How to Respond to CPA PERT Reviewer Comments

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Submitting your Practical Experience Reporting Tool (PERT) reports is a key milestone in obtaining your Canadian CPA designation. After you provide your detailed experience report, it is very common for the CPA reviewer in charge of assessing your submission to have follow-up questions or request revisions.

Getting your report returned with reviewer comments is a standard part of the PERT process. Before outlining how to systematically tackle these revisions, there are a few important realities about the review process that candidates should understand.

The Human Element of PERT Reviewers

When you submit a PERT report, it is evaluated by a human reviewer. Because this process involves human judgment, there is naturally an element of subjectivity.

Two candidates could submit nearly identical experience reports. For one reviewer, the report might clear perfectly without a single question. For another reviewer, that exact same report might receive reviewer comments and revision requests. Because there is no way of perfectly predicting a reviewer’s specific preferences, receiving comments doesn’t necessarily mean you did something wrong. It simply means that your specific reviewer needs a little more context to connect the dots and confidently approve your competencies. We talked about this in detail, specifically for Alberta PERT candidates who have a reputation of facing a more challenging reviewer hurdle.

Managing Expectations: The Reality of Progression

Another common reason you might receive reviewer comments is related to where you are in your CPA journey. CPA reviewers expect to see progression in your experience over time; they will almost never approve a Level 2 technical proficiency right out of the gate.

This is a topic we have talked about in the past on the blog as well. For example, in our article, Is One Example Enough for PERT Enabling Competencies?, we discussed how the core strategy for completing your competencies relies on demonstrating a gradual progression. In your first report, you might claim a Level 0. In your second, a Level 1. It isn’t until your later reports, after providing multiple complex examples over time, that a Level 2 is typically granted.

Similarly, we have highlighted this expectation in our guide on Catching up on CPA PERT Reports. Even if you are submitting multiple catch-up reports at once, you must still show a chronological progression. If you submit your very first 6-month report and request a Level 2, the reviewer will likely ask for revisions or downgrade you to a Level 1. They need to see your duties evolve and your autonomy increase over the full 30 months.

5 Key Steps to Respond to CPA Reviewer Comments

Understanding these expectations helps frame the reviewer’s feedback. Now, let’s look at how to tackle the revisions efficiently through a clear, 5-step process.

Step 1: Note Your Response Deadline

Before you review the comments or begin drafting a response, you must make note of your submission deadline and set yourself as many alarms and reminders as required to ensure you don’t miss this. This is critical. It is not a suggestion. You cannot request an extension. You must reply within the timeline.

Missing this deadline essentially causes you to “surrender” any experience within the report that did not get cleared on the first pass. If you do not respond within the time allotted, you lose your ability to go back and edit or revise those comments to utilize your experience. We have seen students lose the ability to use over 2 years of hard-earned experience simply due to failing to respond within the allotted time limit. Treat this deadline as an absolute priority.

Step 2: Read and Process the Feedback Objectively

When a report is returned for revisions, it is important to process the feedback objectively before making any edits. Read the reviewer’s comments carefully. Reviewers often leave specific notes about what is missing or what requires clarification. Your objective in this step is simply comprehension: understand exactly what the reviewer is saying and what aspect of your role they are trying to clarify.

Step 3: Pinpoint the Targeted Area of Your Report

PERT reports are comprehensive and contain multiple sections. Once you have read the feedback, you need to pinpoint exactly which section the reviewer is targeting. Start by identifying:

  • Is this a Technical Competency or an Enabling Competency?
  • Which specific sub-competency is being targeted? (e.g., Financial Reporting vs. Audit and Assurance).
  • Which specific part of your response is in question? (Are they looking at the Situation, the Action, or the Result?)

By isolating the exact area of your report the reviewer is speaking about, you keep your revisions focused and avoid unnecessarily altering sections of your report that were already approved.

Step 4: Identify the Actionable Change Required

Next, identify what actionable change the reviewer wants you to make. Ask yourself what the core of their request is. Reviewer comments usually fall into a few common categories:

  • Lack of specific examples: You may have explained a process generally (e.g., “I perform variance analysis”), and the reviewer requires a real-world example of a specific, non-routine variance you analyzed.
  • Missing the “How” and “Why”: You might have stated what you did, but the reviewer needs to understand how you did it step-by-step, and why it matters to the organization.
  • Clarifying Autonomy: The reviewer might need you to use “I” instead of “We” to clarify your independent role versus your manager’s or team’s role.
  • Progression/Complexity: Based on the progression expectations mentioned earlier, they may need you to demonstrate more complexity to justify granting a higher proficiency level.

Translate their comment into a direct instruction. (For example: “The reviewer needs me to add an example of a complex accounting standard I applied.”)

Step 5: Draft a Targeted Revision

With a clear understanding of the targeted area and the required change, you can now draft your revision.

When writing your response, be clear, concise, and direct. Address the reviewer’s comments explicitly. If they asked how you calculated a specific metric, provide the exact methodology. If they asked for the impact of your work, explicitly state: “The impact of this analysis was…”

You rarely need to rewrite your original response entirely. Usually, you only need to add a few specific sentences or a new paragraph to your original draft to bridge the gap. Provide the specific evidence the reviewer requested so they can confidently approve your level.

  • Pro-Tip: Before resubmitting, read the reviewer’s original comment, and then immediately read your new draft. Ensure your addition directly and thoroughly answers their prompt.

Final Thoughts

Navigating PERT is a detailed process, and receiving reviewer comments is simply a standard step on your path to the CPA designation. The reviewer’s goal is to ensure your experience meets the requirements set by CPA Canada. Guard your deadlines carefully, manage your expectations regarding progression, and follow a systematic approach to your revisions to get your reports cleared efficiently.

Looking for additional support with your PERT reports, aiming for Level 2 competencies, or studying for the CFE? Review the resources, templates, and CPA coaching programs available at www.gevorgcpa.com to help navigate your path to becoming a Canadian CPA.

Clearing the ‘Alberta Wall’ – Navigating the PERT Process for EVR Candidates

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We often hear from students who are frustrated because a peer in Ontario or British Columbia had a nearly identical experience report cleared with no issues, while their own report was sent back by CPA Alberta with requests for “more detail” or “clearer progression.”

It is important to clarify: Alberta is not working off its own set of rules. All provinces adhere to the same national CPA PERT standards. However, because the provinces administer these standards independently, each province has developed its own nuanced preferences and “review culture.”

Think of it like a national building code: the standards for safety and materials are the same across Canada, but the local inspector in Calgary might be much more meticulous about your “Blueprints” (your PERT report) than an inspector in another city. While CPA Canada sets the national Harmonized Practical Experience Policies, each provincial body (like CPA Alberta) acts as the independent “inspector” for their region. This is why you’ll often hear candidates say that what gets a “Pass” in one province might get a “Follow-up” in Alberta.

Based on our students’ experiences, Alberta reviewers are perceived to apply a stricter ‘Audit’ mindset. Without granular documentation supporting your claim of Level 2 proficiency, reviewers frequently default to assuming it hasn’t been achieved. This creates the ‘Alberta Wall’—the perception of a higher bar and, more importantly, significant delays in your path to certification despite national rules being technically identical.

But it is not just about the candidate; understanding the reviewer’s perspective is equally vital. In this post, we will share insights to help you elevate your reporting game while examining the systemic challenges Alberta reviewers face. We must hold ourselves accountable to looking at this from both angles: what specific complexities are candidates putting forward that make their roles harder to verify, and what are the resulting reviewer demands that students are perceiving to be so demanding?

General Requirements

The Practical Experience Reporting Tool (PERT) is the final hurdle for Canadian CPA candidates. While the Common Final Exam (CFE) tests your academic knowledge, PERT is a critical final requirement to evidence your accounting work experience. To get certified in the current program, you must document 30 months of progressive experience, demonstrating both technical competencies (such as Financial Reporting, Management Accounting, or Taxation) and enabling competencies—the professional skills like ethics, problem-solving, communication, self-management, and teamwork/leadership.

While many candidates find PERT reporting onerous, it is especially true for EVR (Experience Verification Route) students. In the Pre-Approved Program (PPR), your employer has already “pre-vetted” the work duties with the provincial CPA body. In contrast, EVR candidates carry the entire burden of proof. You must act as your own advocate and ‘auditor’ with every submission, meticulously mapping your daily tasks to specific CPA Canada proficiency levels without the safety net of a pre-approved employer program.

Beyond the “Straight Path”: Navigating Complex Work Experiences

The “standard” CPA journey—graduating, landing a junior accounting role, and progressing linearly to Senior Accountant, Accounting Manager—is increasingly rare. CPA candidates face complex work experiences that make PERT feel like a puzzle. You might be juggling a family, navigating a layoff, relocating, or managing medical challenges. We also see two specific job-related challenges come up that create complexity: the Generic Role candidates, and the Job Jumpers.

Generic Role: For candidates in startups, high growth companies, family business or private companies, their responsibilities are usually not “pure” accounting—perhaps you’re a Controller in a small business wearing HR and IT hats—the path to Level 2 isn’t obvious. These candidates often file multiple reports for different roles, requiring a cohesive narrative of progression even when their career path felt more like a jungle gym than a ladder. If your job isn’t a textbook role, you have to work twice as hard to translate “business” tasks into “CPA” competencies.

If you are working harder to create your PERT, you can be sure your reviewer is going to be working harder to follow your PERT as well. 

Job Jumpers: You must complete a fresh PERT report if your role at an existing company has changed (i.e. promotion) or if you move to a different company—whether you have taken time off, transitioned, experienced market recession layoffs, or jumped jobs to maximize salary. There are anecdotal arguments that point to career changes in Alberta accounting jobs being driven by the boom or bust nature of its energy-heavy economy. Candidates face high voluntary turnover during booms (chasing high salaries) and significant involuntary turnover (layoffs) during downturns.

Irrespective of why your job has changed, any job changes increase the complexity of your PERT reporting. You need to do more reports and your reporting needs to clearly demonstrate your role and task progression especially where your core tasks have changed. This can also be challenging as you might have some ‘intake’ period at a new role making it seem like you have regressed in your progression.

Job changes create both the logistical task of an additional report, and the diligence to demonstrate your progressive work duties. Similar to Generic Role candidates, these complexities make the review process quite challenging as well. 

The 6-Month Myth: Tracking vs. Reporting

A question we get constantly at Gevorg CPA is: “Do I have to submit a full report to CPA every six months?” CPA guidance strongly encourages students to track their progress every six months. This is excellent advice; it ensures you stay on top of your journal, meet with your mentor regularly, and capture high-quality examples while they are fresh in your mind.

However, this is guidance only, and not a requirement to submit a formal, full report for provincial review every six months unless your facts and circumstances otherwise require you to do so, such as due to a job change, a move to a new employer, or a material change in your role’s responsibilities.

The more time that exists between experience tracking and mentor meetings, the more challenging it is to remember all the details you need to articulate your progressive experience. We can draw a nice connection to our CFE case writing skills, you need sufficient work experience details (case facts), and a sufficient volume of work examples (breadth), to clear the reviewer hurdle.

Albertans: If you fall behind on your report tracking, this will compound your challenges in meeting the level of proof required to clear your reports. If you are being challenged to articulate more details and more evidence supporting your experience, this is incredibly hard to document if you have not been tracking as you track your progress.

Tracking is for your consistency; formal reporting is for your milestones.

PERT-crastination – Don’t wait for the 2028 Transition

There is a massive shift on the horizon. As all CPA candidates are well aware, Canada’s CPA certification pathway is moving to a new model in 2027, and for students currently in PEP, the final deadline to complete and report all PERT requirements is December 31, 2028.

While CPA Canada has provided transition guidelines—ensuring those partway through won’t “lose” their progress—it is absolutely vital to be caught up now. There will be a deadline for candidates claiming experience in the current program to be caught up on their PERT, and for all the reasons we have discussed above, it seems unwise to be late on that. 

  • The Potential Bottleneck: If you choose to procrastinate your PERT tasks, chances are fairly high you won’t be the only one to do so. Back-and-forth between candidates and reviewers could be significantly strained during the rush of last-minute report submissions.
  • It Won’t Get Easier: We know PERT takes time, and we know putting it off won’t make the requirements less rigorous. By delaying, you are essentially volunteering for the added stress of figuring out how to transition your ‘old program’ experience to the ‘new program’—which is hardly an ideal learning opportunity. Finishing under the known rules of the current PERT system is the path of least resistance to obtain your letters.

Perspective: It’s Hard, but It’s Good Practice

We are acutely aware of how frustrating the back-and-forth of this process can be, especially as you reach the final stretch of your CPA designation. However, one point of perspective we offer is that this really is good practice. As a practicing CPA, you will be held accountable for your attention to detail every single day. Proving a connection between data points, applying relevant case facts, demonstrating your competencies with clarity, and providing evidence are all critical professional skills. Understanding what provided evidence actually demonstrates—and what it doesn’t—is at the core of our profession. 

An accountant’s ability to utilize business writing to accurately convey information is a very valuable skill. Every talented professional I have worked with has been a master at this, and it has served them well. Perhaps the reviewers also have this at the back of their minds when considering reports. 

While the reporting process isn’t “fun,” it is required for a reason: it is reinforcing habits and discipline you need to thrive as a CPA.

What Can You Do About It?

These recommendations apply to all PERT applicants. While there isn’t a “secret” set of rules, you must understand that if you are coming up against a particularly challenging reviewer, you need to be extra disciplined about applying these best practices:

  1. Use the CARL/STAR Method: Structure every response with Challenge, Action, Result, and Lessons Learned. Here is a template example we have posted in the past that provides some great detail –  GCPA – MA2 Template and Example
  2. Keep a ‘Success Journal’: Don’t wait for your semi-annual check-in. Record complex problems, your specific technical role in solving them, and the impact of your actions as they happen. This prevents ‘memory fade’ and ensures you have a library of specific examples when it’s time to report.
  3. Talk to Your Mentor Early: Use the CPA Alberta PERT FAQs to stay on top of deadlines and rules.
  4. Professional Help: We specialize in helping students “CPA-ify” their real-world work to meet the reviewer’s expectations.

How Gevorg CPA Can Help You Scale the Wall

If the PERT process feels like a second job, you don’t have to navigate it alone. We offer specialized support programs designed to translate your real-world experience into the specific language CPA reviewers demand.

  • CPA PER Review (Standard): Best for self-starters who need the right tools to write effectively. Includes step-by-step video walkthroughs, Level 2 templates, and specific “verb” lists to trigger the right proficiency levels.
  • CPA PER Review (Full Support): Best for candidates who want high certainty and expert validation. Includes everything in the Standard package plus personalized marking and detailed feedback on up to two full reports.
  • CPA Extension Support: Best for candidates facing the 7-year deadline or 4th attempt issues. Includes strategy sessions on how to appeal for more time and how to draft a winning extension request.

Other Helpful Resources

 

 

Is One Example Enough for PERT Enabling Competencies?

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When your CPA Canada CFE is finally over, you’ll get the time to breathe a sigh of relief and switch gears into “Practical Experience Requirements (PER) mode.” There are two key components to PER: Technical Competencies and Enabling Competencies.

Technical is the bread and butter of what you do everyday, like financial reporting analysis, prepping financial statements, tax analysis, preparing budgets and so on.

Enabling are the soft skills that are developed over time and gained through experience, like ethical issues, teamwork, communication and leadership.

Let’s take a deeper dive into Enabling Competencies in this article and understand how many examples you need to give to get completion (“Level 2”).

Understanding PER Enabling Competencies

There are five (5) Enabling Competencies in CPA PER:

  • Acting Ethically and Demonstrating Professional Values
  • Solving Problems and Adding Value
  • Communication
  • Managing Self
  • Plans and effectively manages teams and projects / Collaborates effectively as a team member

You need to write examples in all of them to graduate. Here’s a brief summary of each, with more resources available in Gevorg’s PER Review:

  • Acting Ethically and Demonstrating Professional Values: This is about tensions, conflicts and ethical issues at work. It’s not about  personal stress management issues, it has to be something that created a “dilemma”. Dilemma means the conclusion is not obvious. This means that if you have only one choice of doing the right thing, then there is no dilemma. For example, if your manager asks you to steal something from the office, obviously the right thing is not to do it, so there is no dilemma. If your manager asks you to take on extra work that’s beyond your abilities, there is a dilemma, because you now have multiple options to consider and the outcome is uncertain.
  • Solving Problems and Adding Value: This is about process improvement, enhancing a product or solving a problem. You can think of many examples, such as process improvement (eg. creating macro-based Excel tool), adapting your work due to new technology, or optimizing your workflow (eg. removing redundant tasks).
  • Communication: If you work in a small company, you are the accounting expert but your co-workers/clients are likely not CPAs. They are operations experts or middle managers, who need to understand the basics of accounting, like budget or income statement. You would write here an example of how you translated complex accounting concepts to easy-to-understand language.
  • Managing Self: Think of situations where you didn’t meet the expectations of your manager, your teammates or clients. You weren’t sure how to manage your strengths and weaknesses, and you felt disappointed. Write an example of such situation.
  • Teamwork  and Collaboration: Most jobs require people interaction. This area is about teamwork challenges or leadership issues. Here’s a brief example: During a system implementation project in my company, a cross-functional team from departments like Accounting, Internal Audit, Budgeting, and IT faced challenges in working together. Each member brought a different perspective, so meetings had frequent arguments, misalignment on goals and frustration. Some pushed for speed, others for strict compliance and few raised concerns about budget impacts. The team couldn’t agree on a direction and progress stalled. Recognizing the risk to both the project, I stepped in to address the conflict. Applying the CPA Way, I assessed the situation, analyzed alternatives and provided a conclusion. I created space for each team member to voice their concerns openly and without judgment. Over the next few weeks, the team regained momentum, worked cohesively, and successfully completed the implementation on schedule. The experience delivered results, built trust, and strengthened my organization’s culture of collaboration.

Level 2 in PER Enabling Competencies

Similar to Technical Competencies, you can get in Enabling Competencies either at Level 0, Level 1, or Level 2. Normally, the strategy to completing PER is progression. This means giving one example at-time. For example, in your report #1, you give one non-complex example and claim Level 0. In report #2, you give a second, more-complex example and claim Level 1. In report #3, you give a third, very complex example and claim Level 1. In report #4, you give your fourth and fifth complex examples and claim Level 2. 

You get the point; progression is about gradual and smooth way of claiming your experience. Once you have 3 complex examples, you get the Level 2.

Luckily, progression is not needed for Enabling.

You can give only 1 example and get Level 2

Yes, you can give just one example in Enabling and claim Level 2 right away. You don’t need to show progression or provide 3 examples. From my experience of helping hundreds of students with PER, I can say this works 90-95% of the time. Occasionally, we get a reviewer that challenges and asks you submit a second example before giving Level 2. In this case, I advise my student to submit a second example and the student gets the Level 2 at that point.

Also, you don’t have to wait for your final reports to claim this, you can claim this Level 2 as early as your report #1.

Extra 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.

 

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.

 

Catching up on CPA PERT Reports

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If you find yourself behind on your CPA Canada Professional Experience Requirements (PER), don’t panic! While the pressure can be overwhelming, there are effective strategies you can use to get back on track. Here’s a breakdown of what you need to know and do when you’re behind on a CPA PER reports. 

Behind on PERT reports

First, you should know that you’re not the only student behind on PERT. I receive messages daily from students who are behind on PERT – or who’ve never submitted any PERT reports – and their deadline is fast approaching. This is common and CPA PER reviewers are used to this. 

Here’s my advice based on your situation:

  1. Your CPA program deadline is approaching: If your CPA deadline is within the next 6 months, your first course of action is to ask for an extension. The process is to send a message to your provincial CPA PER team and outline the extraordinary reasons that have prevented you from completing your program requirements on time. If you’ve already passed CFE, your chances are even higher. I’ve successfully consulted and helped students get extension and complete their requirements before the deadline. 
  2. You haven’t submitted reports for a long time: If you haven’t submitted PER reports for a while, but your deadline is 6-12 months – or even farther down the road, don’t worry about extension at this point. In fact, PERT team doesn’t allow extension requests until you’re within the 6-month range. Your first course of action is to catch up – and you need to do it ASAP.

How to catchup on PERT

Let’s say you haven’t submitted PERT for 1, 2 or even 3 years. In situations like this, CPA PER team asks that you write 1 big report for the entire period. They don’t require you to go back and re-do the missed reports and mentor meetings, unless you changed jobs during that period or your title changed.

If your job or title changed, then they ask that you split your catch-up report for each of those segments. For example, let’s say you haven’t submitted PER for 3 years and you switched jobs 4 times. You would write 4 catch-up reports for each of those jobs, putting the date range based on when you worked in each company.

Before you start writing the reports, I recommend that you send a brief email to your provincial PER team and let them know your plans. Tell them that you’re behind on PER and you’re planning to do a catch up report for each of your jobs. They will give you confirmation to go ahead and you can write the reports. If for some reason they ask you to combine the reports, or write extra reports, follow their instructions and write as they say. CPA PER requirements are set provincially and PER team is very inconsistent. Though they have harmonized policies, each province has its own team that reviews and approves PER submissions. Some provinces, like Ontario, are consistent in their responses and requirements. Other provinces, like BC and Alberta, are less consistent. For this reason, it’s better to be proactive and communicate your intentions, rather than spending your time writing the reports and getting the feedback from them that you were expected to follow another procedure.

When writing your catch up reports, it’s important that you show progression. This means in the first few reports, claim only level 1 – don’t claim level 2 at all. Then in the final report(s), claim the level 2s.

Now, let’s look at the scenario where you’re behind and you haven’t changed jobs nor titles.  For example, let’s say you haven’t submitted PER for 3 years and you worked in the same company and role for the whole period. In this case, create 1 big report for this entire date range.  Don’t split your report into smaller segments. Similar to above, you should send a brief email to your local CPA PER team and let them know you’re planning to write 1 big report and let them give you green light. As I said earlier, CPA PER team is inconsistent, it’s best to have written communication from so that your bases are covered. 

When you’re writing the 1 big report, the progression (ie, Level 0 and Level 1) can be skipped, you’re assumed to be already at level 2 because it’s a wide range, so claim mostly level 2s. Your challenge will be to write concisely because they will be looking for multiple examples in each area. I have a specialized PER template that will help you write multiple examples in 1 report and stay within the 5,000 character limit in my CPA PER Review coaching program.

Penalties when you’re behind on PERT

In an ideal world, candidates would create a PER report bi-annually (twice a year or every 6 months), meet their mentors twice a year and finish PERT at the exact 30-month point. The reality is that many students are behind on PER and they miss report submissions and mentor meetings. 

CPA provincial bodies penalize 1 month for every missed mentor meeting. So if we normally need 30 months to graduate, if you’re behind on PER, you’ll need more than this. For example, if you haven’t done PER reports nor met your mentor for 2 years, then you missed 4 mentor meetings (twice every year for two years). You’ll be penalized 4 months. This means you will need a total of 34 months to graduate. Your best course of action is catch up as soon as possible, by writing the catch up report(s), and once you get up-to-date, finish off any remaining months from your current job.

You can see what your penalty is by accessing your online PERT tool, clicking on Consolidated Summary and running it for all your reports. This will not display properly if you haven’t submitted any reports, so you will need to wait until you’ve submitted the catch up report(s) to find out.

How to write a PER report

I’ve written tips and tricks on PER in the articles below:

Keep an eye on my blog posts and social media channels for more articles. For personalized support, check my CPA PER Review courses for consultation, templates, examples and tailored support with writing your CPA PER reports.