ICAI CA Foundation Exam Centres 2026: Check State/City wise Exam Centres List

Ernst & Young (EY), PricewaterhouseCoopers (PWC), Klynveld Peat Marwick Goerdeler (KPMG) and Deloitte are the top private companies that hire CAs. They are known as The Big Four. CA professionals can seek employment in these companies as well as other enterprises if they don't want to practice independently.

The ICAI has its own placement cell to, through which it provides placements to candidates who complete the Chartered Accountancy course. Some of the top companies that participate in the campus placements are Infosys, Pankaj Somaiya Associates LLP, Prism Johnson Limited, Tata Consultancy Services Ltd, Bandhan AMC Ltd, Mahindra Rural Housing Finance Limited, Hindalco Industries, Ford Motor Private Limited, LIC Housing Finance Ltd, Axis Bank among others.

It is not neccessary to have studied commerce in class 12 for clearing CA Foundation. Student from any stream can pursue CA course. Having studied Commerce with Maths in class 12, can be an advantage, as the student will have a strong base in several topics related to accounting, taxation, economy, etc.  

The difficulty level of CA Foundation syllabus can be considered lower than CA Intermediate and CA Final but it is challenging as the syllabus is vast. Since it is the beginner's level course, it has topics that requires understanding of core concepts and principles. Given the extremely low pass percentage, CA Foundation is definitely not easy. It requires conceptual clarity of a number of topics related to business, accounting, taxation, laws, etc. and rigorous practice.

One can register for CA Foundation after Class 10 but can pursue the course only after completing Class 12. Until then, ICAI registration will remain provisional, as the minimum eligibility criteria for CA Foundation is Class 12 pass. The advantage of registering for the course after class 10 though is that you can start preparing for it along with your studies. If you choose commerce stream in class 11 and 12, it will be even easier for you to prepare for CA Foundation.

If you’ve forgotten password for CA Foundation, you can use 'forgot password' option given on login page to create new one. 

CA exams for all the three levels are being held thrice in a year from 2025. The first phase exams are held in May and June and the second phase exams are held in September. The third phase exam is held in January. Registrations for the May-June exams is held in February-March and registrations for September exam is done in July and registration for January exam is done in October-November. Candidates can register and appear for the exam as per their preparation and articleship completion. For any phase of exam, they need to fill the form and pay exam fee through registered login ID.

Yes, it is possible to clear CA Foundation in first attempt but for that one requires a strong study plan and dedicated execution. Coverage of CA Foundation syllabus is all about getting the concepts right and building strong foundation. Develop a strong foundation in basic concepts, prepare a daily time table to cover topics, practice questions and revision. Start preparation at least 6 months in advance.

The fees for CA Intermediate/ Intermediate (IPC) (Old and New Schemes) is INR 1,500 for single group and INR 2,700 for both groups, to be paid at the time of form submission. Candidates must pay the fee before deadline of form submission to avoid penalty of late fee (INR 600). The fee is non-refundable. The fee payment is to be done through credit card, debit card or net banking. Unless the fee is paid, the course or exam application form will not be submitted. Candidate will receive acknowledgement in mail upon successful transaction.

The time duration of CA exams varies for each paper. Some CA exam papers are of two hours duration whereas some are of three hours duration. The ICAI CA exams are conducted from 2:00 pm to 4:00 pm and 2:00 pm to 5:00 pm. The exam timings of every paper will be mentioned in the date sheet and the CA admit card of each candidate. Given below is the table indicating CA Foundation, Intermediate and Final exam timings:

ICAI certification for CA professionals has a lot of credibility across the world which is why many candidates living abroad pursue this course. Members of Indian communities who live abroad also pursue the CA course by ICAI. The exam is conducted in eight cities for all course levels. They are:

1.     Abu Dhabi

2.     Bahrain

3.     Thimpu

4.     Doha

5.     Dubai

6.     Kathmandu

7.     Muscat

8.     Kuwait

Candidates living in the above mentioned cities can pursue the CA course and appear for the level while exams by registering at ICAI website. The test city will be allotted to candidates as per the choice mentioned in the ICAI CA application form.

No, there is no sectional time limit in CA Foundation exam. Candidates have to complete their Paper 1 and Paper 2 in 3 hours and answer questions of Paper 3 and Paper 4 in two hours.

Note: There is no break between two papers.

To clear CA Foundation exam, a candidate must score at least 40% in each of the four papers and overall 50% in aggregate in all papers. If a candidate fails to do so, he/she will have to retake the exam.