How to prepare effectively for CA Intermediate examiantion?
Author: Venkiteswaran Post Date: 15 May 2023
1.The CA Intermediate exam
2.CA final examination.
The Institute prescribes a minimum of 08 months of study course to be completed before the exam. Exams are conducted in May and November every year. CA Inter exam consists of two groups of four subjects each. Students can opt for a single group or both groups at a time.
For a CA inter student the expected focus is on learning, analyzing and applying the knowledge in the subject prescribed. A deep knowledge (unlike the basic academic knowledge) is also expected.
It is not an impossible task if a student has the dedication, focus, strategy, consistency and the will to clear the exam.
The first and foremost is to ensure registration, eligibility, etc. The student should thoroughly be familiar with the subjects, syllabus, exam pattern, relative weights, his interests, strengths, and weaknesses in the selected subjects. Accordingly taking other influencing factors also, students should prepare a well-laid-out plan and timetable to be followed strictly and sincerely. While preparing such a timetable students should also ensure he gets sufficient time for sleep, regular physical activities and health food habits.
A suggestive plan is given below taking into consideration that the student is relatively raw in the subjects and practical in the initial months and had to put in more effort towards months nearing the exam-
It is expected that the student will be attending practical learning for 4 to 5 hrs every day in the initial two or three months and almost 7 to 8 hrs every day after the first three months. So the student has to spend more time on theory in the early months and taper down, say 4 to 5 hrs, every day in earlier months and then lower to 2 hrs daily.
In the process, the student should focus on the Institute's study material. He has to work out previous years' questions and revise the syllabus multiple times. In the case of subjects like Accounting, Taxation and Cost Accounting, more focus should be on practical learning. These subjects may need more learning hours also.
The student should also interact with seniors who had successfully passed CA or CA Inter and get some key tips from their experience. But such tips should be followed only by evaluating whether the same applies to your abilities and limitations and then applying it. If possible join some professional CA Inter coaching center very near to you. ( at least in the initial months). They may be able to give you some time-tested tips and leads from experience in interacting with different types of students.to proceed better and smoothly.
Last, but not least, students should not keep overconfidence or helpless sense. If you work hard properly with sincerity, dedication and consistency following a smart, strategic and realistic timetable without unnecessary compromise, you can be one of the 10% who clear both groups of CA Inter in the first attempt itself.
What is CA?
CA or Chartered Accountant is the designation given to Accounting professionals in the country. It is a generally followed designation in many countries. The CA designation denotes that the person has the required professional expertise for practicing auditing of business and tax and for advisory roles. One has to pass CA exams as the prerequisite for practicing as a chartered accountant. CA is a dream profession even now. It has its charisma unaffected even when there are more and more new generation careers. ICAI or the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India is the body that conducts the CA exam in India. It is also the body that regulates the CA profession.When can a registered student write CA inter exam?
Once a student is admitted or registered as a CA student by the direct or foundation route of entry, he has to pass two examinations to become a Chartered Accountant.1.The CA Intermediate exam
2.CA final examination.
The Institute prescribes a minimum of 08 months of study course to be completed before the exam. Exams are conducted in May and November every year. CA Inter exam consists of two groups of four subjects each. Students can opt for a single group or both groups at a time.
Study and preparation for CA Intermediate examination:-
Is CA Inter a tough exam? Yes, seeing the pass percentage we can deduct that it is not an easy task. For both groups, the combined pass percentage is slightly above 10% while for the single group, it is somewhere between 20 to 30%. It needs systematic preparation and dedicated hard work. The student has to score a minimum of 40% in each paper and overall 50% in each group.For a CA inter student the expected focus is on learning, analyzing and applying the knowledge in the subject prescribed. A deep knowledge (unlike the basic academic knowledge) is also expected.
General suggestion on preparation time plan for CA Inter:
It is not an impossible task if a student has the dedication, focus, strategy, consistency and the will to clear the exam.
The first and foremost is to ensure registration, eligibility, etc. The student should thoroughly be familiar with the subjects, syllabus, exam pattern, relative weights, his interests, strengths, and weaknesses in the selected subjects. Accordingly taking other influencing factors also, students should prepare a well-laid-out plan and timetable to be followed strictly and sincerely. While preparing such a timetable students should also ensure he gets sufficient time for sleep, regular physical activities and health food habits.
A suggestive plan is given below taking into consideration that the student is relatively raw in the subjects and practical in the initial months and had to put in more effort towards months nearing the exam-
It is expected that the student will be attending practical learning for 4 to 5 hrs every day in the initial two or three months and almost 7 to 8 hrs every day after the first three months. So the student has to spend more time on theory in the early months and taper down, say 4 to 5 hrs, every day in earlier months and then lower to 2 hrs daily.
In the process, the student should focus on the Institute's study material. He has to work out previous years' questions and revise the syllabus multiple times. In the case of subjects like Accounting, Taxation and Cost Accounting, more focus should be on practical learning. These subjects may need more learning hours also.
The student should also interact with seniors who had successfully passed CA or CA Inter and get some key tips from their experience. But such tips should be followed only by evaluating whether the same applies to your abilities and limitations and then applying it. If possible join some professional CA Inter coaching center very near to you. ( at least in the initial months). They may be able to give you some time-tested tips and leads from experience in interacting with different types of students.to proceed better and smoothly.
Last, but not least, students should not keep overconfidence or helpless sense. If you work hard properly with sincerity, dedication and consistency following a smart, strategic and realistic timetable without unnecessary compromise, you can be one of the 10% who clear both groups of CA Inter in the first attempt itself.
Author: DR.N.V. Srinivasa Rao Post Date: 15 May 2023
This CA intermediate will have 8 papers. 4 papers will be theoretical. These papers will have 2 sections. One section contains questions which require descriptive answers. The second section will have objective and MCQ-type questions. There is no negative marking system in these examinations. The remaining 4 are numerical based practical examinations. The objective questions carry 30% weightage and the rest 70% is descriptive.
Any examination preparation should be carried out with concentration and the student should be focused. The following are some of the important tips.
1. One should have a plan of study. Without planning studying on an ad hoc basis will not lead you anywhere.
2. Go through the syllabus completely and understand the same well.
3. Daily study hours are to be decided. How many hours to study? That should be decided by the individual based on their calibre and necessity. The total hours need not be in one stretch and there can be breaks in between. Some people go for 10 hours a day. But some may say that 6 hours is sufficient. This will differ from person to person.
4. While planning of study you should take into account your strong points and weak areas. At what pace you can learn and also the time left for preparation should also be taken into account. Some students appear for one group at one time. But some may attend both. Taking all these points into account only you have to make your planning. The timetable can be made by the student himself or can consult some known professional who already cleared these examinations. You can also refer Internet where you will find timetables. I suggest that it is always better to make a timetable that suits the individual on his own after taking suggestions from known sources.
5. Refer to standard books for study. Some senior practising CAs can help you with this. Follow the same books. Once you study a chapter make notes and keep that as your reference book. You can write these notes in the form of questions and answers. You can also make detailed notes for the entire chapter. These notebooks will be your revision books and quick reference books. Keep this in mind while preparing your notes.
6. Revision is also very important. The student should complete the preparation leaving some time for revision. Do not go for new sources of information when you are doing a revision.
7. Mock tests are very important. Get some model test papers and old test papers. Answer them. While answering them follow all the rules and regulations of your examinations. It will help in planning your time and the methodology you can adopt for your examinations.
8. My brother-in-law is ICWA qualified and worked as Director of Finance of a company. He says a student should complete the course at least 45 days before the examinations and the last 45 days can be used for revision and attempting mock tests. Of course, this time may vary from person to person.
9. In my opinion, it is always better to talk to some persons who cleared this examination and learn from them their practices and try to implement them if they are good for you.
with the above information, I mention that there is no substitute for hard work in any field.
This CA intermediate will have 8 papers. 4 papers will be theoretical. These papers will have 2 sections. One section contains questions which require descriptive answers. The second section will have objective and MCQ-type questions. There is no negative marking system in these examinations. The remaining 4 are numerical based practical examinations. The objective questions carry 30% weightage and the rest 70% is descriptive.
Any examination preparation should be carried out with concentration and the student should be focused. The following are some of the important tips.
1. One should have a plan of study. Without planning studying on an ad hoc basis will not lead you anywhere.
2. Go through the syllabus completely and understand the same well.
3. Daily study hours are to be decided. How many hours to study? That should be decided by the individual based on their calibre and necessity. The total hours need not be in one stretch and there can be breaks in between. Some people go for 10 hours a day. But some may say that 6 hours is sufficient. This will differ from person to person.
4. While planning of study you should take into account your strong points and weak areas. At what pace you can learn and also the time left for preparation should also be taken into account. Some students appear for one group at one time. But some may attend both. Taking all these points into account only you have to make your planning. The timetable can be made by the student himself or can consult some known professional who already cleared these examinations. You can also refer Internet where you will find timetables. I suggest that it is always better to make a timetable that suits the individual on his own after taking suggestions from known sources.
5. Refer to standard books for study. Some senior practising CAs can help you with this. Follow the same books. Once you study a chapter make notes and keep that as your reference book. You can write these notes in the form of questions and answers. You can also make detailed notes for the entire chapter. These notebooks will be your revision books and quick reference books. Keep this in mind while preparing your notes.
6. Revision is also very important. The student should complete the preparation leaving some time for revision. Do not go for new sources of information when you are doing a revision.
7. Mock tests are very important. Get some model test papers and old test papers. Answer them. While answering them follow all the rules and regulations of your examinations. It will help in planning your time and the methodology you can adopt for your examinations.
8. My brother-in-law is ICWA qualified and worked as Director of Finance of a company. He says a student should complete the course at least 45 days before the examinations and the last 45 days can be used for revision and attempting mock tests. Of course, this time may vary from person to person.
9. In my opinion, it is always better to talk to some persons who cleared this examination and learn from them their practices and try to implement them if they are good for you.
with the above information, I mention that there is no substitute for hard work in any field.
Author: Dev Arora Post Date: 21 May 2023
If you are preparing for CA intermediate examination then it should be kept in mind that it requires more of your hard work and consistency than your intelligence. Being a CA student myself and clearing the CA intermediate on the first attempt, I can share some of the best tricks and tips with you for clearing the examination-
It has been rightly said that if you fail to plan then you are planning to fail. So, try to make good plans.
If you are preparing for CA intermediate examination then it should be kept in mind that it requires more of your hard work and consistency than your intelligence. Being a CA student myself and clearing the CA intermediate on the first attempt, I can share some of the best tricks and tips with you for clearing the examination-
- At first there is a big confusion in the mind of students about whether to go for a single group or give both the groups. In my personal opinion, it depends upon your caliber but you should go for both groups as pressure shapes the best diamonds. Also, it increases your chances of passing in aggregate. I have seen some of the students who have scored less than 200 in their second group but still, they passed both groups because of good marks in group one.
- If you are preparing from some coaching then even try to make notes of your own. these would be very helpful for revision purposes. Also, try to make a set of questions that you are planning to go through in the last 1.5 days. This would save you time and helps you to excel.
- For the theoretical subjects rather than going through easy content try to learn the text from the ICAI module. ICAI modules are the bible for the CA examinations. Quoting section numbers in law or taxation would give you an extra advantage. Make your healthy notes with good technical words from these. Also, try to practice every question of the ICAI module at least twice.
- Try to complete your syllabus at least 2 months before the examination. This would give you sufficient time for the revisions and mock test. First, do the mock test issued by the ICAI and try to work on them between 2 pm to 5 pm. As you are not only preparing for the exam but for the day of the exam.
- Focus on all the papers simultaneously. But for the sake of security, you can have more focus on 2 papers in each group. This can increase chances of crossing the aggregate, getting grace marks as well as exempting you.
- At last focus on your health. Do exercises regularly as CA students generally avoid such things but health is your prime wealth.
It has been rightly said that if you fail to plan then you are planning to fail. So, try to make good plans.
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