CA Foundation Course: Eligibility, Papers, Exam Dates and Fees

Where Foundation fits in the CA course

ICAI's current scheme, launched on 1 July 2023, has three levels: Foundation, Intermediate and Final, plus Self-Paced Online Modules that you complete before the Final exam (FAQ, Q 1.1 and Q 1.2). Foundation is the entry route for students coming from school. Graduates can skip it and join Intermediate directly (see below).

After Foundation you register for Intermediate, complete practical training (articleship) and take the Final exam. ICAI's minimum waiting periods for each step are explained in how long it takes to become a CA.

Older guides, including an earlier version of this page, describe the pre-2023 Foundation with papers such as "Business Correspondence and Reporting" and "Business and Commercial Knowledge", and exams in May and November. Those no longer apply.

Eligibility for CA Foundation

• Registration: you can register after passing Class 10 from a recognised board. ICAI has allowed this provisional registration since its October 2020 amendment to the Chartered Accountants Regulations.
• Class 12: you can take the Foundation exam only after you have appeared in your Class 12 exam (FAQ, Q 2.5 to Q 2.7).
• Four months of study: you must be registered with ICAI's Board of Studies on or before the 1st of the month that falls four months before the exam month (FAQ, Q 2.7).

Your Foundation registration is valid for 4 years from your first eligible attempt, and it cannot be revalidated (FAQ, Q 2.15 and Q 2.16).

Who can skip Foundation

ICAI's Prospectus exempts these candidates from Foundation and lets them register directly for Intermediate (the "Direct Entry Route"):

• Graduates or post-graduates in commerce with at least 55% marks who studied at least three of the subjects ICAI lists (such as accounting, auditing, law, economics, taxation or costing).
• Graduates or post-graduates in any other stream with at least 60% marks.
• Candidates who have passed the Intermediate level of the Institute of Company Secretaries of India (ICSI) or the Institute of Cost Accountants of India (ICMAI).

Final-year students can register provisionally. The route, the 8-month study period and the Intermediate papers are covered in the CA Intermediate course guide.

How to register

1. On ICAI's Students Services page, open Entry level forms (Foundation and Intermediate (Direct Entry)).
2. Fill in the form and pay the registration fee, which is due at the time of registration (FAQ, Q 2.2).
3. After registration, ICAI emails you login details for ordering the printed study material from its Centralized Distribution System (CDS) portal (FAQ, Q 2.3).

Later steps, such as exam forms and Intermediate registration, are done on ICAI's Self Service Portal at eservices.icai.org (FAQ, Q 1.3).

Fees

ICAI can change exam fees for each session, so check the announcement for your exam. For the cost of the whole course, from Foundation to Final, see the CA course fee structure.

Exam form

Registering for the course does not enrol you for an exam. For each attempt you submit an online exam form on the Self Service Portal and pay the exam fee; the form usually opens about two months before the exam (FAQ, Q 2.8).

For the January 2027 exam, ICAI's announcement of 23 September 2026 gives these dates:

Exam dates and pattern

Foundation exams are held three times a year, in January, May and September (FAQ, Q 2.11). The January 2027 Foundation exam is on 3, 5, 7 and 9 January 2027, according to ICAI's announcement of 23 September 2026.

• Negative marking: 0.25 marks are deducted for every wrong answer in the objective papers, 3 and 4 (FAQ, Q 2.13).
• Timings: for the January 2027 exam, Papers 1 and 2 run from 2 PM to 5 PM and Papers 3 and 4 from 2 PM to 4 PM, Indian Standard Time. Papers 1 and 2 get 15 minutes of reading time from 1.45 PM; Papers 3 and 4 get none.
• Medium: you can answer in English or Hindi.
• Centres: cities across India, plus Bahrain, Dubai and Kathmandu for Foundation and Intermediate.

Papers and syllabus

The topics below are from ICAI's Foundation syllabus under the New Scheme. ICAI says any specific inclusions or exclusions are made each year through its Study Guidelines, so check those for your attempt.

Paper 1: Accounting

Theoretical framework, the accounting process, bank reconciliation statements, inventories, depreciation and amortisation, bills of exchange and promissory notes, final accounts of sole proprietors, financial statements of not-for-profit organisations, accounts from incomplete records, partnership and LLP accounts, and company accounts.

Paper 2: Business Laws

The Indian regulatory framework, the Indian Contract Act, 1872, the Sale of Goods Act, 1930, the Indian Partnership Act, 1932, the Limited Liability Partnership Act, 2008, the Companies Act, 2013 and the Negotiable Instruments Act, 1881.

Paper 3: Quantitative Aptitude

• Part A, Business Mathematics (40 marks): ratio and proportion, indices and logarithms, equations, linear inequalities, mathematics of finance (interest, present value, annuities, EMI, CAGR), permutations and combinations, sequences and series, sets, relations and functions, limits and continuity, and basic calculus.
• Part B, Logical Reasoning (20 marks): number series, coding and decoding, odd man out, direction tests, seating arrangements and blood relations.
• Part C, Statistics (40 marks): representation of data, measures of central tendency and dispersion, probability, theoretical distributions, correlation and regression, and index numbers.

Paper 4: Business Economics

Introduction to business economics, demand and supply, production and cost, price determination in different markets, national income, business cycles, public finance, the money market, international trade and the Indian economy.

Passing marks and results

You pass Foundation if you score, in one sitting, at least 40% in each paper and at least 50% in aggregate across all four papers, that is 200 out of 400 (FAQ, Q 2.14).

ICAI announces each result in a press release and hosts it online; you log in with your registration number and roll number. The May 2026 Foundation result was declared on 3 July 2026 on caresults.icai.org, while the January 2026 result was declared on 8 March 2026 on icai.nic.in, so check the press release for your session.

Source: ICAI press releases of 8 March 2026 and 3 July 2026. Ranks, distinction and what counts as a good score are covered in how to score high in CA Foundation.

After passing Foundation

Once you have passed both Foundation and Class 12, you can register for the Intermediate course. You must then be registered for 8 months before your first Intermediate exam: by 1 September for the following May, 1 January for September, or 1 May for the following January (FAQ, Q 3.2 and Q 3.9).

Study material and preparation

ICAI's study material for all four papers is available on the BoS Knowledge Portal, and printed copies can be ordered from the CDS portal after you register (FAQ, Q 2.4). The same portal publishes Revision Test Papers, Mock Test Papers, previous question papers and suggested answers. ICAI's question papers page lists papers set under the new scheme.

In our experience, a few habits help most Foundation students:

• Start early. Four months is ICAI's minimum study period, not a recommended one.
• Work from ICAI's study material and the current Study Guidelines before adding other books.
• Solve past papers and mock tests under timed conditions, especially for the 2-hour objective papers, where wrong answers cost marks.
• In Papers 1 and 2, practise writing full answers: working notes for Accounting, and the relevant legal provision followed by its application for Business Laws.
• Keep time for sleep, exercise and breaks; a steady routine is easier to keep up for months than long, irregular sessions.

Paper-by-paper tips are in how to score high in CA Foundation.