Canadians – tips/recommendations?

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    Topic
  • #198608
    SVSV
    Participant

    Hi – I have my bachelors from Canada (Alberta) and wanted to pursue my CPA. Anybody in the same boat as me?

    – was looking at applying to either Montana or Colorado. Any other suggestions?

    – As for review materials, should I just sign up for Becker? I see others recommend Wiley as well. I think I would need something really comprehensive?

    Also, can anyone share how your experience was flying into a city and writing the exams ie. Did you show up a few days prior or stay later? Look for a seat sale to decide where you wrote ;)?

    Random questions and thoughts, I know but I just really wanted to know that I’m not nuts to go down this road 🙂

Viewing 15 replies - 1 through 15 (of 35 total)
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  • #745271
    monikernc
    Participant

    i would repost and title topic for International candidates as there are many on the forum. unless you only want responses from your fellow countrymen and women. you can also post your question to the NASBA SCORES INDIE STATES thread because Internationals appear to be mostly, if not all, Indie state exam candidates.

    AUD - 93
    BEC - 82
    FAR - 76
    REG - 88
    How have you been?
    Ninja book and MCQs and the forum, all first try! 2016
    Licensed State of Montana April Fool’s Day 2020
    State of Colorado June 2020 - AICPA Ethics 93
    Experience was the worst part of the journey for me. You?
    If you want things to change you have to do something different.

    FAR 7/25/15 76!
    AUD 10/30/15 93
    BEC 2/27/16 82
    REG 5/23/16 88!
    Ninja Book and MCQ and the forum - all the way!!!
    and a little thing i like to call, time and effort!
    if you want things to change, you have to do something different

    #745272
    Son
    Participant

    Welcome to the forum SVSV!

    Not a Canadian (I come from Europe), but can relate to your experience.

    1. Contact NIES (NASBA's International Evaluation Services) to have your Canadian diplomas evaluated: https://nasba.org/products/nasbainternationalevaluationservices/
    This is necessary to be allowed to sit for the exam. Usually they evaluate your diplomas for just 1 state that you've selected. However, for an extra fee you can also request them to recommend you 3 states where it makes most sense for you to sit for the exam (i.e., where you already meet all educational requirements to sit AND get licensed). I'll be getting my license in Maine since they have less stringent requirements, but for your particular case Montana and Colorado might make just as much sense. New Hampshire used to be the most attractive state for non-US applicants, but they've changed their rules last year and now it's much more difficult to get licensed than its used to be.

    2. I've used Becker since my firm pays for it, and I've been very happy with it. I didn't study accounting or finance in school, but Becker covered all the basics and prepared me well enough to pass everything on the first try. One word of advice though – since you're a foreign applicant, you shouldn't cut any corners with Becker since you need to learn everything pretty much from scratch. Many people claim they didn't study this or that and still passed, but they seem to forget they've spent at least 4 years in college studying U.S. accounting rules. My experience shows that its best to cover everything Becker has in it's materials.

    Hope this helps some, let us know what other questions you have.

    AUD - passed
    REG - passed
    BEC - passed
    FAR - passed

    #745273
    SVSV
    Participant

    Thank you for the info! I was also thinking of using Wiley since they also have a consultant for international candidates and frankly I like the bit size video approach.

    Well, I guess I'll just have to dive into a section and take my chances.

    #745274
    Son
    Participant

    May I ask you why you've decided to get a CPA license in the first place? Depending on what company you work for and the reason you're seeking to get licensed they might be willing to cover the cost of the materials. Just something to consider.

    AUD - passed
    REG - passed
    BEC - passed
    FAR - passed

    #745275
    SVSV
    Participant

    I actually took a new job in which I interact with a lot of CPAs and I thought it would be handy to have it in my repertoire. I could do my Canadian one which my company will most definitely pay but I wanted to explore this option first.

    #745276
    Son
    Participant

    That actually makes sense. Just a word of caution, in most states you need to have work experience under the supervision of a CPA with an active license in addition to passing the exam and meeting the educational requirements (usually 1-2 years). Since you're working with CPAs that might not be an issue, but worth checking with those people before embarking on this journey.

    AUD - passed
    REG - passed
    BEC - passed
    FAR - passed

    #745277
    SVSV
    Participant

    That's why I want to pick a state whether the experience side is flexible 😉 Working for a MNC specializing in Oil and Gas, the turnover is high. I did tell them I'm exploring this option during the interviews and they were supportive.

    #745278
    Duskfall
    Participant

    Hello SVSV,

    Strange coincidence, I am in Alberta and looking for the American CPA as well!

    I am also in a Master of Professional Accountancy program by distance, through the University of South Dakota.

    I just sent my Canadian transcripts to NASBA to have them evaluated.

    It's important to know that you can write the exams at any prometric testing site, for any state. So if Montana is the closest testing center, you can go there and write the exam for any state. Personally, I still chose Montana as they don't need a social security number or residence, and I am going to write my tests there anyways. Other good states to write the exam for are Illinois, Alaska and any other that doesn't require a SSN, residency and has less strict working requirements. Whichever state you choose, you can always transfer your tests later if you end up working in a different state.

    SVSV, which review package did you decide to go with? I believe I am going with Roger CPA Review, but I was also considering Wiley.

    Good luck out there!

    • FAR - 81 - JUN 7th, 2016
    • BEC - 85 - AUG 23rd, 2016
    • AUD- 80 - OCT 5th, 2016
    • REG- 77 - DEC 2nd, 2016

     

    FAR - 07/07/2016 - 81
    BEC - 08/23/2016
    AUD - 10/05/2016
    REG - 11/23/2016

    #745279
    SVSV
    Participant

    Hi Duskfall! Another Albertan on the board! NIES still taking a long time to evaluate my transcripts but I'm hoping to be able to write at 120 hours. Since my background is accounting, I *should* be ok but we'll see. My goal is to pass the 4 exams and then figure out where to truly move the credits to. Be sure to call them bc they are very slow these days.
    I may end up flying to Vegas to write my exams. The flights can be cheap (depending) since driving to Montana would take awhile since I'm in Edm.
    I'm seriously looking at GLEIM. It doesn't get much love on the boards however since I like the face that a lot of colleges use their materials and it's not crazy expensive. Even though it's going to cost more $$, I'm looking at buying the modules individually. So it gives me the option to choose another provider for a different module if need be. NINJA products are on my list too.

    Are you planning on moving or taking it for work purposes? Keep in touch!

    #745280
    Duskfall
    Participant

    Once I write the tests, I plan on finding work in the States. I don't think Canada is going to be doing very good economically for a long while, especially Alberta. I have no particular preference for where I find work first, I will apply everywhere, from Alaska to Florida.

    I know what you mean about NIES, they took a week to tell me I paid for my application. Jeez. I will definitely give them a call to see if they received all my transcripts.

    Flights to Vegas are cheap, and you can enjoy yourself after your write the test (or drown your sorrows)! Great idea. I was just there in December, it was good times. If everything goes through, I will be writing my exams in Helena, Montana. It's only a six hour drive from Calgary. I hope to pass all the exams this year and be in the States for the next busy season.

    I honestly never considered GLEIM, and I am not sure why. I will take a look at it. Buying individual sections is a good idea if you aren't sure you'll like the teaching style and platform, essentially you will save money doing that rather than buying a full program and hating it. I am also considering the NINJA stuff, just not fully decided yet.

    We will definitely keep in touch, keep me updated on your progress and I will do the same. Good luck SVSV!

    • FAR - 81 - JUN 7th, 2016
    • BEC - 85 - AUG 23rd, 2016
    • AUD- 80 - OCT 5th, 2016
    • REG- 77 - DEC 2nd, 2016

     

    FAR - 07/07/2016 - 81
    BEC - 08/23/2016
    AUD - 10/05/2016
    REG - 11/23/2016

    #745281
    ecg19
    Participant

    I am not Canadian, but I am from New Zealand (degree attained there) and got my experience required at a big 4 in both NZ and Australia.

    I chose California for the state to be licensed in, as they recognised my experience under an Australian CA. I also had the 150 hour requirement from doing an LLB/BCom in college, so didn't have to worry about that.

    We are actually living in Germany as my American husband is in the military. I had to fly back to the USA to sit my first two exams. We went with Florida, as I wanted to get a vacation out of it at the same time. I like the idea of you guys going to Las Vegas. I truly felt like that took a little pressure off. It's stressful having the weight of a trip combined with the exams – by telling myself if I failed that it's ok, we would have got a great vacation out of it anyway, that really helped.

    I had a time zone change too, which you guys won't have to worry about! If I can pass coming from Germany, then I wouldn't worry about Canada. I'd focus more on finding the best state for being licensed in and just get to studying. With having the pressure of flying in, I decided to go with what my old firm (EY) would have bought me had I still worked there, which was Becker. Expensive when you have to buy it upfront, but, I think it was worth it. My second choice would have been Roger. For things like REG where tax rules can be extremely different to NZ/AU, I'd recommend spending a little more time. Audit is virtually the same as any commonwealth country's undergrad teachings, so that helped. I'm not looking forward to FAR though, as GAAP can be so different to IFRS.

    Good luck guys! We can do this!

    Military spouse living in Germany

    REG 1/13/2016 - 82
    AUD 1/15/2016 - 82
    FAR 5/24/2016 - 80
    BEC 5/27/2016 - 85

    CA PETH 6/19/2016- 86 BOO
    CA PETH 6/21/2016- 90 AND NOW I AM DONE!

    #745282
    SVSV
    Participant

    NIES emailed me back saying the processing time is now 29 BUSINESS days (I'm kicking myself for not doing this over the holidays) so the waiting game continues. I know I definitely need to take courses to get myself up to the 150 hour mark but hopefully once I finish the exams.
    I was planning Vegas bc it's a 3 (ish) hour flight and an one night stay shouldn't be too expensive. I wish I could hang around longer…maybe if all goes well, I'll plan a longer trip during my last exam 🙂


    @Ecg19
    – you brave soul for taking TWO exams during 1 window! You're providing me hope that I should be able to do 1 per window lol.

    #745283
    Duskfall
    Participant

    @SVSV – Wow, 29 business days! I should have got the ball rolling faster too. I was hoping to take my first exam in the beginning of April. I decided I will not buy my review package until my education is evaluated just in case, and if it takes them until mid March to get it I will have to delay the schedule. Oh well, one thing I've learned through this process of Masters school and CPA is patience.

    @ecg19 – Two exams two days apart! Did you find it difficult to retain information for both exams? What was your study schedule like? I am scared to attempt two on the same trip down. I am in an American Master of Professional Accountancy program, so I am already well versed on the differences between FASB and IFRS, as well as the difference between our countries tax system. I think we are pretty lucky as Canadians, as we are the USA's largest trading partner and neighbour, we don't really have that many differences in our reporting and taxation I find. Before Canada adopted IFRS, our Canadian GAAP was extremely similar to the USA, and our taxation system is very similar, obviously just higher brackets and more tax paid in Canada. I haven't taken an American Audit course yet, so I am glad they are very similar as you say. Good job on your first two tests, good luck with the other two!

    • FAR - 81 - JUN 7th, 2016
    • BEC - 85 - AUG 23rd, 2016
    • AUD- 80 - OCT 5th, 2016
    • REG- 77 - DEC 2nd, 2016

     

    FAR - 07/07/2016 - 81
    BEC - 08/23/2016
    AUD - 10/05/2016
    REG - 11/23/2016

    #745284
    ecg19
    Participant

    Vegas is a good idea – cheap! That's part of the reason why I chose Florida. It's the cheapest in the east coast time zone to stay at once I get there.

    As for two exams, yes it was difficult to study for two, but I treated it like I was still in college. I studied law and accounting so I usually had 5-6 finals each semester in college, so I told myself that it was lucky to only have to study for two. I also saw it as it was better to go and attempt two and potentially pass one then attempt one and fail one. There's already a whole lot of pressure in travelling to sit the exams, so I tried to make it worth it.

    I watched all Becker videos through once without attempting the homework questions, then in November I started seriously studying both at the same time. I would go REG 1, AUD 1 alternating each subject. I studied about 8-10 hours over the weekends from the end of November and during my one hour lunch break at work and probably around 2 hours a night. I was lucky to be able to take a week off work over Christmas and literally studied 8-10 hours a day for 10 days (including Christmas day – haha!). I flew to Florida and studied about 4-5 hours a day before my exams. I would say though that I spent less time studying than the average candidate – I blocked FB though and made sure that most of my study was focused.

    I'm now studying to study FAR and BEC and I have booked plane tickets for the end of May. I'm going to try to study more because although my scores were good, I didn't feel confident. I plan to do the same though – watching the lectures through once and then studying seriously after I have seen everything through once. I also would write down the answer to each MC question I got wrong and figure out why I wasn't grasping it – I think that helped big time!

    Good luck – to be honest guys you just have to do it. I waited for 2 years for no reason. Just pick a date, book your exam and then strive to meet that date as best as possible!

    Military spouse living in Germany

    REG 1/13/2016 - 82
    AUD 1/15/2016 - 82
    FAR 5/24/2016 - 80
    BEC 5/27/2016 - 85

    CA PETH 6/19/2016- 86 BOO
    CA PETH 6/21/2016- 90 AND NOW I AM DONE!

    #745285
    SVSV
    Participant

    Thought I would update: I had been emailing NIES frequently asking them the status of my evaluation. The answer I got was delay due the volume of applications and wait 29 business days. I sent an email today since it's been 30 business days and I get an answer stating my application was put in the wrong drawer! Now it's expected to be completed next week. Totally not happy with NIES and the frustrating part is I really can't move forward until they come back with my foreign transcripts evaluation.

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