Prepping for Final Exams

So you notes are organized, all the reading is done.  Now it’s time to study for your final exams.  The key to good test-preparation is to think let an instructor, not a student.  Here are three tips to ensure you’re ready to take that exam:

Identify the most significant part of the course.

• Start with the syllabus.  Does it include goals for the course?
• Review the course outline. 
• Review your notes.  The number of pages on each topic will give you a hint about the importance of each area.
• Scan your text books and reading material.  Don’t reread.  Scan them to get a sense of key points.

Identify the kinds of questions that will be asked.

• Ask your instructor what kinds of questions are and are not on the exam.
• Look over old exam to get a clue as to the likely format the upcoming exam will take.  And don’t look for answers – just questions.  And get a feel for the way the questions are asked.

Develop practice questions and answers.

• Start with short answer questions, beginning with the most important sections of the course.  Look through your notes and text books for headings.
• Develop definitions.  If your instructor explained terms, you’d better be able to provide definitions.
• Don’t try to make up multiple choice questions.  Instead, think of questions that will likely appear in multiple – choice format.
• Understand the whys of key points.  These are likely to become eassy questions.

York College Career Expo

Smith Elliott Kearns & Company, LLC will be attending York College Career Expo tomorrow (3/23/11).  We hope to see you there!

Shepherd University’s CareerFest 2011

Smith Elliott Kearns & Company, LLC will be attending Shepherd University’s CareerFest 2001 tomorrow (3/2/11).  This event will be held at Shepherd University.  We hope to see you there.

Survey Names Accounting Most Desirable Major for the New Year

Good news for this year’s batch of accounting graduates. Those receiving a degree in 2011 are expected to fare best in the current job market, according to the National Association of Colleges and Employers.

Sixty-two percent of employers approached for the professional placement association’s Job Outlook 2011 survey said they would like to hire accounting majors. Coming in second was finance, with 57 percent. Other fields that garnered top responses were business, computer science and engineering.

Click here to continue reading Survey Name Accounting Most Desirable Major for the New Year by Danielle Lee

Revamped CPA Exam Format Launches

The American Institute of CPA’s, the National Association of State Boards of Accountancy, and Prometric launched the new Uniform CPA Examination on Wednesday, which now includes questions on International Financial Reporting Standards and other significant changes.

Click here to continue reading Revamped CPA Exam Format Launches by AccountingToday

AICPA book offers “Inside Track” to accounting careers

Students and young CPAs interested in learning more about what the accounting profession has in store for a future career can now read all about it in a new book published by the American Institute of CPAs.

“The Inside Track to Careers in Accounting” includes interviews with more than 50 CPAs, offering personal stories and insight into their chosen career paths.

Click here to see to see the topic covered in “The Inside Track to Careers in Accounting”

WVU – Meet the Firms Night

Smith Elliott Kearns & Company, LLC goes in search of new talent several times a year. Our firm actively recruits at college job fairs as well as participates in on-campus recruiting.  You’ve invested a lot of time to get you where you are now. So you owe it to yourself to spend a few minutes learning more about SEK&Co.

SEK&Co will be at WVU tonight (Sept. 2, 2010) for “Meet the Firms Night.”  We hope to see you there!

Do some homework before getting your degree online

Before you sign up for a distance learning or degree granting program, check to see whether the institution you are thinking of paying money to is legitimate – meaning “accredited.”  If you don’t find your institution listed on either the U.S. Department of Education’s  accreditation list at www.ope.ed.gov/accreditation or the Council for Higher Education list at www.chea.org/search/default.asp, do yourself a favor by researching further.  Your institution of choice may be a real university or college going through the complicated process of accreditation, or it may be a degree mill.  Here are some red flags the Better Business Bureau says to watch out for:

• Claims that degrees can be earned in less time than at traditional colleges.
• The list of accrediting agencies sounds a little too impressive.
• Heavy emphasis is placed on credits for lifetime or real-world experience.
• Tuition is paid on a per-degree basis, or discounts are offered for enrolling in multiple degree programs
• There is little or no interaction with professors
• The name is similar to well-known universities
• The address is a P.O. box or suite number.  It could mean your university’s “campus” is a mailbox or someone’s attic.

Passing the CPA Exam: More than just a test

There is an implicit level of respect you receive in earning the CPA designation – not just from the public at large but also from the fellow CPAs.  We may take the other requirements for granted: the years of experience, college course credits, yearly CPE credits, and compliance with other standards, but all of us remember what a CPA had to go through during and in preparation for the Exam.

So, let’s reflect on what preparing for and passing the Exam teaches us.  And let’s explore some techniques that are useful for those currently on the CPA Exam journey.

Click here to read Passing the CPA Exam: More Than Just a Test by AccountingWEB

CPA Exam Tips Webinar

On March 22nd, Elizabeth Kolar of Delaware Valley College and Philadelphia CPA Exam Review presented a webinar on CPA Exam tips.  You can download part one and part two of the CPA Exam Tips Webinar recording to get tips and guidance on registering, studying, and passing the exam.

Click here to gain access the webinar