This assessment is the next step in our review process. It takes approximately 20 minutes and covers your professional background, a short written component, and a knowledge test. Your responses will be reviewed ahead of our first conversation.
1
Background
2
EA & Admin
3
Extras
4
About You
5
Knowledge
Your Background
Three quick questions before we begin. These are not scored — they help provide context for the rest of the assessment.
How would you describe your QuickBooks Online experience? *
Advanced — all aspects of QBO across multiple clients; QBO ProAdvisor certified or equivalent depth
Intermediate — comfortable with setup, reconciliations, and most day-to-day QBO workflows
Beginner — primarily a user; data entry and standard reports
Please select an answer to continue.
How many years of hands-on bookkeeping or accounting experience do you have? *
Less than 1 year
1 – 2 years
3 – 4 years
5 – 9 years
10 or more years
Please select an answer to continue.
This role begins at 1–2 days per week, with a clear path to full-time as the firm grows. Does this arrangement work for you? *
Yes — I am comfortable starting part-time and growing with the firm
No — I need a full-time role from the start
Please select an answer to continue.
Professional Background
Tell us about your qualifications and accounting experience.
Which best describes your accounting qualifications? *
No formal credential
College diploma in accounting or a related field
Professional designation or certificate (CPB, RPA, ACAF, or equivalent)
CPA student or QBO ProAdvisor certified
Please select an answer to continue.
Which best describes your Canadian sales tax experience (GST/HST/QST)? *
I have not prepared or filed sales tax returns
I have prepared returns under supervision
I independently prepare and file GST/HST returns for clients
I independently prepare and file both GST/HST and QST returns for multiple clients
Please select an answer to continue.
Which best describes your Microsoft Office proficiency (Excel, Word, PowerPoint)? *
Basic — comfortable with standard functions
Proficient — Excel formulas and pivot tables; polished Word and PowerPoint output
Advanced — financial models in Excel; professional-grade presentations from scratch
Please select an answer to continue.
Executive & Administrative Support
Tell us about your experience supporting executives and managing administrative responsibilities.
How many years of experience do you have in an executive assistant, virtual assistant, or office manager role? *
None — this would be new territory for me
Under 2 years
2 – 5 years
More than 5 years
Please select an answer to continue.
How would you describe your experience working independently in a remote or asynchronous environment? *
I prefer structured, office-based environments with close guidance
I have some remote experience but work best with regular check-ins
I am fully comfortable working independently and asynchronously with minimal oversight
Please select an answer to continue.
A Few More Details
These are bonus factors, not requirements. Please answer honestly.
What is your French language proficiency? *
None or beginner
Basic — I can read French but struggle to communicate fluently
Conversational — I can hold business conversations in French
Fluent or native speaker
Please select an answer to continue.
How would you describe your experience working with startups, SaaS companies, or tech-sector clients? *
No experience in this sector
Some exposure — 1 or 2 clients or roles in tech or SaaS
Significant experience — 3 or more clients, or a dedicated role in tech or SaaS
Please select an answer to continue.
Which of the following tools are you familiar with? (Select all that apply — none required)
Dext
HubSpot (or other CRM)
Notion
Canva
Other cloud ERPs (Xero, Odoo, NetSuite, etc.)
Financial Cents or other practice management software
AI tools (Claude, ChatGPT, MS Copilot, etc.)
Float (cash flow)
About You
Contact details and two short written responses. The knowledge test follows on the next screen.
Full name *
This field is required.
Email address *
Please enter a valid email address.
LinkedIn profile URL (optional)
Describe your QuickBooks Online experience in 2–3 sentences. *
How many clients have you managed simultaneously? What types of businesses? What is the most complex accounting situation you have resolved in QBO?
This response is required.
Describe how you have supported a busy executive or managed a team’s administrative needs. (optional)
What systems or tools did you use? How did you stay ahead of priorities without being prompted?
Knowledge Test
14 multiple-choice questions covering bookkeeping, QuickBooks Online, Canadian sales tax, and Microsoft Excel. Select the best answer for each.
Bookkeeping Fundamentals
Question 1 of 14
At month-end, a client has $3,000 of wages earned by employees but not yet paid. The correct journal entry is: *
A client paid $12,000 in January for a 12-month insurance policy. At the end of March, what is the correct balance in Prepaid Insurance? *
$12,000
$10,000
$9,000
$0
Please select an answer to continue.
Question 3 of 14
A customer payment is received and applied to an open invoice. Which correctly describes the accounting effect? *
Debit Revenue / Credit Cash
Debit Accounts Receivable / Credit Cash
Debit Cash / Credit Accounts Receivable
Debit Revenue / Credit Accounts Receivable
Please select an answer to continue.
QuickBooks Online
Question 4 of 14
During reconciliation, the difference is traced to a transaction that was previously reconciled but has since been edited. The correct action in QBO is: *
Adjust the opening balance to absorb the difference
Undo the prior reconciliation, restore the original transaction, then re-reconcile
Create a journal entry for the difference and proceed
Delete the edited transaction and re-enter it from scratch
Please select an answer to continue.
Question 5 of 14
A client collects three separate customer payments on different days and deposits them as one bank transaction. To ensure the deposit matches the bank statement exactly, you should: *
Record each payment directly to the bank account as received
Record a lump-sum income entry equal to the total deposit
Record each payment to Undeposited Funds, then create a single bank deposit grouping all three
Combine all three into a single invoice and record one payment
Please select an answer to continue.
Question 6 of 14
You have just completed a client’s year-end and want to prevent any edits to prior-period transactions. Which QBO feature accomplishes this? *
Bank Rules
Audit Log
Closing Date with password protection
Chart of Accounts permissions
Please select an answer to continue.
Question 7 of 14
A client’s Profit & Loss shows revenue significantly overstated. Investigation reveals payments were recorded as bank deposits credited directly to income rather than applied to open invoices — leaving those invoices still outstanding in Accounts Receivable. The cleanest correction is: *
Delete the bank deposits and re-record them as invoice payments
Create credit memos equal to the overstated revenue amount
Create a journal entry debiting the income account and crediting Accounts Receivable, then apply the deposit against the outstanding invoice
Write off the open invoices against the duplicate income
Please select an answer to continue.
Canadian Sales Tax
Question 8 of 14
A Quebec client sells a product for $100. They are registered for both GST and QST. On which amount is QST calculated? *
$100 — the pre-tax selling price
$105 — the GST-inclusive price (QST is calculated on the GST-inclusive amount)
The net amount after both taxes are deducted
It depends on whether the product is zero-rated
Please select an answer to continue.
Question 9 of 14
A new client you have just taken on reports $650,000 in annual taxable sales. They are not registered for GST/HST. What is the most important action you take immediately? *
Advise them to register without delay — they have exceeded the $30,000 small supplier threshold
No action needed — GST/HST registration is optional below $1M in revenue
Wait until year-end to assess whether registration is required
File amended prior-year returns on their behalf
Please select an answer to continue.
Question 10 of 14
A client’s HST return was filed with an error — they remitted $400 more than required. The correct resolution is: *
Record the $400 overpayment as miscellaneous income
Carry the credit forward to the next return, or request a refund from the CRA
Reduce revenue on the next period’s sales to offset the overpayment
Write it off as a bank charge
Please select an answer to continue.
Microsoft Excel
Question 11 of 14
Column A contains invoice numbers; column B is blank. A reference table has invoice numbers in column D and client names in column E. Which XLOOKUP formula in B2 correctly retrieves the client name? *
=XLOOKUP(A2, D:E, 2)
=XLOOKUP(A2, D:D, E:E)
=XLOOKUP(A2, E:E, D:D)
=XLOOKUP(D:D, A2, E:E)
Please select an answer to continue.
Question 12 of 14
Column A contains department names; column B contains expense amounts. You need the total expenses for “Marketing” only. Which formula is correct? *
=SUMIF(A:A, "Marketing", B:B)
=COUNTIF(A:A, "Marketing", B:B)
=SUM(A:A, "Marketing", B:B)
=VLOOKUP("Marketing", A:B, 2, FALSE)
Please select an answer to continue.
Question 13 of 14
Cell B5 contains the formula =B2*$C$1. When you copy this formula to cell C5, it becomes: *
=C2*$C$1
=C2*$D$1
=B2*$C$1
=C3*$D$2
Please select an answer to continue.
Question 14 of 14
You have 300 invoice rows with columns: Client, Month, Amount, Status. You need totals grouped by Client and Status, with the ability to filter by Month. The most efficient approach is: *
Sort by Client, then use Data → Subtotals
Write SUMIFS formulas for each client-status combination
Insert a Pivot Table — Client and Status as rows, Amount as values, Month as a filter
Use VLOOKUP to pull totals from a manually built summary table
Please select an answer to continue.
Submitting your assessment…
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✓
Thank you for completing the assessment
Your responses have been received. We appreciate the time you have taken and will be in touch with you shortly.
This role is structured to begin at 1–2 days per week, with a path to full-time as the firm grows. As it stands, it is not a match for candidates who require a full-time position from the outset.
We appreciate you taking the time to apply and encourage you to check back as our needs evolve.