How to Add 3 Examples in PERT 5,000 Characters for Level 2

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Passing the CPA Canada PER (Practical Experience Reporting) process can feel a bit tricky, especially if you’re on the EVR (Experience Verification Route). You might find yourself submitting reports, only to receive them back with reviewer comments or not getting the levels you were hoping for. If you’re nearing the 30-month practical experience completion mark and want to hit that Level 2 proficiency across both technical and enabling competencies, this guide is here to help you out! We’ll cover both general tips on PERT and specific strategies on how to add 3 examples given the 5,000 character space limitation.

If you’d like to directly jump to how to add the 3 examples within 5,000 characters, scroll down to “3 Example Rule” section below.

PERT General Tips & Tricks To Achieve Level 2

Below are tips and tricks to help you achieve Level 2 in your examples:

  • Don’t ever say “us” or we” – Be selfish. Write about what you have done and use the word “I” and “me” in your examples. This shows that you took charge of the tasks. It’s best to avoid using “we” or “our team” as much as possible, even though it’s perfectly fine for your manager to have reviewed your work. 
  • Use unique examples – Make sure to use different examples for each technical sub-competency. For example, if you improved a financial reporting process and used this for FR1, don’t re-use that same exact example for FR3 or FR4. However, if you worked on a big project (think ERP implementation), then you can bifurcate several different examples from it and write in different areas. This rules applies to Technicals, you can use the same examples between Technical and Enabling competency without any issues.
  • Don’t be generic – When I’m helping CPA students with PERT, I often see them write lengthy descriptions of their job duties. For example, in FR2, students tend to write how they go about analyzing transactions as part of their day to day work. This is not gonna work. PERT team is looking for specific examples. For example, in FR2, you should pick a few specific transactions you analyzed and write about those. Good examples are: impairment, intangible asset, consolidation, financial instruments, tax provision, lease accounting, complex revenue issues, decommissioning costs, assets held for sale and discontinued operations, foreign currency translation.
  • Stay within 5,000 characters – Each section in the PERT  has a limit of 5,000 characters (not words!). Before you hit that submit button, double-check your character count. I suggest writing your reports in Google Docs or Microsoft Word, then copy to PERT, because I’ve heard students say that their examples sometimes disappear when they write directly in PERT and leave it there for a while. PERT has gone through many updates and it’s more user friendly now, showing the character count as you type and the text boxes are expandable. Still, I recommend writing in external apps and then copying to PERT to avoid losing your work. To save space, use point form, skip routine details, and use common abbreviations, like “IFRS”(more on this below.)
  • Write detailed examples – This contradicts the above tip about being point form, but you do need to be both detailed and point form. You have to find which areas need details and which areas can be left point form. For example, “Stakeholders” section can be point form but “Analysis” should be detailed. Your PERT examples should be at least 3/4 to 1 full page for each competency area.
  • Use templates – Gevorg CPA was the first to build PERT templates and teach students how to use them correctly. Now, several years later, CPA Canada is encouraging all students to use templates. It makes sense; templates are best tools to hit all areas of the marking rubric, both on exams and PERT. A template for the sub-competency MA2 is available here on Gevorg’s website. For more PERT templates and examples, you can check  the PER Review success program.

Enabling Competencies: Strategies to Get Level 2

Applying the CPA Way doesn’t stop at the CFE. Enabling Competencies require you to embed the CPA Way into your response, using the following headings:

  • Assess the Situation
  • Analyze the Major Issues
  • Conclude and Advise 
  • Communicate 

Remember to do the following to achieve a Level 2 for Enabling:

  • Discuss CPA values – Explain what CPA values the situation involved (competence, objectivity, due care, integrity, independence, professional behavior, and confidentiality). Make sure to discuss 2-3 CPA values.
  • Add alternatives – Always include alternatives, discussing both the pros and cons.
  • 1 example is enough – Unlike Technical, where you need at least 3 examples for Level 2, just 1 good example in Enabling is enough for Level 2.
  • New examples – Write new examples instead of continuation of stories from previous reports.

Technical Competencies: Strategies to Get Level 2

This section is relevant if you’re following the EVR.  To achieve level 2, you should:

  • Write complex examples – Your examples must require judgement, research, autonomy and working within ambiguities to get level 2. For example, let’s say you’re targeting Level 2 for FR2. If you write 3 examples of how you posted accrual entries, PPE depreciation, and payroll remittance, it won’t qualify for Level 2. You have to think about really complex entries, like the ones I listed earlier in “Don’t be generic” part, and write about those. I can help you come up with strategies on how to do this, even if you work in a junior role.
  • Don’t worry about your initial assessment –  When you submit your job description for pre-assessment, PERT team will assess whether your job meets the minimum requirements for PERT. They will give you a report with checkmarks in areas they think you can score levels, like MA1, MA2, FN1 etc. Don’t worry about this report, it’s okay – and even expected – for you to report above and beyond what the checkmarks indicate. For example, if you don’t have a checkmarks in FR1, FR2, FR3, and these tasks were not part of your submitted job description, you can still report in these areas.
  • Don’t target Level 2 for “FR1” – FR1 is extremely hard to get Level 2, it requires complex user need analysis and implementing a new financial reporting system. This is something that doesn’t happen 3 times in most accountants’ careers, unless your work in a entrepreneurial start-up company. So just aim for Level 1 here and claim Level 2 in other areas. This will save you a lot of headache and time.
  • 3 examples needed – Have 3 examples for each sub-competency (see below)

The 3-example Rule

For each technical sub-competency, you need at least 3 complex examples to get Level 2. Students ask me all the time how can this be done, given the 5,000 character rule. The answer is that these can be from multiple reports, not just one. The ideal path of completing PERT is to submit complex examples across several reports. For example, you submit complex example #1 at the 18-month report, example #2 at 24 months, and a final example #3 at 30 months. By the time you get to 30 months, you’ve submitted 3 complex examples and you’re eligible for Level 2. With this smooth submission strategy, you won’t have problems with the 5,000 character limitation because you’re putting only 1 example in each report.

The above is the ideal path but the reality is that most students are behind. If you’re at the completion mark but haven’t reported any examples, things are tougher because you need to add 3 examples in one or two final reports. This is still very much doable. To achieve this, you need to write very concisely and avoid repeating the same sections, like “Stakeholders”, “My involvement”, in each example. It also helps to use abbreviations, like IFRS, F/S, ASPE, IFRS, Ex#1, Ex#2, etc. to keep the report concise. Make sure to avoid filler words like “very,” “actually,” “basically.” Another tips is to focus on using action-oriented language to demonstrate your competencies effectively. For example, instead of writing: “My first step was to find the root cause and determine why the performance has deteriorated as it was critical for the success of this project”, you should instead write: “I determined root cause for performance decease by doing XYZ.” I have several more specialized resources for writing 3 examples under 5,000 characters, please see the Extra Resources below for more details.

Extra PERT Resources

Check out Gevorg’s CPA PER Review, Canada’s first and only comprehensive PER coaching program that features several Level 2 examples, templates, video lessons, marking services, and support to help you pass PERT. This program recognizes your need for clear and concise content and has been designed to meet your busy schedule.