Frequently Asked Questions About Online CPE

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MasterCPE FAQs

Please scroll through the tabs below to find answers to frequently asked questions. If you cannot find your question below, please check out our other, subject-specific support pages above, or contact one of our Customer Care Representatives.

What is the course format?

MasterCPE course materials include PDF files (course books) and online grading of review questions and final exams (lessons). The books and the reference exam can be printed for offline review, but the student must return to the website to answer and grade the final exam. All course material, grading, and certificates necessary to complete the course are included. Most courses will have 5 final exam questions per CPE credit, although this can vary slightly. There will also be 3-5 review questions per CPE credit.

What does a subscription include?

Our $179 unlimited subscription includes every course on our website* Subscriptions provide a high-value way to complete your CPE. You can review the details on the Subscriptions page. Once you purchase an unlimited subscription, you can take all of the courses in the subscription as many times as you’d like. All course material, grading, and certificates are included. Subscription renewals receive a 15% discount if renewed prior to the subscription expiration date. The individual course prices listed in the course catalog do not apply to subscription holders.
*Please note that CPA Ethics courses are not included in a subscription.

How do I take an exam and complete the course?

All courses include final exams and the grading is online. Once you have selected a course, it will appear in your My Portal page. By clicking on the course name, you can access the course materials and final exams. After successfully completing the final exam, you can view and print the course certificate. You may take the exam as many times as it takes in order to pass successfully.

Do you offer any company or group discounts?

Companies and CPA groups can receive exclusive group discounts when they subscribe to MasterCPE. To inquire about eligibility and purchasing a group plan, simply fill out the Contact Us form to get in touch with MasterCPE today!

Are the courses considered interactive self-study courses?

Our courses are interactive self-study courses, and accepted by states that require ‘interactive’ self-study courses.

Are your courses accepted by my state board?

Yes! All states accept our CPE courses. Please review the Accreditation page from the Resources menu option for more information on state requirements.

Can I take the final exam without completing the review questions?

Yes, they are optional. The system will provide answers to review questions so you can easily see which answers were wrong and why. Review questions are not graded. Please note: You will not see the answers to the final exam questions until you successfully pass the final exam. This normally requires a score of 70 percent.

Why does the answer on my final exam seem to change?

If you believe that the answer you entered on the final exam changed, this is usually from two problems. First, sometimes Internet Explorer will hold onto old form data. The easiest solution is to use a different browser like Chrome or Firefox. The second problem occurs when someone uses the cursor up/down keys when completing the final exam. The selected answer will change when the cursor key is pressed, so the cursor keys should be avoided. Please use the mouse, not the arrow keys, to navigate and select final exam answers.

Why are prices listed with courses? I thought the courses were free once I bought a subscription.

The prices listed next to the courses are the prices for purchasing an individual course. If you buy a subscription, you can ignore the price for any course that is in your subscription. The word ‘Included‘ will be in the price column of any course in your subscription. Ethics courses are not included in the subscription except for the Enrolled Agent ethics.

Can I take the courses on my iPad or Kindle?

Yes. The books are PDF files that can be viewed in the browser. The grading is also compatible with the iPad Safari and Kindle browsers.

Can I print the final exam?

You can print out the reference exam. Many users like to check off the final exam questions as they read through the course material. You can then enter the final exam answers on the website for grading.

Can I retake the exams if I don’t pass the first time?

Yes, absolutely. If you do not successfully meet the minimum score requirement, you can retake the exam as many times as you want. Most final exams require a 70%. (CA Reg Review requires 90%.)

How do I get my CPE certificate?

Once you complete a course, go to the My Courses page. In the Completed Courses section, you will see the course name along with a link to view/print the certificate. You may always come back and log into your account to print another copy. MasterCPE will keep a copy of your certificate for 5 years.

How do I review the course materials?

Once you log into your account, you can access the course materials.
Click on the course name on the My Courses page. Click on the links to the course material on the Course Overview page. The course should open in another browser window. You can view the file using Adobe Acrobat on your computer, and print the materials if you would prefer a hard copy.
Use Adobe Acrobat’s search function to find specific topics in the course. Enter ‘click Ctrl+f‘ to open the search feature.

How long do I have to complete a course?

If you purchase an individual course, you will have 12 months to complete it. If you take a course as part of a subscription, the expiration date is determined by the expiration date of your subscription. Most subscriptions expire 12 months after the purchase date.

Do you have a guarantee?

If you are unhappy with our products for any reason, please contact our customer service team and we will provide a 100% money-back guarantee for all courses purchased within 90 days. However, we cannot provide refunds once a course has been completed and you have received the course certificate. If you have purchased a subscription, we will provide the difference between the original subscription price and the individual price of any courses completed.

What is the 90-day money back guarantee?

If you are unhappy with our products for any reason, email our customer service team within 90 days of purchase for a full refund. We cannot provide refunds for completed courses and certificates received. For unlimited subscription refunds, we will subtract the cost of individual courses completed and refund the difference.

I have a subscription. Why do some courses say ‘Buy’ instead of ‘Take’?

Every course except ethics courses are included in a subscription. If a course has ‘Buy‘ instead of ‘Take‘ next to it, and it is not an ethics course, please log out of your account and log back in. You may need to refresh your browser by clicking CTRL+F5. This will reload the latest information from our website.

Do you offer webinars?

MasterCPE does not currently have any webinars.

Can I use MasterCPE courses for my Certified Internal Auditor (CIA) requirements?

Yes, you can take courses in auditing, financial and managerial accounting, fraud, informational technology and security, and finance for the CIA certificate. In general, the subject areas included in the current CIA certification exam syllabi are acceptable. CIAs are encouraged to refer to the following exam syllabi to identify relevant subject areas in which they should pursue continuing education. CIA: https://global.theiia.org/certification/CIA-Certification/Pages/Exam-Syllabus.aspx

Can I use these courses for my CMA and CFE requirements?

Yes, programs presented by organizations registered with the National State Boards of Accountancy (NASBA) meet the requirements of continuing education for CMAs and CFEs. MasterCPE is a NASBA member.

Can I use these courses for my CISA CPE requirements?

Yes, some of our courses count toward CISA CPE, but you must select courses that meet the CISA CPRE requirements. This training must be directly applicable to the assessment of information systems or the improvement of audit, control, security, or managerial skills to ensure a proper balance of professional development is attained. CPE hours related to management skills must be relevant to the management of audits and/or audit resources. Training in basic office productivity software, such as Microsoft Word or Excel, does not qualify as CPE. We do not provide suggestions for specific courses.

How does an Enrolled Agent get credit with the IRS for courses taken?

We normally submit the EA courses to the IRS within 7 days of the beginning of the next month. Your PTIN number must be in your profile. After 7 days, if you don’t think your courses were submitted properly, please send an email to support at MasterCPE, providing your PTIN number and the courses you want to submit for credit. NOTE: EAs can only get credit for courses that have the EA profession listed in the course catalog – these are the tax courses and the Ethics for EA course.

Can I take MasterCPE courses if I am not a CPA or EA?

Yes. Please just select the CPA designation during registration – it is for informational purposes only.

I am having trouble downloading courses using Internet Explorer. The browser never displays the course. What should I do?

The problem is usually with the SmartScreen feature in Internet Explorer. The easiest solution is to sign in using a different browser, like Chrome or Firefox, and the course should download correctly. The other solution is to select ‘Settings‘ within Internet Explorer, then ‘Safety‘, and turn off Windows Defender SmartScreen.

Can other people share my subscription?

An individual subscription cannot be shared. However, MasterCPE will provide discounts to groups or companies. Contact Us to learn more.

Why has my CPE course expired?

A course will expire if you do not complete it by the expiration date. In most instances, CPE courses are valid for 12 months, with the expiration date listed in the course information. You can delete the course from your ‘My Courses’ page by clicking the delete icon.

How secure is your system?

MasterCPE uses a secure payment process for all credit card transactions, so you can be sure that leading-edge technology is being used to protect your information. MasterCPE does not retain any of your credit card information on our servers. Furthermore, all confidential information is transmitted using encrypted SSL technology. We will never sell, trade, or rent any personal information to anyone at any time. Please see our Privacy Policy for more information.

How can I get a receipt for my purchase?

After signing in, mouse over the ‘Account‘ menu option at the top of the webpage, and then click on the Order History option. You will see all of your MasterCPE transactions. Click the Receipt button to view and print a specific receipt.

How do I change my last name or email address?

Please contact us about name changes using the Contact Us form. If you can sign into your account, you can change your email address by mousing over the Account menu option in the top menu and selecting the ‘Profile’ option. If you are not able to sign into your account because you have forgotten the password and cannot access the email address, please reach out using the Contact Us form, or email support@mastercpe.com to change your email address.