Enhancing CPA Exam Pass Rates for Second Career Students
INTRODUCTIONIt is no secret that students with an accounting degree rarely have problems seeking employment. US News Careers ranks a degree in accounting as #3 for best business jobs, and #16 of the best 100 overall jobs (US News Best Jobs, 2016) The Bureau of Labor Statistics forecasts that 166,700 new accounting jobs will become available between 2015 and 2022. Based on the growth in the profession, many accredited accounting programs routinely have job placement rates near 100 percent leading interested firms that recruit on campus to have more open positions than qualified applicants (Gramling and Rossman, 2009) Enrollments in accounting programs are typically stable or in decline despite the career opportunities available, and accounting programs struggle to meet the demand of employers as a result of the number of courses in the undergraduate major and the requirement of 150 credit hours of academic study in most states (Gramling and Rossman, 2009) Allen and Woodland (2006) and (2012) show that there was a reduction in the number of college students entering the profession as a result of the 150 hour requirements. Jacob and Murray (2006) showed that when there is an option available students enrolled in programs will move to seek licensure in states or earn education in ways to circumvent the full 150 hour licensing requirements. As a result of the shortage and reduction of traditional college students entering the profession due to the burden of the 150 hour requirement, it can be inferred that there are opportunities for non traditional students to be attracted to accounting programs and educated through accelerated certificate programs or distance learning options, which allow graduates to meet the 150 hour licensing requirement to sit for the CPA exam in a timeframe significantly shorter than the traditional undergraduate student.The abundance of job opportunities in the accounting field, combined with above average starting salaries and growth potential make the profession especially attractive to those making a career change, specifically older individuals who would be considered a 'non traditional student, entering higher education later in life following a period of other work or military experience. These individuals are often good additions to academic programs, but their status also poses challenges for programs as they attempt to fit into the classroom culture mixed with traditional students. The non traditional student will learn differently and demonstrate mastery differently as has been clearly established in multiple research outlets. As educators who offer opportunity to non traditional students, it is the responsibility of the educator to assure that programs are balanced and offer curriculum to meet the needs of both types of learners.In the accounting field, one significant measure of program success is the ability of program graduates to pass the CPA exam. This statistic is very important to employers and a factor that can potentially influence recruiting efforts of an employer on a particular campus. There is evidence to show that there is a relationship between age of examinee and CPA exam pass rate. This paper briefly looks at the relationship between CPA exam pass rate and average age of examinee by accounting program, and specifically focuses on methods that accounting programs can utilize to more effectively service non traditional students and improve pass rates of these students. Many of the strategies presented within this paper will not only help the non traditional student with exam success, but also can offer benefit to traditional students at the end of their academic program with the drive to utilize the resources offered. Another potential use of the strategies presented in this paper is to offer CPA preparatory options in conjunction with coursework, but outside of class so that instructors in class can focus more on critical thinking skills in class and not 'teach to the exam, which is an unpopular technique to many educators, but still not ignore the importance of CPA exam success.