Jolene Kendrew, 25, was the top Uniform Evaluation exam writer in Canada recently. At the end of the gruelling tests she admits to having felt ‘absolutely awful.’

Jolene Kendrew was emotionally exhausted, mentally drained and — by her own admission — a tad worried at the end of her recent national Uniform Evaluation (UFE) exam. Months of rigorous study, culminating in three taxing days of tests, had taken their toll.

“I felt absolutely awful,” the Victoria, B.C. resident recalls. “But if you don’t feel awful then you probably missed something.”

Turns out, the 25-year-old had absolutely no need to worry. She not only made the national honour roll, but also received the Governor General’s Gold Medal and Chartered Accountants of Canada cash prize of $5,000 for achieving the highest mark on the 2009 UFE.

The prestigious award came as a bit of a surprise — it was the furthest thing from her mind, in fact.

“You come out of those three days with your head spinning and all you really hope is that you don’t have to do it again. That’s what you’re really hoping.”

Kendrew, acting deputy director of finance at the City of Colwood in British Columbia, was one of 3,217 students who passed the 2009 exam.

The UFE, written in September, is considered to be one of the most challenging professional exams in the world. It is an important component of the CA qualification program and tests the knowledge, professional judgment and ethics of candidates as well as their ability to communicate.

To use the internationally-recognized designation of CA, candidates must pass the UFE as well as have the prescribed education and practical experience.

For Kendrew, it was all about hard work, perseverance, and following a strict schedule. She left work in July and spent nearly three months studying for the exam.

“I did exactly what I was told to do,” she said. “I studied exactly the hours I was told to. I didn’t over-study. I took breaks when I needed breaks. That way I went into the exam fresh.”

Kendrew did a two-week prep course and then a four-week self-study course in the summer with her study buddy Laura Belding, an articling student with KPMG in Victoria.

“In the last part of the summer, it was myself and a study buddy in my basement from nine to five.”

While the exam was tough, the preparation was made easier by the fact Kendrew loves what she’s doing — working with numbers.

She originally completed a bachelor of commerce degree at the University of Victoria but decided to pursue a CA designation because the analytical thinking and problem-solving — two key aspects of the profession — seemed like a good fit. She articled at KPMG in Victoria for two years and a year ago accepted a position with Colwood, just west of Victoria.

She oversees operation of the finance department, and is implementing a new core financial system and training staff.

“The change management is a challenge but it’s a good challenge and we’re redeveloping every process and procedure regarding the finance of the city,” she said. “It’s a big job and it’s great to be involved in a big job and see things changing before your eyes. It’s really rewarding.”

Kendrew is flattered and thrilled at being the top UFE writer in Canada, but she’s also a little taken aback.

“People say: ‘Oh, you must have known.’ But you don’t because it’s a grueling exam and it’s tough enough just remembering what you wrote. There are no yes or no answers for any of this stuff, so you just go in there and give it everything you’ve got and hope you come out OK.”

Although she’d properly prepared herself for the exam, Kendrew wasn’t sure how she’d performed.

“You kind of go into robot mode. You just sort of get out everything you can. I wouldn’t say I had any panic moments or anything like that. You just go, go, go.

“There’s no time to think about whether you did the right thing on the last question. I managed to stay calm, pretty well, which helped me because if you panic your information starts getting very confusing.”

Kendrew still can’t believe her luck.

“It’s finally beginning to sink in,” she said. “It’s very flattering because I know the calibre of people that write — all my peers and colleagues — so it’s still a little bit unreal.”

Now that the dust has settled and she has a bit of spare time on her hands, Kendrew plans to get back to some of her passions, namely highland dancing, running, and spending more time with husband Jeff.

She’s also made plans for the prize money.

“My husband and I are planning to go to Europe next year so that’s a nice chunk of our trip paid for.”

Kevin Dancey, president and CEO of the Canadian Institute of Chartered Accountants, praised all those who completed the exam.

“These students have achieved a significant milestone in their careers and deserve congratulations for what is truly a tremendous accomplishment. The students made the personal choice to take a challenging career path that includes the UFE.”

Regional gold medal awards for the highest standing in the UFE went to: Etienne Girardin at Samson Bélair/Deloitte & Touche in Montreal for Quebec; David Janes at Gardner Coombs Winsor Coombs in St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador, for eastern Canada; and Jacob Bell at Ernst & Young in Toronto, for Ontario. Each received a cash prize of $2,500.

In an unusual twist, Bell’s fiancée, Amanda Breen, who works at Deloitte & Touche in North York, was one of 19 other Ontario UFE writers who made the 2009 national honour roll. The Institute of Chartered Accountants of Ontario believes it’s the first time two people who are engaged have been on the honour roll.

Bell, who is getting married in May and has a bachelor of business degree from Wilfrid Laurier University in Waterloo, Ont., said he didn’t expect to be tops in Ontario, but he is thrilled.

“I’m definitely surprised at my mark,” said the 25-year-old, a senior staff accountant in the audit department at E&Y. “It’s the kind of exam where you just can’t complete everything. You just want to do alright and pass. I’m just really glad that I passed it.”

Bell is also elated that his fiancée did so well. They studied together in preparation for the exam.

“People kind of advise you not to do it that way, but we got along as study partners and I already know she’s a good person and well prepared so it worked out really well.”

And the competition factor?

Bell said his fiancée is fine with him achieving higher marks, but jokes it’s a good thing he was the gold medalist and not her. Turns out, Bell is a little more enthusiastic about being number one.

“She’s happy for me. But she always tells me it’s good that I was the gold medalist because if she’d won it wouldn’t be such a happy place. I’m a lot more competitive than her, I guess.”