For the second time in two years, a graduate from the Kenneth G. Dixon School of Accounting was recognized with the Elijah Watt Sells Award.
The awards are presented by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants each year to candidates who obtained a cumulative average score above 95.5 across all four sections of the Uniform CPA Examination More than 90,000 candidates sat for the exam in 2011, but just 37 people received the Sells Award.
Kyle Summerlin, ’09 and ’10, a senior associate of assurance at Ernst and Young, was among the 37. He offers the following advice for those preparing to take the exam:
“Attempt to take as many of the sections as possible prior to beginning employment. Commit to a study routine, recognizing that the exams are too exhaustive not to afford yourself adequate time to prepare. Finally, do not become flustered during the exam if you find it more difficult than you may have expected,” he said.
“The exams are supposed to be rigorous. Just because it is challenging does not mean you are not doing well enough to pass.”
He feels UCF prepared him to do well on the exam because of the strong graduate program that focused on teaching various accounting topics, and taught him to conduct self-directed research. He credits Professors Charlie Kelliher and Gregory Trompeter for helping him.
Ryan Ossowski, ’07 and ’08 won the Sells Award in 2009.