Wednesday, 2 December 2015

Factors To Consider When Preparing To Take EA Exam

By Marci Nielsen


While it is not mandatory for all tax practitioners in the US to be Enrolled Agents, there are lots of benefits that usually come with being an Enrolled Agent. As such, most tax practitioners in America today would want to be Enrolled Agent. However, before you can acquire the EA status, there are special exams that you will be required to pass. In order to pass these exams, you need to prepare adequately for them. Below are a few guidelines to help you prepare for your upcoming EA exam.

As usual, the most important tip when preparing for any exam, enrolled agent exam included is to start the preparation in advance. The earlier you start, the better. This will give you ample time to go through past papers and be adequately prepared. Starting revision early enough will also help you avoid the unnecessary last minute cramming; cramming all that information in a few study sessions will not help you retain the knowledge you need and may only compound your stress and anxiety.

Before you sit for the test, it is also important that you go through past IRS test papers. This will ensure that you are familiar with the format of questions to expect. Of course you should not expect to find the exact questions in the exam papers but you should at least find similar questions.

The next tip is to focus on the key concepts. As you start preparing for your EA test, you will realize that you have a lot of things to read about. However, not everything that you learn will be tested. As such, you need to focus your attention on what is testable. You may wonder how to differentiate the key concepts from the rest. This can easily be done by looking at the old exam papers for guidance on key concepts. You may also find testable concepts on prometric websites, which not only list testable concepts but also assign weight to each of them.

When it comes to choosing test date and site, it is very important that you choose date and site that will be convenient for you. There are EA test sites throughout the US and all over the world. As such, there is no need for you to travel long distance just to sit the examination. Registering for EA tests can cost anything from 100 dollars to 300 dollars. Because of this, failing the test can prove to be very costly.

Studying is a group may also help you. Through such groups, you will be able to interact with people who have lots of experience in when it comes to taxation matters. There are also classes offered by the National Association of Enrolled Agents.

You should also avoid over reading in the run in to the test. As the exam approaches, you just need to be relaxed and go through all past papers that you have. Otherwise, if you resort cramming at this moment, you are likely to forget everything that you learnt in the past.

You also need to arrive early in the test room. This will allow you to settle down and be relaxed before exam begins. Of course relaxed and focused attitude will put you at ease and help you focus on the test without distractions.




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