Does The Path To Completion Of 150 Credit Hours Affect CPA Exam Pass Rates?

Abstract

This study examines how the path to completion of 150 credit hours (150-hour requirement) affects CPA exam pass rates by focusing on degree requirements for specific higher education institutions in the State of Wisconsin. The institutions in the study (a total of five) fall into two categories; colleges offering only bachelor’s degrees in accounting and those that offer master’s degrees in accounting. Accounting majors at three schools offering only bachelor’s degrees in accounting were surveyed in order to gather information concerning how and in what topic areas students obtain additional credits beyond their bachelor’s degree. Curriculum information from the two master’s degree programs was collected from the institutions' websites. Significant differences exist between how the students at the colleges fullfill the 150-hour requirement. The differences in CPA exam pass rates were also found to be significant, but further analysis showed little if any association between college attended and overall pass rates. Therefore, this study did not find evidence to suggest that how the additional hours obtained beyond a bachelor’s degree in order to be eligible to sit for the CPA exam is a significant predictor of CPA exam pass rates.