What kind of CPA do you want to be?

You Have a What?

Sometimes people complain that the CPA exam is hard. Others ask about the minimum amount of time needed to pass the exam. Others say that getting more than the required 75 is a waste of time, effort, grades. Others just want to be familiar with the material to pass. I have been guilty of some of these things, explicitly or implicitly. For example, if I don’t study until two weeks before the exam while working full time, it is fair to say that even if I pass, my mastery of the material will not be as good as it would be if I had paced myself for 2 months, for example. The chances that I will retain the material for more than a few weeks or months are small. In a way, if I become a CPA, even if I don’t work in public accounting, I will be a weak CPA. Well, that’s what I think.

While I was thinking about the above, I considered Doctors, Lawyers, Engineers, and other professionals… and I was wondering, if I were to hire a Doctor or Lawyer, or Engineer or Mechanic… how competent would I want them to be? I would probably want someone who did very well in school, scored high in his or her certification exams, and has decent experience in his field. One may argue that if somebody intends to practice in public, then he or she should excel. I would, however, argue that we all do public accounting of some sort. Even if we are in private practice or private sector, what we do finally finds its way to the public. Another argument is that once people know that you are certified, they think they can come to you for advice or opinions. These people can be friends, acquiantances, or family. They think that just because you are certified, you are an expert and you know your field inside out. In my world, that brings some ethical responsibility to know the subject matter really well, whether or not I am going to do public accounting. That’s a motivational tool for me. Of course, one has to strike a balance between spending time to master the material, and doing what needs to be done to pass the exam. As some CPA instructors say, “I am not teaching you to be an expert, I am teaching you to get you to pass the exam!” They are right, you can master the material after you pass, I guess!

Your thoughts and comments are welcome.

Thanks for reading and I hope you found that helpful.