| Of all the professional exams out there, probably | | | | spreadsheet, communications, and research and |
| one of the most difficult to pass is the Unified | | | | resource materials. By taking an online course, one |
| Certified Public Accountant Examination. The test | | | | is getting closer to the actual test experience than |
| is broken into four sections, taken six months | | | | any other way. |
| apart from each other. To fail one of them | | | | Another thing about the online experience is the |
| means a young accountant has to wait six | | | | good courses include plenty of drill simulations. By |
| months and take it all over again. The kicker? The | | | | taking these drills repeatedly, one can familiarize |
| American Institute of Certified Public Accounting | | | | oneself with the methods the test itself employs. |
| reports that there's less than a 50% chance any | | | | The end result is there's no panic when sitting in |
| student will pass any one of these four segments. | | | | front of a flat screen and doing the real test itself. |
| Good accounting degree colleges can help make | | | | The drills are also like good exercise, getting the |
| those odds a little better. | | | | brain in shape for when it's time to hit one out of |
| So why take the test? Quite frankly, one simply | | | | the park. |
| can't be a CPA without passing it. Getting | | | | If that isn't enough, the Institute advises that |
| certification also means you have a solid, working | | | | anyone wanting to take the test should put in |
| knowledge of the entire field, very handy when | | | | 450 to 500 hours of preparation before actually |
| one seeks a full-time job. Also, passing means you | | | | sitting down in front of the exam. This comes to |
| are certified for every one of this nation's 50 | | | | about 30 or so hours a week. An online system |
| states, Washington, DC, and the surrounding U.S. | | | | doesn't gripe or complain working that hard. |
| territories. In other words, you can practice | | | | Which leads to the last key element of taking the |
| anywhere in the country. | | | | exam. Usually a young accountant has already |
| Still, with the odds stacked so heavily against a | | | | gotten his or her Bachelor's degree and is out in |
| young accountant, is there any method one can | | | | the working world, holding down a full-time job. |
| use to make it easier? As it happens, there is. It's | | | | With an online course, the accountant can take |
| to take a series of preparation exams with a solid | | | | the prep course when it's convenient to them, |
| online college. There are a number of good | | | | and not sacrifice much needed work time in the |
| reasons for this, too. | | | | process. Also, if they need 30-40 hours a week |
| First and foremost, nowadays the exam itself is | | | | just to prep for the exam, they'll need to make |
| also computerized, not paper driven. In fact, 30% | | | | everything else around their life as easy as |
| of the test is pure computer simulation, involving | | | | possible in order to pass. |