA Evolution, which would mean a slightly different exam with a stronger focus on technical skills, though core content is expected to remain the same. The AICPA Governing Council endorsed the model in May. We first […]

Here’s What You Need to Know About the New Proposed CPA Licensure Model
As you may recall (or not, as I barely do), last summer NASBA and the AICPA reached out into the abyss hoping to get feedback on a new CPA licensure model. You see, the future is coming and fast, and in atypical fashion, The Powers That Be realized maybe it might be important to test […]