Uniform CPA Examination Developments.

• Position: American Institute of Certified Public Accountants - Brief Article

As part of the AICPA Board of Examiners' effort to revise the Uniform CPA Examination and computerize its delivery, three documents have recently been released online. These documents are:

* Exposure Draft, Proposed Structure and Content Specifications for the Uniform CPA Examination.

* Practice Analysis of Certified Public Accountants.

* Briefing Paper No. 2, Computerizing the Uniform CPA Examination--Issues, Strategies and Policies: An -Update.

In Proposed Structure and Content Specifications for the Uniform CPA Examination, the Board of Examiners is proposing an examination structure comprising four separately scored sections: Auditing & Attestation; Financial Accounting & Reporting (business enterprises, not-for-profit organizations, and governmental entities); Regulation (professional responsibilities, business law and taxation); and Business Environment & Concepts. Comments are due July 1. If adopted, the proposed structure will become effective with administration of the Uniform CPA Examination in Nov. 2003.

Many aspects of the proposed content specifications are currently included in the Uniform CPA Examination. The content specifications for Business Environment & Concepts contain some content areas that were not previously tested on the exam. This new material will be added to the exam in Nov. 2003. The proposed examination will include the measurement of important skills that are not readily measured in paper-based examinations. For example, the proposed computer-based examination will allow the candidate to use research tools and access authoritative literature.

The recommendations for the proposed structure and content specifications are based on the results of the Practice Analysis of Certified Public Accountants, completed last year. A practice analysis is a study designed to determine the typical and critical...