NEW MEXICO INFORMATION FOR FIRST-TIME APPLICANTS FOR THE UNIFORM CPA EXAMINATION
The New Mexico Public Accountancy Board (Board) has engaged CPA Examination Services, a division of the National Association of State Boards of Accountancy, Inc. (NASBA) for application processing, credential evaluation, and score reporting. Please read this information carefully before completing the application forms.
APPLICATION FORMS
First-time applications must be completed by applicants who:
·have never taken the examination as an applicant of this state;
·have previously applied, but were found ineligible to take the Uniform CPA Examination as an applicant of this state;
·have previously taken the examination as an applicant of another state but who have not earned credit;
·have previously taken the examination as an applicant of another state and wish to transfer credit to this state.
APPLICATION PROCESSING
Allow up to six (6) weeks for processing of the complete application.
The following documents must be received before your application will be reviewed. Failure to submit one or more of the following will delay processing time and prevent you from taking the examination:
·A completed First-time application,
·Application and examination fees to CPA Examination Services,
·Official transcript(s) from each academic institution,
·Foreign evaluations, if applicable,
Acknowledgment of receipt of application materials will be sent to applicants according to the method of notification indicated on the first-time application. This notice is sent to applicants only as acknowledgment of receipt of application.
APPLICATION AND EXAMINATION FEES
All applicants are required to pay both an application fee and an examination fee upon submission of the first-time application.
Application fee (non-refundable): $ 155.00
Examination fee
Auditing and Attestation (AUD) $ 230.55
Business Environment and Concepts (BEC) $ 180.95
Financial Accounting and Reporting (FAR) $ 218.15
Regulation (REG) $ 193.35
Applicants are able to apply for one or more section(s) of the examination at a time. However, applicants are advised to only apply for a section of the examination they are ready to take within the next six (6) months.
All fees must be paid at the time of application and must be in U.S. dollars. Personal checks, certified checks or money orders must be drawn on a U.S. bank and made payable to CPA Examination Services. Candidates are advised to notate the following information on payment document; candidate name and state.
A fee of $35.00 will be charged each time a check is returned by the bank.
APPLICANTS WITH DISABILITIES
In accordance with the provisions of the Americans with Disabilities Act, examination administration modifications are available for applicants who qualify. Such applicants must obtain a form to request modification from CPA Examination Services. Applicants must complete and submit this form each time they apply for the examination and require special modifications. The completed form must be returned to CPA Examination Services with all required documentation. This form may be obtained on our web site at www.nasba.org or by calling CPA Examination Services at 800.CPA.EXAM or 615.880.4250.
ELIGIBILITY FOR EXAMINATION
All first-time applicants must:
·Be of good moral character;
·Be of at least eighteen (18) years of age;
·Possess at least a bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited college or university, at least thirty (30) hours of which must be in accounting. No more that three (3) of the 30 hours may be in business law.
All education requirements must be completed at the time of application.
COURSE REQUIREMENTS
·Commercial CPA review courses are not acceptable.
·Finance courses are not acceptable in lieu of accounting courses.
·Photocopies or transcripts “Issued to Students” are not acceptable.
·Education earned at a regionally accredited community college or 2-year degree granting institution is acceptable.
·Correspondence, pass/fail grades, and CLEP credit are acceptable when an applicant receives credit for the
courses at a regionally accredited university. These courses must appear on an official transcript.
EVIDENCE OF EDUCATIONAL QUALIFICATIONS
I. Applicants who have completed the educational requirement upon submission of the First-time Application must:
? submit to CPA Examination Services relevant official transcript(s) from each institution at which original credit toward the educational requirement has been earned. Official transcripts must be received directly from the academic institution(s).;
? mail official transcript(s) to - CPA Examination Services-NM, 150 Fourth Avenue North, Suite 700, Nashville, TN, 37219.
? If required documentation is not received, the application will be determined to be incomplete and the applicant will not be permitted to take the examination and will forfeit the application fee paid.
II. Applicants who have completed educational requirements at institutions outside the U.S. must;.
·have their educational credentials evaluated any member organization of the National Association of Credential Evaluation Service (NACES), www.naces.org.
·obtain the form to request this service from the evaluation service.
·submit to CPA Examination Services the original evaluation. The evaluation of a foreign transcript must be a course by course comparison to New Mexico requirements. Photocopies are not accepted.
·mail original evaluation to CPA Examination Services - NM, 150 Fourth Avenue North, Suite 700, Nashville, TN, 37219.
If required documentation is not received, the application will be determined to be incomplete and the applicant will not be permitted to take the examination and will forfeit the application fee paid.
NOTICE TO SCHEDULE(NTS)
Applicants are advised to peruse and download the Candidate Bulletin at www.nasba.org for complete instructions.
After eligibility to take the examination is determined by the Board ( or its agent), NASBA will issue a Notice to Schedule (NTS) to applicants.
The NTS is valid for one testing event or six (6) months whichever is first exhausted for each examination section. The NTS includes the date that the NTS expires.
If the NTS is not received after six (6) weeks of submitting a First-time Application, contact CPA Examination Services. It is sent to applicants by the method of notification indicated on the First-time Application. The email address from which the NTS will be sent is cbtnts@nasba.org. Applicants are advised to add this email address to their email address books.
If the NTS expires prior to taking the examination section(s), applicants will not be able to reschedule, receive a credit or receive a refund on any of the fees paid and will have to reapply for the examination and pay the appropriate fees.
SCHEDULING THE EXAMINATION
Upon receipt of the NTS, candidates are required to contact Prometric, Inc. (Prometric) to schedule the examination. See the Candidate Bulletin for complete instruction on how to schedule the examination. For a list of test centers, visit Prometric’s web site at www.prometric.com. The New Mexico Public Accountancy Board and CPA Examination Services do not control space availability or location of the test centers.
Candidates who need to reschedule or cancel must contact Prometric. See the Candidate Bulletin for complete
instructions on how to reschedule or cancel the examination. Candidates may be required to pay a penalty and/or forfeit examination fees, depending on when Prometric is notified of the change or cancellation.
Candidates arriving for a scheduled testing appointment anytime after the scheduled start time may result in being denied permission to test, as a result candidates will not receive a refund of application or examination fees.
EXAMINATION CREDIT
Applicants may take the examination sections individually and in any order. Applicants shall be deemed to have passed the examination if the candidate obtains credit for passing each of the four (4) examination sections. The passing score for each section is 75. Credit for passing an examination section shall be valid from the date of the examination regardless of the date on which the candidate receives actual notice of the passing score. The determination of whether to accept the score is made by the New Mexico Public Accountancy Board at the time the applicant applies for a CPA Certificate with the Board.
Credit for any section passed shall be valid for eighteen (18) months from the date the candidate took that section regardless of the number of sections taken or the scores on any failed sections. Applicants shall pass all four examination sections within a rolling eighteen (18) month that begins on the testing date the first examination section is passed. Applicants who do not pass all four (4) examination sections within the eighteen (18) month period shall lose credit for each section passed outside the period and must retake that section(s).
Applicants cannot retake a failed section(s) within the same testing window.
TRANSFER OF EXAMINATION CREDIT
Applicants, transferring credit(s) from another jurisdiction into New mexico, must have earned credit under the same rules as are in effect in New Mexico.
An applicant who has passed one (1) or more sections of the CPA examination under another jurisdiction shall be given conditional credit by this board provided the applicant is still eligible to be considered a reexamination candidate in the original state where credit was earned.
An Authorization for Interstate Exchange of Examination Information Form is required to be submitted. The Form must be completed and submitted to CPA Examination Services directly from the Accountancy Board where original credit was earned.
This form may be obtained online at www.nasba.org.
CERTIFICATION AND LICENSURE REQUIREMENTS
Applications for certification may be obtained through the office of the New Mexico Public Accountancy Board. The following requirements must be met in order to be considered by the New Mexico Public Accountancy Board for approval for CPA certification:
·must pass all four parts of the Uniform CPA Examination with a minimum grade of 75 (refer to "Examination Credit’ for information regarding conditional credit);
·must complete the AICPA Ethics Exam, with a minimum grade of 90;
·must have at least one year of work experience in public accounting, private or governmental accounting or academia under the direct supervision of a licensed CPA; and
·pay the licensure application fee.
·After July 1, 2008, must have at least 150 semester hours of college education earned at a regionally accredited college or university.
EXCEPTION TO POLICY
There is no provision for withdrawing from the examination, refunds of application and/or examination fees or extension of the Notice to Schedule.
Applicants with documented hardships may request a Notice to Schedule(NTS) extension or a refund under the following criteria;
·VISA rejections;
·Military Deployment;
·Medical emergency of applicant or applicant’s immediate family;
·Death of applicant or applicant’s immediate family.
Under these circumstances, the applicant must submit the “Exception to Policy” Form for consideration. The “Exception to Policy” Form is located on the web site. Once on the web site, select “Exams”, “CPA Exam”, select your state jurisdiction, click on “First Time Application”, then select “Exception to Policy Form.”
MATERIALS TO BE SUBMITTED
First-time applicants must submit to CPA Examination Services:
I. Application
·Completed, signed first-time application;
·An Authorization for Interstate Exchange of Examination Information Form, if applicable;
·Fee payable to CPA Examination Services. (Notate candidate name and state on payment document)
II. Official transcript(s)
·Official transcript(s) from each institution at which original credit towards the educational requirement was earned;
·Foreign Evaluation, if applicable;
Mailing address: CPA Examination Services-NM, 150 Fourth Avenue North, Suite 700, Nashville, TN 37219.
HOW TO CONTACT US
CPA Examination Services
New Mexico Coordinator
150 Fourth Avenue North, Suite 700
Nashville, TN 37219
Toll-free: 800.CPA.EXAM Hours: Monday - Friday, 8:00 - 4:30pm, Central Time
Direct: 615.880.4250 Fax: 615.312.3792
Web: www.nasba.org Email: cpaes-nm@nasba.org
