How Many Years Does It Take to Become a CA? Course Duration After 12th and Graduation

These are the rules of ICAI's New Scheme of Education and Training, launched on 1 July 2023. Older guides, including earlier versions of this page, describe the previous scheme.

CA course duration at a glance

Foundation and Intermediate exams are held three times a year, in January, May and September (ICAI FAQ, Q 2.11 and Q 3.9).

CA duration after Class 12 (Foundation route)

Foundation: at least 4 months

Register with ICAI's Board of Studies on or before the 1st of the month that is four months before your exam: by 1 January for the May exam, by 1 May for September, and by 1 September for the following January. You must have appeared in your Class 12 exams before sitting the Foundation exam.

The Foundation exam has four papers. See the CA Foundation guide for the subjects.

Intermediate: at least 8 months

After passing Class 12 and Foundation, register for Intermediate at least eight months before the exam month: by 1 September for the following May, by 1 January for September, and by 1 May for the following January. Intermediate has two groups, and you need to pass both before the next step.

ICITSS and 2 years of practical training

Under the current scheme, articleship starts only after you pass both groups of Intermediate and complete the four-week Integrated Course on Information Technology and Soft Skills (ICITSS). Practical training lasts 2 years. You may spend 9 to 12 months of the last part of it in industrial training. The CA articleship guide covers registration, where you can train and the stipend.

Final: at least 6 months after training ends

You can register for the Final course any time after passing both Intermediate groups. To sit the Final exam, ICAI's FAQ (Q 4.5) says you must:

• be registered for the Final course;
• "have completed Practical Training six months before the first day of the month in which the examination is to be held";
• have completed Advanced ICITSS; and
• have qualified all four Self-paced Online Modules.

Adding it up

4 months (Foundation) + 8 months (Intermediate) + 24 months (practical training) + 6 months (before the Final exam) = 42 months. That is the floor, before:

• the weeks you wait for each result before you can register for the next stage;
• the gap until the next exam month, since exams are held only in fixed months; and
• any group you need to re-attempt.

CA duration after graduation (direct entry)

Graduates can skip Foundation and register directly for Intermediate if they have:

• a commerce graduation or post-graduation with at least 55% marks (with the subject conditions ICAI lists), or
• any other graduation or post-graduation with at least 60% marks, or
• passed the Intermediate level of ICSI or ICMAI.

Students in the final year of graduation can register provisionally and complete the 8-month study period during that year, as long as they have the required marks when they fill in the Intermediate exam form.

For a direct-entry student the minimum is 8 months (Intermediate) + 24 months (training) + 6 months (before the Final) = 38 months. Again, add waiting time for results and exam months. If the 8 months overlap with your final year, the time after graduation is shorter.

Can you start CA after Class 10?

Yes, but only on paper. Since ICAI's 2020 amendment you can provisionally register for Foundation after passing Class 10. You still cannot sit the Foundation exam until you have appeared in your Class 12 exams, so the timeline above effectively starts from Class 12.

Why the CA course often takes longer

• Results gate every step. You register for Intermediate only after the Foundation result, and start articleship only after both Intermediate groups are passed.
• Fixed exam months. If a result arrives just after a registration cut-off, you wait for the next session.
• Re-attempts. Each failed group adds at least one exam session.
• Training rules. ICAI permits 12 days of leave in each year of practical training; excess leave has to be served before training counts as complete, and the Final exam must be at least 6 months after that.

For a similar breakdown for cost accounting, see how long the CMA course takes. For costs, see the CA course fee structure.