The Illinois CPA Society recognized CPAs who successfully completed the 2006 Uniform CPA Examination in Illinois. This year the profession welcomes more than 1,100 new Illinois CPAs. The Society also presented its Excel Awards to individuals with outstanding achievement on the exam.
The Excel Award, established in 1984 by the Society's Board of Directors, is presented to new CPAs for outstanding performance on the Uniform CPA Examination. To be eligible for the Illinois CPA Society Excel Award, candidates must achieve a combined average score of 90 percent or above on all sections of the examination within two consecutive testing windows and be in the top five percent of Illinois scores.
Additionally, Excel Gold, Silver and Bronze medals were presented to Illinois candidates who achieved the top three examination scores in the state.
2006 Excel Award Winner - Laura Weise earned a Bachelor of Arts in Accounting from Judson College in Elgin, Illinois. Since September 2005, she has worked in the Assurance Department at Grant Thornton in Chicago and recently started to specialize in financial institutions.
Laura offers practical advice to someone preparing for the CPA exam. First,
take it as soon as possible after finishing school. Second, take the exam seriously:
give studying the time and attention it deserves. Finally, take a review course.
"You probably didn't learn everything you need to know for the exam in school,
but even if you did," Laura emphasizes, "the NIU [CPA] review course helps you
decide on the best ways to use your precious study time." 
2006 Excel Award Winner - Ryan Krzmarzick earned a Bachelor of Science in Accountancy from the University of Illinois (Urbana-Champaign) in 2003. He is currently employed at Deloitte & Touche (Chicago) and works in the Audit and Enterprise Risk Services department. His main clients include IDEX Corporation, Heico Corporation, and Kemper Sports Management.
To someone preparing for the CPA exam, Ryan recommends, "If you can take the exam before you start work, do it! It was nice to get it out of the way before I started at Deloitte." He also advises CPA candidates to take the NIU review. "The content is right on," he emphasizes, "and Debra [Hopkins] will motivate you to pass!"
2005
Excel Award Winner - Jennifer Kaplan received a Bachelor of Science in Accountancy,
Summa Cum Laude, and a Master of Accounting Science from Northern Illinois University.
She currently is a staff auditor at the Oak Brook, Illinois office of Crowe
Chizek and Company LLC.
When asked what advice she would give to someone preparing for the CPA exam, Jennifer outlines a basic plan of attack. First, have a goal in mind and stay focused. Second, try to build a support system comprised of family, friends, teachers, and co-workers who understand the goals you are striving for and the difficulties you
are facing when learning the material. Finally, plot a specific study program and stick to it. "The best decision I made when developing my study program," says Jennifer, "was to take the CPA Review course offered at my alma mater, NIU. The teachers are first-rate, and the study tips and support provided through the program are unparalleled."
Nedita
Gupta - 2005 Illinois Gold Medalist; U.S. Bronze Medalist Nivi received
a B. Com. degree from Panjab University in India with a major in Accounting
and a minor in Business Economics. She also holds a B.S. in Information Systems
and an M.B.A. with a concentration in Accounting and Information Systems from
Benedictine University. Nivi is currently employed as a Senior Programmer and
Analyst at International Truck and Engine Corporation.
Nivi offers practical advice to someone who is preparing for the CPA exam. "You must give total commitment to the exam. Have a positive attitude, get support from your friends and family members, and" she stresses, "study. Study the relevant material. The NIU CPA Review gives you all the tools required to pass the CPA exam. It is up to you to use them wisely and effectively to achieve your goal."
Nivi is NIU CPA Review's third Illinois Gold medalist to have also garnered one of the top three scores nationally.
Yingxin Shao -2005 Illinois Silver Medalist
Yingxin received a B.S. in Finance from Nankai University in Tianjin, P.R. China and an M.A. in Economics from Northern Illinois University. He is currently pursuing an M.A.S. in Accounting at Northern Illinois University and will graduate in August. Yingxin is also diligently searching for employment. He feels that his strong academic record and CPA certification will help to distinguish him from other accounting candidates in his professional field.
Yingxin's recommendations for anyone preparing for the CPA exam are precise:
“Attending a CPA review course is a must-do. It is very helpful to make a study
plan and stick to it. Preparing for the CPA exam is very hard work, and one
needs to be very persistent. Also,” he advises, “it is very important to budget
your time wisely and efficiently. Spend more time on the subjects you are not
very good at and less on those you are very good at. In economic terms,” he
continues, “try to equalize marginal utility in every section. If you want to
get a very high score, there is no short cut. You have to keep practicing exercise
problems again and again.” 
2005 Excel Award Winner -Annette Tomal - EXCEL Award Winner. Annette holds a B.S. in Business Education and an M.A. in Education from Ball State University, an M.B.A. from Bowling Green State University, and a Ph.D. in Economics from the University of Illinois--Chicago. She is a professor in the Business/Economics department at Wheaton College.
2005
Excel Award Winner -Vieorel Cirje - EXCEL Award Winner. Vieorel holds a degree
from Loyola University (Chicago) and currently works in Federal Tax Services at
Grant Thornton LLP in Chicago.