Disciplined strategy key to success, CFE gold-medal winner says
Michelle Per from KPMG in Toronto, Ontario, is the winner of the Governor General’s Gold Medal for the highest standing in Canada (Image provided)
Now that the September 2020 Common Final Examination (CFE) results have been released, it’s time to congratulate the 6,371 individuals who passed the exam.
Held over three days, the CFE is a critical milestone in the Canadian CPA certification program, which consists of education, work experience and examination.
“In any year, the CFE is recognized as a rigorous and challenging examination,” said Charles-Antoine St-Jean, president and CEO at CPA Canada. “However, 2020 presented a unique obstacle with the presence of the ever-changing COVID-19 situation. Those who wrote the September 2020 CFE displayed impressive dedication and perseverance.”
CFE HONOUR-ROLL HIGHLIGHTS
Special recognition is in order for the gold-medal winners and candidates included on the CFE Honour Roll, which consists of the top one per cent of successful writers.
The prestigious Governor General’s Gold Medal (and a CPA Canada cash prize of $5,000) for the highest standing in Canada has been awarded to Michelle Per from KPMG in Toronto, Ontario.
The CPA Canada regional Gold Medal awards (and cash prizes of $2,500) for achieving the highest standing go to:
- Atlantic Canada: Mark Joseph Skinner, R.C. Squire & Associates Professional Corporation, Corner Brook (NL)
- Quebec: Ariane Villemure, KPMG s.r.l./S.E.N.C.R.L., Quebec City (QC)
- Western Canada: Omar Dhanani, Ernst & Young LLP, Vancouver (BC)
TAKING HOME THE GOLD
Being surprised is one thing, but being so taken aback that you are speechless is quite another.
Yet, that’s exactly how Michelle Per describes her reaction when she got “the call” from a partner at KPMG. “He started by saying, ‘Well, you passed.’ And it took me a minute to take that in before he added, ‘And you’ve won the gold medal.’ At that point, I was just shocked. I really wasn’t expecting that.”
Now that Per has had some time to get used to the news, she’s starting to recognize what it truly means. “Being named the gold medallist is a huge honour, and a nice way to cap off this two-year Professional Education Program (PEP) journey,” she says.
A FINE BALANCE
For Per, a disciplined work strategy was key to her success. “I sat down in early July and planned out the next two months in great detail, scheduling time for technical review, case writing, even lunch breaks. Most importantly, I forced myself to take evenings off and limited the studying I did on the weekend. This gave me the confidence that I would cover all the technical material before the exam and also ensured that I didn’t suffer from burnout. As it turned out, I felt fully prepared about a week before the exam and did very minimal studying in that last week. This meant I was refreshed and ready to perform when it mattered.”
Although some candidates like to study in groups, Per chose to go solo. “My university experience taught me that I am generally more productive when studying alone,” she says. “But that meant I didn’t have anyone to hold me accountable, so I had to really focus on not falling behind.”
Focus is something Per knows all about: she has been playing field hockey and soccer at a high level ever since she was a young girl growing up in Vancouver. In fact, she won a field hockey scholarship to York University in 2014 and played on the team for four years while attending the Schulich School of Business.
“When I came to York with the scholarship, I knew I would be expected to hold down a full course load while also participating in all the games, travel, meetings and practice sessions that come with being on a team. I didn’t have a lot of time to study, so when I did have the time I had to make sure it counted.”
PANDEMIC BRINGS UNIQUE CIRCUMSTANCES
For Per, there were both pros and cons to studying during COVID-19. “On the one hand, with limited ability to travel or go out, I was able to focus on studying without any major distractions. On the other hand, it would have been nice to have things to do or places to go to provide a break from studying.”
Because of the pandemic, candidates also wrote the exam in individual hotel rooms across the country. And for Per, the experience was quite positive. “I really liked the hotel-room concept. It was very quiet and I couldn’t hear the other writers typing or flipping pages, which allowed me to just focus on what I needed to do.”
SUPPORT IS ESSENTIAL
Beyond careful preparation, Per says family and friends played an important part in her success. “They were always very understanding when I had to skip an event, and they would always listen when I was stressing out about potentially failing!”
She is also grateful to KPMG and all of her colleagues for their support. “The firm provided extra study materials and gave me the scheduling flexibility I needed,” she says.
Per adds that she currently works in U.S. tax, and the firm facilitated two separate rotations into one of its Canadian tax groups in order to give her more experience there. “That was invaluable when it came to writing the Tax role on day 2 of the CFE.”
MANY PATHS TO EXPLORE
Although Per says it’s too early to say how her career might eventually evolve, she is enjoying her current role. “I’m able to work with both large public companies and small private businesses across a wide range of industries,” she says.
Per also likes the wide-angle lens that working in public practice can bring. “The great thing about working at a large firm like KPMG is that you have a lot of flexibility and control in what you want to work on and where you want your career to take you. Every day brings something new, and I’m really looking forward to continuing on that journey of discovery.”
FIND OUT WHO MADE THE CFE HONOUR ROLL
View the complete list of honour-roll recipients and learn how these three top writers achieved the highest standing in their regions.