SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE - Three Yellowknife residents have passed the Uniform Evaluation, an accountants' exam considered to be one of the world's most rigorous tests.

Tom Anweiler, left, Brandi Lam and Matthew Anderson are three Yellowknife chartered accountants who recently passed the Uniform Evaluation, a three-day exam considered to be one of the world's most rigorous tests. - Adrian Lysenko/NNSL photo

"It's gruelling but rewarding," said Brandi Lam, one of the new chartered accountants who works for MacKay LLP. "I studied for the entire summer."

The evaluation is the last exam students take to receive their chartered accountant designation in Canada.

Matthew Anderson, who also passed the exam, works for the GNWT's business development and investment corporation. He said he treated studying for the exam like a full-time job.

"Every day I went to work and would study until about six," he said.

The three wrote the exam in September over the course of three days. Students answer questions that are presented in the form of large case studies. Some common scenarios include providing advice on how to conduct an audit as well as providing a client with advice on investing money into a business venture.

"There are no yes or no answers," said Anderson. "You finish every day not knowing whether or not you passed. I had no idea."

For the accountants the worst part of taking the exam wasn't studying but afterwards when they had to wait until December to find out if they had passed.

"That's when the nightmares started happening," said Lam.

Tom Anweiler with MacKay LLP, who passed the exam as well, had heard horror stories.

He said he had a friend from Vancouver who took the exam who said he would get up at three in morning and wouldn't be able to fall back to sleep wondering whether or not he had passed.

As much time as the three of them put into studying, they all received the same advice from chartered accountants who had passed the test – don't over-study.

"I was told to take evenings and weekends off because a lot of people fail because they burn out," said Anderson. "The brain is like a muscle, it needs a chance to heal."

All three accountants said they were happy when they found out that they had passed the exam.

"It's definitely a relief," said Lam. "There were a lot of tears."

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