look news india
A big update has come out for lakhs of candidates preparing for Chartered Accountancy. The Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI) has released the official timetable for the CA Foundation and Intermediate examinations for the January 2027 session. Candidates preparing to appear in the examination can now see the complete schedule by visiting the official portal of the institute. Under the new education and training program, these examinations will be conducted from the first week of January itself at various designated centers across the country as well as at foreign examination centres.
The CA Intermediate Group-1 and Group-2 papers will be conducted on different dates starting from January 2, 2027, while the CA Foundation course exams will begin from January 3, 2027. The examination regulatory body has advised students to prepare their final stage revision strategy as per the released timetable so that the entire syllabus can be repeated in time.
According to the detailed notification released by ICAI, Group One and Group Two examinations under CA Intermediate course will be conducted on alternate dates. Group One examinations will begin from January 2, after which the next papers will be held on January 4 and January 6. Similarly, Group 2 examinations will be conducted on 8 January, 10 January and 12 January 2027. Students have been given a gap of one day between each paper so that they can revise and understand the intricacies of the syllabus.
Talking about CA Foundation course, its four main question papers have been scheduled on 3 January, 5 January, 7 January and 9 January 2027. This schedule is extremely important for students entering the Foundation level as this is the first step in their professional Chartered Accountancy career. The institute has clarified that even if any public holiday is declared during the examination dates, no change will be made in the examination schedule unless an official announcement is made by the Council.
According to the guidelines of ICAI, the time limit has been fixed separately for various question papers of Intermediate and Foundation. All the papers of Intermediate course will be conducted from 2 pm to 5 pm. Students will get full 3 hours to solve these papers. Besides, students will also be given compulsory reading time of 15 minutes from 1:45 pm to 2:00 pm to analyze the question paper and select questions.
In case of Foundation course, the duration of Paper 1 and Paper 2 will be from 2 pm to 5 pm (3 hours) including reading time of 15 minutes. However, for Foundation Paper 3 and Paper 4 which are objective i.e. MCQ based, their time duration has been fixed from 2 pm to 4 pm (2 hours). No extra reading time will be given to students for these two objective papers, which candidates will have to pay special attention to in the examination hall.
To appear in CA January 2027 examinations, eligible candidates will have to apply online through Self Service Portal (SSP Portal) of ICAI. The application window will open on scheduled dates, where students will have to login with the help of their user ID and password and select their eligibility, select group and preferred examination centre.
While filling the application, candidates should keep all their necessary documents, recent passport size photograph and digital signature ready in advance so that they do not face technical difficulties. Payment of examination fee will also be accepted only through online mode like net banking, debit card, credit card or UPI. Students will also be provided the option to apply with late fees for a limited period of time after the last date of form filling without late fees.
ICAI conducts CA examinations on a large scale in all major states and union territories of the country. Examination centers will be set up in hundreds of small and big cities of the country including Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat so that local students do not have to travel long distances. Apart from this, overseas centers will also be set up for students of Indian origin living in foreign cities like Abu Dhabi, Bahrain, Doha, Dubai, Muscat, Kathmandu and Kuwait.
Candidates will have the option to solve Intermediate and Foundation papers in Hindi or English medium. However, students have to keep in mind that the entire paper will have to be answered in the same language as the medium they select in their examination form. Mixing of language will not be allowed except for some specific technical terms, otherwise it may have a negative impact on the evaluation.
ICAI will make the admit card live on its portal about two weeks before the commencement of the examination. The institute will not send hard copy to any student through post or courier, hence all students must download the digital hall ticket and keep a clear printout of it safely. The admit card will contain the name, roll number, address of the examination centre, photograph and signature of the student, which will be verified at the examination centre.
It will be mandatory to carry an original photo identity card recognized by the Government of India such as Aadhar Card, PAN Card, Passport or Voter ID Card along with the admit card at the time of entry at the examination centre. Carrying any type of electronic gadget, smart watch, mobile phone, Bluetooth device or inappropriate material inside the examination hall will be strictly prohibited. Only basic calculator approved by the institute will be allowed to be carried.
Now that the official timetable has been released, CA aspirants need to speed up their preparation. Experts believe that instead of introducing new topics in the remaining time of the exam, one should regularly practice ICAI study material, Revision Test Papers (RTP), Mock Test Papers (MTP) and previous years’ question papers. Written practice improves students’ writing speed, accuracy and time management, which forms the basis of success in the three-hour main examination.