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CPA Exam: 10 Tips for Candidate Preparation
(SmartPros)
To assist candidates, the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants has created the following list of "helpful hints" based on feedback during the computerized CPA exam pilot programs, which took place at the end of 2003.
- Know how to use a mouse and keyboard, and common spreadsheet and word processing functions (this includes writing formulae for spreadsheets and typing short paragraphs).
- Know how to use an online four-function calculator or a spreadsheet to perform standard financial calculations.
- If you don't use a computer often, or only for short periods, practice using it for an hour or more at a time.
- Each exam is organized into testlets (groups of multiple-choice questions or a simulation); you must complete the multiple-choice testlets, in the order given, before you receive the simulations (which are given one at a time).
- While you can review questions at any time during a testlet or simulation, you cannot go back to review questions once you have exited that testlet or simulation.
- While each exam covers material from the content specification outlines (CSOs), the questions in each testlet are delivered randomly and do not follow the CSO order.
- Review the tutorial and sample tests that are available (without cost) at www.cpa-exam.org.
- The simulations use both a word processor and a spreadsheet application. It is NOT Excel or Word. Review the tutorial to understand how to use them.
- You can enter numbers on the online calculator by using the keyboard, or the keypad using the NumLock keyboard feature.
- Unique exam software features:
- You can only copy-and-paste one paragraph at a time from the authoritative literature. It is not possible to highlight specific lines or words. You can only highlight a block of text at a time.
- While the Search feature follows standard search engine functionality, you must scroll down to view all relevant topics returned by a search.
- You must correctly spell the words you are searching for; you will not receive any search results for incorrectly spelled words.
- There is currently no Back button in the authoritative literature, but you can use the History button to find the last page visited. Click on History to produce a list of (up to) the last 20 page visits. The visits are listed in reverse order, so selecting the topmost entry is like clicking a Back button.
For more information, visit www.cpa-exam.org. And don't forget to check out the new CPA Exam Review materials by John Wiley & Sons.
2004 American Institute of Certified Public Accountants. Reprinted with permission.
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