The CPA preparatory courses are a suite of 14 courses that provide specific subject area coverage for admission to the CPA Professional Education Program (note that a completed university degree is also required to enter PEP).
If you are seeking admission to the
CPA PEP but lack some or all of the necessary prerequisites for entry, you can take CPA preparatory courses to gain the knowledge requirements you are missing. You only have to complete the courses you require.
The only academic prerequisite for admission to these courses is 30 credit hours completed at a recognized post-secondary institution or 3 years of relevant work experience, but there are
internal sequencing requirements to be aware of as some courses are prerequisites for others.
The 14 CPA preparatory courses are delivered online through a blend of self-study and instructor-facilitated learning formats, and each course ends with an examination.
NON-CORE COURSES
The following courses are offered on a self-study basis. You must receive a grade of 50 per cent or higher to successfully pass each course.
- Introductory Financial Accounting (IFA)
- Introductory Management Accounting (IMA)
- Information Technology (ITE)
Students are able to register for non-core CPA preparatory courses any day of the year, as these courses do not have specific start dates. After registering for the course, students have up to 12 months to select from five examination dates that best meets their needs and schedule.
CORE COURSES
The following courses are led by instructors who are responsible for reviewing and providing feedback on course assignments and responding to student questions. You must achieve a minimum of 50% on your examination and an overall grade of 60% in the course to pass each core course.
- Intermediate Financial Reporting 1 (IF1)
- Intermediate Financial Reporting 2 (IF2)
- Advanced Financial Reporting (AFR)
- Corporate Finance (COF)
- Audit and Assurance (AUA)
- Taxation (TAX)
- Intermediate Management Accounting (MAA)
- Performance Management (PMA)
All core courses are delivered in a standardized format that includes six instructional weeks (minimum 60% required to pass) and a final exam week (minimum 50% required to pass). It will be assumed that the first available exam dates associated with the course will be your exam date; however, students have the opportunity to defer their desired exam date to any one of the future exam dates – within the posted schedule period (deferral fees will apply). Beginning soon, students will be able to register for their desired preparatory course and examination separately – as per the posted schedule.