Prospective CPA e-newsletter

	Practical experience: views from the ground
	Examination matters
	Student programme
	Route to success with QP
	Practical experience
	The versatile manager
	For your information
	Upcoming events

Authorized employer: Ricky Wong, Wong Brothers & Co

Wong Brothers & Co, a medium-sized CPA firm, concentrates not only on auditing but also provides a range of services including accounting, taxation and corporate secretarial services. Ricky Wong, one of the firm partners, has been an Authorized Employer (AE) with the Institute for three years. Ricky is a chartered accountant in Canada. He joined Wong Brothers & Co in the early seventies and he was made partner shortly afterwards.

Paying compliments to the Institute, Ricky is pleased to see that the accountancy profession in Hong Kong has taken an international approach. "Previously, you had to go overseas like UK or Canada in order to gain a chartered accountancy qualification. These places have been very famous for their training. Nowadays, with the Institute's qualification programme and practical experience framework, we now have our very own comprehensive and internationally recognized programme for training professional accountants locally." Click here for details.

QP examination attendance dockets for modules B & D (February 2007 session) and final examination (June 2007 session)

Examination attendance docket and Hong Kong identity card are required to be presented for sitting the QP examinations.

Important dates	Procedures
Dates to receive an examination attendance docket Modules B & D Monday, 14 May 2007 onwards Final examination Monday, 28 May 2007 onwards	Candidates will receive an examination attendance docket from the Hong Kong Examinations and Assessment Authority. Candidates please contact the Institute on 2287 7046 for all enquiries about the dockets.
Cut-off dates to obtain a duplicate copy of examination attendance docket Modules B & D Monday, 21 May 2007 (Registration time: 9:00 am - 12:00 noon) Final examination Friday, 1 June 2007 (Registration time: 9:00 am - 12:00 noon)	Candidates who have not received the examination attendance docket should contact the Institute to obtain a duplicate copy before the cut-off dates. A duplicate copy of the examination attendance docket may not be issued to candidates who do not approach the Institute by the cut-off time.
Examinations schedule Saturday, 26 May 2007 Saturday, 9 June 2007	Module B: 9:30 am - 12:30 pm Module D: 2:00 pm - 5:00 pm Final examination Paper I: 9:00 am - 12:30 pm Paper II: 2:00 pm - 5:30 pm

New release of question and answer (Q&A) booklets

The QP question and answer booklets for modules A and C (September 2006 session) and final examination (December 2006 session) are now available for sale at the Institute's reception desk. The booklets cost HK$45 each. All registered students can enjoy free online access to these booklets at the QP learning support centre or read them at the Institute's library.

Top QP candidates in the September 2006 session

	Module A (Financial Reporting) To Wai Kit obtained his Bachelor of Business Administration in Professional Accountancy from the Chinese University of Hong Kong in 2006. He is now an accountant at KPMG. Study tips: Workshop: "Start preparation as early as possible. Be well prepared before each workshop. Try your best to read relevant sections of the candidate learning pack and prepare the questions beforehand. Always participate in the workshops as discussion can deepen your understanding." Examination: "Practice makes perfect. Practice as many past exam questions as possible before the exam. Time management is a key to success. Bring a watch and always keep checking the time during the exam. Make sure you attempt all the questions and don't spend too much time on any single one."

	Module C (Auditing and Information Management) Kwan Yuk Kee, Karven obtained her Bachelor of Business Administration in Law from the University of Hong Kong in 2005. She is now a tax associate at Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu. Study tips: "There are no hard and fast rules to achieve good results in examinations, as every student differs in terms of educational background, strengths, weaknesses and their approach to time constraint. However, I heartily believe that forming an achievable and personalized study plan is of vital importance, especially when most of us are facing the transition from school to workplace."

Top final examination candidates in the December 2006 session

Our special congratulations go to the top three candidates of the final examination in the December 2006 session. The gold, silver and bronze prize winners are Mr. Chu Wai Ka, Ms. Yip Lee Ying, Natalie and Ms. Fong Siu Shun respectively.

	Gold award prize winner (Li Fook Shu Memorial Prize winner) Chu Wai Ka obtained his Bachelor of Engineering (Civil and Environmental) from the University of Hong Kong in 2005. He is now an accountant at KPMG. Study tips: "The Institute proclaims that "with a CPA qualification you've already reached the top" and this slogan really sums up the fruitfulness of a successful QP journey. The final exam presents the very last hurdle and the secret of success, in my opinion, is the ability to reinforce the fundamental knowledge and to adopt a macroscopic review on case analysis. In-depth understanding of the fundamentals is the cornerstone for a successful final exam. Candidates should appreciate the individuality and distinction of each of the four modules. Tackling techniques do differ. However, you need to refresh your memory until you are very familiar with the individual topics or standards. The final exam emphasizes practical applications and hence an acute analytical sense is vital in this area. During preparation, be sensitive to the links and correlations between the modules. Integration of fragmented knowledge helps unveil the whole picture of case studies. Develop and adhere to your own study plan and strategy. Believe in yourself and pave your way to the top!"

	Silver award prize winner Yip Lee Ying, Natalie obtained her Bachelor of Commerce in Accounting and Finance from the University of New South Wales in 2004. She is now an associate II at Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu. Study tips: "The final examination consolidates all the topics in the four modules and tests your technical knowledge, common business sense, integration and analytical skills. As such, understanding and applying the knowledge practically is crucial for success. Within the limited preparation time, I suggest focusing on the special topics and reading through past examination papers to examine where you can score high marks. Prepare reference notes can save you time from searching through materials during the examination. Time management is crucial. Make good use of the 30-minute reading time to identify the key issues and do not use more than the suggested time to answer each question."

	Bronze award prize winner Fong Siu Shun obtained her Bachelor of Science in Quantitative Finance from the Chinese University of Hong Kong in 2005. She is now an accountant at KPMG. Study tips: "Starting exam preparation early is always advisable. I would also emphasize the importance of having a study strategy. I would recommend starting with Auditing and Information Management and Financial Management first, as these subjects require less memorization. With Financial Reporting and Taxation, you need to be very familiar with the theories and standards in order to apply them in examination. So I suggest you put these two modules at a later stage of your study. Another key to a successful examination is time management. Don't waste time mulling over a question if you are stuck; move on to the next question and then go back to the difficult one later. The most important factor, though, is to relax before the exam. Getting plenty of sleep the night before the examination to keep you energized is always better than cramming a heap of information into your head at that time. I hope you find these tips helpful and wish you all every success in your exams."

Examination assistance seminars

The Institute is organizing a series of examination assistance seminars on Module B (Financial Management) and Module D (Taxation) with techniques for case analysis in late April and May 2007. The speakers will lead candidates through the lists of special topics of these two modules and use the latest examination papers as illustrations. Click here for application details.

Name:

Frances Hung

Job Title:

North Asia Tax Specialist

Company:

UPS

Click here to see Frances's career profile:

- career and study history

- job involvement

- career achievement

- career progression

List of authorized employers and supervisors

The Institute's Council has recently approved 39 applications for authorized employers and 61 applications for authorized supervisors. Click here for the list of newly registered employers and supervisors.

For a full list of all authorized employers and authorized supervisors, please visit the Institute's homepage.

Is your employer or supervisor an authorized employer or authorized supervisor with the Institute? If not, please urge them to apply for registration so that your relevant practical experience can be recognized for membership admission.

Some executives seem to believe that getting ahead in life is largely a matter of developing a split personality. At work, they are driven, demanding, focused and can even verge on being the archetypal office tyrant. But bump into them at the weekend at the supermarket or cinema and you can hardly believe it is the same person. With the children in tow, they appear considerate, ready to listen, generous with advice and almost meek by comparison.

Research conducted among seminar managers suggests that experience gained in the role of spouse, parent, friend or community volunteer can greatly enhance success in the workplace. Marian Ruderman shares his views on how extra-curricular pursuits can make people more effective at work. Click here for more details.

This article is re-printed with the permission from the Center for Creative Leadership, an educational institution dedicated to leadership training and research worldwide.

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Mainland Publications

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