Intuit’s (maker of QuickBooks) only official certificate for QuickBooks users is called: QuickBooks Certified User Exam. Becoming an Intuit® QuickBooks Certified User (QBCU) signifies your students have the knowledge and skills to help manage the books effectively in the most prevalent bookkeeping application in small business today.
The cost to take this exam is: $149, plus the proctoring fee at the testing center of your choice.
Exam Objective Domain
1. QuickBooks Setup
1.1 What information is required before they set up a QuickBooks file
1.2 How to start a new company data file in QuickBooks (Easy Step Interview)
1.3 How to keep the lists and preferences from an old file while removing old transactions
1.4 How to customize the home page
1.5 How to set up lists (customers, vendors, items, etc.). This includes understanding which names
and items should appear on which lists.
2. QuickBooks Utilities and General Product Knowledge
2.1 How to navigate or move around QuickBooks (use home page, menus, icon bar etc.)
2.2 How to back up and restore a data file
2.3 How to determine the release number and how to update QuickBooks
2.4 How to use QuickBooks in a single-user and multi-user mode
2.5 What versions and editions of QuickBooks are available for a specific year (desktop version)
2.6 How to password protect QuickBooks
2.7 How and why to use preferences
3. List Management
3.1 How to manage lists (customers, vendors, items, etc.). List management include:
3.1.1 Adding new entries
3.1.2 Deleting entries
3.1.3 Editing entries
3.1.4 Merging entries
4. Items
4.1 How QuickBooks uses items to perform the necessary accounting entries
4.2 The different types of items and when to use each type
4.3 How to use items for different types of scenarios. These include companies that sell:
4.3.1 Products for a specified price
4.3.2 Services for a specified price
4.3.3 Unique products or services that have different prices for each sale
4.3.4 One service or product
5. Sales
5.1 Who should be listed in the Customer Center
5.2 How to navigate and use the Customer Center
5.3 How to complete the workflow (from the sale to making the deposit) for:
5.3.1 Invoicing (A/R)
5.3.2 Sales Receipts (no A/R)
5.4 How QuickBooks uses the Undeposited Funds, Accounts Receivable, and checking accounts in the invoicing cycle.
5.5 How and why to record a customer credit
5.6 How and why to create statements
5.7 How to handle bounced (NSF) checks
6. Purchases
6.1 Who should be listed in the Vendor Center
6.2 How to navigate and use the Vendor Center
6.3 The different workflows for making purchases
6.3.1 Entering and paying bills (A/P)
6.3.2 Writing checks
6.3.3 Using a Credit Card
6.3.4 Using a Debit Card
6.4 How to record the transactions in the purchase workflows
6.5 How and why to record a Vendor credit
6.6 How to complete the inventory workflow (PO to payment)
6.7 How to set up, collect and pay sales tax
6.6 Bank reconciliation
7. Payroll
7.1 The differences between the Payroll Services available from QuickBooks
7.2 How to set up Payroll (including employees, Federal and State taxes and basic Payroll deductions)
using the Payroll Setup Wizard.
7.2.1 How to set up an employee’s earnings and sick or vacation time
7.2.2 How to track sick or vacation time (accruing hours and using “banked” hours)
7.3 How and why to setup Payroll Schedules
7.4 How to run Payroll
7.5 How and why to pay Payroll Liabilities
7.6 How to prepare payroll forms (941, W2) in QuickBooks
7.7 Track time and use it for payroll or for invoicing customers
8. Reports
8.1 Why and how to use the Report Center
8.2 How to customize reports (report modifications, collapsing subaccounts, etc.)
8.3 The basic question that each report answers (basic understanding of each report)
8.4 How and why to process multiple reports
8.5 How and why to send reports to Excel (understand and use the basic and advanced tab)
8.6 How to memorize reports
9. Basic Accounting
9.1 What the basic financial statements are and have a basic understanding of what they mean.
9.2 The difference between cash and accrual reports
9.3 How and why to set a closing date
9.4 How to enter a Journal Entry if asked to do so by an accountant
(they do not need to fully understand what accounts to debit or credit)
10. Customization/Saving Time and Shortcuts
10.1 How and why to memorize transactions (automatically enter)
10.2 How to set up multiple users and what level of access can be granted or denied
10.3 How and why to create custom fields (customers, vendors, and employees)
10.4 How to customize an invoice
Our QuickBooks course covers some of the materials included in this Exam, however it is designed to give you the basic tools to work in the bookkeeping field first, then after getting some experience, taking the exam.
For more details about the exam, go to: https://certiport.pearsonvue.com/Certifications/QuickBooks/Certified-User/Overview
Or download Certiport’s official test information materials:
