CA Foundation Course 2023: Registration, Syllabus, Papers (Complete Guide)

CA Foundation Course - Registration, Syllabus, Papers

CA Foundation Course is the first level of the CA Course to become a Chartered Accountant. At this level, you’ll study the principles of accounting, business laws, mathematics and economics. The exams for the CA Foundation are conducted by the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI) twice a year, i.e., in May and November.

Based on the eligibility criteria, students who appear or appeared in the class 12th can register for the CA Foundation course. After registration, you’ll have 4 months preparation period to study the syllabus. The complete ICAI CA Foundation syllabus is divided into 4 papers:

The total fee for the CA Foundation course 2023 that students have to pay is Rs. 10900. It includes the registration fee of Rs. 9200, the exam form fee of Rs. 1500, and the journal membership fee (optional) of Rs. 200.

In this complete guide for the CA Foundation course, you’ll learn about the eligibility criteria, registration, syllabus, dates, exam form, fees, paper pattern, preparation tips, admit card, results, and what to do after the CA Foundation exam.

Register Now: CA Foundation coaching


CA Foundation Course Details 2023

Students, who want to know the details about the CA Foundation Course, can refer to the table below. Here, you’ll get the eligibility criteria, exam level, duration of the exam, mode of the exam, total fees, and more.

Particular Details
Exam Name CA Foundation
Conducted by Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI)
Exam Level National Level
Eligibility Completed or Appearing in Class 12th
Preparation Period 4 Months
CA Foundation Course Subjects
  1. Principles and Practice of Accounting
  2. Business Laws and Business Correspondence and Reporting
  3. Business Mathematics and Logical Reasoning & Statistics
  4. Business Economics and Business and Commercial Knowledge
Duration of Exam 3+2 Hours
Mode of Exam Offline
CA Foundation Total Fees Rs. 10,900 or $1065 (for Foreign students)
Frequency 2 times in a year i.e. May and November
Passing Criteria Per subject – 40%
Aggregate – 50%

Students can check the complete guide on CA Foundation Course in Hindi by visiting this link. Here, all the necessary pointers are mentioned in detail in Hindi.

ICAI recently introduced a new scheme of education and training for the CA Course. Under the new scheme, ICAI has revised the CA Foundation papers, registration validity, paper pattern and passing criteria. We have covered all the details about the new CA Course curriculum. Check the article now.

    Get all the details about the CA Foundation Course


    CA Foundation Important Dates for June 2023

    The below table mentions the important CA Foundation dates for the May 2023 exams:

    Events Dates
    Last Date for May 2023 registration Jan 1, 2023
    CA Foundation Exam Form Dates Feb, 2023
    CA Foundation Exam Dates 24,26,28,30 June 2023
    Admit Card Release Date 14 days before the exam
    CA Foundation Result of May 2023 July 2023

    Students can check the detailed CA Foundation Date Sheet for May 2023 exam on this blog.


    What is the Eligibility for the CA Foundation Course?

    According to the CA Foundation eligibility, students who have cleared their class 12 examination constituted by the law or recognized by the Central Government can register for CA Foundation.

    However, due to the delay in the Class 12th Central and State Boards Results declaration, ICAI has modified the eligibility criteria and allowed provisional registration for students who have not cleared their 12th Exams.

    ICAI now allows students to preliminarily register for the CA Foundation course after passing the Class 10th examinations. It is also announced that this preliminary admission will only be modulated or regularized when the candidate will pass the Class 12th exams.

    Graduates and Post-Graduates, who want to pursue CA, can directly register for the CA Intermediate exam through the Direct Entry System. This means that they are exempted from the CA Foundation Exam.

    Read More: How to become CA after 12th Science?


    CA Foundation Registration Procedure 2023

    All the eligible students can now register for the CA Foundation. ICAI opens the registration window for the whole year but you have to register for the CA Foundation course before the deadline. The last date to register for the June 2023 exams is July 1, 2023.

    Documents Required for the CA Foundation Course Registration

    The necessary documents needed for the CA Foundation registration are:

    • 10th Class Report Card
    • 12th Admit card
    • Passport-size Photo
    • Proof of Nationality for Foreign students

    How to Register for the CA Foundation Course?

    Follow the step-by-step CA Foundation registration procedure to apply for the course:

    Step 1: Visit the ICAI portal. Tap on the Student’s Tab and go to the ‘Course Registration’ section.

    Step 2: On the registration form section, click on ‘New User’.

    Step 3: Enter the details such as name, DOB, Gender, Aadhar card number, mobile number, email-id and password.

    CA Foundation Course Registration procedure

    Step 4: Click on “Generate OTP, and then verify it. The OTP will be sent to your registered mobile number and the verification link on your email id.

    Step 5: After verification, your personal profile is created and you will receive the login credentials.

    Step 6: Now, login and select “Student Cycle”. For this, click on ‘Apply for Foundation’, fill in the necessary details and click on ‘Save and Next’.

    Step 7: Afterwards, pay the registration fees. The fees will be paid online, so you’ll need a Master/Visa/Maestro Credit/Debit/Rupay/Net Banking Card.

    Step 8: After the successful payment of the CA Foundation registration fee, you’ll get the registration form.

    You have to deposit the form within 7 days, duly signed by the candidate.

    CA Foundation Registration Validity – Once the registration is done for the Foundation course, it will be valid for three years. In addition to that, it can be revalidated any number of times for a further three years by depositing nominal fees of Rs. 300.


    CA Foundation Course Fees

    The CA Foundation Course fee for Indian students is Rs. 10,900 and for foreign students, it is $1065. However, it is not to be paid as a one-time payment.

    At the time of registration, you need to pay Rs. 9000 plus Rs. 200 for the cost of the foundation prospectus. We also recommend subscribing to the student’s journal as you’ll get the latest update from it. While filing the foundation exam form, you’ll need to pay Rs 1500.

    For foreign students, the registration fee will be $700 plus $20 for the cost of the foundation prospectus. The exam form fee for foreign students is $325.

    Check the complete CA Foundation fees structure for Indian and Foreign students in the table below:

    CA Foundation Fee Details Indian Students Foreign Students ($)
    Cost of Foundation Prospectus 200 20
    Foundation Registration Fees 9000 700
    Subscription for Students Journal
    (For one Year- Optional)
    200 20
    Foundation Examination Fee 1500 325
    Total Rs. 10,900 $1065

    The CA exam form fee for the Kathmandu centre is Rs. 2200. Once the above registration process is completed, the CA Foundation study material will be dispatched to the candidates through the Centralized Dispatch System (CDS).

    Also Check: Total CA Course fees


    CA Foundation Syllabus and Study Material 2023

    The CA Foundation course is divided into 4 subjects. The syllabus includes accounting, business law, mathematics, and economics. The CA Foundation Syllabus is released by ICAI every year for the students. Check the subjects below.

    To complete the syllabus, you have a study period of four months.

    Students can also check the complete CA Syllabus to get an idea of what they are going to study in the next few years.


    CA Foundation Exam Pattern and Papers

    To perform better in the exams, you must be aware of the CA foundation course, the paper pattern, the marking scheme, etc. The first two papers (accounting and law) are subjective, consisting of theory and practical questions while the latter two (mathematics and economics) are objective with MCQs. A negative marking of 0.25 will continue to remain in the objective papers as per the revised scheme.

    ICAI has given a detailed and revised CA Foundation Exam Pattern with marks and weightage distribution in all four subjects. You must refer to the latest Exam Pattern before starting your CA Foundation preparations.

    You can also download the CA Foundation question papers, mock test papers, and revision test papers directly from VSI. Further to know about CA exams for foundation level you can check the detailed guide


    CA Foundation Dec 2022 Papers Solutions


    CA Foundation Exam Form for May 2023

    Registration for the CA Foundation course is not enough to appear in the exams. You also have to fill out the exam form to inform ICAI that you are appearing in the exam. You can fill out the CA Foundation Exam form from the ICAI portal and pay the requisite examination fees. The examination form for the May 2023 exams is expected to be available in the month of February 2023.

    Candidates also need to attest to the CA Foundation declaration form with the exam form. The declaration form is the validation that the documents submitted and attested are original and not fake.

    Due to some unavoidable circumstances, if the registration details entered by the candidate do not match with records maintained by the ICAI, for eg, your registration number, then you can be offered to register provisionally.


    CA Foundation Admit Card

    Admit cards are required to sit in the examination hall. ICAI generally issues admit cards 14 days before the exams. Moreover, it has ceased to send admit cards physically or offline. Now you can only download CA Foundation admit card online from the ICAI website.

    Take the printout at least 10 days before the exam to avoid a last-minute hurry. The admit card can be downloaded a maximum of three times, so take 3-4 photocopies of the admit card. After downloading, in case you found any error in Center/Medium (resulting from incorrect details submitted in the application form), then you have a chance to rectify such an error.

    You can also check the details regarding CA Foundation Admit Card in Hindi on this blog.


    Correction Window for the CA Foundation

    The ICAI provides 2 correction windows for students who want to change something in their exam form. In the first window, you don’t need to pay the fees for correction. Whereas, in the second correction window, you have to pay the correction fees of Rs. 1000/- per application.

    1. Free Window Facility–  Under the first correction window, a student can change his/her Center/Medium within one week after the last date of submission of the Examination form.
    2. Correction Window Facility (with fees)– Under this window, a student can change his/her  Center/Medium with the payment of Rs. 1000/- per application. Generally, this window is open for correction up to one week before the exam. But requests made immediately before 7 days will not be entertained by the ICAI in any case.

    Also Read: CA Course Duration


    CA Foundation Results

    The result of the CA Foundation exams will be declared two months after the exams. You can check your CA Foundation Results through ICAI website/SMS/Email. You can see the steps on how to get your results on our blog. If you want to check the CA Foundation Pass Percentage then you can click on the mentioned link.

    If any student has scored more than 70% then he will receive a certificate with “Pass with Distinction” from ICAI.

    Also Check: ICAI CA Foundation Result Web Story


    How to Prepare for the CA Foundation 2023 Exams?

    CA Foundation exams are not tough but students need to prepare well in order to crack them on the first attempt. So, check these effective CA Foundation preparation tips for the exams.

    1. Prepare a study plan for yourself before starting to study and strictly follow it.
    2. Students who are weak in Maths must focus on Statistics and Logical Reasoning.
    3. While studying, make proper notes on each topic. They will help in revising the syllabus on exam days.
    4. Make a strong command over the calculator. Know the time-saving calculator tricks to get more time in the exams.
    5. Complete the entire CA Foundation course early so that you can revise at least 3 times.
    6. After completing the syllabus, solve an ample amount of mock test papers.

    You can download the CA Foundation Question Bank to make your preparations even better.


    What after CA Foundation Exams?

    After the CA Foundation course, now you have to prepare and register yourself for the next step i.e. CA Intermediate. Start your preparation by going through the CA Intermediate study materials and recommended books. Also, by solving the previous year’s question papers, MTPs and RTPs. provided by the ICAI. The candidates, who prefer Hindi, can read our blog on What to do after CA Foundation in Hindi.

    Check out our detailed article on How to become CA?


    FAQs of CA Foundation Course 2023

    Ques 1. What is the CA Foundation exam?

    Ans. The CA Foundation exam is the first level of the Chartered Accountancy course to become a CA. The exams for the CA Foundation course are usually conducted in the months of May and November.

    Ques 2. How many subjects are there in the CA Foundation Course?

    Ans. There are 4 subjects in the CA Foundation course namely, Accounts, Business Law, Business Maths, and Business Economics.

    Ques 3. What are the passing criteria for the CA Foundation examination in 2023? 

    Ans. Candidates need to get at least 40% in all four papers and a total of 50% marks i.e., 200 out of 400 marks to pass the CA Foundation 2023 exams.

    Ques 4. Is CA Foundation easy to clear?

    Ans. CA Foundation is not a hard exam as students have already studied the major portion of the exam in their 11th and 12th classes. However, they have to study hard in order to clear the papers easily.

    Ques 5. How long is the CA Foundation course?

    Ans. The duration of the CA Foundation course is 6 months. Here, the 4 months are the study period and the next 2 months are the waiting period for the CA Foundation result.

    Ques 6. What are the criteria for negative marking in the CA foundation papers?

    Ans. ¼ mark is deducted in objective papers for every wrong answer.

    Ques 7. How many times can I appear in CA Foundation Exam?

    Ans. The CA Foundation registration is valid for 3 years, so students can appear in the CA Foundation exams for a maximum of 6 attempts.

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