Is becoming a CFA harder than a CPA?

The CPA is the "black belt" in accounting. It was originally a designation for public accountants, but non-public accountants, tax accountants, and finance professionals also seek the CPA title to prove their number-crunching expertise. In addition, a CPA license holder has statutory rights to sign audit reports, which makes the title special.

The CFA, on the other hand, is the gold standard in finance and investment. For those who are looking for careers as equity analysts, fund managers, and professionals in asset management or hedge fund houses, this is the best title you can get.

The CPA license is granted by each of the 50 states and five other jurisdictions (like Guam and the District of Columbia) in the United States. There is no centralized administrative body, and each state has slightly different CPA exam and licensing requirements.

When it comes to becoming a CFA, candidates need a bachelor's degree or four years of work experience to sit for the exam. The candidate can even take the exam before graduation. The CFA exam format requires candidates to complete each level of the exam in order.

At the end of the day, whether working as a CPA or a CFA is more difficult comes down to the subjective experiences of the candidate and their strengths and weaknesses. The average pass rate for the CPA exam is 49% compared to the CPA exam pass rate of 44%.