Who Wants to Open Up a Prometric Testing Center?

Posted on by Adrienne Gonzalez

Yeah buddy, I found my next money-making project. I have > 800 sq. ft in the worst part of DC that I can easily load up with Leading Edge machines running DOS 6.0. We already have more guns per capita than any other ward in DC, so there's the security part. And I definitely know how to read an ID. Gold.

Who knew it was this easy to run a Prometric testing center (besides just about anyone who has actually sat at one)?

Benefits of delivering APTC exams

We are looking for partners who can act on the behalf of Prometric and our testing clients and leverage their local market knowledge to deliver certification tests to local candidates. For example, a business which acts as a certified trainer for one of our testing partners will provide in-house testing as a value-added feature within their overall services to local customers.

There are strict operational, technical, and security standards that must be met and maintained.

Operators Responsibility

This includes some financial responsibility that an ATPC will assume in return for the right to deliver these tests. To review and accept these obligations and to proceed with an application, please click on the link below.

APTC Application Note: You must use IE 5.5 or above in order to complete the application.

Is it completely and totally hilarious that you are only required to be running an IE product (released in March of 1999) that became obsolete before most of you were self-aware to open the application? Anyway, the "strict operation, technical and security standards" to which Prometric refers includes software security, data privacy (that's laughable given their alleged penchant for selling data to unrelated third parties), physical security, transmission of data to Prometric and the ability to open the testing center to start cranking out the nail techs and CPAs in a prompt manner. There is no mention of the test center's ability to keep the server from crashing (whatever that is supposed to mean) or the Internet connected.

If you have some extra space, a few extension cords and some old machines lying around, I think you know what to do.

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So Your Firm Is Going to Pay For You to Take the CPA Exam: Four Things To Remember

Have a question on the CPA Exam? What section is easiest? How should I study for Regulation? Are pants mandatory at the testing site? Shoot us an email with your query.

Not only do you have a job (congrats!) but you have a job that is willing to pay for you to take the CPA exam. Awesome! But before you load up on review materials, be sure you know what your employer expects and understand that there are situations where you can be held liable for materials if you don’t live up to your employer’s expectations.


This is Business – First of all, though you can’t claim a deduction, reimbursement of your CPA exam expenses (education, exam fees, etc) is treated as a business expense, just like any other training. If you’re desperate to get someone to help out with review course or exam fees, try selling this point to your employer.

Make the Most of Time You Have Now – If you’re in the Big 4 or anywhere down to the middle, chances are your review course fees are covered and your performance on the exam might be rewarded with a bonus. Don’t blow this! It’s easier for you to study and pass exams before you are loaded down with responsibilities and managers are much more lenient with first years looking for time off than they are if you’re in your 4th consecutive year of failing FAR. Take this seriously and realize that your firm will probably only pay once; blow it and you’re going to have to come up with retake fees on your own.

This Isn’t 2006 – Several years ago, firms would happily pay $3,000 and up for overpriced review courses with all the bells and whistles but since belts have been tightened, some are reluctant to cough up a chunk of cash without a guaranteed return on their investment. Look at this subsidy not as a gift but as additional income. Would you blow $3,000 of your own income on something and then never use it?

Ask Your Firms Lots of Questions – If your firm does not already have an agreement with a review course but is willing to pay your fees, ask lots of questions upfront and find out if you can invoice for repeats or supplemental products if you need them. One of the larger firms has a “we’ll pay for anything once” rule meaning they will only cut one check, regardless of whether it’s for $2 or $2,000. Other firms have strict rules about what you can order and when you can start (think government agencies). Regardless of how your firm works, ask about what is covered and what is expected in return.

In this economy, you can’t afford to blow a free review course and discounted or all-expense-paid trips to Prometric.

Adrienne Gonzalez is the founder of Jr. Deputy Accountant, a former CPA wrangler and a Going Concern contributor . You can see more of her posts here and all posts on the CPA Exam here.