📘 ICAI Official Course
CA Foundation Course
Complete course guide covering syllabus, registration fees, exam pattern, passing criteria and admission requirements — all in one place.
4 Papers · 400 Marks Total
Exams in Jan, May & Sep
After Class 10th
Registration: ₹9,000
40%
Per Paper
50%
Aggregate
4
Papers
Course Overview
Everything you need to know before you start
✓
CA Foundation is the entry-level exam conducted by ICAI for students who have passed Class 10th. It is the first of three levels — Foundation, Intermediate and Final — on the path to becoming a Chartered Accountant.
✓
Registration is done online through ICAI’s centralised Self Service Portal at icai.org/post/students-services. No physical visit or document submission required.
✓
After successful registration, ICAI verifies your documents and confirms enrollment. Study material is ordered via icai-cds.org.
✓
The course consists of 4 papers worth 100 marks each. Papers 1 & 2 are subjective; Papers 3 & 4 are objective with negative marking.
📌 Register at least 4 months before the exam month. Exams are held in January, May and September every year.
Full Syllabus
All 4 papers — click a tab to explore
Paper 1
Accounting
To develop understanding of basic accounting concepts and apply them in preparing financial statements and problem solving.
100 MarksSubjective
-
1Theoretical FrameworkMeaning & scope of accounting, concepts, principles & conventions, capital/revenue expenditure & receipts, contingent assets & liabilities, accounting policies, valuation principles, accounting estimates, Accounting Standards.
-
2Accounting ProcessDouble entry book-keeping, books of original entry — journal, subsidiary books, cash book, ledger format, posting, balancing of accounts, trial balance preparation, rectification of errors.
-
3Bank Reconciliation StatementIntroduction, reasons and preparation of BRS.
-
4InventoriesMeaning, basis and technique of inventory valuation, cost of inventory, net realizable value (NRV) and record system.
-
5Depreciation and AmortisationTangible & intangible assets, concepts, methods of computation and accounting treatment of depreciation/amortisation, change in depreciation method.
-
6Bills of Exchange and Promissory NotesMeaning of bills of exchange and promissory notes, accounting treatment, accommodation bills.
-
7Final Accounts of Sole ProprietorsElements of financial statements, closing adjustment entries, trading account, profit & loss account and balance sheet of manufacturing and non-manufacturing entities.
-
8Financial Statements of Not-for-Profit OrganizationsSignificance and preparation of receipt & payment account, income & expenditure account and balance sheet; difference between P&L and income & expenditure account.
-
9Accounts from Incomplete RecordsExcluding preparation of accounts based on ratios.
-
10Partnership and LLP AccountsFinal accounts of partnership firms & LLPs, admission/retirement/death of a partner including goodwill treatment, dissolution of partnership firms & LLPs including piecemeal distribution of assets.
-
11Company AccountsDefinition of shares & debentures, issue/forfeiture/re-issue of forfeited shares, redemption of preference shares & debentures (excluding sinking fund method), accounting for bonus issue and right issue.
Paper 2
Business Laws
To develop general legal knowledge of Contracts, Sales and various business forms to address application-oriented issues.
100 MarksSubjective
-
1Indian Regulatory FrameworkMajor regulatory bodies — Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Corporate Affairs, SEBI, RBI, IBBI, Ministry of Law & Justice, etc.
-
2The Indian Contract Act, 1872General nature of contract, consideration, essential elements of a valid contract, performance, breach, contingent & quasi contract, indemnity & guarantee, bailment & pledge, contract of agency.
-
3The Sale of Goods Act, 1930Formation of contract of sale, conditions & warranties, transfer of ownership and delivery of goods, unpaid seller and his rights.
-
4The Indian Partnership Act, 1932General nature of partnership, rights & duties of partners, reconstitution of firms, registration and dissolution of a firm.
-
5The Limited Liability Partnership Act, 2008Nature & scope, essential features, characteristics of LLP, incorporation and differences with other forms of organizations.
-
6The Companies Act, 2013Essential features of a company, corporate veil theory, classes of companies, types of share capital, incorporation, Memorandum of Association (MOA), Articles of Association (AOA), Doctrine of Indoor Management.
-
7The Negotiable Instruments Act, 1881Meaning of negotiable instruments, characteristics, classification of instruments, negotiation, presentment of instruments, rules of compensation.
⚠️ Note: If new legislations replace existing ones, the syllabus will include corresponding provisions from dates notified by ICAI. Specific inclusions/exclusions are updated annually via Study Guidelines.
Paper 3
Quantitative Aptitude
To develop understanding of mathematical & statistical tools and their application in business, finance and economics. Also to develop logical reasoning skills.
100 MarksObjective · –ve Marking
📐 Part A — Business Mathematics · 40 Marks
-
1Ratio, Proportion, Indices & LogarithmsRatio & proportion, time & work problems, laws of indices, exponents, logarithms and anti-logarithms.
-
2EquationsLinear, simultaneous (up to 3 variables), quadratic and cubic equations; business-related applications.
-
3Linear InequalitiesLinear inequalities in one and two variables and the solution space.
-
4Mathematics of FinanceSimple Interest, Compound Interest, Nominal & Effective Rate of Interest, Present Value, NPV, Future Value, Perpetuity, Annuities, Sinking Funds, EMI, Nominal & Effective Rate of Return, CAGR.
-
5Permutations and CombinationsFactorial, permutations (including circular & with restrictions), combinations with standard results.
-
6Sequence and SeriesArithmetic & Geometric progressions, AM-GM relationship, sum of n terms of special series, business applications.
-
7Sets, Relations, Functions & LimitsBasics of limits and continuity functions.
-
8Differential & Integral CalculusBasic applications in business & economics (excluding trigonometric applications).
🧠 Part B — Logical Reasoning · 20 Marks
-
9Number Series, Coding & Decoding, Odd Man Out
-
10Direction Tests
-
11Seating Arrangements
-
12Blood Relations
📊 Part C — Statistics · 40 Marks
-
13Statistical Representation of Data & SamplingDiagrammatic representation, frequency distribution, histogram, frequency polygon, ogive, pie chart; basic principles of sampling theory.
-
14Measures of Central Tendency & DispersionMean, Median, Mode, Mean Deviation, Quartiles, Quartile Deviation, Standard Deviation, Coefficient of Variation.
-
15ProbabilityIndependent & dependent events, mutually exclusive events, total & compound probability, Bayes’ theorem.
-
16Theoretical DistributionsRandom variables, Binomial Distribution, Poisson Distribution, Normal Distribution — basic applications.
-
17Correlation and RegressionScatter diagram, Karl Pearson’s Coefficient of Correlation, Rank Correlation, Regression lines, regression equations and coefficients.
-
18Index NumbersUses, problems in construction, methods of construction of index numbers, BSE SENSEX and NSE.
Paper 4
Business Economics
To develop understanding of economic concepts and theories, and acquire the ability to address application-oriented issues.
100 MarksObjective · –ve Marking
-
1Introduction to Business EconomicsMeaning & scope of business economics, basic problems of an economy, role of price mechanism.
-
2Theory of Demand and SupplyDeterminants of demand, Law of Demand, elasticity of demand (price/income/cross), Indifference Curve approach, supply & elasticity of supply, market equilibrium and social efficiency.
-
3Theory of Production and CostFactors of production, Law of Variable Proportions, Laws of Returns to Scale, Producer’s Equilibrium, short-run & long-run costs, average & marginal costs, total/fixed/variable costs.
-
4Price Determination in Different MarketsPerfect Competition, Monopoly, Monopolistic Competition, Oligopoly (Game Theory), price-output determination under different market forms.
-
5Determination of National IncomeMacro economic aggregates, measurement of national income, Keynes’ Two-Sector, Three-Sector and Four-Sector models.
-
6Business CyclesMeaning, phases, features and causes behind business cycles.
-
7Public FinanceFiscal functions, Centre & State Finance, Market Failure, Government intervention, budget making, sources of revenue, expenditure management, management of public debt, Fiscal Policy.
-
8Money MarketConcept of money demand, important theories of demand for money, money supply, cryptocurrency and new terminology, monetary policy.
-
9International TradeTheories of international trade including Krugman’s intra-industry trade theory, trade policy instruments, trade negotiations, exchange rates and economic effects, FDI.
-
10Indian EconomyBefore 1950 (Chanakya & Nand Vansh), OECD Paper (1950–1991), basic knowledge 1991 onwards.
Exam Pattern & Passing Criteria
What you need to clear the CA Foundation exam
40%
Minimum marks required in each paper individually
50%
Minimum aggregate across all 4 papers combined
Papers 1 & 2 — Subjective Type
Papers 3 & 4 — Objective with Negative Marking
⚠️ Both conditions must be satisfied at one sitting. You cannot carry forward marks from a previous attempt.
Admission Requirements
Eligibility and conditions for appearing in the exam
1
Must be registered at least 4 months before the Foundation exam month (January, May or September as decided by the Council).
2
Must have appeared in or passed Senior Secondary (10+2) examination conducted by a recognized examining body in India, or an exam recognized as equivalent by Central/State Government.
3
Must pay the Examination fees as fixed by the ICAI Council.
📌 Keep checking www.icai.org regularly for the latest updates, notifications and exam schedule changes.
Recognized Boards (Annexure A)
The following boards are recognized as equivalent to Senior Secondary examination:
CBSE
CISCE
Board of Secondary Education, Rajasthan
UP Board
Maharashtra State Board
Gujarat Secondary Board
Bihar School Examination Board
Tamil Nadu State Board
Karnataka Pre-University Education
Kerala Board of Higher Secondary
Punjab School Education Board
West Bengal Council
Assam Higher Secondary Council
MP Board of Secondary Education
Jharkhand Academic Council
H.P. Board of School Education
J&K State Board
Goa Board
Manipur Council of Higher Secondary
Meghalaya Board
Mizoram Board
Nagaland Board
Orissa Council of Higher Secondary
Chhatisgarh Board
Uttarakhand Board
Tripura Board
Rajasthan State Open School
National Institute of Open School
MP State Open School
Chhattisgarh State Open School
Banasthali Vidyapith
Board of Open Schooling, Sikkim
+ All other AIU recognized boards