CPA or ACCA

[Y.A.]

Hi,

Is the CPA exam more difficult than the ACCA exam? In terms of the exam questions themselves and the preparation. Also for either qualification, do we need to sit periodic exams to maintain the certification?

Thanks

 

[au_88]

I don't know about the difference in difficulty between CPA and ACCA, but to maintain an ACCA qualification you will need to do a number of CPD hours per year. No periodic exam.

 

[Y.A.]

Thank you

 

[Varunjain]

Both CPA and ACCA are premier accounting degrees from the USA and UK, respectively. The Key difference between CPA and ACCA is the GAAP they specialize in. CPAs are considered experts in USGAAP (used by companies listed on NYSE), while ACCAs work with UK GAAP (used by companies listed on LSE).

Both accountants are considered equally well versed with IFRS (widely used in Europe). Another major comparison point is the number of exams, while ACCA has up to 16 subjective style exams, CPA only has 4 objective style exams.

ACCA may take multiple years to complete, whereas most people can complete CPA in one year. However, this difference in style of testing doesn’t result in a difference in salary.

 

[Fidget]

Not sure about CPA, but with ACCA the quickest you can qualify is 3 years because as well as passing all the exams, you need three years experience in a relevant finance role.

In terms of exams, you need to do 11 mandatory papers (you might get exemptions from some of the lower papers if you have other relevant qualifications). You also need to do a further two exams out of four available (these are called the 'options' papers).

On top of all the exams and three years experience, you also need to complete 9 performance experience requirements - five essentials and four from several options. These are pre-defined and need to be signed off by a qualified accountant who can vouch that you meet the objective requirements. You can get these signed off as you go along, so you can be working on those at the same time as you're going through the exams.

Once you've done all that and are admitted as a member, you don't need to do any further exams, but you need to do CPD (continuous professional development) every year. It's a recommended 40 units (or hours) per year, but you need to be able to prove that you've done at least 20.

 

[Fully Depreciated]

About the CPA exam, short answer, it’s hard. The long answer is that it doesn’t have to be if you use a good review course. Personally, I used Roger and highly recommend it. They have a unique study method that relies on results of thousands of other CPA candidates that took the exam and passed it. It compares your progress to theirs and based on that you get feedback on what you need to focus more on. Besides that Roger has a lot of special features like the aforementioned Smartpath, study hub and flashcards. Also you can use all of these on their mobile app.

So I don't really know how hard ACCA is. The CPA is hard but with a good CPA review course it is not that bad.

 

[Y.A.]

Both CPA and ACCA are premier accounting degrees from the USA and UK, respectively. The Key difference between CPA and ACCA is the GAAP they specialize in. CPAs are considered experts in USGAAP (used by companies listed on NYSE), while ACCAs work with UK GAAP (used by companies listed on LSE).

Both accountants are considered equally well versed with IFRS (widely used in Europe). Another major comparison point is the number of exams, while ACCA has up to 16 subjective style exams, CPA only has 4 objective style exams.

ACCA may take multiple years to complete, whereas most people can complete CPA in one year. However, this difference in style of testing doesn’t result in a difference in salary.

Thank you

 

[Y.A.]

Not sure about CPA, but with ACCA the quickest you can qualify is 3 years because as well as passing all the exams, you need three years experience in a relevant finance role.

In terms of exams, you need to do 11 mandatory papers (you might get exemptions from some of the lower papers if you have other relevant qualifications). You also need to do a further two exams out of four available (these are called the 'options' papers).

On top of all the exams and three years experience, you also need to complete 9 performance experience requirements - five essentials and four from several options. These are pre-defined and need to be signed off by a qualified accountant who can vouch that you meet the objective requirements. You can get these signed off as you go along, so you can be working on those at the same time as you're going through the exams.

Once you've done all that and are admitted as a member, you don't need to do any further exams, but you need to do CPD (continuous professional development) every year. It's a recommended 40 units (or hours) per year, but you need to be able to prove that you've done at least 20.

Thank you

 

[Y.A.]

About the CPA exam, short answer, it’s hard. The long answer is that it doesn’t have to be if you use a good review course. Personally, I used Roger and highly recommend it. They have a unique study method that relies on results of thousands of other CPA candidates that took the exam and passed it. It compares your progress to theirs and based on that you get feedback on what you need to focus more on. Besides that Roger has a lot of special features like the aforementioned Smartpath, study hub and flashcards. Also you can use all of these on their mobile app.

So I don't really know how hard ACCA is. The CPA is hard but with a good CPA review course it is not that bad.

Thank you

 

[ella_bella]

I just know about the CPA, and it is very difficult to study without a good review course. I chose UWorld Roger CPA Review, and without them, I could not even broach the test. I've tried to study on my own without a review, and it's so much more difficult. Try Roger's trial version (it's free), and you'll see the difference.

 

[MayL488]

I'm uncertain if the CPA exam is more difficult than the ACCA exam, but the CPA exam has been very difficult for me. The AICPA offers sample tests so that you can see what they are like: https://future.aicpa.org/resources/...-cpa-exam-by-practicing-with-our-sample-tests.

 

[Liza1975]

Could you please advise which one below need to study to find a job faster after, for an accountant with over 18 years of experience and 2 Bachelors in Finance?
1. Masters program
2. MBA
3. CPA

 

[UncleSam]

Could you please advise which one below need to study to find a job faster after, for an accountant with over 18 years of experience and 2 Bachelors in Finance?
1. Masters program
2. MBA
3. CPA

If you have two bachelors degrees do you already have 150 credit hours? If you do check with you state for the exact course requirements but you probably can sit for and take the CPA exam. Which would be preferable to going back for a masters degree for three reasons. 1 It's cheaper. 2 You can get it quicker. 3 The reason why many people get a Masters in Accounting is solely so they can sit for the CPA.

When you sit for the exam be sure to also choose a good review course. I personally used Uworld Roger CPA Review and I can't recommend them enough.

 

[Liza1975]

Thank you very much for the advise. As the CPA don't provide a Visa, I plan to enroll in a Master's program. If any recommendations about which university, will be very grateful.