‘I dreamed topping the board like a child dreaming to become a princess’ - UC CPA board exam topnotcher

Nicole Agoy Gonzales, in an interview with Guru Press Cordillera, admitted it was not her childhood dream to be an accountant, much less to top the board exam.

Nicole said it was her father and sister who wanted to be certified public accountants, and that desire fueled her to fulfill it for them.

Nicole graduated Cum Laude at the University of the Cordilleras in 2023 and is one of the 3,155 new Certified Public Accountants(CPA) in the country. More than that, she topped the May 2024 Certified Public Accountant Licensure Examination (CPALE) with 90.83% rating.

The 23-year-old shared that her father studied accountancy in college but did not take the board exam, while her sister took the same course but she did not finish it and shifted to another degree.  

“I took it upon myself to fulfill their backlogged dreams, and by God’s grace, we made it,” she said.

Like a child dreaming of becoming a princess

When asked if she ever aspired to top the licensure examination, Nicole described that she dreamed of it like a child dreaming of becoming a princess. She did not exactly think it was attainable until she topped her pre-board exams. 

Among her preparations for this feat was planning her schedule ahead of time, making sure that she covered all the topics needed for the board exam. Part of the scheduling was also allotting 8 hours every day to study.

In between these rigorous preparations, Nicole faced struggles like financial constraints, but she beat all of the challenges that came her way by holding onto her faith.

“It was during that time that I drew closer to God. God knows all of my silent prayers; he was there on the nights I cried myself to sleep. I held on to God’s faithfulness, and he made a way for me to review again and eventually top the board exams,” she shared.

Advice to the next CPALE takers

As to her advice to the next CPALE takers, the topnotcher said: “Humble and empty yourself so you can absorb all the knowledge. When you take the exams, do not doubt. Answer based on what you know, hold on to the concepts and do not be swayed by tricks. Pray earnestly, and it will be yours.”

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