How We Help You Pass the CFE

Every candidate gets a plan customized to their needs

You are not just a candidate number so why study like one? Every candidate that works with Narmin (the CFE Guru) gets a personalized learning plan that’s focused on you. As part of the CFE Readiness Interview we will spend time understanding what your weaknesses are and help you through the learning process. If you are not improving,we will work on drills and develop an action plan to address your personal weaknesses. We will not stop until YOUR issues are resolved and you are ready to PASS the CFE. 

Here’s some benefits to a personalized learning plan as part of your CFE prep:

• Focuses your time and energy on improving your weakest areas to where they need to be quickly, this is especially important if study time is not readily available for you
• You can set the pace – some of us need a fast paced study schedule while others a more gradual one
• Plan your cases in a manner that tackles your weaknesses first and then builds your strengths for an overall strong CFE approach
• Takes into consideration your personal and professional circumstances
• A personalized learning plan builds higher engagement and ownership in the study process which gives you the ability to plan out your studies including flexibility for time off when feeling burnout
• Helps to ensure you are at your peak when writing the CFE  

Above all, a personalized plan will ensure that your CFE study period is manageable and that you confidently pass the CFE!

An interview that gets to know your strengths and weaknesses

You are not just a candidate number. This is how to prove it.

Narmin (the CFE Guru) gets to know you and your unique situation, strengths and opportunities. Through this interview she can create your personal learning plan that will work with your schedule and skills to optimize your chance of success. Together you spend as much time as needed to do an initial diagnosis of your strengths and weaknesses and then to get an understanding your weak areas better. This is done one on one so that we can better understand and get to know you. Through the process we get to know your personality which helps us figure out any road blocks you are having in the studying process.

Some things to think about before your interview:

• Your educational background – how well did you do in your courses, which ones went well and which went poorly and why?
• The support you get for the CFE – are you part of a “Big 4” firm with lots of support or on another path with a less defined support system?
• How do you feel about exams in general – are you the type that gets very stressed out and nervous or the type that’s too confident and easy going?
• What kind of support do you have from friends and family?
• How do you like to study – are you the type to wait until the last minute or do you need a plan way ahead of time?
• Why is the CPA important to you?
• What are your strongest and weakest competency areas and why?

Personalized instruction to help you build the competence to pass

The CFE Bootcamp Sessions are a critical part of the CFE Guru prep program. Enjoy online or in-person class with plenty of attention. You will receive detailed instructions before you write the CFE which helps you write the CFE successfully with confidence.

Focusing on specific competency weaknesses, we will work together on shorter case drills to ensure you are finding the issues and writing them concisely, quickly and confidently. These drills allow us to hone in on individual issues and not attack them all at once. By concentrating on building skills one at a time, we avoid getting overwhelmed by the many changes that you may need to make in reading, analyzing and writing. One by one we tackle each area and we strengthen the competencies and areas where you are already doing well.

The CFE Bootcamp Sessions are a critical part of the CFE Guru prep program. Enjoy small class sizes with plenty of personalized attention. You will receive more than 30 hours of instruction before you write the CFE which helps you write the CFE successfully with confidence.

Common Types of Drills:

• Writing individual accounting, assurance or other competency issue and focusing your attention and energy on writing and debriefing the singular issue well
• Identifying case facts and issues within a case quickly and confidently
• Outlining styles and tips on both large and small cases
• Specific focus on particular accounting, assurance, tax handbook/Act sections
• Writing style – learning to write and respond to cases quickly, concisely and in the manner that will result in a competent response

… and many more.

Based on your personalized plan and assessment together, we will make sure that we are not wasting time and that your drills are catered to your specific areas of focus.

Personalized instruction to help you build the competence to pass

Unlike other CFE prep programs, you will have personalized access to an experienced educator and CFE expert who has been working with candidates with all kinds of unique challenges since 2005. There is a reason that the top accounting firms call the CFE Guru when their candidates need a more customized approach.

Are you wondering more about the CFE Guru? Find out more below:

Where Narmin comes from and why she works with CPA candidates

Helping students achieve their CPA designation is a passion of Narmin’s. She truly believes in giving back and helping students accomplish their goals. Her satisfaction comes from seeing students succeed.

Why the CFE Guru is trusted to teach hundreds of future CPAs

Before the CFE came around Narmin (the CFE Guru) had been extensively involved with the UFE and School of Accountancy (Ontario) process for quite some time. This includes having marked the UFE for the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Canada and having prepared PAR analysis (for unsuccessful writers) for CPA Canada. She has also taught as a seminar leader for several years in the School of Accountancy with CPA Ontario. During this time she has been able to appreciate all the issues that students are faced with throughout the entire UFE/CFE process. With this critical information and deep insight, she was able to develop a systematic approach to overcome all concerns that arise throughout the entire CFE prep process, as well as create an unwavering drive in her students to successfully achieve their CPA designation. She believes this systematic approach is the best CFE prep out there.

Currently, Narmin is a lecturer at York University teaching all levels of accounting courses, including case courses which prepare students for the CFE/CPA exams. In addition to formal university class lecturing, she also conducts private CFE prep, coaching and counseling at various CPA firms.

Through this and other more personal interactions with CPA hopefuls, she has been able to develop a strategic a program that works when combined with some personalized guidance. These intensive sessions are geared towards both new and experienced CFE writers. Furthermore, she is an active instructor with the PASS prep program, again working with new and experienced CFE writers.

Personalized instruction to help you build the competence to pass

You’ll have plenty of your CFE cases professionally marked with thorough feedback to help you achieve CFE success when your write in May or September. The CFE Guru goes far above the minimum the feedback you receive. Narmin (the CFE Guru) provides you a “how to” achieve the breadth, depth and integration required in the case.

Narmin has marked the UFE (the CFE predecessor) in the past and is very familiar with what a marker is looking for. Not only that, she has been marking the UFE/CFE for 14+ years and counting and has seen hundreds of cases from all skill levels.

Marked responses will provide you with:

• An in-depth understanding of why you scored the way you did
• What was missed in your response that would have resulted in a competent response
• Information about how many issues or topics needed to be addressed for an RC or C response
• Stylistic feedback to help your write more quickly and concisely

…and other advice and tips that she has observed from how other candidates write the same cases. The CFE Guru is happy to share examples of feedback to convince you that it’s some of the best case marking out there!