Should I switch to the new CPA program or rush the old one?
Students facing upcoming exam deadlines are caught between conflicting advice to rush the legacy CPA program or transition to a newly revamped one. This uncertainty leaves them questioning the actual quality of the new path, how it impacts future career value, and whether it makes sense to pay extra fees or wait years for the next CFE.
What people tried
Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.
Found another way around this?
Share your steps and trade-offs so fellow engineers don't have to reinvent the wheel. No account required.
- 1Talking to professors and peers to gauge opinionsDid this help you?
- 2Attempting to get grandfathered or finished under the old/legacy program requirementsDid this help you?
- 3Finishing under the old program requirements if possibleDid this help you?
- 4Transitioning early into the new professional program modulesDid this help you?
- 5Asking community forums or messaging peer groups on Discord for recent exam experiences.Did this help you?
- 6giving up on opening a public accounting firmDid this help you?
- 7reallocating effort into finding another accounting jobDid this help you?
- 8starting a bookkeeping business insteadDid this help you?
- 9Completing 150 credits anyway if close to finishing to avoid employer biasDid this help you?
- 10Pursuing the 120-credit route and getting an MBA later if required by a jobDid this help you?
In their words
Unedited, grouped by where they were said, most upvoted first within each place, each linked to the thread it came from.
“Why is everyone saying the new CPA program will be bad?”source ↗
“Like, everyone around me is telling me to get grandfathered into the old program rather than the new cause the new one is bad... but how is it bad?”source ↗
“So if the new program is that bad, then aren't future students like myself kinda screwed when we graduate?”source ↗
“Currently, I have my PM (first elective) exam coming up in 1.5 weeks. And I forgot to register for the Oct-Dec semester, so I'm considering transitioning to the professional program since staying in PEP means either paying $310 or waiting for the 2028 CFE.”source ↗
“Am I missing something, or is there no advantage to taking elective 2 (assuming I don't care for public accounting) and capstone 1/2 if the plan is to transition?”source ↗
“I was planning to open my own firm after being laid off and taken aback by the fact that I need to take their PDPA tax module and pass the tax exam if I want to provide compilation and tax services and register as Public Accounting Firm with CPA.”source ↗
“From what I hear, PDPA exam is even harder than CFE and it's been 6 years since I got designated so I don't know if I should just give up and reallocate my effort into finding another accounting job or just start a bookkeeping business instead”source ↗
“From an employer’s perspective, would the pathway a candidate chooses make a difference?”source ↗
“That’s what I’m wondering also. If I graduate with 120 credits the firms might side eye it. I haven’t gotten any internships so far so I will still need to 2 years experience.”source ↗
“Considering their pass mark is wrong, is anyone able to confirm if the questions are 3 or 4 multiple choice options? Anyone that has done the exam recently able to confirm and provide any info?”source ↗
“In the K2 exams they also have questions asking “what does this code do” with code snippets, however my understanding is there isn’t anything like this in the real exam?”source ↗
Where this came up
People with this problem also raised
- 50Are professional certifications actually worth the money for a promotion?
- 31How do I stop stressing about the CFE accounting exam?
- 17Do I need a master's degree to teach high school English?
- 6Why am I paying for professional certs that barely increase my pay?
- 2Will past job mistakes block my professional license?
- 6Why are continuing education webinars just sales pitches?