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Poole College’s MAC Program Graduate among Top CPA Exam Performers

Brittany Aloi, a 2011 graduate of the Jenkins Master of Accounting program in the NC State University Poole College of Management, is one of an elite group of 37 individuals recognized for their outstanding achievement when they sat for their Unified Certified Public Accountant (CPA) Examinations in 2011.

They passed all four sections of the examination on their first try, and obtained a cumulative average score above 90.50 across the four sections. The American Institute of CPAs (AICPA) honored them with the Elijah Watt Sells Award for 2011.

Passing the examination is a requirement for the Certified Public Accountant licensure. More than 90,000 candidates sat for the exam nationwide in 2011.

Aloi is currently employed with the Reznick Group in Charlotte, N.C. She is originally from Rochester, N.Y., and received her bachelor’s degree in accounting in 2010 from Furman University.

During her undergraduate studies, Aloi was a member of the Delta Gamma sorority, participated in the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program, was an Accounting Society officer and an Academic Assistance Tutor, and participated in a CIMBA Italy Study Abroad Program. She also completed internships with Harry I. Sealfon, CPA, in Pittsford, N.Y., and with KPMG in Baton Rouge, LA.

When asked how she prepared for the intensive exams, she said she used the Bisk Self-Study CPA Review materials made available through Poole College’s Jenkins MAC program.

“I read through each chapter in the book and made note cards of terms and ideas I thought were important and then studied from those. I also did all the practice questions at the end of each chapter and took the practice exams at the end of the book,” she said.

She credits the MAC Program’s faculty for encouraging students to prepare for and complete the exam as soon as possible. “The emphasis on taking and finishing the exam before starting work was really motivating, as was the MAC Program’s providing us with study materials,” she said.

Aloi’s advice for other Master of Accounting students is pretty straightforward: “Make the exam a priority and devote time each day to studying for it. It is worth it not to have to study at night after work,” she said.

The Elijah Watt Sells Award program was established in 1923 by the AICPA to recognize outstanding performance on the Uniform CPA Examination. Elijah Watt Sells, who passed away in 1924, was one of the country’s first CPAs under the provision of a New York State law enacted in 1896 and a leader in advancing professional education. He was active in the establishment of the AICPA and was a founder of New York University’s School of Commerce, Accounts and Finance. The Sells award was created by the AICPA in 1923 in his honor.

For more information on the exam, visit www.aicpa.org/cpa-exam.