A Counting School - Hardcore Chartered Accountancy - All Comments

re: I got banned by PwC, for offering UFE case writing tips

Krupo — Sun, 04 Jan 2009 20:56:09 GMT

I haven't found any KPMG blogs, and EY seems to have just skipped the blog scene and gone straight to facebook where they have their own "Page", with a discussion wall. Obviously not the same

PWC's network is pretty extensive though - do a quick google search and you'll find they have a whole network, with regional blogs, including one network for PWC Poland too.

While visiting the Polish site - pwcblog.pl - I finally realized that there's a Polish translation for "Big Four" - "Wielka Czwórka", not surprisingly.

I like how in Polish the word used for "Big" is more similar to the word "Great" rather than "Large".

Ah, working for "the Great Four"...

As for long-term prep for the UFE, make sure you understand the general principles behind the accounting rules you're learning about, and make sure you keep up practicing your writing skills. Judging from the quality of writing in your comment I doubt that'll be an issue, but take non-business/commerce courses just for the heck of writing strong essays and similar practice.

re: "You're posting less often than before"

fleur_de_lis — Sun, 04 Jan 2009 03:09:26 GMT

Happy New Year to you, too, Krupo.

re: I got banned by PwC, for offering UFE case writing tips

Ash — Fri, 02 Jan 2009 16:20:38 GMT

Is there any EY or KPMG blog as well??

re: I got banned by PwC, for offering UFE case writing tips

Ash — Fri, 02 Jan 2009 16:19:54 GMT

Hey,

Sorry to hear what they did to you. You would be surprised to know that this is not the first time they are screening comments - I asked them how PwC associates did on the UFE? They haven't posted my comment yet..maybe due to holiday season it got delayed or most likely they might not post my comment as PwC did horrible on UFE? No gold medal (the last one they had was in 2005) and none of their associates made it to honor roll. Few people I know in the firm failed it :(

Do you have any suggestions for the UFE? I will be writing mine in a couple of years..how best can I start preparing for it? Is there something I should be reading and how can I improve my analytical skills?

Thanks,

Ash

re: It's December 31 - that can only mean one thing

Krupo — Wed, 31 Dec 2008 18:36:52 GMT

The jump in learning is phenomenal, that's for sure. :)

re: It's December 31 - that can only mean one thing

j_cee — Wed, 31 Dec 2008 17:00:21 GMT

Hehe, nice post Krupo. My co-worker was just telling me how busy it's going to be in late January because a lot of clients have Dec 31 year-ends. Funny, how last year I would probably skip this post because I can't relate...and now, I can actually read your posts and understand what you're talking about! Amazing!

re: Profit Margins: How they work, for accountants and others

Krupo — Wed, 31 Dec 2008 07:32:38 GMT

If anyone's looking for the math behind how to more precisely calculate a profit margin against say, a markup, this article offers good reading: www.buildingtrade.org.uk/.../markup_or_margin.html

re: How to kill your audience: bait and switch. Big Photo bought out and replaced by "SpeedDate" on Facebook

Krupo — Wed, 31 Dec 2008 07:07:39 GMT

Poetic justice: this leaderboard shows one of the new SpeedDate apps is one of the fastest CRASHING applications, now that it has been re-purposed.

apps.facebook.com/.../leaderboard - "SpeedDate (Formerly Name Analyzer)"

Smart money says this cheap trick isn't going to persist much longer.

re: The 2008 UFE was exceptionally brutal: hardest since 2003

Krupo — Wed, 31 Dec 2008 05:03:33 GMT

Libel laws differ from country to country. I'm going by my local jurisdiction. As much as I enjoy a silly joke, the lame trolling is not adding anything to this discussion.

I shared this conversation with one of my friends - "lol I don't get blogs" was the response. I'm assuming we've all seen Clerks 2 and this is a subtle reenactment of the online humour from that movie.

re: Profit Margins: How they work, for accountants and others

Krupo — Wed, 31 Dec 2008 05:00:27 GMT

Whenever you have the chance to get to know the people you're working with before you dive headfirst into the details, that's a recipe for 'win'.

re: The 2008 UFE was exceptionally brutal: hardest since 2003

michaelk — Tue, 30 Dec 2008 22:35:15 GMT

Dear Mllequebec, je suis fiere d'avoir reussi, mais je n'ai aucune pretention de penser que je suis au niveau des rankers. Je parlais seulement de mes experiences, alors que mon ami qui m'a effectivement rejete a echoue parce qu'il n'a pas voulu considered l'option de travailler en equipe.

As for Krupo Sr, there are those who pass, and those who fail. There is no shame in discussing the topic, nor is there in recounting my experience. Group study is prescribed by every guru from Norgrove to Densmore, so it shouldn't be taken lightly that group study is important in passing. The friends who decided to study on their own did not pass, simple as that. I'm not boasting by any stretch, and that you take it as such seems to indicate that you malign anyone who has ever succeeded where some have not. And I'm by no means an expert writer; rather, in recounting what happened, I discussed what worked for some and didn't for others. If you and the others choose to read further into my words and take great liberties with the interpretation, then that's your issue.

For the record, I'm not a medalist or ranker, and I count myself as lucky to have passed. That said, I did write 14 years worth of UFEs, and I studied a lot. I wrote my experiences simply to help others understand what my thought process was. It's sad to see that so many of the readers here colour their worlds in the same jaded tones, such that you can't talk about failure without fearing insulting someone.

re: The 2008 UFE was exceptionally brutal: hardest since 2003

krupo Sr. — Tue, 30 Dec 2008 21:23:08 GMT

Junior (Krupo),

What you have failed to realize due to your analytical skills is that the original post by michaelk was a boast of how great he is at UFE writing and to boost his ego. It is also quite clear to myself (and apparently UFE51 and accoboy), that in addition to boosting the ego it was to put down someone else to make him look bigger.

Your analytical skills are also put into question by your response to quoting Wikipedia about the definition of a “libel”. Had your analytical skills been up to par, you would have noticed that I clearly understood the definition of a libel, and that I was poking fun at how your claim that accoboy had posted a libel was in fact the INCORRECT definition. Such poor analytical skills by yourself and michaelk would seem to demonstrate that in fact the others did not fail the UFE, yet the two of you have. The competency map so clearly discussed by the two of you speak volumes of how the UFE tests one’s ability to analyze, a competency which seems to be nominal by my standards.

You should also recognize that in every post of michaelk, the root word “fail” is front and center, or it is discussed how much opportunity he now has (boasting). My own analytical skills lead me to believe that the other posters are in agreement with my thoughts, and I think it is time you jump on board (please do not take this literally).

Regards,

Krupo (senior)

re: The 2008 UFE was exceptionally brutal: hardest since 2003

mllequebec101 — Tue, 30 Dec 2008 21:19:43 GMT

Je vois que Monsieur michaelk se fait malmener dans ce blog. C'est sur que quand on est prétentieux comme toi michaelk pis qu'on parle de ceux qui ont coulé avec un ton condescendant, on mérite de se faire replacer.

Est-ce que maintenant que tu as passé, tout ceux qui ont coulé sont des nuls? En tout cas, moi j'ai peut-être coulé mais j'me prends pas pour un autre. Je crois que tu devrais t'excuser pour ceux qui ont coulé parce que t'es vraiment un insensible. Tu jappes comme si t'étais au tableau d'honneur, alors dans ce cas attention de t'étouffer avec ta médaille.

re: The 2008 UFE was exceptionally brutal: hardest since 2003

michaelk — Tue, 30 Dec 2008 15:31:20 GMT

By the looks of it, UFE51 = Krupo Sr = Accoboy = UFE failers. Either that, or you must all share a very strong bond together (i.e. you are lovers or sleeping together), at least that's how it looks according to your pathetic reasoning skills.

re: The 2008 UFE was exceptionally brutal: hardest since 2003

UFE51 — Tue, 30 Dec 2008 14:28:41 GMT

Nonsense, Krupo & Michaelk being the same person is just crazy. Writing and approving to yourself is just pathetic, i can't imagine someone so desperate to do that.