Taking advantage of courses for bookkeeping and online accounting courses can go a long way in ensuring a passing grade and earning a bookkeeping certification.
With businesses and organizations always needing professionals to oversee their finances, a demand for a qualified accountant or a bookkeeper on staff is always present. While simply completing a program gets a person's foot in the door, obtaining a bookkeeping certification truly distinguishes the best from the rest.
You may acquire this certification from one of two governing bodies: the American Institute of Professional Bookkeepers (AIPB) and the National Association of Certified Bookkeepers (NACPB). Obtaining this certification is a multi-step process that takes several years to complete.
Those interested in obtaining a bookkeeping certification must first complete a post-secondary course in bookkeeping or a bookkeeping degree. Such bookkeeping training courses generally last from eight months to one year and can be completed at a community college or a vocational school. Interested students may even obtain their education from several online bookkeeping courses. Entering such bookkeeping classes typically requires candidates to have a solid background in high school math and accounting 101.
After successfully completing a bookkeeping program, you may need to gain valuable work experience in the field. The amount of experience needed varies by the certifying body, with the AIPB requiring at least two years of full-time work experience or an equivalent involving 3,000 hours of part-time or freelance work. This experience can be documented through letters from an employer detailing responsibilities and showing audits on books that the worker has managed.
The AIPB examination itself is broken down into four parts: two multiple-choice parts to be taken at a testing center and two additional open-book sessions that are to be completed at home. If you are looking to study ahead of time, several exam preparation sessions are available. These seminars are organized by knowledgeable professionals at the AIPB.
Bookkeepers preparing for the exam can also enroll in exam preparation courses offered at various facilities and online. Such courses go over accounting basics to ensure that a person is knowledgeable enough in this detail-oriented career. Test takers must score at least 75 percent on each of the multiple-choice proctored exam and 70 percent on each of the open-book exams for the AIPB certification.
The NACPB exam is an online exam with 50 questions, including simulations. The exam is open book and requires test takers to score at least 80 percent in order to pass. Results of the exam are available within 24 hours of taking it, and a retest is possible at least one week after the failed attempt. A test fee of either $150 for nonmembers of the NACPB or $100 for members is applied. Retests cost $50 for members and $75 for nonmembers.
While the preparations for the examination may seem strenuous, taking advantage of courses for bookkeeping and online accounting courses can go a long way in ensuring a passing grade and earning a bookkeeping certification. Broken down, the steps to achieving this valuable certificate aren't so complicated after all.
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