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Which accounting program characteristics contribute to CPA exam success? A study of institutional factors and graduate education

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  • Nagle, Brian M.
  • Menk, K. Bryan
  • Rau, Stephen E.

Abstract

CPA exam pass rates are a widely accepted indicator of an accounting program’s ability to prepare its graduates for success on the exam and are often used to communicate the quality of the program to prospective students. While passing the exam can be very expensive, time consuming, and difficult, it is a critical priority for most accounting students. This study examines (1) whether completion of a graduate degree is associated with performance on the CPA exam, and (2) the institutional variables that are also associated with CPA exam performance. These variables include the schools’ accreditations, selectivity in admissions, faculty credentials, research ranking, and whether the school is public or private. The results indicated that completion of a graduate degree was associated with higher CPA exam pass rates. In addition, accreditation type, admissions selectivity, and proportion of accounting faculty holding a CPA license were also significantly associated with CPA exam pass rates. However, the proportion of accounting faculty with a terminal degree, research ranking, and public versus private were not significant.

Suggested Citation

  • Nagle, Brian M. & Menk, K. Bryan & Rau, Stephen E., 2018. "Which accounting program characteristics contribute to CPA exam success? A study of institutional factors and graduate education," Journal of Accounting Education, Elsevier, vol. 45(C), pages 20-31.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:joaced:v:45:y:2018:i:c:p:20-31
    DOI: 10.1016/j.jaccedu.2018.09.003
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Fogarty, Timothy J. & Black, William H., 2014. "Further tales of the schism: US accounting faculty and practice credentials," Journal of Accounting Education, Elsevier, vol. 32(3), pages 223-237.
    2. Grant, C. Terry & Ciccotello, Conrad S. & Dickie, Mark, 2002. "Barriers to professional entry: how effective is the 150-hour rule?," Journal of Accounting and Public Policy, Elsevier, vol. 21(1), pages 71-93.
    3. Bline, Dennis & Perreault, Stephen & Zheng, Xiaochuan, 2016. "An exploratory examination of order effects on CPA exam passage timeliness," Journal of Accounting Education, Elsevier, vol. 36(C), pages 65-74.
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    1. Fogarty, Timothy J. & Reinstein, Alan & Sasmaz, Mary B., 2021. "Is academic performance a zero-sum game? Exploring the nexus between research and education outcomes of U.S. accounting programs," Advances in accounting, Elsevier, vol. 52(C).
    2. Apostolou, Barbara & Dorminey, Jack W. & Hassell, John M. & Hickey, Anna, 2019. "Accounting education literature review (2018)," Journal of Accounting Education, Elsevier, vol. 47(C), pages 1-27.
    3. Shin, Haeyoung & Lacina, Michael & Lee, B. Brian & Pan, Shanshan, 2020. "Schools’ CPA review course affiliations and success on the uniform CPA examination," Journal of Accounting Education, Elsevier, vol. 50(C).
    4. Espahbodi, Arya & Espahbodi, Linda & Espahbodi, Reza & Walker, Rosemary & Thomas White, G., 2023. "Determinants of CPA exam performance," Journal of Accounting Education, Elsevier, vol. 64(C).
    5. Cordis, Adriana S. & Muzatko, Steven, 2021. "Higher education spending and CPA exam performance," Journal of Accounting Education, Elsevier, vol. 55(C).
    6. Onesmus Ayaya & Marius Pretorius, 2021. "The State of Business Rescue Practitioners Professional Accreditation," SAGE Open, , vol. 11(4), pages 21582440211, October.
    7. Sidorova, Marina & Nazarov, Dmitry & Listopad, Ekaterina, 2022. "The impact of ideology on the institutionalization of correspondence accounting education in Soviet Russia (1929–1939)," Journal of Accounting Education, Elsevier, vol. 58(C).

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