Fifteen-year-old James "Jimmy" Chilimigras is the youngest person to pass the CPA Exam, Accounting Today reported.

Chilimigras scored 86 in Business Environment and Concept, 80 in Financial Accounting and Reporting, 86 in Regulations, and 75 in Auditing in passing the exam on June 17. In so doing, he beat the eight-year record previously held by 17-year-old Belicia Cespedes.

Having graduated from high school in Mississippi at age 12, he enrolled online at Western Governors University for a bachelor's degree in accounting, obtaining it in one year and getting his master's degree in accountancy a year later. He then prepared for the exam by studying for six months with North Carolina CPA Bryan Kesler.

Kesler told Accounting Today that he didn't believe Chilimigras to be a real person at first, as he never tutored someone under the age of 20 before. He built a study plan that would allow them to meet twice a month while taking his mentee's young age into consideration.

"I tried to connect him with the best textbooks available and then gave him access to our test bank, along with courses provided by his university and other study tools," said Kesler. "He has this incredible ability to read something and not only remember it but also to apply it to very complicated questions. I just think that's really, really cool."

The FAR section was the only one that Chilimigras didn't pass on the first try, scoring 73. It was the first time in his life that he did not pass a standardized test, as he always ranked in the 99th percentile, from the SAT at age 12 to the LSAT at age 14.

Kesler said that candidates shouldn't approach the CPA exam like college because it's about mastering a great deal of complex material crammed into a tight timeframe, with each section being difficult in its own way.

Chilimigras will attend Loyola University Law School in August on a full scholarship, hoping to specialize in tax law. At this pace, he may become the second youngest lawyer in history.

"Everyone has to do taxes, so that's something that I can help anyone with if I'm good at tax law, such as my friends, my family or other people in my community," he told Accounting Today. "I did volunteer tax preparation to help the elderly and disadvantaged people in my local area, and I really enjoyed that. I think it's all like a puzzle that can be fun to figure out."