I'm often asked the above question but I am not sure if the spirit of the question means to ask if the content and subjects are tough, or the pressure alongside the study or the uneasiness of stepping outside your cozy comfort zone. Nevertheless I'll talk about the entire course as a whole.
First, when saying CA is tough, what are you comparing it to? For the sake of parity, I assume that you might be comparing it to other courses out there. Do you realize a doctor's job is much more critical than you? A wrong surgery and lives shattered. A fallacious estimation and an entire pool or bridge can come down. Engineers. An inaccurate decision and an entrepreneur's business can come crashing down. A misguided and unfollowed judgement can hamper the lives of the country. Lawyers. Coming to us? Wrong returns? Revise the return and file. Okay I do agree, that a wrong audit can land you behind the bars too. So you see, every profession has it's own intricacies and sacrifices. It'd be very judgemental if you call out one as tough. I was reading articles on the same matter and there were people who mostly wrote about the myth - “CA is tough.” I won't say CA is hard.
The course is vast but it's no rocket science. Intermediate is new for most people. By that l, I don't mean it's tough. It's just a lot of new concepts and subjects which can be aced if proper efforts are directed. What you learn at the final level isn't something new. It's an addition. Say, at intermediate we didn't learn accounting standard on taxes, but we do have that now. Now, don't tell me you don't know the first thing about tax. What I mean to say is, we're developing on what we've already learnt with a change or two. The content and the subject matter of the course isn't a headache. It's just a lot to keep it in your head all at a time. And for that very reason, our institute has given a two and a half year of gap between intermediate and final.
The common mistake we all make is by swaying away the first one year. We come into senses on the second half of the next year. By the time we finish our classes, the exam is just few months away. And then all the hustle and bustle starts and we study like there's no tomorrow, fall ill, cram, fail exams and sit back and ask this question “Is CA really tough” Institute gives you study materials and a lot of brain goes into making it. It might not appear a lot at first. But sit back with a good intention to conceptualize, you'll get there. It has designed this course considering the best of student's interest. Understand and regard that.
The content of the books aren't tough if you actually look out. You need not have a high intelligence quotient to clear. This is the very reason a commoner with high dedication and consistency becomes a CA. I feel what this course makes itself different from others is the “interpretation”. One who just reads, crams and solves would take a while to clear as compared to one who interprets and applies it to daily life. This is the very reason of low pass percentage, people give up midway because they lack the questioning mind. Our schools and colleges had all spoon-fed us giving very little opportunities for reasoning and in depth understanding. Next, I've often heard my fellows complaining about the schedules. But I want you all to understand that all professions consider internship compulsory these days. They've their own rules for that, I agree. Also, very few have to study alongside. But that's what the two-year leap is for. It's challenging but it's not impossible if you're consistent from the very first day.
The next thing I hear from people that there's no college life, no socializing, no friends. And here is just let you know I'm a CA finalist, singer, spare time writer who doesn't mind doing open mics and I'm an article too. Balance is the key. You don't need to sit in office and work for hours, neither you need to put in a lot of effort if you maintain consistency from day one.
Dear friends, every course has it's own structure and respect that. This doesn't make it tough. It's a mere compromise that all have to do at some point, be it any profession. Don't ever relate this to the toughness of the course. I do agree there are certain areas that make the course challenging, the constant updates, the revised syllabus and the vast ocean of books. But that doesn't make it tough in any way. If the Institute has made it challenging, it has also rewarded us with perks too. Moreover, where's prestige when there's no challenge? I'd request you to stop catcalling this course as tough and tagging it difficult. It's us who make it hard. Again, it's the very us who makes it a cakewalk. It's all in your mind.
All the best!!!
CAclubindia
