Beware of Misleading CPE Course Approvals

In our fast-paced, evolving industry, staying up-to-date through continuing education is a must. It’s essential not only for meeting CPE (Continuing Professional Education) requirements but also for keeping our skills sharp and relevant. But what happens when you can’t trust the courses you’re taking? I recently had a frustrating experience with a CPE course that left me questioning the reliability of certain self-study providers—and it’s something every professional should be aware of. 

My Experience with CPA Self Study 

While browsing courses on the CPA Self Study website, I came across one called "Ethics & Professional Conduct for Texas (TXMC)." As a Texas-based professional, I’m required to complete ethics training as part of my CPE. This course seemed like a good fit, especially since it was marked as CPE-approved. But when I took a closer look, I noticed something strange: the course detail page indicated otherwise. Was it actually approved, or not? I couldn’t tell. 

It’s unsettling to see a course advertised as approved, only to find conflicting details in the fine print. We rely on these courses not only to meet our obligations but also to stay current in our fields. This kind of discrepancy makes it hard to know what’s legitimate. 

Outdated Content or Relevant Training? 

On top of the approval issue, I had doubts about whether the content was even relevant or up-to-date for today’s world and industry standards. The purpose of continuing education is to make sure professionals are equipped with current, practical knowledge. If courses are outdated or poorly aligned with industry needs, they’re essentially meaningless—and worse, they’re a waste of time. 

Seeing this gap in transparency left me wondering: How can NASBA, as a major governing body for CPE credits, allow websites like this to offer courses when there’s so much uncertainty about whether they’re actually legitimate? I thought NASBA’s role was to make sure we can rely on these courses, not be confused by them. 

If courses are going to be part of our continuing education requirements, they need to meet a basic standard of clarity and quality. More importantly, they need to be rigorously verified. Professionals deserve confidence in the courses they take—not to mention peace of mind that the time and money they invest are well-spent. 

When courses are misrepresented or poorly managed, it undermines the entire concept of CPE. We all work hard to stay current in our fields, and we deserve providers and governing bodies that help us do that. 

When providers offer courses with unclear or outdated content, they’re not only failing us; they’re jeopardizing the standard of the industry as a whole. And if we as professionals don’t call for better oversight, we’re allowing these issues to persist. 

What Needs to Change 

This experience highlights a few important changes I believe NASBA should consider: 

• Clear Approval Standards: Courses should have clear, consistent labeling about their approval status, both on the listing and the detail page. 

• Relevance and Currency: NASBA should establish stricter guidelines to ensure that course content is up-to-date and relevant to today’s professional standards. 

• Transparency in Content Quality: Course providers should be required to offer a transparent summary of course content and its alignment with current industry needs. 

• Better Accountability for Providers: Providers offering courses under NASBA should be held accountable for clear and accurate course descriptions to prevent misleading claims. 

For anyone currently pursuing CPE credits, I would suggest to look closely at course details and don’t assume that a CPE label on the main page means it’s genuinely approved. It might be worth reaching out to NASBA directly like I have, if you have doubts about a specific course, especially if you find conflicting information. 

I hope this post encourages other professionals to stay vigilant about their CPE options and call for better accountability in the continuing education industry. Let’s work together to keep our field strong, transparent, and relevant.