New Mexico Statutes Chapter 61. Professional and Occupational Licenses § 61-28B-8. Qualifications for a certificate as a certified public accountant

A. An applicant for a certificate shall complete the application form provided by the board and demonstrate to the board's satisfaction that the applicant:

B. The board may refuse to grant a certificate on the ground that the applicant failed to satisfy the requirement of good moral character.

C. The education requirement for examination shall be a baccalaureate degree or its equivalent conferred by a college or university acceptable to the board, with thirty semester hours in accounting or the equivalent as determined by the board. An applicant for a certificate shall have at least one hundred fifty semester hours of college education or its equivalent earned at a college or university acceptable to the board.

D. The examination for certification shall be offered continuously via a computer-based testing system at a designated testing center and shall test an applicant's knowledge of the subjects of accounting and auditing and other related subjects as prescribed by the board. The board shall prescribe the method of applying for the examination and the dissemination of scores, and it shall rely on the American institute of certified public accountants for the grading of the examination. The board may use all or any part of the uniform certified public accountant examination services of the national association of state boards of accountancy to perform administrative services with respect to the examination. The board or its designee shall report all eligibility and score data to the national candidate database, and it shall, to the extent possible, provide that the passing scores are uniform with passing scores of other states.

E. An applicant must pass all sections of the examination to qualify for a certificate. A passing scaled score for each section shall be seventy-five. Sections may be taken individually and in any order. Credit for any section passed shall be valid for eighteen months from the date the passing score is released to the applicant, without having to attain a minimum score on any failed test section and without regard to whether the applicant has taken other test sections. An applicant must pass all four test sections within a continuous eighteen-month period, which begins on the date that the first passing scores are released to the applicant. If all four test sections are not passed within the continuous eighteen-month period, credit for any test section passed outside the eighteen-month period will expire, and that test section must be retaken.

F. An applicant shall be given credit for examination sections passed in another state if such credit would have been given in New Mexico.

G. The board may waive or defer requirements of this section regarding the circumstances in which sections of the examination must be passed, upon a showing that, by reason of circumstances beyond the applicant's control, the applicant was unable to meet the requirement.

H. An applicant for initial issuance of a certified public accountant certificate shall show that the applicant has had at least one year of experience. This experience shall include providing service or advice involving the use of accounting, attest, management advisory, financial advisory, tax or consulting skills as verified by a certified public accountant who meets requirements prescribed by the board. The experience is acceptable if it was gained through employment in government, industry, academia or public practice.