CPA Exam FAQs

The Exam is offered six days per week in the first two months of every quarter.

Individual experiences may vary, but on average the Exam will cost $2,800 to $4,400.

The American Institute of CPAs (AICPA) estimates that passing all four parts of the CPA Exam requires 300 to 400 hours of study.

• Auditing and Attestation (AUD)
• Business Environment and Concepts (BEC)
• Financial Accounting and Reporting (FAR)
• Regulation (REG)

If you need to transfer your exam scores from one state to another, please visit the NASBA store. There is a fee for exam score transfer.

You need 120 credit hours and a bachelor’s degree.

Please see our section on Educational Requirements for sitting for the CPA Exam.

In New Jersey, the only method of application is online. To apply, visit https://cpacentral.nasba.org. You will need to register for a user account. Registering will allow you to apply for the exam, maintain your current information, view your scores, check your application status and reprint your Notice(s) to Schedule (NTS). 

Our advice is to tell the truth. Say “yes” on the application and include a letter of explanation with your application. If you hide the truth and the New Jersey State Board of Accountancy finds out, you may severely damage you chances of your being licensed. 

You can live anywhere and take the exam according to New Jersey rules and regulations. There is no residency requirement. 

CPA Examination Services (CPAES) no longer allows students to apply early to sit for the CPA Exam, but major improvements have been made to the process. The turnaround for the NTS is now approximately ten to 15 business days, much improved from the previous eight week timeframe.

The 18-month period begins on the day you sit for and pass your first section of the examination. The actual date of expiration is then "rounded off" to the end of the month. For example, if you sit for (and pass) one part on April 12, 2016, 18 months is up on October 12, 2017, but your credit will expire on October 31, 2017.

Some candidates taking the new CPA exam have expressed concern about the delayed reporting of results for exams taken April 3 to May 31, 2017. Those results are expected to take up to 10 weeks to be issued. There is no automatic extension of the 18-month window for candidates due to the delayed reporting. However, if a candidate has passed three parts of the exam and is waiting to hear the score for their fourth part, the window will not close until they have received their final score. 

Beyond that, extension requests will be considered on a case-by-case basis. Email a written request to cpaes-nj@nasba.org or mail it to:

New Jersey Coordinator
CPA Examination Services
PO Box 198469
Nashville, TN 37219-8469

Once NASBA receives a request, they will forward it to the New Jersey State Board of Accountancy. 

No, it is your responsibility to schedule exam appointments and test before your NTS expires. 

The six-month period begins when the Notice to Schedule (NTS) is issued, not when it is received.  Sign up for email notification so you won’t lose time if the mail gets held up.  

Once you pass the CPA Exam, there is no timetable for obtaining the additional educational credits and experience requirements.