Rishu Sahay’s journey in commerce started when he was in 8th standard. It was quite a challenging step for him. “Our society thinks science is everything in life. Commerce is for losers,” he told Moneycontrol.
However, with the support of his parents and teachers, Sahay, who is now 18 years old, conceived the dream of clearing elite CA examinations conducted by the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI). The test has three levels: CA Foundation, CA Intermediate and CA Final. Last year, more than 1.26 lakh candidates appeared in the first stage of the exam held in December 2022 and around 37,000 qualified.
To make his place among the finalists, Sahay went to Jaipur, Rajasthan, right after clearing his 12th CBSE board exam but had to return to his hometown in Bihar due to food poisoning and high fever.
“I was broken. I felt I can't give the exam since I don't have time,” he said, adding, “Then my parents and teachers motivated me to continue eventually leading me to clear CA Foundation."
Currently preparing in Kota, Rajasthan, Sahay spends around 8 hours daily in self-study and doesn't believe in having a B-plan. “CA is one last plan for me.” He wakes up early at 3.30 am to begin his rigorous study schedule that ends around 11:00 pm in the night with little breaks and coaching. “For me, CA is not only a course, it's a feeling, emotion and passion.”
Not defeated until you win
22-year-old Jawvad Ul Haque started this CA journey in May 2019 while pursuing BCom from St Xaviers College, Kolkata. He appeared for the CA Foundation and cleared it in one go. “I was really excited for the next level but honestly had no idea how difficult my journey was going to be,” he told Moneycontrol.
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His CA Intermediate exams were scheduled to take place in May 2020 but were postponed due to the pandemic only to get cancelled afterwards. That was one phase Haque feels he never forgets. Though he prepared and appeared for an exam held in December 2020, he couldn’t clear it due Covid induced challenges within the family.
He somehow managed to gather the courage and started preparing for the exams once again and cleared Group 1 and Group 2 exams to become a “CA Finalist”. After clearing the Intermediate Group 2 exams, Haque is currently pursuing articleship at Grant Thornton Bharat LLP.
According to Haque, managing time to study is something which needs to be handled tactfully and planned well in advance while pursuing an articleship. With 8 subjects to study and an easy 240 hours on average per subject, that is 1,920 hours of video lectures students have to watch. Of course, the Direct Tax, Indirect Tax amendments, and self-study hours are excluded from these hours.
In Haque’s case, he usually manages to or aims to wake up by 7:00 am every morning and complete one lecture daily on weekdays. So there will be times when he manages to complete half of the classes which is 1.5 hours of the total three-hour lecture before going for the articles and completing the second part once he is back.
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“On weekends if I have to go for my articleship, I manage to complete at least one lecture that particular day and when I don’t have to go to the office, I’ll ensure doing at least two lectures that day! This way, I’ll ensure that I’m able to cover at least 8 to 10 lectures every week,” Haque said.
Having already faced multiple obstacles along the way and having spent almost four years in this course, there’s no turning back for Haque now. “For me, getting the CA degree is everything and I am honestly going to do anything to get that degree and get convocated wearing that beautiful gown for sure!”
Consistency is the key
Drawing inspiration from his grandfather, a former president of AIFTP and advocate parents, 18-year-old Mayur Patodi started the preparation in his earlier stages of academic life at 10th standard.
“During my teenage years, I realised my interest in finance, law and the stock market. I had strong accountancy so I decided to choose the commerce field,” he said.
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After recently clearing his 12th from Saint Paul’s Senior Secondary School in Kota, Patodi decided to give the July 2022 attempt for CA Foundation. “But as there is a saying, there is no success without hardships. My entrance exam, the CUET exam and the Foundation exam dates clashed. Therefore, I decided to appear for the December attempt.”
During the journey, Patodi realised the most challenging task is to be consistent. “As being such a vast course, we need to revise each subject multiple times as it is the revisions which matter the most.”
Further, he said evaluating the performance or level of preparation by giving timely tests and mock tests conducted by the institutes is also significant.
“We hear a lot of people saying that their paper was not completed on time. This is due to lack of proper writing practice,” Patodi said, adding, “This problem can be overcome by daily practice of both practical as well as theory subjects, in precise time.”
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Currently dedicating around 14 hours to classes and self-study, Patodi doesn't believe much in motivation. “It's all about hard work and consistency which matters the most. Small efforts in the right direction always give positive results,” he said.
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