CA final syllabus and the full CA course route

Where Final sits in the three level CA course

You enter through the Foundation, or skip it through direct entry as a graduate who meets ICAI's marks conditions. The CA foundation syllabus has four papers, and the CA intermediate syllabus has six papers in two groups. After clearing Intermediate you begin two years of articleship, then appear in Final once training and the required courses are done.

CA final syllabus and new scheme papers

Two subjects from the old Final, corporate and economic laws and strategic cost management, no longer appear as written papers here. They moved to the self paced online modules, as Set A and Set B, which you clear separately.

Group I papers in depth

• Financial Reporting: the Indian Accounting Standards framework, first time adoption, presentation of financial statements, revenue, leases, financial instruments, business combinations, consolidated and separate statements of groups, and corporate reporting issues.
• Advanced Financial Management: financial policy and strategy, risk management, security analysis and valuation, portfolio theory, mutual funds, derivatives, foreign exchange exposure, international finance, startup finance and corporate restructuring, including mergers.
• Advanced Auditing, Assurance and Professional Ethics: Standards on Auditing applied to real engagements, quality management, audit of groups, special audits such as bank audits, due diligence and investigations, reporting, and the Code of Ethics with professional misconduct under the Chartered Accountants Act.

Group II papers in depth

• Paper 4, direct and international tax: computing income and tax of different persons with tax planning, assessment, appeals and penalties, then transfer pricing, double taxation relief, tax treaties, non resident taxation and the base erosion measures.
• Indirect Tax Laws: GST in full, from supply, charge and valuation to input tax credit, registration, returns, refunds, assessment, demands and appeals, followed by customs law and the foreign trade policy.
• Integrated Business Solutions: a multidisciplinary case study paper that draws on the other Final subjects along with strategic management. ICAI has described it as open book and case based, meaning you analyse a business situation across accounts, finance, audit, tax and strategy rather than answering subject wise.

CA final exam pattern and pass rules

Papers carry 100 marks each. Questions are largely case based, and ICAI has added objective questions to the assessment of several papers, with no negative marking announced for them. The split between objective and written parts can differ by paper, so confirm it from the Board of Studies pattern for your attempt.

• Passing a group means scoring 40 or more on every paper in it, with a combined 150 of the possible 300.
• You may write one group in an attempt or both together.
• A score of 60 or more in a paper of a failed group can earn an exemption in that paper under ICAI's rules.

ICAI has announced that Final will be held more often than the earlier twice a year pattern. The months available to you are listed in the institute's exam calendar.

Before you can sit CA Final

Eligibility is not only about passing Intermediate. ICAI expects you to have cleared both Intermediate groups, completed the practical training it prescribes, completed the Advanced Integrated Course on Information Technology and Soft Skills, and passed the self paced online module sets that apply to you. Cut off dates for training completion are notified for each attempt.

Planning study time for the two groups

Most students give Final about eight to twelve months after training, with many writing both groups in one go. One way to divide the work:

1. Start Financial Reporting and AFM first; both need repeated problem practice and longer gestation.
2. Run audit as a daily reading subject, linking each Standard on Auditing to a case you saw in articleship.
3. Take up direct and indirect tax once the applicable amendments for your attempt are announced.
4. Practise IBS last, writing full case answers under four hours with the permitted material open beside you, so you learn to find things quickly rather than read.

Study material and where to verify

Every paper rests on the institute's own study modules, supported by ICAI's revision test papers, mock test papers and suggested answers from past attempts. For tax, use the bare acts and notifications covered by the cut off date. All of this, along with announcements on pattern and eligibility, is on the institute's website.

If you are deciding between professional courses, compare this route with the ACCA syllabus, and see the CA foundation eligibility page for entry rules. Other commerce and admission routes are collected under entrance exams.