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September 28, 2023

NTS

a runner on pavement

CPA Exam Candidates: You Better Hurry Up and Apply For BEC Before It’s Gone Forever

Once again @profjackc has tweeted a very important reminder for current CPA exam candidates and once again we’re here signal boosting said reminder because it’s important information. If you are a first time BEC section exam candidate most states will stop processing your NTS after next Monday, Oct. 1. Do not delay! Get in your […]

FYI CPA Exam Candidates: NASBA Systems Will Be Down (Briefly) This Weekend So Plan Accordingly

Active CPA exam candidates should have gotten an email about this upcoming planned outage however if your inbox looks anything like mine, it’s entirely possible that said email was lost among the Hello Fresh spam and discount codes from brands you bought from once that try and act like they genuinely miss you. So consider […]

Don’t Freak Out But NASBA Systems Will Be Down All Weekend

ATTENTION people taking the CPA exam this weekend: you will not be able to print your NTS the day of your exam, you will not be able to check it with your knees delicately pressed against your steering wheel while racing to Prometric, and you definitely won’t be able to track down the last cybercafe […]

Ten Ways CPA Exam Candidates Screw Up the Exam According To NASBA

In light of the Great Score Delay of 2013 (NEVER FORGET, we will rebuild!) and all the criticism heaped on the AICPA and NASBA for their part in the tragedy, we dug up this old post from NASBA that points out 10 ways candidates screw up. Don't do any of these things: 1. Exiting Out […]

Things You Definitely Need to Take the CPA Exam

Rose from Sleep on CPA is still plugging away at the exam, but when I read her recent REG wrap-up, I noticed a funny bit she included about a fellow tester she encountered at Prometric:

I was so surprised to find a girl at Prometric who doesn’t even know what NTS is!!! She brought a print out of Prometric appointment confirmation. When a staff member was asking her for NTS, she was clueless. A staff member explained her what NTS is and told her to get a printout from her NASBA emails from a nearby Kinkos. I showed her my NTS and she came back with a print out of NTS and wrote her exam.

Can that possibly be true?! Given some of the very obvious questions I’ve gotten over the years, I guess anything is possible.

I’m sure none of you guys will ever have this issue but just in case, let’s go back over what you definitely need to sit for the exam.


1) A map to Prometric or a good GPS – Plug the address in the night before so you have one less thing to worry about on testing day.

2) GAS IN YOUR TANK – I hate to even have to say this but it’s come up (like I said, anything is possible). I’m the kind of person who plays chicken with my gas light, and it’s caused me to be late to work more than once. Fill up the night before.

3) Bring your unexpired, original NTS and AT LEAST two forms of acceptable identification – The number on your NTS will be used as your launch code to begin testing, so you definitely do NOT want to leave it at home. If you are unable to produce your NTS and two forms of identification that match it, you will not be allowed to test and will forfeit your exam fees for that day.

4) Bring extra ID just in case – In most cases, you’ll need an unexpired driver’s license and a credit card, but just in case Prometric staff have issues with your ID and want to hassle you, bring an extra bank card or credit card if you have one. Social Security cards are not accepted as identification for Prometric purposes.

5) Do NOT bring big items into the testing center with you – While you can stash your jacket or purse in Prometric lockers, they cannot accommodate golf bags, large suitcases, garbage bags full of recyclables, etc. So leave your crap at home.

Sorry for the remedial reminder, don’t want to leave anyone behind.