Accountancy Qualifying Exam: A Do-or-Die Adventure

Accountancy, in my opinion, is the toughest course being offered at the University of St. La Salle- Bacolod. Annually, a qualifying exam is organized to screen the students as a sort of evaluation as to what they have learned for the whole year. Normally, about 50% of the total examinees pass this exam. Those who fail usually shift to other courses while others transfer to other schools for the dream of acquiring the suffix CPA. On the other hand, those who successfully surpass the 4-hour examination are able to proceed to the second year. Now that my time has come, I did all my best just to pass the exam. Wrong! the question is not just about PASSING but PLACING. My family never requires me to top the exam, it is I who strictly injunct myself. I am really vocal and honest when it comes to my feelings. I want to share this observation of mine about other people who pretend as if they are complacent by only passing the exam when subconsciously, their actions totally express that they want to top. Others often say, “I’m afraid I won’t pass for I was not able to study,” when in fact they topnotch the class. I’m just sensitive to the feelings of those at the bottom level of the hierarchy of learning. What would they feel? Some could even retort, “What a thing to say! If our topnotcher says she ‘s unprepared, what about me? I don’t understand the lessons either.”

Too much for the introduction. Now I’ll tell you my experience including my preparation  regarding this famous exam. The day before, that was on the 24th, our dismissal was at 11.30 AM. My classmates and I decided among ourselves that we’d stay in the library. There we reviewed our lessons while waiting for the Taize (sort of prayer and chant) which will be at 5.30PM. My mind was really overweary at that moment so I slept in the library for an hour and a half. When I woke up, my chums weren’t there anymore and the feisty librarian queried me if where my companions are(my friends left their bags,books,cameras,and papers generously on the long table) . I replied, “Uhhm, I don’t know, they went out,and for an hour, they haven’t returned yet!” She said in a disciplinary approach, “Call or text them. They should be here after 5-10 minutes or else I’ll send all their belongings to the Discipline Office.” Good thing! They arrived. They said they went to the church to light some candles in petition of passing the exam. To cut the story, I arrived at my humble hearth by 7.30PM with my physical body tired and restless. I forgot that the exam will be @8AM the following day. So, I expedited my actions. I answered a long accounting problem and I did it for 18 minutes only. The second one was terrible, it took me an hour to balance the accounts because I forgot to adjust the Bad Debts Expense. Afterwards, I studied Financial Accounting 1 to familiarize myself with the concepts and theories.

February 25, 2012-The “Parousia” has come. TUPAS was my surname so I was assigned to the last room. The answer sheets were given, after a minute followed the questionnaires. Part I was about THEORIES. An hour is allotted for that part. I was surprised upon noticing that about 20 out of a hundred questions were twin sisters of the questions in my reviewer. As a result, I finished the first part 30 minutes ahead of time. I was confident with my answers except for about 5 questions which I was not able to fully comprehend what they were implying. Short problems comprised the second part. It was a two-hour round with seventy lengthy problems. OMG, It perplexed my mind so terribly to the extent that I could not provide solutions/ answers to 15-20 of them. The intricate questions consumed my time ineffectively that I wasn’t able to have a round of reviewing my answers. I told myself that it’s alright. The last part was the Financial Statement Preparation. It was easier than what I assumed but I was uncertain if I correctly classified the expenses as to selling or administrative. In that part, i finished 15 minutes ahead of time. After the exam, we rushed to our other classmates and discussed our answers. We then had a sort of picture-taking to document the memories we shared that day. We were all excited to know the results although we know that not all of us will be happy by the time the results will be posted. Still, we wore happy masks for it was the judgment day which will assess whether or not we will still be CLASSMATES in the “A” section by the next school year.