| Remember high school, when every teacher-- from | | | | PART 2 - BUSINESSES |
| Home Ec to Chemistry-- told you the SAT was the | | | | Section 1: Businesses (45%) |
| most important examination you would ever take in | | | | Section 2: Business Financial Information (40%) |
| your entire life? Remember preparing for the test, | | | | Section 3: Specialized Returns and Tax Payers (15%) |
| poring over hundreds of vocabulary words on | | | | PART 3 - REPRESENTATION, PRACTICES AND |
| homemade flashcards, so much that you started | | | | PROCEDURES |
| saying things like, "Muliebrity is to masculine as | | | | Section 1: Practices and Procedures (33%) |
| sesquipedalianism is to abbreviate" in everyday | | | | Section 2: Representation before the IRS (25%) |
| conversation? Remember freaking out when you | | | | Section 3: Specific Types of Representation (25%) |
| first saw your too-low practice score, thinking you | | | | Section 4: Completion of the Filing Process (17%) |
| were destined for a career in fast food? | | | | (Quick! Raise your hand if you mentally calculated |
| And remember how ticked off you were when you | | | | that last one, just to make sure it came out to 100%!) |
| realized you could've taken the ACT instead, or even | | | | Now what does it take to pass? Remember the |
| skipped testing altogether, and nobody would have | | | | "curve" grading system from tenth grade biology (and |
| cared? | | | | that stinkin' genius kid who always set the curve |
| The truth of the matter is, there are plenty of more | | | | impossibly high)? Well, the SEE is similarly scored on |
| important tests in life, depending on what you want to | | | | a kind of curve. Scaled scores are determined by |
| do-- the bar exam for future lawyers; the residency | | | | ranking your exam results against others taking the |
| exam for future surgeons; the paternity test on the | | | | exam, on a scale ranging between 40 and 130. A |
| Jerry Springer show for possible future dads. For | | | | score of 105 is the minimum required to pass, and test |
| would-be enrolled agents, that very important test is | | | | results are available immediately following the exam. |
| the Enrolled Agent Examination. | | | | Those who pass are informed, but do not receive a |
| The EA exam, officially known as the Special | | | | score. Those who fail, on the other hand, receive their |
| Enrollment Examination (SEE), is a three-part test | | | | score-- along with a diagnostic report indicating areas |
| administered by Prometric on behalf of the IRS. Each | | | | of weakness. If a candidate fails, he may retake |
| part is a separate 100 question exam, which you'll have | | | | each part of the exam up to four times each testing |
| three and a half hours to complete, and a passing | | | | period, and must pass all three parts within two years. |
| score on each part of the exam is required before the | | | | If you're hoping to schedule a time to take the SEE, |
| IRS will admit an individual to practice. The exam | | | | you'll need to obtain a Preparer Tax Identification |
| period commences each year on May 1, continuing | | | | Number (PTIN) by completing a W-7P form by mail, |
| through February 28 of the following year (meaning | | | | fax, or online. (The online method is quickest and |
| that the period beginning on May 1, 2010 will include | | | | provides the PTIN instantaneously.) Once you have |
| questions based on the 2009 tax year). | | | | your PTIN, you may register for the exam online on |
| So, what type of questions should you expect to see | | | | the Promertic website. SEE Exams are administered |
| in the enrolled agent exams? The enrolled agent | | | | via computer at nearly 300 Prometric testing centers |
| exam questions are in multiple-choice format, and the | | | | across the U.S. and internationally. And, rest assured, |
| three parts break down as follows: | | | | if you're hoping to become an enrolled agent, this test |
| PART 1 - INDIVIDUALS | | | | IS important. You should dedicate a fair amount time |
| Section 1: Preliminary Work and Tax Payer Data (15%) | | | | for enrolled agent exam review if you want to pass. |
| Section 2: Income and Assets (25%) | | | | One of the most effective methods is to take as |
| Section 3: Deductions and Credits (25%) | | | | many enrolled agent exam sample questions as you |
| Section 4: Taxation and Advice (20%) | | | | can get your hands on. |
| Section 5: Specialized Returns for Individuals (15%) | | | | |