What are CA Exams?
CA exams or ICAI exams are among the toughest exams in India conducted by the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI). The CA examination includes three levels – CA Foundation, CA Intermediate and CA Final. After passing these three exams, students will get an ICAI membership and become a CA or Chartered Accountant. These exams are conducted twice a year in the May/June session and the November/December session.
The CA exams Nov 2023 session will start on 1st Nov for the Final level and 2nd Nov for the Inter level. The CA Nov 2023 exam dates for all the levels are mentioned below:
CA Foundation Exam Dates – Dec 31st, 2023 and Jan 02, 04 & 06, 2024.
CA Inter Exam Dates – The CA Inter Group 1 exam will be conducted on Nov 2, 4, 6 & 8, 2023. And, the CA Intergroup 2 exams will be held on Nov 10, 13, 15 & 17, 2023.
CA Final Exam Dates – The CA Final Group 1 exam dates are Nov 1, 3, 5 & 7, 2023. Further, the CA Final Group 2 paper dates are Nov 9, 11, 14, 16, 2023.
The CA Nov 2023 admit card for the Inter and Final exams is released on October 18, 2023. Students can download their admit cards from the official website.
In this guide, you’ll get all the details of the CA exams, including the levels, subjects covered, steps to apply for the exams, exam form, CA exam dates 2023, paper pattern, marking scheme, admit card, VSI mock test series and the results.
CA Exam Details
| Particulars | Details |
| Exam Name | CA or Chartered Accountancy |
| Conducting Body | Institute of Chartered Accountants of India – ICAI |
| Exam Conducting Level | National |
| Frequency | Conducted twice a year |
| Exam Mode | Online |
| Exam Duration | 02 hours |
| Language | English |
| Age Limit | No upper age limit |
| Exam Levels | 03 (Foundation, Intermediate & Final) |
| Course Duration | 4.5 to 05 years via Foundation route (after the 12th) Direct entry after graduation – 03 years |
| Eligibility Criteria | Must be 12th Pass for CA Foundation |
| Average Fees | Foundation- INR 9800 Intermediate- INR 18000 for both groups, INR 13000 for Group I or Group II Final- INR 22000 |
| Number of Test Cities | 192 Indian cities and 08 Abroad cities |
| Official Website | Icaiexam.icai.org |
| Exam Helpdesk Number | 1800 419 2929 |
Levels of ICAI CA Exams
As mentioned above, there are three levels of the CA examinations that are explained in the following section.
CA Foundation Exam – It’s the first step of becoming a CA. The exam for the CA Foundation course is conducted twice in June and December every year by the ICAI. Students need to register themselves with the Board of Studies (BoS) after clearing class X exams. Students become eligible for the Foundation level after the Class 12th exams.
CA Intermediate Exam – CA Intermediate is a second level, consisting of two groups with 04 subjects in each group. To sit in the CA intermediate exam, students need to clear the CA foundation exam or they have to be a graduate.
CA Final Exam – It’s the last step in the journey of becoming a Chartered Accountant. Students can register themselves for CA Final exams during the articleship period, but only after clearing both levels of CA Intermediate. CA Final level also has two groups and each group has 04 papers.
Eligibility Criteria of CA Exams for each level
- CA Foundation Level: As per ICAI eligibility criteria for the CA foundation level, students have to pass class 12 or an equivalent exam from a recognised board to enter in CA foundation. Additionally, commerce stream students must have to score at least 50% marks in class 12. And other stream students need to score at least 55% to be eligible for the CA foundation level.
- CA Intermediate Level: Students can register at the CA intermediate level from two routes: the CA foundation route and the direct entry route. The eligibility criteria for both the routes are as follows:
- CA foundation route: To register from this route students must need to pass the CA foundation exam with 50% aggregate marks and 40% marks in each subject.
- Direct Entry Route: Students who complete their graduation in any stream can directly apply for the CA intermediate level. The eligibility criteria for this route are 55% marks for commerce students and 60% marks for science students in their graduation.
- CA Final Level: To be eligible for the CA final level, students need to pass both groups of CA intermediate level and complete at least 2.5 years of articleship training under a certified firm.
ICAI CA Exam Dates 2023 for Foundation, Intermediate, and Final
ICAI has released the dates of the CA Foundation, Intermediate, and Final exams of 2023. The CA intermediate exams will be held from Nov 02 to 17, 2023, and the CA final exams will be from Nov 01 to 16, 2023. CA Foundation exams will be conducted in December 2023.
CA Foundation Exam Time Table for June 2023
| CA Foundation Papers | CA Foundation Exam Dates |
| Paper1 | December 31, 2023 |
| Paper2 | January 02, 2024 |
| Paper3 | January 04, 2024 |
| Paper4 | January 06, 2023 |
Exam duration for papers 1 and 2 is 3 hours, and for papers 3 and 4 is 2 hours
CA Intermediate Time Table for Nov 2023
| Papers | CA Inter Exam Dates Nov 2023 |
| Paper 1: Accounting | Nov 2, 2023 |
| Paper 2: Corporate Laws and Other Laws | Nov 4, 2023 |
| Paper 3: Cost Accounting & Financial Management | Nov 6, 2023 |
| Paper 4: Taxation | Nov 8, 2023 |
| Paper 5: Advanced Accounting | Nov 10, 2023 |
| Paper 6: Auditing and Assurance | Nov 13, 2023 |
| Paper 7: Information Technology and Strategic Management | Nov 15, 2023 |
| Paper 8: Financial Management and Economics for Finance | Nov 17, 2023 |
The duration for all papers is 3 hours.
CA Final Time Table for Nov 2023
| Paper | CA Final Exam Dates 2023 |
| Paper 1: Financial Reporting | Nov 1, 2023 |
| Paper 2: Strategic Financial Management | Nov 3, 2023 |
| Paper 3: Advanced Auditing & Professional Ethics | Nov 5, 2023 |
| Paper 4: Corporate and Allied Laws | Nov 7, 2023 |
| Paper 5: Strategic Cost Management and Performance Evaluation | Nov 9, 2023 |
| Paper 6: Elective Papers (6A-6F) | Nov 11, 2023 |
| Paper 7: Direct Tax Laws | Nov 14, 2023 |
| Paper 8: Indirect Tax Laws | Nov 16, 2023 |
The duration for all papers except paper 6 is 3 hours. Paper 6 is an elective subject, and the exam duration is 4 hours.
Syllabus & Subjects for the Chartered Accountancy Exams 2023
The following table mentions the subjects and syllabus of all the levels of Chartered Accountancy 2023 exams.
| CA Exam Level | Subjects | Marks |
| CA Foundation Syllabus | Principles and Practices of Accounting Business Law & Business Correspondence and Reporting Business Mathematics and Logical Reasoning & Statistics Business Economics & Business and Commercial Knowledge | Total 400 Marks (100 Marks Each) |
| CA Intermediate Syllabus | Accounting Corporate and Other Laws Cost and Management Accounting Taxation Advanced Accounting Auditing and Assurance Enterprise Information Systems & Strategic Management Financial Management & Economics for Finance | Total 800 Marks (100 Marks each) |
| CA Final Syllabus | Financial Reporting Strategic Financial Management Advanced Auditing and Professional Ethics Corporate Laws and Economic Laws Strategic Cost Management and Performance Evaluation Electives Direct Tax Laws and International Taxation Indirect Tax Laws | Total 800 Marks (100 Marks Each) |
How to Apply for CA Exams?
Students can apply for the CA exams from the ICAI official website. Below mentioned are steps to apply for the CA Foundation exams;
- Visit e-service portal and fill in the required details. Click on the button “generate OTP” and you will get it on the registered email and phone number.
- Enter the OTP received for completing registration. You will receive SRN (registration number).
- Now, create an SSP (self-service portal). Click on “Don’t have a login to SSP yet” enter SRN and DOB and then click on validate.
- After validation, you will receive login credentials through email and SMS. Login using credentials.
- Under the exam function, click on the “Register for Exam” tab. And then click “foundation exam form.” Check the guidelines and enter the required details. You need to update your photo and signature before filling exam form.
- Fill out the form and click next. Click the “agree” box on the declaration form. A payment page will appear.
- Pay INR 1500 for exam fees. After payment completion, the exam application form is successfully submitted. Download the Exam receipt.
ICAI CA Exams Forms 2023
The exam form for CA exams in Nov 2023 was opened on 02 August 2023, and the last date to submit the exam form without a late fee was August 30, 2023. The correction window was from September 01 to September 7, 2023, for the Nov exams. The registration date for the December 2023 exam is 01 July 2023, and the exam form date has been released by the ICAI.
ICAI CA Exam Form Fees
| CA Exam level | Exam Form Fees |
| CA Foundation Exam Form | For Indians – Rs. 1500 For Kathmandu – Rs. 2200 For overseas – $325 |
| CA Intermediate Exam Form | For Indian- Both groups- INR 3300, Single group INR 1800 For Kathmandu- Both groups- INR 4000Single Group- INR 2200 For overseas – both groups- USD 550, and Single group- USD 325 |
| CA Final Exam Form | For Indian – Both groups- Rs 2700, Single group Rs 1500 For Kathmandu – Both groups- Rs 3400, Single Group- Rs 2200 For Overseas – both groups- $ 500, and the Single group- $ 325 |
ICAI CA Exam Pattern and Marking Scheme 2023
The syllabus and exam structure of each CA course level are designed to train students to perform taxation calculations, accounting, and as well as legal paperwork. All three exam levels have different exam patterns and marking schemes.
Below, we have mentioned the exam pattern and marking scheme of CA Foundation, Inter, and Final levels to help the student prepare accordingly.
CA Foundation Exam Pattern & Marks Scheme
CA Foundation exams have 04 subjects, and students have to clear each subject. They have to score 40% marks in each subject and an aggregate of 55% to clear the foundation level. The table below mentions the CA Foundation exam pattern:
| CA Foundation Papers | Level 1- Comprehension and knowledge | Level 2- Application |
| Paper1- Principle and Practice of Accounting | 5-20% | 80-95% |
| Paper2A- Business Law | 50-65% | 35-50% |
| Paper2b- Business Correspondence & Reporting | 100% | – |
| Paper3- Business Mathematics and Logical Reasoning & Stats | – | 100% |
| Paper4A- Business Economics | 40-50% | 50-60% |
| Paper4B- Business and Commercial Knowledge | 100% | – |
CA Foundation Marking Scheme:
| Particulars | Details |
| Total Marks | 100 |
| Time | 3 hours |
| Right Answer | +1 |
| Wrong Answer | -0.25 |
| Pass mark | 40% of each subject |
CA Intermediate Exam Pattern & Marking Scheme
CA Intermediate is divided into two groups, and each group has 04 subjects. Students have to clear both group exams of intermediate level to take the CA final exams. The CA Intermediate exam pattern for the 2023 exams is mentioned in the below table;
| CA Intermediate Papers | Level 1- Comprehension and knowledge | Level 2- Application |
| Paper1- Accounting | 5-15% | 85-95% |
| Paper2A- Company Law | 40-55% | 45-60% |
| Paper2b- Other Laws | 35-55% | 45-65% |
| Paper3- Cost management and accounting | 20-30% | 70-80% |
| Paper4A- Income-tax laws | 5-20% | 80-95% |
| Paper4B- Indirect Taxes | 20-45% | 55-80% |
| Paper5- Advanced Accounting | 5-15% | 85-95% |
| Paper6-Auditing & Assurance | 30-55% | 45-70% |
| Paper7A- Enterprise Information Systems | 40-65% | 35-60% |
| Paper7B- Strategic Management | 50-70% | 30-50% |
| Paper8A- Financial Management | 20-30% | 70-80% |
| Paper8B- Economics for Finance | 60-80% | 20-40% |
CA Inter Exams Marking Scheme:
| Particulars | Details |
| Total Marks per subject | 100 |
| Time | 3 hours |
| Question Type | Objective |
| Negative Marking | Nil |
| Time for each paper | 03 hours |
CA Final Exam Pattern & Marking Scheme
CA Final exams are the last level of CA exams in 2023. There are 02 groups of CA final exams. Each group has 04 subjects, and students have to clear each exam. The ICAI CA Final exam pattern is described in the table below:
| CA Final Paper | Comprehension & Knowledge | Analysis & Application | Evaluation & Synthesis |
| Paper1- Financial Reporting | 5-15% | 55-85% | 15-25% |
| Paper2- Strategic Financial Management | 10-20% | 20-40% | 50-60% |
| Paper3- Advanced Auditing and Professional Ethics | 15-25% | 40-70% | 20-30% |
| Paper 4-Part I- Corporate Law | 15-25% | 40-55% | 30-35% |
| Part II- Economics law | 30-50% | 50-70% | 30-35% |
| Paper5- Strategic Cost Management & Performance Evaluation | 10-15% | 45-55% | 35-40% |
| Paper7- Part I- Direct Tax Laws | 5-10% | 55-75% | 20-35% |
| Part II- International Laws | 40-50% | 50-60% | 20-35% |
| Paper8- Indirect Tax Laws- Part I- GST | 10-30% | 40-70% | 20-30% |
| Part II- Customs & FTP | 20-40% | 40-70% | 10-20% |
VSI CA Exam Test Series & their Solutions 2023 for All Levels
VSI CA exam test series and its solutions are an effective way to prepare for the exams. The VSI test series gives students a thorough grasp of the exam format, question patterns, and time management strategies. Moreover, the comprehensive solutions in the test series enable students to enhance their problem-solving abilities and achieve higher scores on the examination.
Answering practice questions is an essential component of test preparation. It assists students in assessing their topic knowledge and identifying their weaknesses. In addition to acquainting themselves with the exam format, question styles, and time management, students can get valuable experience by completing test questions.
VSI CA Foundation Exam Mock Test Series & Solutions for Dec 2023
| Subject | Question Paper | Suggested Answers |
| Principles and Practice of Accounting | Download | Download |
| Business Laws and Business corresponding and Reporting | Download | Download |
| Business Mathematics and Logical reasoning & Statistics | Download | Download |
| Business Economics and Business and Commercial Knowledge | Download | Download |
VSI CA Intermediate Mock Test Papers for Nov 2023 Exams
| Subjects | Questions | Solutions |
| Paper 1: Accounting | Download | Download |
| Paper 2: Corporate and Other Laws | Download | Download |
| Paper 3: Cost and Management Accounting | Download | Download |
| Paper 4: Taxation | Download | Download |
| Paper 5: Advanced Accounting | Download | Download |
| Paper 6: Auditing and Assurance | Download | Download |
| Paper 7: EIS & SM | Download | Download |
| Paper 8: Financial Management and Economics for Finance | Download | Download |
VSI CA Final Exam Test Series With Suggested Answers 2023
| Subjects | Questions | Solutions |
|---|---|---|
| Financial Reporting | Download | Download |
| Strategic Financial Management | Download | Download |
| Advanced Auditing and Professional Ethics | Download | Download |
| Corporate and Economic Laws | Download | Download |
| Strategic Cost Management and Performance Evaluation | Download | Download |
| Risk Management | Download | Download |
| International Taxation | Download | Download |
| Economic Laws | Download | Download |
| Global Financial Reporting Standards | Download | Download |
| Direct Tax Laws and International Taxation | Download | Download |
| Indirect Tax Laws | Download | Download | Elective Paper | Download | Download |
Admit Cards for the ICAI Examination
ICAI CA exam admit cards for all levels will be issued at the official website of ICAI fifteen days before the CA exam Nov 2023. For CA intermediate and CA final Nov 2023 exams, the admit card was released on 18 October( Expected). For the CA Foundation exams, the admit card will be released in Nov 2023.
Candidates can download the CA admit card 2023 by using login credentials from the ICAI official website.
How to Download Admit Card for CA Exams?
- Visit the ICAI website and click on the “Login” tab.
- Enter using your login credentials such as your registration number and password.
- Click on the tab indicating “Admit card”. Download the admit card for the CA exam Nov 2023 for respective CA exams.
Preparation Tips to Clear the CA Examinations on the First Attempt
- A candidate should try to complete the syllabus and aim for 03 revisions before the exam.
- They should have a positive attitude and be self-motivated to do what it takes and study day and night.
- They should prepare a timetable and stick to it. Complete the topics of the day before wrapping up the day.
- Preparing notes is the key. Prepare short notes, as they will be useful while revision.
- Take short breaks. After studying for 3-4 hours, take a break of 30-40 mins. It will help increase efficiency.
- Practice makes a man perfect. Solve previous papers and mock tests. It will help improve your answer quality and help you self-assess your performance.
CA Exams Results 2023
ICAI will release the CA foundation, intermediate, and final exam result date through official notification. The exam results date is to be announced and students can check the official website for the announcement. The date for CA foundation results is expected between August 12 to August 18, 2023. CA Intermediate results and CA Final results are expected in July 2023 second week.
How to Check the ICAI Result?
- Visit the official website www.icai.nic.in and click on the “Check result” heading and then click on your respective CA exams level.
- Enter the 6-digit roll number and registration number of PIN.
- Click on “Submit”. The result will be displayed on the screen. You can download and save it as PDF.
If you are planning to choose CA as your career, you must make yourself familiar with CA exam subjects, patterns, stages of CA exams, etc. We hope this article will help clear your doubts about CA and help you learn about CA exams 2023. CA is one of the tough exams, and it is necessary to prepare yourself beforehand you begin or even register yourself for CA exams.
FAQs Related to CA Exams
Ques 1. What is the age limit to register for the CA course?
There is no age restriction for students looking to enrol in the CA course.
Ques 2. What is the entrance exam for CA called?
The entrance exam for CA is called the CA Foundation exam.
Ques 3. What are the total marks in the CA exams?
CA Foundation is for 400 marks, CA intermediate if for 800 marks, and CA final exam is for 800 Marks. CA foundation has 04 subjects, and intermediate and final have 08 subjects. Each subject is of 100 marks.
Ques 4. How many exams are there in Chartered Accountancy?
There are total 20 exams in the Chartered Accountancy course. The CA Foundation has 04 exams, whereas the CA intermediate and Finals have 08 papers each.
Ques 5. Which exams are harder between CA and IIT?
CA and IIT both are hard and difficult levels. Both have a 15-20% passing percentage.
Ques 6. Which level of the CA examinations is the toughest to clear?
CA Final exam is the toughest stage of CA exams.
Ques 7. Can I pursue CA without Maths?
Yes, one can pursue CA without Maths as a subject in class 12th.
Ques 8. How many attempts are there for the CA exams?
The CA Foundation has 06 attempts, CA Intermediate has 08 attempts, and CA Final has 10 attempts.
Ques 9. Which board is ideal for a career in Accountancy?
Candidates must complete Class 12th exams from the central or state board. There is no specific board requirement to appear for the CA foundation after the 12th.