Preparing to Take Oregon’s LTC Exam
We frequently hear the question, “How do I best prepare to take the LTC Exam?” Here is the advice and information we can offer:
- The LTC Exam is a difficult exam, with an average annual pass rate of just 18% for 2015.
- There is no shortcut to passing the LTC Exam. You must have a solid understanding of individual tax law in order to pass the test.
- Our LTC Exam Prep Series will teach you what you need to know to pass the test, with more than 100 hours of in-depth continuing education.
- Students who complete the 1040 LTC Prep Series frequently contact us to tell us “I passed the LTC Exam!”
- Are you an Enrolled Agent, preparing to take the Oregon-only portion of the LTC Exam? If so, we recommend you take our Welcome to Oregon CPE series.
Consider Your Prior Work Experience and Education
If you work for a tax service or CPA firm that challenges your skills and reviews your work product, you are likely to be better prepared for the LTC exam than if you work for a firm that does not review your work.
Preparers who do not get adequate grounding in basic tax law at work must obtain their education elsewhere. Depending on the level of on-the-job work experience and the quality of prior tax education programs completed, it may be advisable for a preparer to take Pacific Northwest Tax School’s Basic Tax Course prior to attempting the LTC Prep Series.
What to Expect From the 1040 LTC Prep Series
Pacific Northwest Tax School was originally formed in an effort to provide quality employees for Pacific Northwest Tax Service. As such, the school curriculum and educational emphasis has always been directed at teaching students how to pass Tax Board examinations. At the same time, our goal has also been to graduate students who understand how to prepare tax returns.
With these dual goals in mind, all Pacific Northwest Tax School courses include a variety of learning tools to help students learn to pass state tests and become better trained, more knowledgeable tax preparers.
Pacific Northwest Tax School’s 1040 LTC Prep Series is a fast-paced, intensive program that includes 148 hours of basic to advanced tax education. You will benefit most from this program if you complete all reading assignments, classwork assignments, homework assignments and quizzes, and if you participate in or watch all video lectures.
The following educational materials are included with every course to facilitate an effective learning experience for students:
- Pacific Northwest Tax School’s own Student Manual, which uses easy-to-understand language and detailed illustrations to explain tax laws and how they are applied to preparation of tax forms.
- Classwork assignments that involve preparation of tax forms based on “real world” tax situations.
- Detailed classwork answer keys that explain how we calculate line entries for each line of each tax form.
- A quiz to test and reinforce student understanding of concepts covered in the course.
- A detailed quiz answer key which provides the answer to each quiz question, and also references IRS publications and page numbers.
- Homework assignments that challenge students to apply concepts taught in the course to the preparation of a tax return.
- Upon successful completion of each course, a detailed homework answer key is provided to allow students to see what they got right and what they got wrong.
- Online students are also provided with access to lecture video recordings taught by skilled instructors who share their knowledge and experience.
- Access to a Q&A forum, where you can post questions and receive answers about topics covered in each course.
TAX LAW YEAR TESTED
You should note that the Oregon LTC Exam will continue to test 2017 tax law for examinees who submit exam applications to the Oregon Tax Board prior to August 1, 2019. The Oregon LTP Exam will continue to test 2017 law for examinees who submit exam applications to the Oregon Tax Board prior to September 1, 2019.