The Case Against the Present CPA Commercial Law Examination.

Abstract The article focuses on the formats of certified public accountants (CPA) commercial law examination. The author suggests that the examination should be designed to evaluate the candidate's analytical ability to recognize legal problems, his knowledge and understanding of basic rules of law, and his ability to express his reasoning and conclusions in clear and concise language. Two times each year, in May and November, prospective candidates take the uniform examinations for the designation of Certified Public Accountant. One of the five examinations given is in commercial law. The author recommends that the commercial law paper should be strictly composed of a series of six to eight essay questions, secondly, the design and format would consist of four to six factual problems in each question. These problems would deal with the various areas of law in which the accountant is faced on an everyday basis. Third, the candidate would not be told what the problems are. He would therefore be required to first analyze the facts to determine the problem and then to write a clear and concise reasoning, using basic rules of law in arriving at a logical conclusion.