FAQs--Become a CA

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• What is a Chartered Accountant?

  Chartered Accountants, or CAs, are business professionals who work in various environments and various roles, but typically at a senior-level of financial and business management. CAs generally work in one of three sectors: public accounting—working in a firm providing services to clients; industry—working in a business corporation or small company; or the public sector. Across Canada more than 50% of CAs work in industry—and the majority of those CAs are working in senior or executive positions.

• Where do CAs gain their practical experience?

  Traditionally, CAs have gained their work experience in public practice firms. The profession has recently augmented the environments available to students for articling, recognizing that many students want to start their corporate careers at the articling stage. This has allowed the CA profession to expand the opportunities for training within a public practice firm. There are advantages to both approaches—namely training in public practice and training in a company setting. The important thing to keep in mind, is that CA training has always been and will always be of the highest rigour, to prepare each student for a career with limitless opportunities.

• What will the CA designation prepare me for?

  The CA designation is recognized widely as the pre-eminent accounting designation. Your CA designation makes a statement about you and your capabilities in the business world. Being a CA means you are equipped to take on any business challenge that comes your way.

• How do I become a CA?

  Becoming a Chartered Accountant is an excellent career choice that requires specific steps in order to gain your designation.

  1. The first step is completing a baccalaureate degree from a university or college recognized by CASB. There are also a number of required business and accounting courses that you must complete. Earning a Business, Management or Commerce baccalaureate degree with an accounting major usually allows a student to complete both the degree requirement and the pre-requisite courses at the same time, making this your fastest route to earning a CA designation.
  2. Once you have graduated, the next step is to secure employment with a CA Approved Training Office (CATO). You need to complete approximately three years of practical experience as a CA student while also working through the online module component of the Chartered Accountant School of Business (CASB).
  3. The last step is writing the National Uniform Evaluation (UFE). CASB students are well-prepared for the UFE and the first-time pass-rate for CASB writers has been consistent for the past three years.

• How long does it take to become a CA?

  Generally, it will take three years of work experience following a baccalaureate degree to become a CA. While you’re completing this work experience, you will also take the six modules that comprise the CASB educational program. You will have an option of taking the modules continuously—so you’ll be taking courses for approximately 18 months—or spreading the courses out a bit more to fit your schedule.

• What is the CASB Program?

  The CASB program emphasizes student involvement and participation and comprises six learning modules, all led by trained facilitators who are also practicing CAs. There are five eight-week modules to help you develop the technical and pervasive competencies required by CAs, and one module to help you prepare specifically for the UFE. CASB students role-play as they learn. CASB wants students to experience involvement in all capacities and assume many different roles as they progress through the modules, including being an employee or manager of Vision; an employee of one of the public practice fi rms engaged to complete a wide range of services for the business and its owners; or an auditor from CRA.

  CASB students use the virtual office and communicate with each other and with their online facilitators via emails and the discussion board. CASB’s Blackboard program is a user-friendly, web-based learning delivery system designed to enable students to manage their own learning. Blackboard includes email, discussion boards for common postings, and a chat feature.

  Students learn by doing as they work through the five modules. Every week, students go online to access a narrative of events for the workplace simulation, along with notes for discussions, and a number of required tasks. While these tasks will seem very directive initially, as students progress through the modules and become familiar with CASB’s expectations, the tasks will become less directive and the material more complex.

• Is the CA designation recognized Canada-wide? Internationally?

  A CA in one Canadian province is a CA in any other province. In fact, reciprocity and easy mobility within Canada are cornerstones of the profession. CAs are also recognized worldwide, and have formal recognition with many international accounting bodies.

• What is the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Alberta?

  The Institute of Chartered Accountants of Alberta (ICAA) is the self-governing body which regulates more than 11,500 Alberta CAs and CA students. The ICAA protects the public by setting the most rigorous qualification criteria, and establishing and enforcing the highest professional, ethical and practical standards. ICAA works in partnership with other provincial institutes and the Canadian Institute of Chartered Accountants (CICA) to support national standards and programs.

• What is required for me to enroll in CASB?

  To register for CASB, you must obtain an approved undergraduate degree (the degree can be from any faculty) and complete 12 business and accounting pre-requisite courses. You need to be employed with a CA Approved Training Office (CATO), as experience is an integral part of getting your CA designation. A list of CATOs approved to train CA students is available at www.becomea.ca.

• Is there a GPA requirement for CASB?

  A 65% overall average (2.5 GPA) in the 12 pre-requisites is required. The GPA of your bachelor degree is not considered when you register.

• When should I find employment with a CA Training Office?

  Typically the recruitment for CA training positions occurs on-campus in the fall of the student's last year of studies. Students will receive job offers for employment commencing after their studies are completed. To find out more about recruitment dates, contact your post-secondary career centre, or visit www.becomea.ca for a list of the career information dates for recruitment.   

• How does CASB work if I am a Co-op student?

  Students in a Co-op degree program recognized by CASB will follow a sequence of work and study terms approved by their university, CASB and their employer. This sequence is likely to be unique to each university, depending upon the timing of entry into Co-op, number of pre-requisites completed at point of entry, and number of terms until degree is earned. Co-op students are eligible to begin taking CASB modules during their work terms provided that intermediate Financial Accounting 1 and 2, and Tax (both personal and corporate) have been completed prior to the start of Module 1.

• When do I have to get my transcripts in?

  Your transcripts must be included with the registration form when you register as a student with CASB. Transcripts must arrive at the CASB Registration Centre directly from the forwarding educational institution. You must request transcripts from you educational institution; all university pre-requisites must be completed before you can begin Module 1.

• Where can I get my transcripts assessed?

  If you have transcripts from a Canadian university, you can contact the CA School of Business to request a transcript assessment. There is a fee for this service. Students can also use an online resource called the Alberta Transfer Guide to cross-reference courses from other post-secondary institutions with the required pre-requisites for CASB.

• When am I eligible to start Module 1?

  You are eligible to start Module 1 when you have acquired a bachelor’s degree as well as all of the pre-requisite courses. You do not require employment with a CATO to take Module 1, but you must have an offer of employment before you start Module 2 and have commenced employment before you start Module 3.

• How much time will I spend on the modules?

  The modules have been designed to require on average between 12 and 15 hours per week of individual online study. Each module will involve 8 weeks of individual facilitated online learning as well as a three-day face-to-face interactive session.

• What happens if I do not achieve competency in a module?

  If a student is not competent in any module, he or she is required to retake it in its entirety. All modules (except Module 6) are offered at least three times a year. Check the Module Schedule on the CASB website (www.casb.com) to determine the next available offering of any specific module.

• How much flexibility do I have in determining when I take a particular module?

  Because competency development is a building process, all modules must be taken in sequence. Students are free to determine when to schedule specific subject to the consent of their employer. In planning their schedules, students should consider their office’s “busy season” and their own important personal events.

• What is the interactive face-to-face session?

  During each of the first five modules, students will attend a three-day, face-to-face session with a facilitator and other CASB students.The face-to-face sessions involve the development and evaluation of many of the “pervasive qualities” set out in the CA Competency Map, such as presentations and group work. The core knowledge covered in each module will be checked by basic multiple-choice questions administered at the session. While at the session, students will broaden and deepen their understanding of what they learned in the module using both individual and group exercises and discussion. The session will also include a case simulation that will tie together many of the competencies covered in the module.

• Where will the interactive workshops be held?

  The interactive face-to-face sessions have been scheduled at least once a year for each module in Calgary, Edmonton, and Lethbridge. Considerable flexibility in scheduling of modules has been provided, but this may mean that the interactive face-to-face session for a module will not be available in each of the above locations for each scheduled term. Locations will be determined by enrollments and student will be contacted to confirm face-to-face locations.

• What is the National Uniform Evaluation (UFE)?

  The UFE is the evaluation that all individuals wishing to become a CA in Canada must successfully complete in order to earn their designation. It is a comprehensive, three-day, competency-based evaluation using a five-hour comprehensive case simulation as well as a number of multi-subject simulations. This national UFE ensures all Canadian CAs meet the same high standards – standards recognized nationally and internationally.

• As a CASB student, what can I expect?

  As a CASB student, you'll:

   

  • Be actively involved in your own learning and competency development,
  • Learn through role-play, working on scenarios and issues you'll face in the real world or work,
  • Look at business issues from different perspectives, and develop strong critical thinking and problem solving skills as a result,
  • Learn, understand and be ready for changing accounting and auditing standards,
  • Understand that being a CASB-educated CA is about more than being an accountant: it's about demonstrating excellence in all you do.