CPA Exam NTS: Samples, 3 Common Issues and Solutions

You may have come across a term called NTS quite often in your CPA journey. What exactly is NTS? What’s the significance?

The CPA Exam NTS Stands for Notice To Schedule

The NTS is issued by NASBA. It is your approval ticket to sit for the CPA exam in the US.

This is the authorization you will need to schedule an exam. You will need this number to make an appointment with Prometric. The proctors at the Prometric centers do not distribute NTS to exam candidates.

The following is a scanned copy of a real NTS from Maine State Board of Accounting:

CPA exam NTS sample

The section ID and the launch ID will be used when you schedule your exam in the prometric website. The notice also states the period when you can take the respective part of the exam.

Common Questions

1. I understand that the expiry date will show on the NTS, but I want to have a general idea before hand. Is the CPA Exam NTS valid for 6 months?

Mmost states allow 6 months and it starts to count on the day when the NTS is issued. Exceptions are shown below. Please click on the link for explanation on the exceptions.

  • Texas: 3 months from application date
  • California, Hawaii, Louisana, Utah: 9 months from NTS issue date
  • North Dakota, South Dakota, Virginia: 12 months from NTS issue date

2. My name is misspelled or some of my exam information is incorrect, what do I do?

Please call NASBA at 1-800-CPA-EXAM to make any changes or correction to your exam information.

3. How do I schedule/reschedule my exam?

You can either call NASBA at 1-800-CPA-EXAM or go online to Prometric. I have a page to show you exactly how to do it.

Any Other Questions?

You can drop me a note on Facebook, or visit our FAQ page for other common questions.

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About the Author Stephanie Ng

I am the author of How to Pass The CPA Exam (published by Wiley), and I also passed all 4 sections of the CPA Exam on my first try. Additionally, I have led webinars, such as for the Institute of Management Accountants, authored featured articles on websites like Going Concern and AccountingWeb, and I'm also the CFO for the charity New Sight. Finally, I have created other accounting certification websites to help mentor non-CPA candidates. I have already mentored thousands of CPA, CMA, CIA, EA, and CFA candidates, and I can help you too!

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