You will need to inquire with your state or jurisdiction about its requirements to take or sit for the CPA Exam. Generally, you will need to have a minimum of 150 college credits, which is significantly more than the typical bachelor degree of 120 credits.

Just as important as being able to take the CPA Exam is whether you can pass the CPA Exam. The CPA Exam is very rigorous and the pass rate is significantly lower than the pass rates for college accounting courses. Students having successfully completed 30 college credits in accounting courses (plus 120 credits of other college courses) find it very difficult to pass the CPA exam.  As a result, students with accounting degrees often enroll in CPA review courses to increase their likelihood of passing the CPA Exam. In other words, you need to ask yourself whether you have the accounting knowledge to pass the CPA exam in addition to meeting your state or jurisdiction’s educational requirements.

Our Accounting Career Center provides links to each state’s board of accountancy and more details on the difficulty of passing the CPA Exam.

About the Author: Harold Averkamp (CPA) has worked as an accountant, consultant, and university accounting instructor for more than 25 years. He is the creator and author of all the content found on AccountingCoach.com. You can read 1,500 testimonials praising his ability to explain accounting in a way that anybody can understand.

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