Overview
About CA Foundation
CA Foundation is the entry-level stage of the Chartered Accountancy qualification in India. The Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI) administers the examination and sets its syllabus. It replaced the Common Proficiency Test (CPT) as the first paper a student clears on the way into the CA course.
Passing the Foundation Examination opens the route to CA Intermediate, and from there to CA Final, the last stage before a candidate can qualify as a chartered accountant. Foundation is a gateway paper. It certifies that you are ready to begin the CA course rather than conferring a qualification of its own.
You can register for the Foundation Course after passing Class 10, but you become eligible to sit the examination only after appearing in or passing the Class 12 examination of a recognised Indian board or an equivalent. The exam is written offline, in pen-and-paper form, at designated centres.
It spans four papers: Accounting; Business Laws; Quantitative Aptitude, which covers business mathematics, logical reasoning and statistics; and Business Economics. The accounting and business-law papers are subjective, while quantitative aptitude and economics are set as objective, multiple-choice papers.
Sources: ICAI – Foundation Course (Board of Studies) · ICAI – Board of Studies (Academic) · CA Foundation Course – Wikipedia
At a glance
CA Foundation highlights
Every figure traces to an official source.
| Full name | Chartered Accountancy Foundation Course Examination |
| Conducting body | Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI) |
| Level | UG |
| Mode of exam | Offline (pen-and-paper, at designated exam centres) |
| Frequency | 3 (January, May and September) per year |
| Scope | National |
| Sections | 4 papers – Paper 1: Accounting; Paper 2: Business Laws; Paper 3: Quantitative Aptitude; Paper 4: Business Economics. Papers 1 and 2 subjective; Papers 3 and 4 objective (MCQ). |
| Marking scheme | Each paper 100 marks (400 aggregate); 3 hours per paper. Negative marking 0.25 per wrong answer in objective papers (3 and 4). Pass requires minimum 40% per paper and 50% aggregate. |
Deep dives
Everything you need to know
Eligibility
- ·Register for the Foundation Course after passing Class 10; eligible to appear in the Foundation Examination after appearing in/passing the Class 12 examination conducted by a recognised body in India or equivalent.
Exam pattern
- ·Sections: 4 papers – Paper 1: Accounting; Paper 2: Business Laws; Paper 3: Quantitative Aptitude; Paper 4: Business Economics. Papers 1 and 2 subjective; Papers 3 and 4 objective (MCQ).
- ·400 total marks
- ·180 minutes
- ·Marking: Each paper 100 marks (400 aggregate); 3 hours per paper. Negative marking 0.25 per wrong answer in objective papers (3 and 4). Pass requires minimum 40% per paper and 50% aggregate.
Syllabus
- ·Accounting fundamentals; Business Laws; Quantitative Aptitude (business mathematics, logical reasoning, statistics); Business Economics.
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