The CPA Exam is No Match for Auburn Accountancy Students
Ameera Steward
Campus
Auburn University accountancy students master the CPA exam with higher pass rates for first time candidates than national rates for repeating and first time candidates.
“I think it’s phenomenal and I think it has elevated the reputation of the Auburn University Master of Accountancy Program to a very high level, to where we are known nationally. Many other universities hear about our success from the Becker CPA review, and many of the directors of other programs contact me and want to know what we’re doing to help our students succeed. Because I would want them to share their success with me, I share with other universities what we’ve done because I want students all across the country to be successful.”
“I believe it’s important for us to do what’s right for our profession and the accounting profession, in my opinion, is the greatest profession of all. And if we can help all students throughout the country be successful then I think we’ve done a good deed for our profession. CPAs are in high demand, they always have been, they always will be,” said Amy Murphy, director of accounting and online programs.
According to Murphy, the CPA exam is the most preferred credential in the accounting profession. CPA stands for Certified Public Accountants and the exam is written by the American Institution of Certified Public Accountants.
Murphy said the exam has four sections. The financial part which 79 percent of 2015 students passed, the audit part which 82 percent of 2015 students passed, the regulation part which 80% of 2015 students passed, and the business part which 90 percent of the students passed.
According to Murphy in 2015 she proposed a plan that the Master of Accountancy program’s curriculum allows students to sit for the CPA exam while enrolled in the program. They restructured the offering of classes to allow students to have a light load of course work while taking the Becker CPA exam review course as well as the CPA exam one section at a time.
Murphy explained that the students take 6 hours of graduate level course work while focusing on one part of the CPA exam at a time.
Murphy said jobs are demanding and students don’t have time to focus on the exam once they start to work. While they’re in an academic frame of mind and while they’re all in it together Murphy reiterated that they focus on the each part of the exam, before graduation.
According to Murphy, accounting firms love the fact the Auburn students finish the exam before they start to work because it makes them more productive at work and they’re don’t have to take time off to study for the exam and take the exam. Students are also more chargeable from a fee stand point with the accounting firms.
She said the word has gotten out from across the country that Auburn’s pass rates are among the highest in the country and people want to be a part of it. It has all enhanced Auburn’s reputation and created high demand for the MAC program.
Murphy also said that they are selective in their admissions process and continue to attract the best and brightest from Auburn’s program and other institutions. About 40 accounting firms recruit from Auburn. In the pass year 150 students that have done internships were offered full-time jobs after which meant they were offered and accepted a full-time job after a year and a half.
According to assistant director of graduate programs, Colby Lakas, 2015 was their largest MAC class with 61 students making up the pass rates. She said she doesn’t think they understand the value of it until they see people who didn’t do what they did.
“This is the culture we’ve created at Auburn, you do the MAC program and you take the CPA exam and you pass it and then end of story, and then they start work and see students from other great schools in the southeast who did not have the structure that we offer and then they really appreciate it. That’s when I start getting emails from them saying things like “hey that wasn’t a fun semester but thank you for making us do it”,” said Lakas.
An alumni of 2015, Katy Lockamy said that it was tough but worth it. “It was very intense for a few months but you get it out of the way before starting work fulltime. It is something I would not have traded for anything,” said Lockamy.
She said she felt good about the test scores and that knowing they were a part of making the test scores so high because they definitely put in the hours is something to be proud of.
For 2016 students, she advises to stay focused the whole time and not to slack off because all four parts are equally hard, but so far 2016 students have nothing to worry about. According to Murphy, 92 percent of the 2016 students have already passed the financial section of the CPA exam.
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