Requirements to Become a CPA

The examination required to be passed as a condition for the granting of a certificate must test the applicant's knowledge of the subjects of accounting and auditing. A grade of seventy-five percent is required in each subject to constitute a passing grade. The time for holding the examination must be fixed by the board and may be changed from time to time. The board may prescribe by rule the methods of applying for and conducting the examination, including methods for grading papers and determining a passing grade required of an applicant for a certificate provided that the board to the extent possible sees to it that the grading of the examination and the passing grade requirements are uniform with those applicable in all other states. The board may use all or any part of the uniform certified public accountant examination and advisory grading service of the American institute of certified public accountants and may contract with third parties to perform administrative services with respect to the examination it deems appropriate to assist it in performing its duties. The board may permit a candidate to take the examination if the board is satisfied that the candidate will complete the educational requirements of this section within six months after the candidate's application to take the examination.

Due to the CPA Evolution testing has gone back to "windows". Please consult the AICPA website for target score release dates and open testing windows. All applications are completed online on the Certemy website. Links to the applications are on the applications page. Applicants are encouraged to submit applications 30 days in advance of their target writing date. The four sections of the CPA Exam may be taken individually and in any order. An applicant shall retain conditional credit for any section passed, for 30 months after their score release date. An applicant must pass all exam sections within a rolling 30 month period (starting the date they took the first section passed). An Exam section may not be retaken until scores are released for that section. If all Exam sections are not passed in the 30 month period, credit will expire for any section passed outside the 30 month period.

Exam passers must provide proof of Completion of Professional Ethics: AICPA's Comprehensive Course before you may be licensed.   You can purchase the exam through the North Dakota CPA Society Ethics

An exam passer must complete 2000 hours and 1 calendar year of qualified experience before they may become licensed.

Rule 3-02-04-01   

Qualifying Experience.  The experience required for initial certification after December 31, 2000, must consist of at least two thousand hours gained within four or fewer calendar years, and must be verified to the satisfaction of the Board.  The majority of the experience must consist of providing some service or advice involving the use of accounting, attest, management advisory, financial advisory, tax, or consulting skills.  Candidates may complete the required examinations before completing any of the experience required for initial certification.

Law

After December 31, 2000, an applicant for initial issuance of a certificate under this section shall show that the applicant has had one year of experience. This experience must include providing any type of service or advice involving the use of accounting, attest, management advisory, financial advisory, tax, or consulting skills. This experience must be verified and must meet any other requirements prescribed by the Board by rule. This experience is acceptable if it was gained through employment in government, industry, academia, or public accounting. This experience requirement does not apply to those who received a certificate from this state prior to January 1, 2000.

Exam grades transfer

Candidates who have passed all or parts of the CPA exam elsewhere may transfer those grades providing credit would have been given under our then-applicable requirements if the exam had been taken in this state.

Reciprocal certification

CPAs, who hold a certificate from another state may obtain a reciprocal CPA certificate, provided their state extends similar reciprocity to North Dakota CPAs. An applicant for a reciprocal certificate must have passed the examination with grades that would have been passing grades in North Dakota at the time, must meet all requirements for a certificate (at the time of application or at the time of issuance of the other state certificate), and pay the applicable fees. There is also provision for obtaining a ND certificate without meeting all these requirements, if the applicant (or the state which issued their certificate) has attained substantial equivalency.

Substantial equivalency

An individual whose principal place of business is not in this state shall have all the privileges of certificate holders and licensees of this state without the need to obtain a certificate or permit, if the individual holds a valid certificate as a CPA from a state that has attained substantial equivalency, or if the individual's CPA qualifications are deemed to meet substantial equivalency. Contact our office to pursue this option.

Reciprocity for foreign credential holders

North Dakota's accounting law makes provision for issuing certificates to holders of foreign accounting credentials under certain conditions. Contact the Board for details.

CPA Exam Application          $120.00- a one time fee

Exam Grades Transfer          $140.00

Reciprocal Certification        $140.00

Substantial Equivalency       $140.00

Reinstatement                     $150.00

The required education to be licensed is "... at least 150 semester hours of college education including a baccalaureate or higher degree or its equivalent conferred by a college or university acceptable to the board, the total educational program to include an accounting concentration or equivalent as determined by board rule to be appropriate. The board may permit a candidate to take the examination if the candidate has at least one hundred twenty semester hours of college education." An acceptable college is one that is accredited by one of the regional accrediting associations listed at https://www.chea.org/  . Unaccredited college credits are acceptable if accepted for transfer credit by an accredited school. 

Foreign education

In order to write the exam as a North Dakota candidate, education completed at non-U.S. schools is to be evaluated for equivalency with U.S. standards. Obtain a course by course evaluation (at least for the concentration coursework). For evaluations, you may contact facsusa.com or nasba.org/products/nies.

Accounting concentrations means: 24 semester credits or equivalent of accounting courses, plus 24 credits of other business courses. Principles of accounting or equivalent courses do not count toward the required accounting or business courses. The accounting portion may include classes with an accounting, audit, or tax rubric. The other-business portion may include classes with a rubric of business, management, finance, economics or marketing. Additional accounting classes also qualify.

One quarter credit = 2/3 semester credit. 

In a joint effort, the AICPA and NASBA plan to roll out a new model for the AICPA Uniform CPA Exam. This model will allow the
exam to remain current and candidates to acquire the skills needed in a changing profession. The exam will be broken down
into two components: three Core Components and one Discipline Component. The Core Component sections are required
and will remain essentially the same (AUD, FAR, REG). The candidate will select one of three sections for the Discipline
component: Business Analysis and Reporting (BAR), Information Systems and Controls (ISC), or Tax Compliance and Planning
(TCP). The candidate will be required to pass four sections to pass the entire CPA exam, three core components and one
discipline component.


January 10, 2024 – AUD, FAR, and REG will be available to schedule through March 24, 2024.
January 10, 2024 – BAR, ISC and TCP will be available to schedule through February 6, 2024.

NASBA will revert to a quarterly schedule to release exam scores due to necessary standard-setting analyses and activities.
Although there may be some delay in scheduling exams and receiving scores, Prometric plans to increase testing days and
hours available to schedule. Due to the limited testing schedule and possible delayed score releases any North Dakota State
Board of Accountancy candidate with Uniform CPA Examination credit(s) on January 1, 2024, will have such credit(s) extended to June 30, 2025.

The AICPA Target Score Release Timeline may be found here

Effective April 1, 2024, exam credit will expire after 30 months instead of 18 months. This will begin on the day North Dakota receives your score from NASBA versus the date you sat for the exam.