Check out our blog to see what's new with the CFE/Modules/Challenge Exams and learn important helpful tips and hints as you work your way through the exam writing process.
Gearing up for Sept. 2017 CFE
Published November 23, 2016 by Ira Walfish
It's now Fall 2016 and winter is approaching quickly. A common question among CFE candidates is: "What should I do between now and Capstone 1 to help me prepare for the CFE in September?" While there is no one right answer to this, there are definitely some productive actions that one could take during this time period. Let's look at some of the possibilities.Writing Modules/Challenge Exams in March – For those students who are still completing Modules or Challenge Exams in March 2017, the approach is simple. Prepare for the March exam and then immediately shift into practice case writing between...
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Musings on The First CFE Report – The Good, The Bad and The Ugly | Part 4: The Ugly
Published April 8, 2016 by Ira Walfish
In this final blog of our four-part series, The Good, The Bad and the Ugly, let's take a look at The Ugly, from the 2015 CFE. For part one, click here. For part two, click here. For part three, click here.Unfortunately, with every new system, there are some kinks to work out. Most are tolerable and eventually get fixed. However, we have noticed two particularly disturbing points that really should be corrected, in our humble opinion. They are: 1) Poor Evaluation Guides In 2003, the UFE adopted a new marking scheme, in which candidates are slotted into...
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Musings on the First CFE Report – The Good, The Bad and The Ugly | Part 3: The Bad
Published April 1, 2016 by Michael Levi
Let's take a look at The Bad from the 2015 CFE, which is part three in our four-part series. For part one, click here. For part two, click here. For part four, click here. In the previous blog we looked at The Good from the 2015 CFE. And there was a significant amount of positives in the new system. However, as in any major change, not everything is good. So here is what we don't like: 1) Many Assessment Opportunities (AOs)As we noted in the previous blog, when discussing "good" points, having many Assessment Opportunities (AOs) can be...
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Musings on the First CFE Report – The Good, The Bad and The Ugly | Part 2: The Good
Published March 25, 2016 by Ira Walfish
Let's take a look at The Good from the 2015 CFE, which is part two in our four-part series. For part one, click here. For part three, click here. For part four, click here. In no particular order, we think the following points work to a candidate's advantage under the new system. After considerable confusion and uncertainty about what the first CFE would be like, we now our first CFE Report. Let's take a minute to appreciate some of the better changes. Here goes:1) Day 2: The Comp – Lack of Integration and Testing Fewer Competencies No question, the comp has less integration...
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Musings on the First CFE Report – The Good, The Bad and The Ugly | Part 1: Intro
Published March 18, 2016 by Michael Levi
It is finally here. The first published CFE report has recently been published and students across Canada have lots of fun reading ahead of them. We have spent a considerable time pouring over the CFE to make sure that our CFE preparatory courses really provide insight and guidance to CFE candidates. Along the way, we have gleaned some insights from the report that we think you might find interesting.Some of these insights we think you'll like. We are calling these insights The Good. Some are not so good, and these are The Bad. And a few are just The Ugly. Let's start...
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How to Navigate CFE Exam Rules on Challenge Exams
Published November 25, 2015 by Ira Walfish
The CFE has a new rule that you can only write one challenge exam per day. How will this affect you as a CPA accounting student preparing for this important final exam? Well, it definitely makes the planning of when you write your exams a bit more cumbersome. Firstly, the Tax Elective and Core 2 exams are always on the same day. So don't plan on writing them in the same sitting – can't be done.Secondly, the Assurance Elective and Core 1 also cannot be written in the same exam sitting, as they are either on the same...
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