ABA FAQs

How do I become accredited?

The ABA® designation can only be attained through successful completion of the Comprehensive Examination for the Accreditation in Accountancy.

Who is eligible to take the examination?

There are no educational requirements to sit for the Comprehensive Examination. However, the ACAT Board of Directors requires that a candidate have a minimum background of three years work experience or two years of college-level accounting and one year experience. Individuals without substantive work experience are advised to have completed Principles, Intermediate, and either Cost or Managerial Accounting, as well as at least one semester in taxation, before taking for the exam.

What about Special Needs?

ACAT does not discriminate and offers accommodations to those with disabilities. There is a place on the registration form to notify ACAT of your needs, so we may accommodate you.

What if I don’t have the experience?

Individuals who pass the exam but who have not met the experience requirement may market themselves as having “passed the ACAT Comprehensive Examination for Accreditation in Accountancy,” but are not entitled to use the ABA designation.

What if there appears to be a problem?

Any examinee who sees a problem with the examination or has a difficulty before or during the test-taking session is encouraged to contact the ACAT National Office. Please write Director of Accreditation, 1010 N. Fairfax Street, Alexandria, VA 22314; info@acatcredentials.org; 703.549.2228 x1343.

What do I receive besides a certificate?

ACAT has many programs to benefit credential holders. They include: a bi-monthly e-newsletter with new of ACAT programs and projects, feature stories on accounting and more. Every other month, ACAT issues a tax or accounting tip that you can send to your clients in a newsletter or letter, use in a local paper or put on your website. You’ll be listed in a national credentials directory where clients can go to when they are searching for a new accountant or tax preparer. Through our partnership with the National Society of Accountants, you voice will be heard on state and national accounting and tax issues.

What happens on the day of the test?

You should report to the location when you are taking the ABA exam 15 minute prior to your scheduled testing time. You must bring your confirmation letter and a government -issued photo ID. You may also bring a non-printing, non-programmable calculator with you. You'll find your test center has a quiet and private area for you to take your examination. You will be instructed on how to use the computer for the ABA test, then left to complete the examination. If you are taking the whole ABA test, we suggest you bring your lunch as you will only have 30 minutes between tests.

What happens after I take the comprehensive exam?

You will not receive your test scores at the time you complete the examination. Each registrant’s answers are furnished to ACAT which grades them using ParScore, an examination software. A summary of the responses and statistical analyses are forwarded to ACAT’s psychometrician (a statistician who specializes in tests).

Using his analysis, the Subject Matter Expert Committee chair prepares a report for the Board of Directors. The Board determines if any questions were misleading or questionable and need to be excluded. Following its review, the exam scores are reported. You should receive your exam scores within six weeks of the end of the examination period.

How high of a score do I need to pass?

The ACAT Board of Directors has set 70 as the minimum satisfactory level for the Comprehensive Examination. Individuals must score 70 or higher on each section of the exam pass the exam.

Individuals who do not pass the full exam, but who score at least 70 on either Practice 1 or Practice 2 are considered to have “conditioned” that section of the Comprehensive Examination. Conditioning allows the candidate to successfully complete the exam by re-taking only the section not previously passed. Candidates have three years from the date of conditioning to pass (by obtaining a second score of at least 70). After that, the condition is void.

Candidates will receive a letter from ACAT notifying them whether they have passed, not passed, or conditioned, and giving them their test scores. Those who do not pass the exam will be told what areas they had difficulty with. Approximately 45% to 55% of the examinees earn the ABA each time the test is given.

Individuals who do not pass either section of the exam may re-register for the full exam in order to be considered a candidate for accreditation. The cost for re-taking the exam is $60.

New credential holders will receive a hand-lettered certificate attesting to their accredited status, as well as other materials to assist them in publicizing their achievement.

Your test results are confidential and will not be released to anyone without your written permission. ACAT stores exam results indefinitely.

How do I maintain the credential?

Renewal is not automatic. Professionals maintain accreditation through: payment of annual renewal fees; compliance with ACAT's mandatory Continuing Professional Education (CPE) requirements; and adherence to ACAT's Code of Ethics and Rules of Professional Conduct.

The basic and most important principle for accreditation by ACAT is the commitment to an ongoing program of continuing professional education. Individuals holding Accreditation in Accountancy must earn 120 CPE hours every three years. This meets or exceeds the recommended educational requirements of all state boards of accountancy. ACAT conducts periodic random audits to ensure that credential holders remain in compliance.

ACAT's Code of Ethics and Rules of Professional Conduct are among the highest standards of practice in the financial and taxation profession. Compliance with this standard of professional integrity is required of all those with accreditation.