How to Become a CA in India? Complete Process, Eligibility, Course Guide
Becoming a Chartered Accountant in India is a journey that requires dedication and discipline. The professional course is regulated by ICAI. To become a CA in India, one has to start after 12th. Check here step-by-step process of how to become CA in India.
How to become CA in India?
Chartered Accountant or CA is popular career option among students who have interest in the field of Finance. The course is administered by the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI). The organization also regulates CA profession in India. Also known as Certified Public Accountants (CPAs) or Chartered Professional Accountants (CPAs) in some countries, Chartered Accountant profession is monetarily rewarding.
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However, the journey of a CA is not easy. It requires rigorous study and years of dedication. In this blog, we have shared the path to become a CA in India.
- How to Become CA in India?
- How to Become CA in India? (Foundation or Direct Entry)
- What After CA Foundation?
- CA Foundation Course Syllabus
- CA Intermediate Course Syllabus
- CA Job Profiles and Salary
How to Become CA in India?
To become a Chartered Accountant in India, one has to register with the ICAI. However, the preparation of CA career should start much earlier. Which means, if a student wishes to become a CA in future, he/she must opt for Commerce with Maths stream in Class 11 and 12. It isn’t that non-commerce students cannot crack this profession, but those who have studied accountancy, taxation, statistics, etc. already, will find CA course a relatively familiar field to play.
To be certified as a professional, an individual has to clear all three levels of CA:
How to Become CA in India? (Foundation or Direct Entry)
There are two routes to pursue Chartered Accountancy course in India. One is after Class 12 and another is after Graduation.
- Foundation Route
- Direct Entry Route
1. Foundation Route
To purse CA course through Foundation route, one has to register for CA Foundation course level after Class 12, and complete all three courses, one by one. One should have scored a minimum of 50% in class 12 to pursue CA.
After registering for CA Foundation, the candidate will get 4 months of study period to cover the course syllabus and prepare for the exam. Thereafter, the candidate can fill the CA Foundation exam form and appear for it. Minimum marks required to clear the Foundation level is 40 percent in all papers and 55 percent overall.
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Also Read: Detailed CA Eligibility Criteria
2. Direct Entry Route
The second option is Direct Entry route. Candidates who decide to pursue CA as a profession after completing graduation can opt for Direct Entry route. This course pathway allows candidates to start the course directly from CA Intermediate level. Eligibility criteria for direct entry route is:
- Graduation in Commerce stream with minimum 55% aggregate
- raduation in in Arts/Humanities/Science with minimum 60% aggregate
What After CA Foundation?
After clearing the CA Foundation exam, the candidate has to register for CA Intermediate course and follow the given steps. Those registering for the course through direct route will also have to:
- Crack Group 1 of CA Intermediate
- Register for practical training.
- Crack both groups.
- Complete CA Articleship Training (3 years)
- Enroll for CA Final Course
- Crack CA Final Group 1 and Group 2
- Apply for ICAI Membership
- Get certified as a CA to start professional practice
The passing marks for CA Final is minimum of 40 per cent aggregate in each individual subject and 50 per cent aggregate of all the subjects at one sitting in either both the groups or a single group. Candidates who do not score the minimum percentage, have to take the exam again in the next cycle.
Students can make as many attempts as they can because, to complete the Chartered Accountancy course, one needs to clear all the course levels with passing marks. The CA course is of a very high difficulty level and even the toppers manage to score not more than 70-75 per cent. A large number of students cannot clear a course level in one go. The pass percentage hovers around 25 to 30 percent.
There is no limit on the number of attempts and it is totally upto the individual as to how many attempts they will require. The CA Intermediate exam is tough and requires about 2-3 attempts on an average. The overall pass percentage of CA exam is usually low at 20-25%.
CA Intermediate course level has two groups, Group I and Group 2. Students have to clear both groups with minimum 50% marks. CA Final too has two course groups and one has to clear both groups to be able to complete the course.
CA Foundation Course Syllabus
CA Foundation has 4 papers and the exam is conducted thrice - January, May and September.
- CA Foundation Paper 1 Accounting
- CA Foundation Paper 2 Business Laws
- CA Foundation Paper 3 Quantitative Aptitude
- CA Foundation Paper 4 Business Economics
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Usually, an individual takes about 3 to 5 attempts to clear the CA Final exam. The course level is too difficult to crack in the first attempt. The overall CA Final pass percentage of any session is usually between 20-25 percent only. It is mainly due to the fact that one needs to clear both groups of the CA Final course. The vastness of CA Final syllabus makes it difficult to crack it in the first attempt.
If a candidate is unable to clear the CA Final course exam in the first attempt, they can reappear. The initial registration for Final Course is valid for five years, which means each candidate gets 10 attempts. After five years, they can register again for the next five years. The certificate to practice Chartered Accountancy as a profession is given to any student by the ICAI only after they clear the final level. Irrespective of the number of attempts they have made to clear it. Until they clear the CA Final level and get the certificate, they cannot practice as a professional.
In the CA course, candidates can make any number of attempts until they clear a particular level. They will be eligible to register for the next level only after clearing the previous level. For example, a candidate needs to clear the CA Foundation level to be able to register for CA Intermediate. For appearing in CA Final exams, a candidate needs to clear both Foundation and Intermediate levels.
Since, the level of difficulty of this course is very high, a maximum percentage of students make multiple attempts. Candidates who decide to pursue CA course, need to make sure that they are well prepared to a marathon of studies, preparation and exams.
Hope this helps!!!
CA Intermediate Course Syllabus
CA Intermediate has 6 papers (3 papers in each group) and the exam is thrice in a year - January, May and September.
- CA Inter (Group 1) Paper 1: Advanced Accounting
- CA Inter (Group 1) Paper 2: Corporate and Other Laws
- CA Inter (Group 1) Paper 3: Taxation
- CA Inter (Group 2) Paper 4: Cost and Management Accounting
- CA Inter (Group 2) Paper 5: Auditing and Ethics
- CA Inter (Group 2) Paper 6: Financial Management & Ethics Management
Also Read:
CA Final Course Syllabus
CA Final has 6 papers (3 papers in each group) and the exam is conducted thrice - January, May and September. Check CA Final syllabus below:
- CA Final (Group 1) Paper 1: Financial Reporting
- CA Final (Group 1) Paper 2: Advanced Financial Management
- CA Final (Group 1) Paper 3: Advanced Auditing, Assurance and Professional Ethics
- CA Final (Group 2) Paper 4: Direct Tax Laws & International Taxation
- CA Final (Group 2) Paper 5: Indirect Tax Laws
- CA Final (Group 2) Paper 6: Integrated Business Solutions (Multidisciplinary Case Study with Strategic Management)
Also Read:
CA Job Profiles and Salary
After completing the CA course, the individual can start individual practice or join an auditing/finance firm. The Big Four firms in this field are Deloitte, PwC, Ernst & Young and KPMG. Individual organisations also hire CAs in Finance department to take care of taxes and reporting. Listed below are some popular CA job profiles and salaries.
| Chartered Accountancy Job Profile |
CA Salary in India |
|---|---|
| Chartered Accountants |
INR 10 LPA |
| Financial Controllers |
INR 15 LPA |
| Tax Accountants |
INR 8 LPA |
| Chief Financial Officers |
INR 6 LPA |
| Auditors |
INR 7 LPA |
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The minimum eligibility criteria for pursuing CA course is class 12 pass or equivalent from a recognised institute or university. Candidates who have completed graduation can directly take admission at CA Intermediate level. Check below:
CA Foundation Eligibility Criteria
Candidates who have:
CA Intermediate Eligibility Criteria
CA Final Eligibility Criteria