BDO UFE Award Winners: Sumeet Sangha and Joel Russell

When the CICA announced the 2009 UFE results on December 4, BDO celebrated with our 134 successful writers, two of whom achieved outstanding results: Sumeet Sangha, from our Langley office and Joel Russell, from our Barrie office.

Not only did these remarkable students successfully complete one of the world’s most challenging professional entry exams, they managed to place among the top 50 writers on the UFE Honour Roll and both will receive BDO’s Honour Roll Recognition Award for their outstanding results.

Sumeet and Joel have taken some time to reflect on their UFE experience and pass down some helpful hints to future BDO UFE writers.

Tell us about your overall UFE experience, from the training program to your UFE Buddy and/or the examination itself. How long with the entire process? (1 – 3 years)

Sumeet: My UFE experience started last February as the firm hosted monthly training sessions led by a representative from Densmore. This gave us early exposure to the UFE to help us better understand what we need to prepare for. In the summer, the firm paid for all the writers to attend a two week training session with Densmore, which helped me understand how to approach the UFE and how to structure an effective study plan.

I was also completing CASB, which enabled me to build the technical knowledge required for the UFE. After all the training, we were left to study on our own for about a month. I studied with another writer from the firm and we wrote practice cases every day, marking each other and providing continuous feedback to refine our writing skills. Meanwhile, I tried to maximize my free time in the evenings and on weekends by spending time with friends and family and golfing to recharge my batteries and avoid burning out.

I still felt uneasy entering the UFE as it was the last and biggest hurdle in my path to becoming a CA. I was just hoping my prep work would pay off.

Joel: The UFE process was a short 12 months for me, from when I started to study for the CKE to when I wrote the UFE. Early on, I received a great piece of advice from Darren Lee from Densmore Consulting: “Do it right, do it once!” After that, I committed myself to the process, and made any personal sacrifices I needed to, to ensure that I made it through.

The UFE Buddy program was very helpful. Our buddies prepared materials, marked cases and provided moral support to help us along the way. I look forward to the opportunity now to help guide future writers.

The help that Bruce Densmore and his associates provided was also exceptional. They did a great job in teaching us what we needed to know to make it through the process.

During the UFE writing process, did you feel well-supported by BDO and your colleagues and/or buddy? Are you satisfied with the training and support you received from your BDO community?

Sumeet: At the start of the training process, the firm appointed a recent UFE writer to be my “UFE Buddy” to help guide me and provide helpful study tips. The firm also encouraged all past UFE writers to provide additional support. I found that this gave me perspective on what I needed to do to prepare myself, and it helped keep me calm during my alone studying. I knew that if I hit a block I could call my buddy or anyone else at the firm and they were always available to give me solid advice.

Joel: I am definitely satisfied with the training that I received. I feel that the Densmore Consulting group did a great job preparing us, and my UFE buddies did as well. I hope that BDO continues with these programs for the benefit of our future students.

Describe how you felt when you discovered you placed on the Honour Roll and/or achieved the highest standing in Canada?

Sumeet: The institute contacted the managing partner at my office to inform him that I had made the Honour Roll. That day I was away from the office so he was scrambling to track me down and tell me the news. When my managing partner finally got a hold of me, I couldn’t comprehend that not only had I passed, but I placed on the Honour Roll.

Up until the official marks were released though, I kept thinking that they had made a mistake. I still woke up early on the day the marks were released to double-check that I had actually passed and had in fact made the Honour Roll. Now that it has sunk in, I feel proud that I was able to put in the necessary effort and stay dedicated throughout the process.

Joel: I was shocked and relieved. I felt that I had done well, but to know that I ranked amongst the best in Canada brought about a great sense of accomplishment and pride. The hardest part was keeping it a secret until the results came out officially.

When did you decide to pursue a career in accounting? How did you come to that decision? Were you influenced by anyone specifically?

Sumeet: When I started university, I didn’t have a specific career goal, only a rough idea that I wanted to do something related to business. As I progressed, I learned more and more about the career opportunities and prestige associated with the CA designation. Once I started to take accounting courses during my degree, I realized that a career in accounting would provide me with a great amount of flexibility and success.

Joel: I decided that I wanted to purse accounting during my first year of university as I enjoyed the business classes that I was taking. One of my professors, Jo-Anne Ryan, CA, was also highly influential in helping me make my decision.

What’s next for you? What do you want to accomplish in the next 5-10 years? What practice area would you like to work in?

Sumeet: It’s been difficult to plan what I want to do in the next 5-10 years as the past couple of years have been devoted to surviving the UFE. Now that I have passed and it is starting to sink in, it is still difficult to plan my future since I now have so many opportunities in front of me. My immediate goal is to finish up my articling hours and obtain my CA designation, during which I plan to spend some time and figure out my next step.

Joel: Over the next 5-10 years, I would like to continue to work my way through the ranks of BDO. I feel that this is a great company to work for and look forward to developing my professional skills here in the Audit & Accounting area.

Do you have any ‘words of wisdom’ for our future UFE writers?

Sumeet: Don’t let the process overwhelm you ? it is easy to over-study and burn out during the summer. Create an effective study schedule and stick to it and, if you feel mentally exhausted, take a break and have some fun as you want to be feeling as mentally sharp and fresh as possible when you walk into the exam.

When you are studying, make sure you give each practice case 100% and, when you debrief afterwards, really try to identify your weaknesses and work on them the next case.

The last tip is to listen to those people who have done it before. As you start preparing for the UFE, you will have access to a lot of helpful advice. Use this advice to help you build an effective plan to tackle the UFE.

Joel: “Do it right, do it once!” Work hard, make whatever sacrifices you need to, and you will make it through the UFE. Most important of all, believe in yourself. Don’t let a case get you down – move on to the next one and attack it with confidence. Good luck!

BDO congratulates all of our successful candidates who successfully completed the UFE this year and reached a milestone in their professional careers. Their ongoing dedication and hard work make them valued members of the BDO community.