The AICPA launched the 2018 CPA Exam's new User Experience (UX) improvements on April 1st of 2018. The new UX was designed to improve the CPA Exam-taking experience for CPA candidates.  

Changes to the CPA Exam UX included: 

• Larger, High Definition Monitors at Prometric Test Centers 

• Inclusion of Microsoft Excel to replace the previous spreadsheet application

• The ability to open up, resize, and adjust the authoritative literature tool when researching task questions

• The introduction of more realistic exhibits like emails and general ledger details needed to complete TBSs

It’s no secret that the public accounting busy season requires accounting professionals to spend around 60+ hours a week at work each year starting in January and going into April. But this is the norm for public accountants who learn to adjust their work-life balance and embrace the hectic pace of life during their firm’s peak time.

The good news is that most accounting firms work diligently to ensure their staff are taken care of during the long hours and late nights at work. With the 2018 busy season ending, we sat down with Julia Thompson-Calio, PHR, Senior HR Generalist at Baker Tilly to find out what Baker Tilly did for their staff during the 2018 busy season to help provide some relief for their staff.

When it comes to developing your personal brand as an accountant or as an accounting student, one of the key steps is cultivating an online presence. Your prospective clients and employer will be looking to the internet to see if you can provide the service they need.

If you’re planning on taking the CPA Exam in 2018, it’s important to consider sitting for the REG section of the Exam now.  Why? The new tax bill passed in December of last year will be eligible for testing on REG beginning January 1, 2019. At that time, CPA Candidates won’t only need to understand the facets of the new tax bill, but also how to apply it to real life situations—all of which will be new information and material topics included on the REG section next year. Therefore, sitting for REG before these monumental changes occur is highly recommended.

Why Is It Critical to Sit for REG Now?

 

From the AICPA:

We mentioned earlier this year that in January 2019, the REG section of the CPA Exam will undergo monumental changes due to the new tax bill signed into law December 22^nd, 2017. So, our panel of expert CPAs recommends sitting for the REG section of the CPA Exam in 2018 to avoid the changes.

Below is a sample question that could be asked on the new REG Exam. Are you able to answer the question? 

The AICPA has announced Q1 2018 pass rates for the CPA Exam. Compared to Q1 2017 pass rates, every section, except for the FAR Exam, saw a pass rate increase average of 5.24% year-over-year.  The FAR Exam pass rate went down by 1.5% year-over-year.

After failing the CPA Exam a few times with another CPA Review course, Jerri Mooney switched to Roger CPA Review and passed! Learn more about how she did it after being out of school for over 25 years!

Lysern Marcelino is a guest blogger for Roger CPA Review. Get her insight on how to smoothly transition from student to professional life as she has just undergone this process herself!

I loved being a student, mostly because of the student discounts and free swag (it’s no surprise that I’m an accountant now). Transitioning to full-time work was difficult for me, because I liked the autonomy and spontaneity of student life. My jump to professional life was hard, but yours doesn’t have to be. Here are some tips to help you transition from studying full-time to working full-time.

The CPA Exam is undergoing several changes in 2018, including a new user interface design that launched on April 1^st. And as with any changes made to the Exam, score releases will be delayed. The following are the score release dates for the 2018 Q2, Q3, and Q4 testing windows.