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Matters Regarding the IRS Competency Examination You Are Asking About Are Examined Here
This article presents a brief description of the basic four steps you will walk as a candidate to the IRS exam.
The steps to follow toward becoming a candidate to the IRS exam and to complete the competency examination process will vary depending on whether you initiated the process before the initial test offering date (Fall/2011) or you decided to start it after that date.
If you initiated the process before the initial test offering date, first of all you should already  have a PTIN - Preparer Tax Identification Number. The IRS has announced that it will continue issuing provisional PTINs until at least April 18, 2012. You can obtain your PTIN by applying online in the IRS website.
If you already have a PTIN and you are subject to the competency examination  requirement, your PTIN is provisory until December 31, 2013 or until you complete all the other steps needed regarding your specific situation, as long as you renew the PTIN annually. For more details on this matter, please read the article What Are the Steps to Obtain a Preparer Tax Identification Number (PTIN)
Since your provisory PTIN is valid until December 31, 2013, you have until that date to pass the exam with it. After April 18, 212, you must first pass the exam in order to get your PTIN. And, without the PTIN you cannot practice as a professional tax return preparer.
So, registration for a PTIN before the initial testing becomes available is a critical factor. Why? Because once the competency exam has been released, the IRS no longer will assign provisory PTINs until candidates pass the competency examination.
This means that, if for some reason you do not get your PTIN right now, before April 18, 2012, you are missing your chance to benefit from this transition period going until December 31, 2013 and be able to work using a provisory PTIN, until you pass your competency exam.
Second step in your journey as a candidate: you should search for and gather as much information about the competency exam process as you can. When you are clear about all aspects involved and have designed a clear plan for your exam preparation journey, then you have to apply to Prometric and schedule a date for your exam.
The IRS has not released instructions yet regarding the application for the exam, but it is expected to do so, soon. Before I wrote this paragraph, I checked out the Prometric website and they did not have included yet the Registered Tax Return Preparer competency exam in their system.
So, if you are reading this article and wondering what to do, you should be reading as much as you can about this competency examination process and begin to design your study plan. You can begin to review material even before you have a date for your exam.
Third step: make a wise decision about a suitable set of study materials for your preparation and begin your review of the content of the exam. The content of the exam is extensive and you will need to invest time on it. Check our 3 Step System to Prepare for the IRS Exam in a few Weeks.
Your Fourth and last step as an IRS exam candidate is taking the exam. If needed be, you can retake the exam as many times as required, until you pass it, at intervals that the IRS will determine but has not released yet.
Once you have successfully passed the competency examination and met all other requirements, you will obtain a definitive PTIN and you will become a Registered Tax Return Preparer. Congratulations!!!!
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