• Candidates can register for Intermediate level of CA Course through two routes, namely: After qualifying Foundation Course, or
• Through Direct Entry, if candidates are Graduates/Post Graduates with prescribed percentage of marks or have qualified the Intermediate Level examination of The Institute of Cost Accountants of India/ The Institute of Company Secretaries of India.
The ICAI allows the following candidates to enter directly to its Intermediate Course
Commerce Graduates/Post-Graduates (with minimum 55% marks) or Other Graduates/ Post Graduates (with minimum 60% marks) and Intermediate level passed candidates of The Institute of Company Secretaries of India and The Institute of Cost Accountants of India.
• Candidates who are Graduates/ Post Graduates in Commerce having secured in aggregate a minimum of 55% of the total marks or
• its equivalent grade in the examination conducted by any recognized University (including Open University) by studying any three papers carrying a minimum of 50 marks in a semester/year and cumulatively 100 or more marks over the entire duration of the concerned course out of Accounting, Auditing, Mercantile Laws, Corporate Laws, Economics, Management (including Financial Management), Taxation (including Direct Tax Laws and Indirect Tax Laws), Costing, Business Administration or Management Accounting or
• similar to the title of these papers with different nomenclatures or other than those falling under Commerce stream having secured in aggregate a minimum of 60% of the total marks or its equivalent grade in the examination conducted by any recognized University (including Open University) or
• Candidates who have passed the Intermediate level examination conducted by The Institute of Cost Accountants of India or by The Institute of Company Secretaries of India are exempted from qualifying Foundation and can register directly to Intermediate Course.
Candidates who are pursuing the Final Year Graduation/Post Graduation Course shall be eligible for provisional registration to the Intermediate Course which shall be confirmed only on submission of satisfactory proof of having passed the Graduation/Post Graduation examination with the minimum marks as mentioned above, before making the application for admission to Intermediate Examination.
And if the candidate fails to secure minimum marks as mentioned above before making the application for admission to Intermediate Examination, his provisional registration shall be cancelled, no credit shall be given for the theoretical education undergone and the Council may on receipt of an application from a candidate who is unable to produce the satisfactory proof referred to in this regulation, permit refund of such amount of registration and tuition fee, as may be decided by it from time to time.
Existing Students of Common Proficiency Course/Foundation Course on being eligible to join Intermediate Course through Direct Entry Route can any time register for Intermediate Course through Direct route by paying the Intermediate Registration fees only. Existing Students of Intermediate Course through CPT/ Foundation Course on being eligible to join Intermediate Course through Direct Entry Route will apply for conversion to Intermediate through Direct Entry Route.
ICAI has a centralised Self Service Portal to manage the process of registration. All administrative interactions throughout the life cycle of students covering Intermediate and Final courses are done through this portal and there is no need for personal visit or submission of physical documents. Students need to submit self-attested documents online by visiting https://www.icai.org/post/students-services. Direct Entry students may also register by filling Online Registration Form given on the Page. On completion of the registration process, the study material can be ordered by the students through Centralized Distribution System (CDS) Portal, i.e. icai-cds.org.
Registration Fee – 15,000
Students' Activities Fee – 2,000
Registration fee as articled assistant – 1,000
Total fee – 18,000
A student may appear in both the groups simultaneously or in one group in one examination and in the remaining group in any subsequent examination. He is declared to have passed the Intermediate examination, if he passes both the groups. The provisions are as under
1. A student shall ordinarily be declared to have passed in both the Groups simultaneously, if he:
• Secures at one sitting a minimum of 40% marks in each paper of each of the Groups, viz, Group-I and Group-II, and minimum of 50% marks in the aggregate of all the papers of each of the Groups or
• Secures at one sitting a minimum of 40% marks in each paper of both the Groups, viz., Group-I and Group-II and minimum of 50% marks in the aggregate of all the papers of both the Groups taken together.
2. A student shall be declared to have passed in a Group if he:
• Secures at one sitting a minimum of 40% marks in each paper of Group and minimum of 50% marks in the aggregate of all the papers of that Group.
The criteria of negative marking in a paper or papers may be adopted having objective type questions in such a manner as may be specified from time to time
A student who appeared in all the papers comprised in a Group/Unit and fails in one or more papers in that Group/Unit but secures a minimum of 60% marks in any paper(s) of that Group/Unit shall be eligible for exemption in that paper(s) in the next three following examinations. Which means that while he is availing the benefit of exemption secured in paper(s) during previous examination, he shall have to qualify the remaining papers in any of the next three following examinations.
He shall be declared to have passed in that Group/Unit if he secures at one sitting a minimum of 40% marks in each of the papers of that Group/Unit and a minimum of 50% of the total marks of all the papers of that Group/Unit including the paper(s) in which he had secured a minimum of 60% marks in the earlier examination. He shall not be eligible for any further exemptions in the remaining paper(s) of that Group/Unit until he has exhausted the exemptions already granted to him in that Group/Unit.
If a candidate has exhausted the exemption granted to him under sub-regulation (8) of Regulation 37E and he was not able to pass the said Group or Unit, he may opt for the continuing of said exemption to the subsequent examinations. However, in such a case, such candidate shall be required to obtain a minimum of fifty per cent marks in each of the remaining paper/s of that Group or Unit in order to declare him to have passed in that Group or Unit.
Group I
Paper 1 Advanced Accounting (100 marks)
Paper 2 Corporate and Other Laws (100 marks)
Paper 3 Taxation
Section A - Income-tax Law (50 Marks)
Section B - Goods and Services Tax (GST) (50 Marks)
Group II
Paper 4 Cost and Management Accounting (100 marks)
Paper 5 Auditing and Ethics (100 marks)
Paper 6A Financial Management (50 Marks)
Paper 6B Strategic Management (50 Marks)
In the current dynamic economic scenario, it is critical for the Institute to devise a new approach for developing, updating and delivering professional accountancy education and training. The process of developing a chartered accountant must centrally involve critical and interdisciplinary thinking, research and innovation.
Accordingly, four self-paced online modules [SETS A, B, C and D] encompassing different fields, have been introduced for the first time in the Scheme of Education and Training. As the name suggests, a student can learn and qualify the modules at their own pace after qualifying the Intermediate level Examination.
SET A and SET B would comprise of mandatory online modules, namely, Corporate and Economic Laws and Strategic Cost and Performance Management, respectively. SET C and SET D would comprise of online modules, wherein a basket of options would be made available to a student, and he can choose one each under each set from the options available to him.
The learning modules/study materials for the Self-Paced Online Modules will be provided to the students in the form of eBooks. In case of SET A and SET B, physical copies would also be provided to students
Besides e-books, video lectures of experts from industry, who have rich practical exposure in the relevant subject area, will be made available to the students through Digital Learning Hub (DLH). The learning through these video lectures can be monitored through DLH itself. Students would be required to complete the minimum prescribed learning hours for each self-paced online module they opt for. Special sessions would also be organized periodically to address the queries of students.
Students after qualifying Intermediate Examination have to register for Final Course. At the time of registration of Final Course, students would be required to register for Self-Paced Online Module also. The form for Final Course registration will contain the facility to opt for the subject under Self-Paced Online Module Set C and Set D. No separate fee is payable for registration of Self-Paced Online Modules, namely, SETS A, B, C and D.
A student has to undergo online learning in Corporate and Economic Laws [SET A] and Strategic Cost and Performance Management [SET B] mandatorily. Further, he has to choose one module each from SET C and SET D.
The syllabi of each subject has an objective statement and contents. In SET A Corporate and Economic Laws and SET B Strategic Cost and Performance Management, students are expected to acquire expert knowledge. Working knowledge is expected for Self-Paced Online Modules opted in SETS C and D. SET C contains ten electives, from which a student can choose one, based on his or her interest. Towards a more holistic and multi-disciplinary education emphasized in the National Education Policy, 2020 (NEP, 2020) for developing intellectual, aesthetic, social, physical, emotional and moral capacities in an integrated manner, a student has to opt one out of the four options, namely, The Constitution of India & Art of Advocacy; Psychology & Philosophy; Entrepreneurship & Start-Up Ecosystem and Digital Ecosystem & Controls. This would facilitate high quality holistic and multidisciplinary education, delivered online, laying stress on “how to think” rather than “what to think”.
Such creative combinations of disciplines would inculcate cross-disciplinary thinking amongst students and facilitate innovative reasoning in solving real-life problems which they encounter in their practice or employment, once they qualify as a chartered accountant.
The assessment would be online by way of multiple choice questions, which would be case scenario based for SETS A and B; and a combination of independent MCQs and case scenario based MCQs in case of subjects in SETS C and D. Expert knowledge is expected in SETS A and B, wherein all skills, namely, knowledge and comprehension, application and analysis and evaluation and synthesis would be assessed. Working knowledge is expected in SETS C and D, wherein knowledge and comprehension and application and analysis would be assessed.
The detailed modalities are being worked out and would be communicated to the students
A student has to qualify these online modules (SETS) for appearing in Final Examination. The minimum marks for qualifying each module is 50%. There is no restriction in the number of attempts. Students would be permitted to change the subject opted for in SET C and SET D. The marks obtained in Self-Paced Online Modules will not be aggregated with the marks obtained in the core papers for the purpose of assessment
SET A
Corporate and Economic Laws (100 Marks) [Compulsory]
SET B
Strategic Cost and Performance Management (100 Marks) [Compulsory]
SET C Elective (100 Marks) - (Choose one module)
1. Risk Management
2. Sustainable Development and Sustainability Reporting
3. Public Finance and Government Accounting
4. The Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code, 2016
5. International Taxation
6. The Arbitration and Conciliation Act, 1996
7. Forensic Accounting
8. Valuation
9. Financial Services and Capital Markets
10. Forex and Treasury Management
SET D Towards developing inherent traits of CA students and incorporating Multidisciplinary approach envisaged in NEP, 2020] (Choose one module) (100 Marks)
1. The Constitution of India & Art of Advocacy
2. Psychology & Philosophy
3. Entrepreneurship & Start-Up Ecosystem
4. Digital Ecosystem and Controls