Any person who has taken the examination described in section 1-114 prior to January 1, 1978, may qualify for issuance of a permit under subdivision (1)(a) of section 1-136 by (1) having four years of public accounting experience satisfactory to the board in any state in practice as a certified public accountant or as a public accountant or in any state in employment as a staff accountant by anyone engaging in the practice of public accountancy, or any combination of either of such types of experience, or
(2) having five years of auditing experience satisfactory to the board in the office of the Auditor of Public Accounts or in the Department of Revenue, in lieu of being a graduate from a college or university of recognized standing.
