Posted on Dec. 10: Commerce student sets

[img_inline align=”right” src=”http://padnws01.mcmaster.ca/images/Giacomo-J.-Angelini.jpg” caption=”Giacomo Angelini”]McMaster commerce alumnus Giacomo Angelini '02, has been named the Ontario gold medallist in the latest round of Uniform Final Exams (UFE), administered by the Institute of Chartered Accountants.

Successful completion of this exam entitles the writer to adopt the C.A. designation. Angelini is currently employed with Deloitte & Touche LLP in Burlington.

“It feels great to be the Ontario Gold Medallist for the UFE,” says Angelini. “It is the standard for entrance to the C.A. profession in Canada and is frequently cited as among the more challenging of professional examinations. My standing as top writer of approximately 1,100 candidates in Ontario is an excellent accomplishment and a satisfying reward for all the hard work I put into this process.”

Also on the honour roll is another 2002 commerce graduate, C. Scott Badau. Badau is currently working for Deloitte & Touche LLP in North York.

Khalid Nainar, chair of the accounting and financial management area at DeGroote, explains why these achievements are so important: “The professional designations are the gold standard in business. The fact that two of our grads have achieved such high profile success in these exams means that we have produced the best of the best.”

This is the first time in recent memory that a DeGroote graduate topped the Ontario list of successful writers. Nainar attributes this success to a rigorous summer program that he created along with sessional lecturer David Hiscock.

“The accounting curriculum was changed to give our students a better chance of passing the UFE on the first try. We made the courses a lot tougher to reflect the type of questions that could be expected on the exams,” Hiscock says.

The challenging curriculum was coupled with mentorship from professionals within the industry. Chartered accountants from various firms in the area came in as guest lecturers and offered their on-the-job experience as real-life examples of classroom lessons.

“My training at the DeGroote School of Business has provided me with the technical knowledge required to succeed in an accounting career. As well, the Bachelor of Commerce program covers a broad range of subjects where are part of the fundamental knowledge needed for the UFE and required in any career in commerce,” Angelini states.

The UFE demands that C.A. candidates demonstrate the high level of knowledge, analytical ability, integrative thinking and professional judgment that is expected of chartered accountants. Through their analysis of complex business simulations, successful candidates demonstrate their competence in a wide range of areas critical to success in business.

A total of 662 candidates out of approximately 1,100 were successful in writing the exam in Ontario. Angelini had the best score out of those 662 writers. “His score was likely in the 100th percentile in order for him to achieve the gold medal standing,” says Hiscock.

The DeGroote School of Business will offer UFE preparatory classes in February, May and August of next year. The summer program this year will follow a similar format to the previous year using professionals within the industry, challenging cases and UFE style marking.

For more information, contact David Hiscock at hiscock@mcmaster.ca or Nainar at Nainar@mcmaster.ca.

For a list of all successful UFE writers, visit http://www.icao.on.ca/ufe2003/