How to prepare for CA Exam in 6 Months?
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Preparing for CA exam requires strong determination, focus and discipline, and can be exhaustive. Applicants who have applied for any of the three courses of CA (Foundation, Intermediate or Final) can check out this article by Shiksha to get some preparation tips if you are making a 6-month preparation plan for CA exam.
How to Prepare for CA exam in 6 months?
How to Prepare for CA in 6 months? CA or Chartered Accountancy is a professional course conducted by the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India in three levels – Foundation, Intermediate and Final. To become a CA, a candidate has to appear for and clear all three courses with the required ICAI CA passing marks, which is minimum 40% in each paper and an aggregate 50% in all papers of a level.
To help students prepare for CA Foundation, CA Intermediate or CA Final exam, Shiksha here has given some tips and tricks that a student can follow.
- Is it possible to Crack CA exam in First Attempt?
- ICAI CA Exam 6-Month Preparation Plan
- ICAI CA Syllabus – Foundation, Intermediate & Final
Is it possible to Crack CA exam in First Attempt?
Yes, it is possible for a student to crack CA exam in first attempt. To do so, a candidate must have strong determination, proper planning and consistent efforts. Only around 20% students crack the exam on their first attempt, you can also be one of the 20% candidates with a focused-preparation strategy.
Commonly asked questions
Yes, it is possible to cover the CA Intermediate syllabus in three months but one needs to spend about 12-14 hours in studies on daily basis. The timeline and targets have to be achieved dedicatedly and in a focused manner. If a candidate has appeared for the CA Inter exam previously they will have a better grip of syllabus to complete it in a short time of 3 months.
It is not easy, yet not impossible to crack CA Intermediate exam without coaching. If a student is determined, disciplined and fully dedicated towards CA Inter exam preparation, she/she can crack it with self-study.
Typically, 6 to 12 months are needed to cover CA Final exam syllabus. Those who are pursuing only CA course will need a minimum of 6 to 8 months, whereas working professionals balancing job with CA course will need 9 to12 months. Those who have made previous attempts in CA Final, may be able to cover the syllabus in 6 months. But in all scenarios, one needs to study in a focused manner as the syllabus is vast and requires in depth study. About 2 to 3 months are needed for practice and revision only.
To cover the CA Final exam syllabus:
· Start with tough topics so that you can revisit them later if need be
· Do regular practice and revision of tricky topics
· Join study groups for problem solving
· Attend ICAI lectures and online sessions for guidance
ICAI CA Exam 6-Month Preparation Plan
There is no right or wrong preparation strategy. If it works for you, it is the right strategy and if it doesn’t, you should change it. Shiksha here has provided you with a roadmap to achieve your dream of becoming a CA:
Month 1: Prepare a Study Plan and Follow It
After analyzing the CA exam pattern and syllabus for the course you are taking the exam for, divide the syllabus into parts and make a daily study schedule to be followed. Make sure you give required time to each subject. If you find any subject difficult, allot more time to it. Add breaks and family time in between your timetable. The best strategy is to study both theoretical and practical subjects daily to maintain balance and avoid boredom. If you are planning on taking coaching, then make your plan accordingly.
CA Subjects in Foundation, Intermediate and Final Course
| ICAI CA Foundation Papers |
|
|---|---|
| Paper 1: Principles and Practice of Accounting |
Paper 3: Business Mathematics and Logical Reasoning & Statistics |
| Paper 2: Section A: Business Laws Section B: Business Correspondence and Reporting |
Paper 4: Section A: Business Economics Section B: Business and Commercial Knowledge |
| CA Intermediate Subjects |
|
| Group I |
Group II |
| Paper - 1: Advanced Accounting |
Paper - 4: Cost and Management Accounting |
| Paper - 2 : Corporate and Other Laws |
Paper - 5: Auditing and Ethics |
| Paper - 3: Taxation Section A: Income Tax Law Section B: Goods & Services Tax |
Paper – 6: Financial Management & Ethics Management Section A: Financial Management Section B: Ethics Management |
| CA Final Subjects |
|
| Group I |
Group II |
| Paper-1: Financial Reporting |
Paper-4: Direct Tax Laws & International Taxation |
| Paper-2: Advanced Financial Management |
Paper-5: Indirect Tax Laws |
| Paper-3: Advanced Auditing, Assurance and Professional Ethics |
Paper-6: Integrated Business Solutions (Multidisciplinary Case Study with Strategic Management) |
Month 2: Concept Clarity and Cover Syllabus
By the second month of the preparation, try to cover at least 60% of the syllabus, as you have to begin with practice also. Use trusted sources for study materials. The Institute of Chartered Accountants of India also releases ICAI study material for each course on its official website.
Try to get the concepts clear in your head, especially in practical subjects like mathematics and accounting. It is because without clear concepts, it would be difficult to apply the formula in a question. Maintain a formula sheet, take summary notes and revise them daily. Practice application-based questions regularly to learn time management and increase your speed.
Also Read:
| CA Intermediate exam pattern | CA Final exam pattern |
Month 3-4: Intensive Practice and Analysis
In the third and fourth month of preparing for CA exam, move from learning new topics to practicing and solving questions. Start solving previous years’ question papers and revision test papers to understand the question paper structure.
Take past papers in exam-like environment and analyse your answers. Find out the areas where you lack confidence and prepare a plan to work on them. Do not panic and make a strategy to work on weak and high-weightage areas. Take guidance from your coaching teacher, mentors, peers, or seniors.
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Month 5: More Intensive Practice
Increase the level of your practice and revision. Do not learn any new concept now as it will only confuse you and decrease your confidence level. Apart from solving questions, take full-length mock tests available on different platforms. ICAI also conducts mock tests before exam date. The schedule for CA mock tests is released on the official website.
Month 6: Final Revision
The last month should be dedicated to final polish and last minute revisions. Practice to solve questions as per exam duration. Avoid cramming and revise what you already know. Stay calm and meditate daily to avoid anxiety. Do not compare your revision or knowledge with others, it will only decrease your morale. Do not isolate yourself and take family time to refresh your mind.
What is the Right Time to Study for CA Exam?
Some believe it is good to study early in the morning, and some students are night owls. Each time of the day has its own advantages and disadvantages. Majority students usually find it difficult to wake up early in the morning and start studying. If you feel you can prepare better for the exam at night, then it is the right time for you. Experts say that students must study theoretical subjects, early in the morning because these subjects require candidates to retain facts and information, which can be easily done in morning as we have high concentration power at that time.
Read More:
Commonly asked questions
You cannot cover CA Intermediate syllabus in your first attempt. You need to give at least six to 12 months to the course. The CA Inter has six papers and every paper has a number of chapters. And every topic requires time. However, if you have appeared for CA Inter exam before and it's your second or third attempt, you can cover the syllabus in less time than before, as you would be fairly familiar with the topics and difficulty level.
CA Foundation may be the easiest of all CA level but it's difficulty level is high on its own. So, one should at least spend 6-8 months in preparing for the exam. Coverage of CA Foundation syllabus needs a lot of time post which students need to practice a lot of sample questions and mock tests. Students must dedicate minimum 8 hours daily to study for CA Foundation.
The difficulty level of CA Intermediate exams is high. It is considered to be one of the toughest exams to crack due to the vast syllabus and multiple subjects. The pass percentage of CA Intermediate exam is low and candidates have to make multiple attempts to clear it. CA is a course, one can complete without coaching and guidance. Even though study material, test practices and other support is provided by the ICAI, it is not really possible to study by self. The topics and chapters are vast. They require guidance and practice as well as discipline and productive study hours.
ICAI CA Syllabus – Foundation, Intermediate & Final
Candidates must cover the syllabus for CA exam before diving into mock exams. Refer to the space below for updated CA syllabus for all three courses:
| CA Course Level |
CA Syllabus |
|---|---|
| CA Foundation |
|
| CA Intermediate |
|
| CA Final |
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Nupur Jain started with a passion for educational content writing, which soon grew into a meaningful journey of helping students through reliable guidance. A commerce graduate from Delhi University, she has spent ov
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