Professional Documents
Culture Documents
INCLUDED
SURE SHOT
GUIDE TO BECOME A
CHARTERED
ACCOUNTANT
Contents
We receive a lot of emails and queries from students all the time asking several questions about the
Chartered Accountancy (CA) Course. What is the eligibility? What are the job opportunities for CA's?
How to prepare for the exams? So on and so forth.
We decided it is time for us to put together a mini-course (so to say) where we will provide all the
above details and more!
The aim of this course is to provide you a 360 degree view of what all goes into becoming a successful
CA. No - we are not likely to discuss The Indian Contract Act or its nuances here or the Accounting
Standards and other detailed subject related topics. That is not the intent.
You can't wait, right? We're excited too! In our rst chapter, we will share a detailed illustration of the
steps involved in becoming a CA. It will answer the following questions mainly:
The contents of this e-book have been compiled by SuperProfs.com with the assistance of expert
professors and industry leaders including Sudhir Sachdeva, CA Babu Jayendran, CFA Sanjay Welkins,
Ashutosh Mani Tiwari and CMA Chander Dureja.
Chapter 1
M
ost of you already know the basics : the three broad stages in the Chartered Accountancy Course
are CPT, IPCC & Final. According to new guidelines issued by ICAI, these stages will be known as
Foundation, Intermediate & Final (Information has been declared but effective date is yet to
announce)
You clear each of these three exams as per the passing criteria and that must be it, right? That may be true
in a simpler world but this is where things get complicated!
There are multiple routes you can take to become a CA. You can choose the CPT route OR you can directly
take up the IPCC after your graduation (as long as you satisfy some criteria).
After clearing IPCC , you need to complete 3 years of practical training called Articleship at a CA rm.
Students also need to undergo various trainings (IT, GMCS) conducted by ICAI before they are recognized
as quali ed CA's.
We have summed up all these tricky details in the illustration below. That should answer most of your
questions. Take a look on next page.
So now you know about the three levels that one has to pass (or two in some cases) to become a CA. The
next question to pop up in one's mind will be - How do we pass the exam? What should we expect? Let us
move on to our next chapter to get a general idea about the the syllabus of the CA course
| 01
Chapter 2
CA COURSE SYLLABUS
The focus of this chapter is to give you a basic idea about what topics could come up during the exams at
all the three levels i.e. CPT, IPCC and Final. We have listed down the subjects as well as the topics that you
will need to study to ace your papers with ease.
FOR CA CPT
1. Theoretical Framework
2. Accounting Process
3. Bank Reconciliation Statement
4. Inventories
5. Depreciation accounting
6. Preparation of Final Accounts for Sole Proprietors
7. Accounting for Special Transactions
8. Partnership Accounts
9. Introduction to Company Accounts
| 04
Section C: General Economics
Group I
Paper 1 : Accounting
1. A General Knowledge of the framing of the accounting standards, national and international
accounting authorities, adoption of international nancial reporting standards
2. Accounting Standards
3. Company Accounts
4. Average Due Date, Account Current, Self-Balancing Ledgers
| 05
5. Financial Statements of Not-for-Pro t Organisations
6. Accounts from Incomplete Records
7. Accounting for Special Transactions
8. Issue in Partnership Accounts
9. Accounting in Computerised Environment
Note: If either old Accounting Standards (Ass), Announcements and Limited Revisions to ASs are withdrawn
or new ASs, Announcements and Limited Revisions to ASs are issued by the Institute of Chartered
Accountants of India in place of existing ASs, Announcements and Limited Revisions to ASs, the syllabus will
accordingly include/exclude such new developments in place of the existing ones with effect from the date
to be noti ed by the Institute.
Business Laws
1. The Indian Contract Act, 1872
2. The Negotiable Instruments Act, 1881
3. The Payment of Bonus Act, 1965
4. The Employees Provident Fund and Miscellaneous Provisions Act, 1952
5. The Payment of Gratuity Act, 1972.
Company Law
1. Elements of Communication
2. Communication in Business Environment
3. Basic understanding of legal deeds and documents
| 06
6. Introduction to Standard Costing
7. Budgets and Budgetary Control
Paper 4 : Taxation
Part I: Income-Tax
Note: If new legislations are enacted in place of the existing legislations the syllabus will accordingly
include the corresponding provisions of such new legislations in place of the existing legislations with
effect from the date to be noti ed by the Institute. Students shall not be examined with reference to any
particular State VAT Law.
| 07
Group II
Note: If either old Accounting Standards (Ass), Announcements and Limited Revisions to ASs are withdrawn
or new ASs, Announcements and Limited Revisions to ASs are issued by the Institute of Chartered
Accountants of India in place of existing ASs, Announcements and Limited Revisions to ASs, the syllabus will
accordingly include/exclude such new developments in place of the existing ones with effect from the date
to be noti ed by the Institute.
1. Auditing Concepts
2. Standards on Auditing and Guidance Notes
3. Auditing engagement
4. Documentation
5. Audit evidence
6. Internal Control
7. Internal Control and Computerized Environment, Approaches to Auditing in Computerised
Environment.
8. Audit Sampling
9. Analytical review procedures.
10. Audit of payments
11. Audit of receipts
12. Audit of Purchases
13. Audit of Sales
14. Audit of suppliers ledger and the debtors ledger
15. Audit of impersonal ledger
16. Audit of assets and liabilities
17. Company Audit
18. Audit Report
19. Special points in audit of different types of undertakings
20. Features and basic principles of government audit, Local bodies and not-for pro t
organizations, Comptroller and Auditor General and its constitutional role.
| 08
1. Business Process Management & IT
2. Information Systems and IT Fundamentals
3. Telecommunication and Networks
4. Business Information Systems
5. Business process automation through Application software
1. Business Environment
2. Business Policy and Strategic Management
3. Strategic Analyses
4. Strategic Planning
5. Formulation of Functional Strategy
6. Strategy Implementation and Control
7. Reaching Strategic Edge
Important Announcement
Attention: Intermediate (IPC) and Final Course students- May 2016 examinations and onwards
Subject: Revision of the syllabus for May 2016 examinations and onwards pursuant to enactment of the
Companies Act, 2013.
Final Course
Paper 3: Advanced Auditing and Professional Ethics (Group I)
Paper 4: Corporate and Allied Laws (Group I)
| 09
FOR CA FINAL
Group I
Note: If either old Accounting Standards (Ass), Accounting Standards Interpretations (ASIs), Guidance
Notes (GNs), Announcements and Limited Revisions to ASs are withdrawn or new ASs, GNs, Announcements
and Limited Revisions to AS are issued by the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India in place of existing
ASs, ASIs, GNs, Announcements and Limited Revisions to AS, the syllabus will accordingly include/exclude
such new developments in the place of the existing ones with effect from the date to be noti ed by the
Institute.
Recommended Books
| 10
11. (a) Foreign Direct Investment, Foreign Institutional Investment.
(b) International Financial Management
12. Foreign Exchange Exposure and Risk Management
13. Mergers, Acquisitions and Restructuring
Group II
1. Cost Management
2. Cost Volume Pro t Analysis
3. Pricing Decisions
| 11
4. Budgets and Budgetary Control
5. Standard Costing and Variance Analysis
6. Transfer pricing
7. Cost Management in Service Sector
8. Uniform Costing and Inter rm comparison
9. Pro tability analysis - Product wise / segment wise / customer wise
10. Financial Decision Modeling
Note: If new legislations are enacted in place of the existing legislations relating to income tax and wealth
tax, the syllabus will accordingly include such new legislations in the place of the existing legislations with
effect from the date to be noti ed by the Institute.
Note: If new legislations are enacted in place of the existing legislations relating to central excise, customs
and service tax, the syllabus will accordingly include such new legislations in place of the existing
legislations with effect from the date to be noti ed by the Institute.
Important Announcement
Attention: Intermediate (IPC) and Final Course students- May 2015 examinations and onwards
Subject: Revision of the syllabus for May 2015 examinations and onwards pursuant to enactment of the
Companies Act, 2013.
| 12
As students may be aware, the Companies Act, 2013 has been noti ed in the Of cial Gazette on 30th
August, 2013 stating that different dates may be appointed for enforcement of different provisions of this
Act through noti cation of the Central Government in this regard. Having regard to the above
development, the Council at its 333th meeting, revised the syllabus in a comprehensive manner in the
following papers of Intermediate (IPC) and Final Course(s):
Final Course
Paper 3: Advanced Auditing and Professional Ethics (Group I)
Paper 4: Corporate and Allied Laws (Group I)
We hope this article has given you an idea about what to study and what to expect in your papers. Let us
now move on to the next chapter and see what lies ahead for CA students with regards to their careers.
| 13
Chapter 3
All of you know that Chartered Accountancy (CA) is one of the toughest courses to crack in India! But the
good part is that it presents a world of opportunities to those who persist and succeed in becoming a CA.
Popular recruiters for CA's in the industry include Ernst & Young, ICICI Bank, PricewaterhouseCoopers,
Deloitte among several other big names. In 2013, CAs were offered an average salary of about Rs. 7.36 lakhs
a year, with the highest pay totalling around Rs. 70 lakhs to candidates recruited by Singapore-based Olam
International. CA certi ed employees with 10 to 20 years of work experience can earn anywhere from 16 to
24 lakhs per annum, depending on the type of organization and sector.
Naina Lal Kidwai (group general manager and country head of HSBC India), Kumar Mangalam Birla
(chairman of the Aditya Birla Group), Deepak Parekh (chairman of Housing Development Finance
Corporation) and Motilal Oswal (chairman of Motilal Oswal Financial Services) are some of the well-known
chartered accountants in our country. Your name could be next on this list!
Upon completion of your CA course, you will enter a professional world where there are plenty of career
options for you to choose from. By now you are hopefully pumped up and you want to ace your CA exams!
That shouldn't be so hard, right? The truth is it is not very hard at all.
All you need is discipline and dedication. You need to adhere to tips and tricks shared by experts and
previous year toppers to take you over the wall.
To make it simple for you, we have compiled some of the most relevant and useful tips and tricks you need
to follow while preparing for your CA exams. Go ahead and read the next chapter to know more!
| 14
Chapter 4
Chartered Accountancy Course, as we all know, is a professional course offered by The Institute of
Chartered Accountants of India. This course contains both practical and theoretical base knowledge.
There are three stages in the Chartered Accountancy Course - CA CPT, CA IPCC and CA Final. Scroll down to
see some tips and tricks that will help you crack these exams with ease!
CPT exam is the rst step in the whole process. One needs to keep their head down and keep studying.
Following tips and tricks below (shared by experts and previous toppers) will de nitely help in tackling the
CPT!
Begin with the law paper rst since it takes most time in the exam
There is negative marking so only attempt those questions that you are con dent about
Read the question carefully and focus on words like none of these and all of above
Attempt the easy questions rst
Allot time at the end to check for errors
IPCC is the second stage of the course and the exam consists of two groups. Follow the below mentioned
tips and tricks wholeheartedly and see how easy it is to crack CA IPCC exam.
| 15
Create a study schedule and ensure that you follow it thoroughly .
Read through the theory part of the subjects early in the day. Since your mind is fresh, you will
be able to grasp the content faster.
Dedicate 15 to 16 hours of your day during leave period (from articleship/college/coaching)
towards studies .
Buy a set of solved IPCC scanners and go through them.
Take a number of short breaks while you are studying. Do not strain your mind too much.
Go through the Practice Manual. Recent CA IPCC toppers have recommended students to go
through the practice manuals for scoring top marks.
Make it a practice to revise subjects daily. Since the portions are vast, daily revisions will help
you remember what you've learnt.
Section and its provision, in law papers, should be noted down correctly.
Under taxation, go through Amendments made in Finance Act 2015.
Read every concept in income tax paper and allocate time accordingly.
Try and complete one Accounting Standard everyday. Do not try and learn them all in one day.
Read the theory portion in Auditing well. Recently, the Institute had been putting much focus on
the theory aspects.
Capital budgeting and cost of capital are important chapters in Financial Management.
CA Final exam, the last exam in the course, consists of 8 subjects which are divided into 2 groups. Read
below to see some of the best tips that will help in passing this exam with a smile on one's face.
Set up a schedule for studying such that you have enough time to study for each of the exams.
Study groups are a good idea. Each member can be assigned to conduct tests on each portion.
Start your studies as early as possible. Last minute studies will not suf ce.
Solve all problems in practice manual.
Prepare by way of 'notes' which will allow you to easily recall at the time of the exam
Subject related tips:-
Learn to manage your time well. Hard work and dedication are essence. Remember one thing, clearing CA
at one go should be your ultimate aim and for that you should start working from now.
The above tips and tricks should help you in clearing the level of CA exam you are preparing for.
Meanwhile, another very important aspect of the CA course is the compulsory practical training -
Articleship. Let's nd out more about it in the next chapter.
| 16
Chapter 5
CA aspirants are required to complete at least 3 years of articleship training at a CA rm before they
become certi ed Chartered Accountants. Articleship at any rm is a full time job - it is rigorous , involves
travelling and requires a steep learning curve.
Students also need to prepare for their exams, simultaneously. This means, attending coaching classes
early in the morning or late in the evening, commuting back and forth from work to home, sleepless nights
and hectic days. A lot of students are not able to cope with this daunting schedule and try to resort to
means by which they can bypass the practical training. Are you one of them, perhaps?
If so - banish that thought immediately! One must remember that articleship training is one of the most
important experiences in any CA student's life. Students learn a lot during the articleship training. It
bridges the gap between theoretical knowledge that is imparted to them through coursework and
practices that are actually followed in the industry.
The trick to juggling Articleship and preparation for CA exams is - Time Management! A lot of students
these days are embracing distance education / online education options for their college courses and/or
coaching classes too. These methods help students in utilizing their time optimally and provides a lot of
exibility to their daily schedule.
Now that we have established how vital Articleship Training is - let us move on to the next important bit.
How to apply for articleship? Read on the next chapter and nd out for yourself.
| 17
Chapter 6
As we all know articleship training is an integral part of the Chartered Accountancy course. CA aspirants
are required to complete at least 3 years of articleship training at a CA rm before they become certi ed
Chartered Accountants. Articleship at any rm is a full time job.
The Big Four (KPMG, Deloitte, PwC and EY) are the four biggest professional services networks offering
audit, tax, assurance, and other legal services. Most students prefer to complete their articleship in the big
four since they handle the majority of audits for companies. The big four usually prefer students who not
only have got good marks but have also cleared the groups in their rst attempt. Most times, the big four
put out the application for articleship on the ICAI of ce notice board.
The ICAI has introduced the ICAI BoS Articleship Placement Portal - http://bosapp.icai.org/ for selection
of Articled Assistants by CA Firms. You can also look for articleship opportunities on the notice board of
ICAI regional of ces and branch of ces. Another means to apply for articleship either in the big four or any
other organization is through application via email.
You can also get information about openings for articleship training from contacts and business friends.
Some CA rms advertise job prospects in newspapers. Hence, CA aspirants are advised to read the
newspaper regularly. You can even directly deposit your form in the of ces you wish to work for and wait
for the company to respond. Nowadays an increasing number of companies are advertising vacancies for
articleship on online job portals such as timesjobs.com and naukri.com. Top CA Firms
(http://www.topca rms.com/) is one such portal where CA aspirants like you can look up vacancies for
article training.
Articleship during the course of chartered accountancy forms the backbone of your career. These three
years of articleship comes with its share of hard work and problems. Time management is the key that will
help you overcome this hurdle and succeed in your journey of becoming a CA.
Now that we have a thorough understanding about articleship let us move on to understanding how to
choose the right coaching. Our next chapter revolves around that subject.
| 18
Chapter 7
Your life as a CA student is very demanding - irrespective of which level of CA exam you are preparing for.
You need to take your time and chalk out your study plan well in advance and stick to it. Do not be in a hurry
especially when it comes to what type of coaching you are going to choose.
Self Study is always an option. But coaching classes will help you in identifying the important parts of the
syllabus and focusing on them. However, never join just ANY coaching class because your friends are going
there. If you've decided on getting coaching, do not compromise on the quality of teachers. Be determined
to study from the best!
In these days of advanced technology, online coaching is becoming very popular very fast. And there is
good reason for it too:
1. Students can access videos anywhere, anytime as per their convenience.
2. They have access to up-to-date information and can learn from experts in that eld.
3. Students can ask questions and interact with teachers and peers without any hesitation.
4. Lessons can be paused any time and students can view these videos by experts in parts.
5. There is no restriction on the number of times a CA student can watch a video.
You can always mix and match! You can study some subjects on your own where you're con dent. If there is
a faculty or two in your neighborhood you can take up their classes. And for the remaining subjects you can
enroll into online classes by expert faculty from any part of the country.
There you go - in the last 7 chapters we have packed as much information as we could so that you can now
make an informed decision.
We wish you all the very best and we will be there to support you
through every step of your CA journey.
| 19
Bengaluru-based SuperProfs.com is an online platform that connects students preparing for various
competitive exams with the best professors in the eld. We aim to provide hassle free access to quality
training for students across all cities, at their convenience. SuperProfs.com has partnered with
professors from Delhi, Bangalore, Hyderabad and Mumbai for various competitive exams including CA,
CS, CMA, GATE, IIT-JEE and many more.
Why SuperProfs.com?
Attend online classes of Play, Pause, Rewind - as Carry your classes with
best professors for your many times as you want, you - Watch from your
exam from across India till you get it right! computer, tablet, or
Ask all your doubts Get unlimited access to Pay only when you want
without hesitation and all courses for a low to study - easy monthly
get expert one on one monthly fee payments*
guidance
Join our exclusive Facebook group for CA/CS/CMA students : Commerce Gyan
https://www.facebook.com/groups/SuperProfsCommerceGyan/
| 21