Q & A Dhawal Nayak, CFE

Dhawal Nayak of India recently became a CFE after preparing with the CFE Exam Prep Course. When Dhawal is not working, he enjoys traveling and capturing pictures of his city. But this past September, he put some time aside to focus on accomplishing his goal of obtaining the CFE credential.  Dhawal is the first individual at his firm to receive the CFE credential and he is proud. He feels that being a CFE will open new opportunities and increase the scope of his work, which will benefit his learnings in the field of forensics and fraud. 

Coach: When did you receive your CFE credential?
Nayak: I cleared my CFE examination on the 25th of September, and I received my CFE credential on the 12th of October 2017.
 
Coach: Please describe your experience using the Prep Course.
Nayak: In January 2017, I decided to be a member of the community and, after becoming a member, I purchased the Fraud Examiners Manual. Initially, I thought that it’s 2,000 pages and I would go through it and clear the examination. I even started with one module, and I won’t lie, it was a bit too difficult to go through all the pages. Moreover, I also used to get emails from the CFE Examination Community wherein everyone who cleared the examination preferred the CFE Prep Course. I was in a dilemma whether to purchase the course or not, and on one fine day I decided to purchase the Prep Course.

As we all know, the Prep Course is divided into three parts:

a. Pre-Assessment Examination:
This is just an overall evaluation of your basic general knowledge and it tests your basic understanding regarding the subjects covered in the course with 100 questions. The best part is it shows in which subject you are strong and in which subject you require more work. 
 
b. Review Sessions:
The ACFE recommends that the subject in which your pre-assessment score is highest should be completed first, and I totally agree with their study strategy. During the review sessions, I prepared hand-written notes (which I will get back to soon). In my hand-written notes, I wrote down the questions that I found difficult and questions in which conceptual clarity was required. Along with that, the hand-written notes also included some important or difficult words that were hard for me to understand.
 
I used my hand-written notes for reference every once in a while, whenever I got some time and didn’t want to turn my computer on and study the Prep Course. I also went through my notes before the examination. I would recommend that people who are undergoing the review course to prepare some notes while studying the review sessions.
 
Now, coming back to the preparation of the hand-written notes, I think I made a mistake by writing down the notes. The easy solution would have been making a document file of the same as it will save a lot of time, plus you can store it in your mobile and refer to it while traveling or even while having a coffee.
 
c. Practice Exams:
Practice Exams are the best part of the entire Prep Course. You can take the practice exams once all the questions in the review sessions are answered correctly. It really tests your knowledge, moreover, it boosts your confidence. Over and above that, if you score more than 85% in all the practice exams, you are eligible for the Money Back Pass Guarantee.
 
Coach:  What did you like most about the Prep Course?
Nayak: The entire course is designed practically, so it makes preparing for the exam simple. The best thing for me was the practice exams. It helped me boost my confidence regarding the preparation. Initially, I scored around 75% in the practice exams, but then I analysed where I went wrong and rectified it, and at the end I scored above 90%. If there wasn’t the section of practice exams, it would have been a bit tough for me.

Coach: In what ways do you feel that your new CFE credential will be beneficial to you in your current profession?
Nayak: I work in a firm that does forensic investigation. As of today in my organisation, I am the only one who holds the CFE and I feel proud for the same. The CFE credential will open new opportunities for me, and of course, increase the scope of my work, which will benefit my learnings in the field of forensics and fraud. 
 
Coach:  Would you recommend this course to your colleagues?
Nayak: I would definitely recommend this course to my colleagues, and some of my friends and colleagues are also planning to pursue the CFE credential soon.
 
Coach: How did you become passionate about fighting fraud?
Nayak: My main reason to be in forensics is to do something different from what others are doing. After working in forensics for few months, I realised how people are manipulating their books and making frauds and ultimately not able to repay loans to banks. I want to stop this practice and help banks recover their money.
 
Coach: Now that we know what you do professionally, what do you like to do for fun and what do you find enjoyable about it?
Nayak: For fun, I usually like to travel and capture pictures. You can definitely visit my Instagram account: @dhawalnayak. I do not have that much time that I can travel frequently, but I do get some time for myself every once in a while, and I go to some places in my city and capture pictures. The best thing I find about clicking pictures is that it makes me feel good about how amazing nature is around us.
 
Coach:   Do you have any study tips or suggestions for aspiring CFEs?
Nayak: For tips, I would recommend to study sincerely for 2-3 hours per day and practice. Practice as much as you can. Go through some important terminologies every once in a while and be conceptually clear.