ICAI CA Final Syllabus 2026: Check Section-wise Exam Syllabus Here (Revised); Download PDF (Free)

CA Final is a very high difficulty level exam and it is very, very tough to clear in the first attempt. The pass percentage of CA Final is usually 25-30 percent in every session so one can understand how difficult is it to actually clear the CA Final papers in first attempt. Any student usually needs 2-3 attempts to clear the CA Final exam.

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

CA Final has six papers in both course groups (New scheme and Old scheme). Here are the paper topics for CA Final Group 1 and CA Final Group 2.

CA Final Group 1: Financial Reporting, Strategic Financial Management, Advanced Auditing and Professional Ethics, Corporate and Economic Laws, Strategic Cost Management and Performance Evaluation, Risk Management, Financial Services and Capital Markets, International Taxation, Economic Laws, Global Financial Reporting Standards, Multidisciplinary Case Study, Direct Tax Laws and International Taxation and Indirect Tax Laws.

CA Final Group 2: Financial Reporting, Strategic Financial Management, Advanced Auditing and Professional Ethics, Corporate and Allied Laws, Advanced Management Accounting, Information Systems Control and Audit, Direct Tax Laws, Indirect Tax Laws

There are 6 papers divided into two groups in CA Final exam. These are Financial Reporting, Advanced Financial Management (AFM), Advanced Auditing and Professional Ethics, Multi-disciplinary case study with Strategic Management, Direct Tax Laws and International Taxation and Indirect Tax Laws. According to CA Final pattern, each paper will have subjective questions of 70 marks and objective questions of 30 marks.

Candidates are not allowed to take following items with them to CA Final exam centre:

• Mobile phone, earphones and other such electronic item
• Book, notebooks, loose paper
• Any stationary item other than a ball point pen
• Jewellery and valuables

It is not easy to crack CA Final exam without taking any coaching classes. Preparing for this exam requires strong determination, dedication and discipline. Students usually prefer to take coaching to score well in exam. However, with strict timetable and proper preparation strategy, a candidate can prepare for CA Final without coaching.

ICAI CA Final exam is the toughest among all three CA courses due to its vast and extensive syllabus. The papers included in CA Final course are tough to crack in first attempt. The pass percentage of CA Final exams is very low - 25%. It takes 3-4 attempts by students to clear this exam.

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.

The ICAI CA final exam duration for Paper 1 to 5 is 3 hours and for Paper 6 is 4 hours. Additionally, there is no sectional time limit in the exam.

CA Final exam will be conducted twice in a year. Earlier, ICAI used to conduct CA Final exam thrice in a year. But, the exam will now be conducted in May and November only. The first exam with updated frequency was conducted in May 2026.

No, there is no sectional time limit in ICAI CA exam. Candidates have to answer all sections within given time. CA Final exam for Paper 1 to 5 is of 3 hours each and Paper 6 is of 4 hours. During this time, they have to answer all the subjective and MCQs.

ICAI CA Final course is divided into two groups. Each group has three papers. Check below for list:

GROUP I

Paper-1: Financial Reporting

Paper-2: Advanced Financial Management

Paper-3: Advanced Auditing, Assurance and Professional Ethics

GROUP II

Paper-4: Direct Tax Laws & International Taxation

Paper-5: Indirect Tax Laws

Paper-6: Integrated Business Solutions (Multidisciplinary Case Study with Strategic Management) 

There is no particular number of months for CA Final exam preparation. The time required by one student may be less or more than the other student. It is any way tough to crack the CA Final course level in one attempt. Students require about 2-3 attempts to clear the course level. One needs to study continuously.

It is not possible to crack CA Final exam with only 3 month preparation. CA Final is considered to be the toughest of the three ICAI CA level - Foundation, Intermediate and Final. Students usually take 3-4 attempts to clear this exam.

According to ICAI, a candidate has to score a minimum of 40% in each subject and an aggregate of 50% in all subjects to clear CA Final exam. In case, they score 60 or more marks in one subject and fails in another, they can apply for exemption.

As per syllabus released by ICAI for CA Final exam under New Scheme, the topics included in CA Final Financial Reporting syllabus are as follows:

• Introduction to Indian Accounting Standards
• Conceptual Framework for Financial Reporting under Indian Accounting Standards (Ind AS)
• Ind AS on Presentation of General Purpose Financial Statements
• Ind AS on Measurement based on Accounting Policies
• Ind AS 115 “Revenue from Contracts with Customers”
• Annexure: Division II of Schedule III to the Companies Act, 2013
• Ind AS on Assets of the Financial Statements
• Other Indian Accounting Standards
• Ind AS on Liabilities of the Financial Statements
• Ind AS on Items impacting the Financial Statements
• Ind AS on Disclosures in the Financial Statements
• Accounting and Reporting of Financial Instrument
• Ind AS 103 “Business Combinations”
• Consolidated and Separate Financial Statements of Group Entities
• Ind AS 101 “First-time Adoption of Ind AS”
• Analysis of Financial Statements
• Professional and Ethical Duty of a Chartered Accountant
• Accounting and Technology

The CA Final Paper 2 - Advanced Financial Management includes following topics:

• Financial Policy and Corporate Strategy
• Risk Management
• Advanced Capital Budgeting Decisions
• Security Analysis
• Security Valuation
• Portfolio Management
• Securitization
• Mutual Funds
• Derivatives Analysis and Valuation
• Foreign Exchange Exposure and Risk Management
• International Financial Management
• Interest Rate Risk Management
• Business Valuation
• Mergers, Acquisitions and Corporate Restructuring
• Startup Finance

ICAI may change the CA Final eligibility for candidates to apply for the exam. If and when changed, ICAI will release the official notice with updated CA Final eligibility criteria.