Mohsin Sadiq, Audit Associate at PKF Smith Cooper, has been praised for his dedication and hard work, after going the extra mile to sit his accounting exams whilst in New York due to exam cancellations in the UK.
The Corporate Reporting exam, the first of three ICAEW exams Mohsin was scheduled to sit in Birmingham last November, was cancelled due to internet and IT problems, as well as the second exam the next day being moved across to Leicester. Audit trainees then had the choice to either attend the rescheduled date in two weeks’ time or defer until the summer. Like a few other candidates, Mohsin was unable to make the rescheduled exam date, as he was taking a break visiting family in New York after taking back-to-back exams for almost 18 months.
After a long period of commitment to the exams and studying in his office during after work hours for months, Mohsin was determined to sit the exam. He was assisted by PKF Smith Cooper Operations Partner Selma Delic, who used her international connections within the PKF Global network of firms to arrange for Mohsin to sit the exam in New York. Selma contacted PKF O’Connor Davies in New York, where Mohsin was able to sit the exam in one of the office meeting rooms. The change in date and time meant Mohsin had to take the exam at 7am.
Mohsin received a tremendous amount of support from his team at PKF Smith Cooper and the firm’s Training and Compliance Director Greg Whiting, who communicated directly with the highest contact possible at ICAEW and ensured Mohsin could sit his exam in a different country and time zone.
Despite sitting his exams under challenging and stressful circumstances, Mohsin found out in December that he had successfully passed.
On his exam journey, Mohsin commented: “Sitting for an exam abroad in New York while on vacation under unfortunate circumstances was incredibly stressful and worrisome. However, the unwavering support from Greg and my colleagues in the office motivated me to persevere. I was determined to pass and make my family and colleagues proud. I am extremely thankful for the support I received, and for the global reach of the PKF network.”
Lee Arrowsmith, Audit Manager at PKF Smith Cooper, commented: “The team and I are extremely proud of Mohsin and what he has achieved. He was able to remain positive and optimistic, and not only complete his exam under challenging circumstances but also pass! Despite the unfortunate timing of the exams, this situation is a great testament to Mohsin’s hard work and dedication to his studies and his career.”
Greg Whiting, Training and Compliance Director at PKF Smith Cooper, commented: “Whilst the circumstances for Mohsin were far from ideal, it was great to be able to leverage the PKF Global network to assist him in sitting the exam. I am proud of his perseverance, and I wish him the best of luck with his final exam later this year.”
PKF Global is a worldwide network of independent accountancy firms, with 214 members operating across 150 countries. They are ranked 15th largest accounting network globally based on network revenue.
