From what I understand, all the states in US (I know it's true in TX for sure) from early 2000 onwards require you to complete an undergraduate degree in Accounting (or related field) and also have obtained 150 academic credit hours(with specific accounting classes that are a must) in order to be eligible to sit for CPA exam. There are certain pre-recquisite classes that are mandatory these days (like ethics, fraud, etc.). It was a paper-based exam before, but now its computer based. There are 4 parts, and you can take'em one at a time if you want.