If you are looking to earn the Accredited Business Accountant credential, here's a way to jump start your study preparation and take the exam when you are most prepared to tackle it. Sign up for the ABA Crash Course and Exam.

This two-day cram course will help reinforce and expand your knowledge of the five topics covered by the exam. You will have the opportunity to take a sample exam, receive tips and tools from expert facilitators and build the body of knowledge needed to successfully pass the ABA exam. Then, when you are all prepared, the ABA exam will be administered on the third day.

The course and exam will take place August 13-15 at the Portland Marriott Waterfront, Portland, OR, immediately preceding the NSA Annual Meeting.

The cram course is a comprehensive coordinated program designed to fully prepare you with the knowledge and test-taking skills to pass the ABA test. You will receive a copy of the ACAT Prep Book, a two-binder set covering all five aspects of the 200-question exam:

• Accounting
• Business Consulting
• Business Law
• Ethics
• Taxation

A month before the exam, you'll receive a preview test you can take to gauge your readiness and identify weak areas.

On site in Portland, you'll have two full days with skilled facilitators giving you strategies for answering questions and time-tested hints on test-taking skills. This cram course will touch on the exam's topics, but its main focus is preparing you to take the test, not teaching you accounting.

Those taking past cram courses have done extraordinarily well on the ABA exam with a significantly higher than usual past rate.

Though registrations will be accepted until July 31st, to maximize your results and give you the most preparation time, we strongly encourage you to register by May 1.

Fee: $295 members; $395 nonmembers; With ATP Option: $370 members; $500 nonmembers. Registration includes all course materials including $185 ACAT Prep Book, study guide, sample exam, breaks, and the $200 registration fee for the exam.

Time: Monday and Tuesday, August 13-14: 9:00 a.m. Ð 5:00 p.m. Wednesday, August 15: 7:45 a.m. Ð 5:00 p.m.

Bill Parrish, ABA, ATA, ATP, ECS Bill Parrish is an accountant and tax professional serving clients in several states and is the founder and chief operating officer of (oneplusone)_. Additionally, he works for his wife, Cheryl, at her practice in Overland Park, KS. He has spoken at seminars for the Internal Revenue Service, accounting societies, and banking groups. He received the Golden Quill Award from the National Society of Accountants, their annual award for the best member-written article for their national publications and their highest annual award, the Distinguished Service Award. Bill has received the District Director's Award twice from the Internal Revenue Service, has served the Public Accountants Association of Kansas in numerous positions including President. He is a past member of the NSA Board of Governors and past Chairman of the Accounting Standards Committee. He is also past president and a past member of the ACAT Board of Directors.

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