How to take the revised CPA exam: an online tutorial helps candidates prepare for the new, computerized test.In September the JofA began a series of articles exploring different aspects of the new CPA (Computer Press Association, Landing, NJ) An earlier membership organization founded in 1983 that promoted excellence in computer journalism. Its annual awards honored outstanding examples in print, broadcast and electronic media. The CPA disbanded in 2000. exam. These stories offered insights into how the revised test differs from the paper-based exam and the ways in which it benefits the public interest. Future issues of the JofA will include interviews in which state board leaders, educators and CPA firm partners offer their views of the computerized computerized adapted for analysis, storage and retrieval on a computer. computerized axial tomography see computed tomography. exam. Also, CPA candidates scheduled to take a preliminary version of the test in the coming months will give readers their firsthand first·hand adj. Received from the original source: firsthand information. first impressions of the experience. Beginning April 5, 2004, the CPA examination no longer will involve paper test booklets, pencils and essay questions. Replacing them will be a computerized version of the exam, containing electronic multiple-choice questions and condensed con·dense v. con·densed, con·dens·ing, con·dens·es v.tr. 1. To reduce the volume or compass of. 2. To make more concise; abridge or shorten. 3. Physics a. case studies called "simulations." Candidates will be able to take the revised exam, jointly created by the AICPA AICPA See American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA). , the National Association of State Boards of Accountancy For the technique in nucleic acid amplification, see . The National Association of State Boards of Accountancy (NASBA) is an umbrella group for the 55 state boards that regulate the accountancy profession in the United States of America. (NASBA NASBA National Association of State Boards of Accountancy NASBA Nucleic Acid Sequence-Based Amplification (assay used to detect HIV viral load in blood plasma) ) and Prometric, a developer of technology-based testing services, year-round at Prometric's nationwide exam centers. To help test takers prepare, the AICPA has created an online tutorial An instructional book or program that takes the user through a prescribed sequence of steps in order to learn a product. Contrast with documentation, which, although instructional, tends to group features and functions by category. See tutorials in this publication. that gives them a close-up look at the exam's format and lets them practice using its various components. "Over the last decade, business transactions have become more complex and so has accounting for them," said Craig Mills Craig Mills (born August 27, 1976 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada) is a former professional ice hockey winger who played for the Winnipeg Jets and Chicago Blackhawks of the National Hockey League. , AICPA executive director of examinations. "As a result CPAs have had to dramatically alter the way they work, expanding their use of technology and relying more on their communications skills. The revised CPA exam reflects these changes by using the latest technology to test a broader range of capabilities than it did in the past." Responding to comments from accounting professionals in a recent AICPA survey of practice management concerns and priorities, the exam focuses more than before on evaluating test takers' communication, research, analysis, judgment and comprehension skills. Mills said that in each of the exam's four sections, candidates must demonstrate they possess these skills. To cover the required subject matter, each exam section comprises approximately five "testlets"--groups of related questions. Three contain multiple-choice questions and each of the remaining two consists of a case study simulation. Only the new Business Environment & Concepts section is an exception; it won't include simulations until later in 2004. Multiple-choice testlets each contain approximately 25 questions. Simulations--which take 35 to 45 minutes to complete--assess candidates' auditing and accounting knowledge and skills in actual business situations. The number of questions they contain varies according to according to prep. 1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians. 2. In keeping with: according to instructions. 3. the length of the specific section in which they appear. GET A PREVIEW OF THE NEW EXAM The AICPA has developed a computerized tutorial to help familiarize candidates and accounting students and educators with the exam's new format. Available free of charge at www.cpa-exam.org, the tutorial explains the design and operation of the computer-based test (CBT (Computer-Based Training) Using the computer for training and instruction. CBT programs are called "courseware" and provide interactive training sessions for all disciplines. ) and reviews the types of questions and responses it involves. Because the tutorial is not available at Prometric test centers, candidates should review it online before taking the revised exam. "The AICPA is committed to ensuring the computer-based test is easy to use and functions as intuitively as possible," said Arleen Thomas, AICPA vice-president of professional standards and services. "We want candidates to concentrate on answering the questions, not navigating the test. But we realized they couldn't do that without seeing the revised format beforehand and becoming comfortable with it and the new 'simulation' case studies. We therefore strongly encourage all candidates to review this tutorial prior to taking the computer-based exam." WHAT THE TUTORIAL COVERS Originally released in April and recently updated, the tutorial mimics the computerized examination's look and feel, format and navigation controls In human-computer interaction, navigation controls are an arrangement of (word/icon) forms within the user interface of a specific system. This system can be a computer-based application, an application on a wireless device (like a cell-phone), a GPS appliance (in your car or your . Its animated introduction explains the reasoning behind the exam's revision. The tutorial also provides guided, step-by-step "tours" of the exam's other modules and offers opportunities to experiment with certain test functions--answering a question, for example. It's important to note the tutorial does not cover actual exam content and is not a replacement for practice materials. Following are summaries of each section of the tutorial. * Exam Information tells candidates how to prepare for and schedule themselves to take the exam. It also provides links to the AICPA, NASBA and Prometric Web sites. * Common Tools explains the exam's standard function and resource buttons, such as Clock, Calculator calculator or calculating machine, device for performing numerical computations; it may be mechanical, electromechanical, or electronic. The electronic computer is also a calculator but performs other functions as well. , Help and Done. * Multiple-Choice Questions teaches candidates how to navigate within the multiple-choice portion of the test and how to select an answer or mark a question for review. * Simulations explains how the case study component of the exam works by reviewing its format, general functions and the types of questions a condensed case study (simulation) may include. * Authoritative Literature illustrates how to search electronic research databases containing authoritative literature, tax codes and other publications to answer auditing, accounting and taxation questions, support judgments or create formal audit communications within a simulation. IT'S EASY TO USE CPA exam candidates can easily access the tutorial by using the Tutorial link on the exam's home page, www.cpa-exam.org. All sections of the tutorial employ graphics, but the introduction is the only place that also produces sound. After all the introduction screens have appeared, the tutorial advances to a menu for selecting the other sections. During their subsequent use of the tutorial, candidates can bypass the introduction by left-clicking their mouse on any of its screens. The tutorial also contains a handy Pause feature that allows users to set the pace at which they review each section of the demonstration. "Before we released the tutorial, we ensured it met the needs of our constituencies by 'pilot testing' it with the help of an outside firm," said Gregory Johnson Gregory Johnson may refer to:
As part of the pilot, the developers asked approximately 3,000 undergraduate and graduate students, young professionals, and academics to evaluate the tutorial. Of those who completed the tutorial, 80% to 90% rated it "good" or "very good." Ninety-five percent said it was easy to navigate, and more than two-thirds reported it made them feel more comfortable with the computer-based format. One respondent In Equity practice, the party who answers a bill or other proceeding in equity. The party against whom an appeal or motion, an application for a court order, is instituted and who is required to answer in order to protect his or her interests. commented: "It was one of the best exam tutorials I have seen. I believe it will be a great help to first-time CBT and CPA exam takers. This definitely will be a stress reducer for them." The tutorial demonstrates the exam's tools--including its calculator and spreadsheet--and its functions--such as moving from testlet to testlet or exiting the exam. The tutorial also offers a detailed look at the exam's simulations and reviews basic online research techniques. "Since evaluating research skills is a very important part of the exam, we ensured the tutorial contained items helpful to candidates who have limited experience querying electronic databases," Johnson said. "For example, the tutorial includes actual illustrations of the authoritative literature search engines and interfaces and explains basic online search methods for retrieving information from literature to use in simulations. The tutorial also describes the various resources candidates can employ to compose com·pose v. com·posed, com·pos·ing, com·pos·es v.tr. 1. To make up the constituent parts of; constitute or form: written communications and demonstrates word-processing functions, such as cut, paste and undo To restore the last editing operation that has taken place. For example, if a segment of text has been deleted or changed, performing an undo will restore the original text. Programs may have several levels of undo, including being able to reconstruct the original data for all edits , that are available to candidates during the actual examination." AND THAT'S NOT ALL "While the tutorial will help students and candidates become more comfortable with the revised examination, we strongly recommend additional practice using various online resources," Johnson said. For example, the Financial Accounting Standards Board Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) Board composed of independent members who create and interpret Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP). (FASB FASB See: Financial Accounting Standards Board FASB See Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB). ) has made the full text of all its statements of financial accounting standards issued since 1973 available on its Web site, www.fasb.org. As another aid to candidates preparing for the exam, the AICPA is offering reduced-cost subscriptions to its online reference library, AICPA Resource: Auditing and Accounting Literature. An individual who joins the AICPA as a student affiliate/recent graduate member for $30 a year can subscribe to Verb 1. subscribe to - receive or obtain regularly; "We take the Times every day" subscribe, take buy, purchase - obtain by purchase; acquire by means of a financial transaction; "The family purchased a new car"; "The conglomerate acquired a new company"; AICPA Resource at a special price of $40 for one year. To enroll, students log onto www.aicpa.org/edu/studaff/index.htm. Once their enrollment is approved, they can go to www.cpa2biz biz n. Informal Business. biz Noun Informal business Noun 1. .com to subscribe at the special price. By the end of this year, the AICPA also will make an abbreviated set of test questions available on the exam Web site, www.cpa-exam.org. The test samples will include multiple-choice questions and three simulations, one each for the Auditing & Attestation The act of attending the execution of a document and bearing witness to its authenticity, by signing one's name to it to affirm that it is genuine. The certification by a custodian of records that a copy of an original document is a true copy that is demonstrated by his or her , Financial Accounting & Reporting and Regulation exam sections. AICPA RESOURCES These AICPA resources are available to CPA Exam candidates at www.cpa2biz.com: * Professional standards. * Technical practice aids. * Audit and accounting guides. * Audit risk alerts. * Accounting Trends and Techniques. Ms. Babuin is an employee of the AICPA and her views, as expressed in this article, do not necessarily reflect those of the Institute. Official positions are determined through certain specific committee procedures, due process and deliberation deliberation n. the act of considering, discussing, and, hopefully, reaching a conclusion, such as a jury's discussions, voting and decision-making. DELIBERATION, contracts, crimes. . |
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