Factors To Consider When Preparing To Take EA Exam

By Marci Nielsen


Being an enrolled agent is very crucial for anybody who wants to advance his/her career as a tax expert. This is because enrolled agents are usually not restricted as to which clients they can represent, the type of tax matters they can handle and which IRS offices they can represent clients in. However, before one can become an enrolled agent, he/she must pass the special enrollment exams. However, passing EA exam requires a lot of hard work, patience and planning. Below are a few pointers to make your task easier.

The first step when preparing for any exam and not necessarily the EA test is to start early enough. There is absolutely no reason to start cramming at the last minute especially when preparing for a test covering something as hard as taxation. Starting preparation early will also help you avoid added anxiety on the examination day.

Another very important tip is to study past IRS exam papers. Although these may not represent the currents EA tests, they can be of great help to any student preparing to take Enrolled Agent Exams. You can download old tests from the IRS website.

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.

Before you schedule a test, you should also be fully prepared. Most candidates do the mistake of booking exams when they are totally not ready. Because of this, you need to take your time and prepare fully before booking an exam. Remember that you can only sit for these exams at most four times in a calendar year. Furthermore, sitting for Enrolled Agent Exams is very costly. It is therefore important that you only register when you are fully prepared.

Joining a study group can also be of help. These days, you do not necessarily have to look for physical location to meet with your group members. You can even form a whatsapp group or meet via facebook and discuss.

As the exam approaches, you should ensure you get plenty of rest and also exercise. This is not the time to focus on studies. Instead, you need to review your notes in order to get overall feel for the main points of the test.

It is also important that you arrive early on the test site. This will help you avoid being over anxious. Of course anxiety is a normal process of any performance related process. However, too much of it usually have negative consequences.




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