What is CA Foundation?

• The Foundation Course is newly introduced at an entry-level for the Chartered Accountancy Course.

• It is based on international education standards.

• You can give the Foundation Examination once you clear the senior secondary (10+2) exam recognised by the central government.

• The exam is conducted twice a year in May and November.

• To appear for the November exam, you must register before the 30th of June.

• To appear for the May exam, you must register before the 31st of December of the previous year.

• The Foundation Exam includes a total of four papers—two subjective papers and two objective papers.

• This exam has negative marks for incorrect answers in the objective papers.

• You also need to score a minimum of 40% marks in each paper along with a minimum of 50% marks aggregate in both papers to clear the exam.

• Registration for the Foundation Course is valid only for 3 years.

• You must pay a revalidation fee of Rs 300 to revalidate your registration for another 3 years.

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Syllabus for CA Foundation

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Paper 1: Principles and Practices of Accounting

1. Theoretical Framework

2. Accounting Process

3. Bank Reconciliation Statement

4. Inventories

5. Concept and Accounting of Depreciation

6. Accounting for Special Transactions

1. Final Accounts of Sole Proprietors

2. Partnership Accounts

3. Financial Statements of Not-for-Profit Organisations

4. Introduction to Company Accounts

5. Basic Accounting Ratios (profitability, solvency, liquidity and turnover)

Paper 2: Business Law and Business Correspondence and Reporting

Section A: Business Law

1. The Indian Contract Act, 1872

2. The Sale of Goods Act, 1930

3. The Indian Partnership Act, 1932

4. The Limited Liability Partnership Act, 2008

5. The Companies Act, 2013

Section B: Business Correspondence and Reporting

1. Communication

2. Sentence Types

3. Vocabulary Root Words, Synonyms, Antonyms, Prefixes, Suffixes, Phrasal Verbs, Collocations and Idioms

4. Comprehension Passages

5. Note Making

6. Introduction to Basic Writing

1. Precis Writing

2. Article Writing

3. Report Writing

4. Writing Formal Letters

5. Writing Formal Emails

6. Resume Writing

7. Meetings

Paper 3: Business Mathematics and Logical Reasoning and Statistics

Part I: Business Mathematics and Logical Reasoning

Business Mathematics

1. Ratio and Proportion, Indices, Logarithms

2. Equations and Matrices

3. Linear Inequalities with Objective Functions and Optimizations

4. Time Value of Money

1. Permutations and Combinations

2. Sequence and Series

3. Sets, Functions and Relations

4. Basic Concepts of Differential and Integral Calculus

Logical Reasoning

1. Number Series

2. Direction Tests

3. Setting Arrangements

4. Blood Relations

5. Syllogism

Part II: Statistics

1. Statistical Description of Data

2. Measures of Central Tendency and Dispersion

3. Probability

4. Theoretical Distributions

5. Correlation and Regression

6. Index Numbers and Time Series

Paper 4: Business Economics and Business and Commercial Knowledge

Part I: Business Economics

1. Introduction to Business Economics

2. Theory of Demand and Supply

3. Theory of Production and Cost

4. Price Determination in Different Markets

5. Business Cycles

Part II: Business and Commercial Knowledge

1. Business and Commercial Knowledge: An Introduction

2. Business Environment

3. Business Organizations

4. Government Policies for Business Growth

5. Organizations Facilitating Business

6. Common Business Terminologies

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Exam Pattern for CA Foundation

• CA Foundation exam consists of both objective and subjective-type questions that constitute a total of 400 marks.

• It includes four subjects/papers. Papers 1 and 2 primarily include subjective/descriptive type questions and papers 3 and 4 have objective questions.

• For objective type papers, i.e. papers 3 and 4, there is a negative marking of one-fourth marks per wrong answer

• The exam is conducted offline (pen/pencil paper)

• The medium of the test is English or Hindi

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How to apply

Eligibility Criteria for CA Foundation

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You need to fulfil some eligibility criteria predetermined by ICAI for the CA Foundation course. The eligibility criteria for CA Foundation is as follow :

Route 1: Foundation Course Route

• To register for the Foundation Course, you should have completed the 10+2 examination carried out by an examining body constituted by law in India.

• To be eligible for the examination conducted in the month of May, you should register on or before 31st December.

• To be eligible for examination conducted in the month of November, you should register on or before 30th June.

Route 2: Direct Entry Route

• You can directly register for the Intermediate Course if:

  • If you are a graduate or postgraduate and have the relevant marks or grade in exams conducted by any recognized university (including open university)

  • You have passed an Intermediate level examination of the ICAI or the ICSI

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Registration for CA Foundation

Follow these steps to register:

1. Log on to the ICAI's official website

2. Now, fill in the required details like name, date of birth, Aadhar number, email, mobile number, and create a password.

3. Once the account is created, log in to the registration portal

4. Enter the mandatory details

5. Upload the requisite documents

6. Make the payment online

7. Save the document and print it

8. Sign and attest the application form

9. Send the application to ICAI