Practical Experience Mentorship

Mentorship is a key component of your practical experience journey. Your mentor will help guide you to develop valuable enabling competencies that will advance your career.

Your mentor is a CPA member who volunteers to share their experience and expertise to help you become a successful CPA. Your mentor will meet with you at least twice a year throughout your work term to discuss your competency development. They can also help you identify further development strategies.

Key mentorship difference between EVR and PPR practical experience routes

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As a CPA Ontario student in the Experience Verification Route (EVR), you are responsible for finding your mentor. Your mentor can work in the same or different organization.
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As a CPA Ontario student in the Pre-Approved Program Route (PPR), you are appointed a mentor by your employer. Your mentor must be employed from within your organization.

Find and match with your mentor

After you have registered as a CPA Ontario student, and found relevant employment, it is time to match with a mentor and start your PE journey. Your mentor will use the Practical Experience Reporting Tool (PERT) to communicate your progress to CPA Ontario.

Learn the basics of Practical Experience on our Understand your PE page. Follow the PE Checklist to create your profile in PERT and set your PER Start Date.

EVR Students

How to match with a mentor

  1. Search your professional network for a CPA member you would like to be your mentor. Approach them and ask them to sign up to be a mentor if they aren’t already registered. If you cannot find a mentor in your network, use the Mentor Search feature found in PERT.
  2. When you have secured a mentor, add their email address to your PERT profile. Ensure it is the same email they used in their application to be a mentor.
  3. Your PER Start Date will be automatically set in PERT once you have added your mentor to your profile and your pre-assessment request is approved, as outlined in this video.

PPR Students

Linking up with a mentor

  1. Your mentor is assigned to you by your PPR. If you do not know who your mentor is, reach out to your Program Manager.
  2. Add your mentor’s email address to your PERT profile. Ensure it is the same email they used in their mentor application.
  3. Once you have completed the steps outlined in this video, your PER Start Date will be set.

Get acquainted

You have matched with a mentor, and now it’s time to get acquainted. Start on the right foot by connecting with your mentor early on and following the steps below.

How to connect

  1. Set up an introductory meeting within the first few weeks of matching. Getting to know each other will lay the foundation for an effective and mutually beneficial relationship. Exchange contact information with your mentor so you can reach each other outside of the reporting tool. During this meeting PPR students should discuss the pre-populated competency map for their program in PERT with their mentor. EVR students should discuss the results of their Pre-assessment Guidance Report with their mentor.
  2. Establish a mentorship agreement with your mentor, outlining how your relationship will work, how frequently you will be in touch, and what you both hope to achieve through this relationship.
  3. Ask for your mentor’s assistance in establishing a learning plan (available in the resource section of PERT) for your enabling competencies development. Review any eligible prior experience with your mentor to incorporate it into the plan.

Your mentor will complete the mentorship agreement, introductory meeting and assist with your learning plan.

Read Mentorship Program Steps – EVR

Read Mentorship Program Steps – PPR

First mandatory meeting

You have completed an introduction meeting with your mentor and agreed on expectations. It is now time to prepare for your first meeting with your mentor. This meeting should take place approximately six months after your PER Start Date.

How to prepare, discuss and document the mandatory meeting

  1. Complete your self-assessment of your competencies in a current experience report. Once done, click “Complete” in the Summary tab. You will then have an action item to schedule your mentor meeting. Request a mentor meeting through the reporting tool. Confirm meeting details with your mentor through the contact channel you chose at the beginning of your relationship (by email, phone, etc.).
  2. Meet with your mentor to discuss your progress and make sure to focus on your enabling competencies.
  3. Adjust your learning plan where needed for future development.
  4. Update your experience report with any changes that come from your meeting, if required.
  5. Get the report to a verified status. In the report details tab for EVR reports, students will need to click on "Send to Supervisor". For PPR reports, they will be in a verified status once you click "complete".

Your mentor will receive an email notifying them of your meeting request. They can log in to PERT to review your experience report(s) before your meeting. After the meeting, they will document a brief summary of your discussion in PERT.

Read Mentorship Program Steps – EVR

Read Mentorship Program Steps – PPR

Second meeting

After approximately 12 months of current practical experience (or six months from the end date of your last experience report), you will repeat all the steps from your first mandatory meeting (Step 3) and meet again with your mentor.

For students following the EVR path, ensure you request a CPA Review by the date specified in the “Next CPA Review” date in PERT (refer to your Next CPA Review date in PERT). You will share the feedback you receive from CPA Ontario with your mentor and adjust the learning plan if necessary.

After the mentor meeting, your mentor will continue to provide a brief summary of your meeting in PERT and for EVR students, will ask you to share the feedback you received from CPA Ontario following the CPA review.

Read Mentorship Program Steps – EVR

Read Mentorship Program Steps – PPR

Progress meetings

You are making progress in your development and working with your mentor to meet your goals. As you get close to the end of your work term, keep in mind what is required to complete your practical experience.

How to stay on track throughout your practical experience

  1. Continue to repeat the steps outlined above under “First Mandatory Meeting“ every six months until you meet all your practical experience requirements.
  2. Before meeting your mentor, run a consolidated summary in PERT to see whether you have met your reporting requirements and discuss the next steps with your mentor.

Note: A fourth and/or fifth mentor meeting may not be required depending on how much prior experience you have.

What are the exit requirements a CPA student needs to meet to complete their practical experience?

  1. A minimum of 30 months of full-time, reported and relevant practical experience.
  2. Met the core, depth and breadth requirements of the technical competencies.
  3. Demonstrated Level 2 proficiency in all enabling competencies.
  4. Supervisor sign-off on the factual accuracy of the student experience (EVR students only).
  5. Completion and documentation in PERT of the required number of mandatory mentor meetings.

Your mentor will continue to repeat the steps from your first meeting. If reporting requirements have not been met, you will work with your mentor to adjust the learning plan and continue to meet until you have met the practical experience requirements.

Read Mentorship Program Steps – EVR

Read Mentorship Program Steps – PPR

Close

You have completed all the practical experience requirements and are now ready to submit a Completion review to CPA Ontario

How to submit a completion review to CPA Ontario

Under the CPA review tab in PERT, request a review and choose “completion” as the reason on the following page. CPA Ontario will review all your verified experience reports and determine if you have met the requirements. If you have not, meet with your mentor to adjust the learning plan to meet the outstanding requirements. Continue developing, documenting and meeting with your mentor until all the practical experience requirements are met and CPA Ontario has confirmed accordingly.

Ending the formal mentoring process

Congratulations, you have met all the practical experience requirements and may now be eligible to apply for membership. Share your CPA Ontario review results with your mentor and thank them for their guidance and support.

Read Mentorship Program Steps – EVR

READ Mentorship Program Steps – PPR

Mentorship FAQs