Leading the Way

UW System students are tops in nation on CPA exam

Mara Nellis, a spring 2001 graduate of UW-Whitewater, took a self- directed approach to studying for the grueling CPA exam, and aced it on her first attempt. Nellis credits her UW-Whitewater education for preparing her to pass the national test. She is now an accountant at Arthur Anderson LLP in Milwaukee.

By Karen Kachel

Imagine walking into a packed classroom to take a big exam. Not just any exam, but a 15-1/2 hour, two-day marathon known as the Uniform Certified Public Accountant (CPA) exam.

Your palms are sweaty. . . your heart is pounding. . . your hands are shaking. . . facts and figures race through your brain. . . you find your seat, write your answers and. . . ace the exam!

This may sound like an exercise in positive thinking, but to many UW-Whitewater students taking the uniform CPA exam, it is reality.

A new survey by the National Association of State Boards of Accountancy (NASBA) shows that, from 1991-2000, UW-Whitewater ranked No.1 in the nation in the percentage of students passing the exam on their first try. The numbers stand out considering that nationally only 15 percent of those taking the CPA exam pass the first time around.

It's part of a larger statewide success story. Along with UW- Whitewater, three other UW System schools-UW-Madison, UW- La Crosse and UW- Oshkosh-are among the nation's top 10 universities with the most first-time passage of the CPA exam during the past decade. In addition, UW-Eau Claire students ranked No. 1 in the nation in November 2000 in the percentage of students passing the "Accounting and Reporting-Other Areas" section of the CPA exam.

What's it like to sit down to a four-part, 15-1/2 hour exam?

"Tough," is the blunt response of Lucas Kysely, who graduated from UW-Whitewater last year and is an associate accountant at Winter, Kloman, Moter and Repp, S.C. in Oconomowoc. "You're aware that only 15 percent of the people pass it the first time, so you worry, but you study real hard." Kysely says a CPA review course, offered by a private company on campus, helped him prepare for the test.

However, not everyone chooses to take the CPA review course. Mara Nellis, a May 2001 UW-Whitewater graduate, chose to study on her own for the exam and easily passed all four parts on her first try. Her secret? Positive thinking and staying motivated.

"I put a card on my mirror that said 'You CAN pass it on the first try' and I saw that every morning," Nellis says. "You really have to be dedicated and motivated. I had a good support system and talked to the professors, and they convinced me I could do this on my own, without taking the (review) course."

Robert Gruber, chairman of the department of accounting at UW-Whitewater, says that only about 20 percent of students taking the CPA exam decide to study for it on their own.

Nellis admits her teachers played a big role in her success.

"The professors in Whitewater really help you so much," she says. "They gave me so much of their own time. There were parts of that exam I just nailed because I had learned it in my classes."

The UW-Whitewater business school's strong reputation is also what led Anya Prostakova to enroll in its accounting program. Prostakova, from Zaprudnya, Russia, was attending high school in western Wisconsin when she began looking at college options.

"I chose Whitewater because of the success and reputation of its business program," says Prostakova, who earned her undergraduate degree in accounting last year and is working on her master's in professional accountancy at UW-Whitewater. "The professors at Whitewater really value the students. They tell us how proud they are of us because we rate so high in the CPA exam."

Why such a strong showing from UW System schools? Gruber identifies a few reasons: "First, we have a strong public school system in Wisconsin. Our high school graduates are well prepared for academia. Second, I think there really is something of a stronger work ethic here. Third, we push ourselves as universities. As a result, students benefit from this internal, informal sort of competition."