The newly revised QuickBooks Online Advanced Certification was released on May 22 (2017). Because QuickBooks Online is continually changing and evolving, and the business environment is adapting to ‘the cloud’ as a whole, the QBO Advanced Exam needed to be updated to cover these changes.
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It also needed to be changed, in my own opinion, to be more inline with an understanding of the full feature-set of the QuickBooks Online and QBO-Accountant products than prior examinations. To me, the new training content is now a balance between the product and use of the product, coupled with the related accounting tasks to be performed using the products.
Since I haven't taken the actual 'new' exam, I can't say if my analysis of the training materials content is mirrored by the exam, but one would hope so. Certainly there have been enough issues in the past with the exam being far more complex than needed in relationship to the content instructed within the related training materials.
So, at this point I will simply say, if you have already taken 'the new' QBO-Advanced Certification examination and you care to share your experience, especially concerning how the exam preparation materials related to the examination itself, be sure to leave your comments at the bottom of this article.
The New Training
There are five optional, self-study certification training modules with corresponding supplemental guides designed for accounting professionals or consultants who have a solid understanding of accounting principles, have successfully passed the QuickBooks Online Certification, and have hands-on experience using QuickBooks Online Accountant and supporting QuickBooks Online clients.
One note, while the certification materials are new, it takes a long time for materials of this depth to be developed. Because QBO is evolving and being improved so fast, even the new training materials may not match either the appearance of QuickBooks Online, or new capabilities and features that exist within QBO.
The new training modules are:
Module 1: Complex Conversions – explores what ProAdvisors need to know when contemplating and performing a conversion to QuickBooks Online. Also designed to further the understanding of ProAdvisors as they relate to conversion capabilities and complex scenarios that can occur when converting to QBO. The training time to progress through the self-study module averages 95 minutes.
Module Objectives:
- Identify a variety of challenging scenarios associated with converting QuickBooks Desktop to QuickBooks Online.
- Recognize feature differences and data that doesn’t covert between QuickBooks Desktop to QuickBooks Online.
- Identify when it is best to start a new QuickBooks Online company by entering beginning balances.
- Identify scenario-based post-conversion requirements including inventory situations, banking issues, payroll complexities, and sales tax differences.
- Identify the sequence of steps associated with entering beginning balances in QuickBooks Online.
Module 2: Maximizing QuickBooks Online – Because many small business clients have specialized procedures that require customized workflows in order to perform day-to-day activities and provide business owners with relevant information, ProAdvisors need to be able to adapt QuickBooks Online to those business requirements. This module is intended to help ProAdvisors understand the advanced customization and workflows available in QBO. The training time to progress through the self-study module averages 200 minutes.
Module Objectives:
- Identify the various categorizations and workflows available within QuickBooks Online.
- Recognize differences between, and applicable uses for, class, location, and job-tracking.
- Identify budget utilizations.
- Identify the steps to set-up and track inventory products, including quantities on hand.
- Identify job-costing functionality associated with billable charges.
- Recall the steps for use of advanced features including sales tax, multicurrency, payroll and the preparation and reporting of 1099-Misc.
Module 3: Special Transactions – While QuickBooks Online (basic) ProAdvisor Certification training covers transactions related to the normal course of business, it sometimes is necessary to use special transactions in order to meet client requirements. This module is designed to help ProAdvisors understand and utilize special transactions to meet client workflows. The training time to progress through the self-study module averages 85 minutes.
Module Objectives:
- Recognize when specialized transactions should be utilized.
- Identify the steps appropriate to the creation of specialized transactions.
- Recognize when complex workflows should be utilized.
- Identify the steps appropriate to the creation of complex workflows.
Module 4: Advanced Banking Topics – An integral part of closing the books is confirming that all transactions have been entered and reconciled within QuickBooks Online. This module is intended to provide ProAdvisors with a close look at advanced topics related to QBO Bank Feeds, and reconciliation logic, as well as troubleshooting. The training time to progress through the self-study module averages 80 minutes.
Module Objectives:
- Identify advanced techniques to getting started using Bank Feeds.
- Recognize complex concepts associated with Bank Rules, Matching and Categories.
- Understand Best Practices for using back actions when working with Bank Feeds.
- Recognize complex concepts associated with account(s) reconciliation.
- Identify bank reconciliation troubleshooting steps.
Module 5: Reporting & Troubleshooting – This module provides a ‘deep dive’ into QuickBooks Online reporting, as well as strategies used in evaluating the health of QBO data along with troubleshooting common mistakes QBO Clients make. The training time to progress through the self-study module averages 90 minutes.
Module Objectives:
- Identify fundamental logic behind QBO reports.
- Recognize options to customize reports.
- Indicate customized reports used in various business scenarios.
- Identify steps to customize Management Reports.
- Identify steps to analyze the health of a QBO company.
- Identify steps to recognize and correct improper workflows.
In addition to the self-paced certification preparation training, Intuit has begun offering some on-site training for the new Advanced Certification. In addition, training for the new Examination will be offered at Scaling New Heights 2017 in early June.
The New Examination
To quality to take the examination you must have successfully completed the QuickBooks Online (basic) Certification within the past 365 days. Intuit recommends that you have a good understanding of general accounting principles, and that you have hands-on experience using QuickBooks Online and QBO-Accountant, as well as in supporting actual QuickBooks Online clients.
The new examination consists of 63 questions organized within 5 separate sections. Many questions are scenario-based in which you must use QuickBooks Online to resolve the specified situation. You may be required to download case studies, perform the necessary steps to resolve the situation, and then enter your answer into the exam.
While you may complete the examination sections in any order you wish, each question is saved as you progress to the next question within the various sections of the exam.
You must take and pass all 5 sections of the exam with a score of 80% or higher. You have 4 attempts to pass each section of the exam.
If you fail to pass any one section of the examination in your 4 attempts, you will have failed the entire examination. Applicants must wait 1-year before attempting to take the exam again.
Murph's Conclusion
In my opinion, the module and training revisions within this newest certification appear to be geared more toward ProAdvisors having a better understanding of the complexities of the QuickBooks Online product. The changes also seem to be focused on how QBO can be used and adapted in differing situations.
The new certification, at least from the materials content, seems less concerned with some of the more advanced ‘accounting principles’ and financial advisory concepts that were initially included in the original Advanced Certification modules.
I really liked the incorporation of some step-by-step and workflow oriented processes, including troubleshooting suggestions. A great deal of emphasis has been placed in troubleshooting and dealing with many of the issues and mistakes that QuickBooks users have always had, whether they were using QuickBooks Desktop or QuickBooks Online. Some of this makes use of the 'tools' that are provided within QBO-Accountant that substantially separate that product from QBO user versions.
Another thing I found 'enjoyable' was the extent to which these module supplemental guides were illustrated. They seem to be far better laid out in terms of content to illustrations then in the past. In some cases the graphics are the primary teaching tool; for example in one case I noticed 7 screen shots in a row to illustrate a workflow with only minimal 'wording' between illustrations. And as they say, 'a picture is worth a 1000 words'.