ICAI CA Exam Pattern 2024: Paper-wise Marking Scheme, Pattern for CA Foundation, Intermediate, Final exam

Q: How many CA exam levels are there for students appear for the exam ?

There are 3 CA exam levels including CA Foundation, CA Intermediate and CA Final.

Q: When was CA foundation exam conducted

CA foundation exam 2023 was conducted from June 24, 26, 28 and 30, 2023.

ICAI CA exam pattern is prescribed by the ICAI. Candidates are advised to check the exam pattern before beginning their preparation as it will help them to have an idea of which topic carries the highest marks.

Lakshima SareenUpdated on : Jan 29 2024 11:54 IST

ICAI CA Exam Pattern 2024

ICAI CA Exam Pattern 2024: The Institute of Chartered Accountants of India lays out the CA exam pattern for students who are willing to appear for the accountancy exam. The ICAI CA exam is conducted twice a year. The exam pattern helps in training the candidate in accounting and taxation. Candidates can check the exam pattern from the official website of the ICAI.

Candidates must know that the CA exam is divided into three levels: Foundation, Intermediate, and Final. Candidates are required to qualify for all the levels in order to gain certification. The ICAI CA exam pattern is different for all three levels of the CA courses, and candidates are required to be well-versed in it. Similarly, the ICAI CA syllabus for all three levels is different.

The CA exams are for those candidates who are willing to become Chartered Accountants. Since the exam is conducted in two sessions, the first session takes place in May, and the second session takes place in the month of December.

As per the latest notification by ICAI, the final paper 6 i.e., Integrated Business Solutions will be an open book and case study based exam, under the New Scheme of Education and Training. 40% of the paper will carry MCQs, while 60% of the paper will consist of descriptive questions (case study). The paper will be of the duration of four hours. There will be five case studies of 25 marks each. Candidates will have to attempt any four out of them.

ICAI CA Exam Pattern 2024

Candidates who belong to the English medium school are provided with the English syllabus, whereas candidates who have studied in the Hindi medium get CA question papers in a bilingual language. Candidates may use Hindi to answer the questions on the Accounting, Taxation, and Advanced Accounting exam papers.

Candidates must know that there are four papers in the CA foundation exam. While papers 1 and 2 are subjective types, papers 3 and 4 are objective types. The total mark for the CA exam is 400 where each paper is for 100 marks.

ICAI CA Foundation Exam Pattern 2024

The CA Foundation is the initial level of the Chartered Accountancy programme. Candidates who appear for the CA examination after completing their class 12th appear for the CA Foundation exam. Further, candidates also have to qualify for the examination. The CA

The Foundation exam has been further divided into four parts, and candidates have to separately clear all four exams. Candidates must know that the minimum score required to qualify for the CA Foundation exam is 40 per cent marks in each paper, whereas candidates have to score 55 per cent overall across all four papers.

Take a look below at the marking scheme of skill assessment -CA Foundation course below :

ICAI CA Foundation Papers		Level I: Comprehension & Knowledge
1	Principles and Practice of Accounting	5%-20%
2A	Business Laws	50%-65%
2B	Business Correspondence and Reporting	100%
3	Business Mathematics and Logical Reasoning & Statistics	-
4I	Business Economics	40%-50%
4II	Business and Commercial Knowledge	100%

ICAI CA Foundation Papers		Level II: Application
1	Principles and Practice of Accounting	80%-95%
2A	Business Laws	35%-50%
2B	Business Correspondence and Reporting	-
3	Business Mathematics and Logical Reasoning & Statistics	100%
4I	Business Economics	50%-60%
4II	Business and Commercial Knowledge	-

Exam Pattern of CA Intermediate Exam

The second level of the CA exam is the CA Intermediate level. Those candidates who begin their course after completing their graduation are required to appear for the CA Intermediate Exam. Additionally, the CA Intermediate level of the test consists of two groups—Group I and Group II—as well as two courses—New Scheme and Old Scheme.

Take a look at the given below table which describes the marking scheme of the ICAI CA Intermediate Exam:

ICAI CA Intermediate Papers		Level I Comprehension & Knowledge
1	Accounting	5%-15%
2	Part I: Company Law	40%-55%
2	Part II: Other Laws	35%-55%
3	Cost and Management Accounting	20%-30%
4A	Income-tax law	5%-20%
4B	Indirect Taxes	20%-45%
5	Advanced Accounting	5%-15%
6	Auditing and Assurance	30%-55%
7A	Enterprise Information Systems	40%-65%
7B	Strategic Management	50%-70%
8A	Financial Management	20%-30%
8B	Economics for Finance	60%-80%

ICAI CA Intermediate Papers		Level II Analysis & Application
1	Accounting	85%-95%
2	Part I: Company Law	45%-60%
2	Part II: Other Laws	45%-65%
3	Cost and Management Accounting	70%-80%
4A	Income-tax law	80%-95%
4B	Indirect Taxes	55%-80%
5	Advanced Accounting	85%-95%
6	Auditing and Assurance	45%-70%
7A	Enterprise Information Systems	35%-60%
7B	Strategic Management	30%-50%
8A	Financial Management	70%-80%
8B	Economics for Finance	20%-40%

Exam Pattern of CA Final Exam

The final level of the examination is the CA Final level. Once the candidate has qualified for the CA Final level, then he or she is completely eligible to get certified by the ICAI to practice Chartered Accountancy professionally. Further, this level also consists of two schemes – New Scheme and Old Scheme and two groups – Group I and Group II. Take a look below at the marking scheme of the ICAI CA Final exam:

ICAI CA Final Papers		Level I Comprehension & Knowledge
1	Financial Reporting	5%-15%
2	Strategic Financial Management	10%-20%
3	Advanced Auditing and Professional Ethics	15%-25%
4	Corporate & Economic Laws Part I: Corporate Law	15%-25%
4	Part II: Economic Laws	30%-50%
5	Strategic Cost Management and Performance Evaluation	10%-15%
6	Direct Tax Laws & International Taxation Part I: Direct Tax Laws	5%-10%
6	Part II: International Taxation	40%-50%
7	Indirect Tax Laws Part I: Goods and Services Tax	10%-30%
7	Part II: Customs & FTP	20%-40%

ICAI CA Final Papers		Level II Analysis & Application
1	Financial Reporting	55%-85%
2	Strategic Financial Management	20%-40%
3	Advanced Auditing and Professional Ethics	40%-70%
4	Corporate & Economic Laws Part I: Corporate Law	40%-55%
4	Part II: Economic Laws	50%-70%
5	Strategic Cost Management and Performance Evaluation	45%-55%
6	Direct Tax Laws & International Taxation Part I: Direct Tax Laws	55%-75%
6	Part II: International Taxation	50%-60%
7	Indirect Tax Laws Part I: Goods and Services Tax	40%-70%
7	Part II: Customs & FTP	40%-70%

ICAI CA Final Papers		Level III Evaluation & Synthesis
1	Financial Reporting	15%-25%
2	Strategic Financial Management	50%-60%
3	Advanced Auditing and Professional Ethics	20%-30%
4	Corporate & Economic Laws Part I: Corporate Law	30%-35%
4	Part II: Economic Laws	30%-35%
5	Strategic Cost Management and Performance Evaluation	35%-40%
6	Direct Tax Laws & International Taxation Part I: Direct Tax Laws	20%-35%
6	Part II: International Taxation	20%-35%
7	Indirect Tax Laws Part I: Goods and Services Tax	20%-30%
7	Part II: Customs & FTP	10%-20%

Minimum Qualifying Marks for CA Intermediate

The passing marks for CA Intermediate have been prescribed by ICAI. To pass the CA Inter exam, candidates must achieve at least a 40% on each paper and 50% overall in each group (minimum 200 marks in each group).

Candidates who will not be able to secure the minimum marks prescribed by the exam conducting body will not be eligible to claim the certificate.

CA Syllabus 2024

The CA syllabus 2024 consists of topics related to taxation, auditing and business law. Candidates must know that the CA exam has been divided into three levels - CA Foundation, CA Intermediate, and CA Final. The syllabus for the accountancy exam has been released on the official website, and candidates can download the syllabus in pdf format.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

In which mode will the CA exam be conducted this year?

Earlier, the CA exams were conducted in offline mode. However, from this year the exam will be conducted in online mode, i.e. computer-based test mode. Candidates appearing for the examination have to punch in their answers on the computer scree

How many times does the CA exam take place in a year?

The CA exam takes place twice a year. The first phase of the exam is conducted in May, whereas the second phase is conducted in November.

Which body prescribes the CA exam pattern?

The Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI) prescribes the exam pattern of CA course levels. The agency is also responsible for conducting the CA courses and certification in India.

What difficulty level can a candidate expect for CA foundation papers?

Given that Foundation is the first level of the Chartered Accountancy course, the difficulty level of CA Foundation papers is often easy to moderate in comparison to the Intermediate and Final levels.

What difficulty level can a candidate expect for CA Intermediate exams?

The CA Intermediate exams are very difficult. As a result of the extensive syllabus and numerous subjects, it is regarded as one of the most difficult exams. The CA Intermediate exam has a low pass rate.

How many CA exam levels are there for students appear for the exam ?

There are 3 CA exam levels including CA Foundation, CA Intermediate and CA Final.

What is CA exam eligibility ?

The basic CA exam eligibility is that the candidates must have been above 18 years and passed 10+2 exams with an aggregate of 65% in Accounts/Maths and English. Also, candidates should have qualified for other subjects with 50%.