How to Pursue CA After Graduation

Why Pursue CA?

Considered as one of the toughest courses in the world, a Chartered Accountancy (CA) program equips an individual with the necessary know-how of accountancy concepts, theories and standards. On the successful completion of the course, an individual is authorised to be entitled to the designation of a Chartered Accountant (CA). For CA course in India, the regulating authority is the ICAI or the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India. In this blog, we will discuss the process to pursue CA after graduation detailing its various levels whether through CPT or direct scheme, eligibility, duration and fee-related specifications.

CA After Graduation Highlights 2021

CA After Graduation 2021

Here is what you need to know about CA after graduation:

The percentage required for CA after graduation is as follows:

• A minimum of 55% for commerce graduates or postgraduates
• A minimum of 60% for Arts/Humanities/Science graduates or postgraduates

The minimum duration to pursue CA after graduation is 3 years as you can directly take IPCC exams after 9 months from registering yourself after which you also need to complete 2.5-3 Years of Articleship to become a Chartered Accountant.

You can pursue CA after graduation by getting the CPT exemption if you have the specified percentage of marks required to get exempted from the CPT exam and then you can directly begin your articleship and further take the IPCC exams.

CA After Graduation 2021

To get admission into CA after graduation 2021, graduates or postgraduate students in the Commerce stream require a minimum of 55% while graduates or postgraduate students from non-commerce stream need a minimum of 60% to be eligible to directly apply for CA Intermediate.

CA After 10th 2021

The ICAI has also allowed provisional registration for students wanting to pursue CA after 10th. The new provisions by ICA allow 10th passouts to provisionally apply for CA Foundation after 10th exams. This provisional registration will get regularized once they clear 12th exams.

Eligibility

Following are the eligibility requirements you need to fulfil in order to apply for CA after graduation or completing XIIth grade:

• Students must have secured at least 55% marks in their graduation/post-graduation if from a Commerce-related field. Those wanting to study CA after graduation need to have studied at least three commerce-related subjects such as Accounting, Auditing, Economics, Corporate Laws, Taxation, Costing amongst others. 
• On the other hand, if your graduation/post-graduation is from a non-commerce background, the minimum marks can climb up to 60%.
• You need to clear the Company Secretary (CS) intermediate exams conducted by the Institute of Company Secretaries of India or the (CWA) intermediate exams conducted by the Institute of Cost Accountants of India.

CA Course After Graduation Fees

The fees for pursuing CA after graduation hovers around 19000-27000 INR. This includes registration fees, article registration fees, orientation course fees and information technology fees. Visit the official ICAI website for more details.

How to Become a CA?

There are two popular ways through which students can aim to obtain a CA qualification. You can pursue this qualification either after completing 12th or attaining a bachelor’s degree. For those wanting to pursue CA after 12th, the CPT route, i.e. the erstwhile CA Foundation can be taken. On the other hand, for those wanting to CA after graduation, the direct entry scheme allows them to have the CPT exemption by attaining specific percentage in their graduate degree.

Here’s how you can pursue CA after 12th and CA After Graduation:

Through CPT Route: Completing Class XIIth

Standard 12th appearing/pass out students who are looking to undertake the CA course have to sit for the Common Proficiency Test (CPT) which has been renamed as CA Foundation. After successfully clearing it, the candidate needs to appear for both groups of the CA IPCC exam and then ultimately for the CA final exam. Along with this, they will have to complete 9 months of practical training called articleship as well. Take a look at the following table for the dates and deadlines for CA Foundation 2021:

Note: Due to COVID-19 outbreak, the exam has been postponed. We will update the dates when the official notification is released.

Don’t Forget to Go Through the CA Final Syllabus!

CA Direct Entry Scheme 2021: After Graduation

A student can signup for a course to pursue CA after graduation as well and can appear for the CPT, i.e. erstwhile CA Foundation exam. This is one of the major reasons why graduate students look for the answers to How to Become a Chartered Accountant. Candidates with a specific percentage in graduation can directly apply for articleship and IPCC Exams. Further, the Direct Entry scheme for CA exempts students from the CPT exam and you can directly appear for the CA Intermediate level exam.

The steps constituting the Direct Entry Scheme of the CA course are mentioned below:

1. Enrol for IPCC both groups
2. 100 hours of Information Technology Training
3. Orientation Course
4. Complete 9 months of mandatory Practical Training (Articleship)
5. Appearing for both groups of the IPCC exam
6. CA Final exam
7. Awarding of the CA designation

Also Read: BAF Course

Duration

The duration for the two routes of the CA certification varies, i.e.

• For a student wanting to pursue the CA course after class XIIth, they are required to take the CPT route which spans across a minimum of 4.5 years.
• For a candidate aiming to become CA after graduation, the Direct Entry route will encompass a minimum of 3 years.

Further, when it comes to the maximum duration, there is no specified time period as the number of attempts as well as age limit has been removed by the ICAI.

CA Course Syllabus After Graduation

There are three levels of the exams for the CA course which you need to qualify in order to attain this sought-after designation. Let’s take a look at these three exam levels and what they entail:

1. Common Proficiency Test (CPT): The CPT or CA Foundation is a preliminary accounting exam. It carries 200 marks and tests an individual on the Fundamentals of Accounting, Mercantile Laws, General Economics and Quantitative Aptitude and other important topics that are a part of the CA Foundation Syllabus. 
   
2. Integrated Professional Competence (IPCC): Advanced Accounting concepts are specifically dealt with during the two-group IPCC exams. The vast syllabus of IPCC encompasses Business Ethics and Communication, Costing, Taxation, Advanced Accounting, Auditing, Insurance, Information Technology, Strategic Management etc. Students in their final year graduation are also allowed to appear for this exam.
   
3. CA Final: The final stage of the CA course is the most difficult one to crack. It tests highly complex and advanced topics like Financial Reporting, Professional Ethics, Strategic Finance, Advanced Management, Accountancy, etc. Passing this level paves the way for you to head closer to acquiring the CA certification.

Also Read: Career in Commerce

CA After Graduation: Career Prospects

There are a variety of options available for a career in commerce stream. As the CA course structure and curriculum is highly rigorous and incorporates practical training and information technology training, it is highly regarded by companies and recruiters. Further, CAs can also choose to combine their knowledge with other qualifications like MBA, CFA, FRM Exam, etc. Some of the common career options for CA after graduation have been outlined below.

• Internal Auditor
• Cost Accountant
• Tax Specialist
• Investment Banker
• Asset Manager
• Finance Manager
• Consultant
• Tax Auditor
• Research

FAQs

We hope that this blog provided you with insightful analysis of the CA course and the process of pursuing the CA after graduation. If you are uncertain about where you should pursue a CA course from or looking forward to studying other accountant courses, then AI-enabled algorithm at Leverage Edu can help you select an ideal program that can guide you in tackling the challenging path of a CA.

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