IRS Competency Exam Deadline Approaches

The new IRS regulations require that all tax preparers, other than certain exempt individuals, pass a competency exam by December 31, 2013. This is in addition to the tax return preparer continuing education requirements which began in 2012. The IRS tax exam is designed to test a minimum level of competency for those in the profession, but don’t let that fool you. This is not as easy as it sounds as it may contain questions on topics one does not typically encounter in his or her practice. There are many seasoned professionals who cannot recall the last time they took an exam. In Circular 230, the IRS states that consequences for failure to meet this requirement include censure or disbarment. A preparer that does not complete the exam before the deadline has not met the legal requirements necessary to continue in the tax profession. For that reason, even the most seasoned tax professionals must take this seriously.

The Industry’s Best Tax Preparer Courses

One of the most important measures of success on this exam is whether or not you pass. While there are other tax preparer courses available, only one has the highest pass rate, and that is our very own IRS Tax Return Preparer Course & RTRP Exam Study Guide. With a student pass rate of 92.7% on the very first attempt, Fast Forward Academy’s tax preparer courses have quickly become the most popular among tax professionals. We deliver highly effective content over a world class technology platform, and provide our students with the best strategy to pass the RTRP exam.

Some of the features we offer that other tax preparer courses do not include:

• IRS Tax Return Preparer Course & RTRP Exam Study Guide
  A great tax preparer course must begin with the most useful and efficient content available. Our comprehensive book is concise and effective. We indicate key concepts, offer test tips, and help you overcome difficult subjects with examples.
• Test Bank with up to 2,000 questions and advanced filters
  A tax preparer course is not complete without questions to review. What we do different is allow you to control how you experience those questions. Using a variety of filters, you can focus on the exact type of questions you want to see. We even offer questions in both English and Spanish.
• Unlimited simulated practice exams
  These practice tests are weighted by exam subject and timed, just like the real thing. All 120 questions on a practice exam use the same exact standards as IRS uses. If you can pass the practice exams in our tax preparer course, you can schedule the real test with confidence.
• Detailed reports and advanced performance analysis
  Our system allows you to evaluate your study sessions with precision. Our reports will help you pinpoint your areas of weakness, allowing you to focus on what you need to improve. We also allow you to see how the community is doing, and even display your subject performance against community benchmarks so you can see how you measure against your peers.
• Support from instructors and a community of users
  This is another area where we stand apart from other tax preparer courses. We understand that it really helps when you can get the help you need, when you need it. We engage with you when you have questions, and allow you to connect with peers in our community of users to get them answered quickly.

How the Best Strategy Works

Forward Academy’s tax preparer course is much more than a book, or simple bank of test questions. In order to ensure you have the best experience on test day, we highly recommend you follow the strategy as follows:

• Read one chapter of the study guide, and then take the chapter quiz at the end.
• Access the test bank online at fastforwardacademy.com and use the chapter filter to select questions from you current chapter. Make sure you review the answers as you go. If you need help, you can send a message to our instructors, or post your question to the community.
• Repeat for all chapters. You can review a complete performance analysis at any time during your studies.
• It is a good idea to use the filters in the test bank at this time to review questions you got wrong. Your goal should be to score 80% or better before taking a practice exam.
• It is time to take a practice exam. When you are finished you will receive your grade, a comprehensive analysis of performance, and access to a new “opportunities” filter in the test bank. Like many of our features, you will not find this one available with other tax preparer courses.
• Return to the test bank and use the opportunities filter to review difficult topics ranked according to your personal performance, with you weakest areas appearing at the top.
• You should score 80% or better on a practice exam before you schedule your test with the IRS.

Students using our tax preparer course and best strategy have the best results on the IRS Registered Tax Return Preparer competency exam.