[Anonymous]

Hey y’all, I have been in public for three years and I’m considering making the move to private. I interviewed with a banking institution last week. On Monday, I went in for a second interview. They then ask me to take an online accounting/Excel assessment as soon as I got home.
I didn’t think much of it at first but after taking it, I don’t get why they would ask a CPA to take such basic exam. The exam was so basic that it makes me feel like this should be more of an entry level position (job description clearly states that they want a CPA for the position). Some of the questions on the exam included things such as “do expenses have debit/credit balance?”, “what’s net profit”, “what does GAAP stand for” and the Excel part had things like “highlight this cell, copy and paste cell, add row/column”. I could be wrong and maybe there are CPAs out there that don’t know basic concepts like these but I seriously doubt it. I just got an email yesterday informing me that I will receive an offer by the end of the week. I don’t even know what the offer is yet but I’m thinking I’ll reject it just based on this. If they feel the need to test me on such easy concepts, I will probably get bored with the job and will learn nothing, and thus I won’t grow professionally. Have any of you experienced something similar?

[Anonymous]

What position were you applying for?
What was listed as the skills needed in the job description?

[turo9992000]

You'd be surprised at the amount of people that can muscle their way through the CPA exam and not know basic excel functions especially if they took the exam back in the paper days. A CPA at my office doesn't know how to use the sum function, he manually clicks on each cell he wants to add. Very inefficient, he's not old.

[mosaic]

If it's a larger institution, it's probably just company hiring policy. I work in government. Some of the hoops we go through often feel demeaning, but they're just regulations. I'd talk to your prospective manager and try to get a balanced explanation of what the work is.

[Anonymous]

Bobby: The title is Senior Accountant. Job description meantions assisting with day to day accounting operations. A requirement for this position is to be a CPA.

Turo: thank you! That makes sense. That is the only explanation I could come up with.

Mosai: thank you. I’ll fefinitely talk to the CFO about this once I get a written offer. And yes it’s probably just regulation. I was just thrown aback because they emphasized so much the need for someone who has a lot of experience with Excel and then they give me this super easy assesment.

[charlesrskinner]

These seems a little ridiculous that you would refuse a job offer because they asked you to do a basic test… I interviewed for a Controller position that required a basic accounting test. They do not know you and they do not know your skills. You could be lying through your teeth.

To be honest I am involved with the hiring at our firm and can tell you from experience that just because someone is a CPA that means nothing in terms of real accounting knowledge or capabilities. Some people just study well. It seems your pride is getting the best of you here.

[Tncincy]

So since most places want some excel know how, where can you find a refresher or an excel course. I am old school. I avoided excel, I can use it but am a bit rusty. So, I am interested in learning/brushing up as well as other accounting software.

It begins with a 75
Been here too long as a cheerleader....ready to pass

[Nate]

I had a similar test when I interviewed for a position at a big company for a GL accounting position, they were so basic and easy. I remember one question being “Is income normally a credit or a debit”. Later I asked the manager why I was given such an easy test, she said it was just to ensure I wasn't lying with my Masters degree or anything else, and that it's still common for people to lie on their resumes just to get jobs. That's probably all what this was, just making sure you are knowledgeable in the basics, it's doubtful your job won't be that easy, mine was fairly easy to me but it wasn't near that easy. If everything else appeals to you, then it'd be a mistake to reject this opportunity simply because of that test.

[ohiocpacma]

I wouldn't get too worked up on this. My last round of job searching required excel/p&l modeling by two large public companies. So, it seems like a requirement that they make everybody do. And I think it would look poorly if you didn't do it.

[Anonymous]

Tncincy,

Despite considering myself an Excel expert, I tried googling “excel tricks” and realized I didn't know any of the tips/tricks either haha (except the first one on the list).

But this looks as good a place as any to start:

20 Tricks That Can Make Anyone An Excel Expert

https://www.lifehack.org/articles/technology/20-excel-spreadsheet-secrets-youll-never-know-you-dont-read-this.html

[Author]

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