If you haven’t heard by now, the next version of the CPA Exam launches on April 1st. The overall administration and structure of the exam are changing as well as a significant shift in focus to testing higher order skills. With all the CPA Exam changes and updates, one minor but noteworthy administrative change to the exam could cause you to forfeit your exam if not followed properly.
According to the NASBA Website:
Candidates are cautioned on their Notice To Schedule (NTS), in the CPA Exam Candidate Bulletin as well as in the Exam itself that they are required to move quickly through the introductory screens after entering their Launch Code, or else the Exam will time out and cannot be restarted. If the Exam terminates, they will be required to apply and pay to receive a new NTS in order to take the section.
Once the Launch Code has been entered, the candidate has 5 minutes to complete the three introductory screens before the Exam terminates. During this phase of the Exam, the screens do not display the time, and candidates sometimes make the mistake of using these 5 minutes for other purposes and lose track of how much time has elapsed. Remember, candidates are not permitted to wear watches in the testing center.
Before, candidates had 10 minutes to complete the introductory screens before the exam terminated. However, you will now only have 5 minutes, so be sure to wait on writing down notes or mnemonics until after navigating through the introductory screens to avoid forfeiting your exam.
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