At the "Top of the World" after being "At the Top of the Merit List"
of CA Final June 2009 exams

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CA Final - 1st Rank Holder
Giriraj Ajmera - A CAclubindia Member

After interviewing Giriraj one thing was definite that you need not be glued to your books with those binoculars like glasses to be at the top of CA exams. A myth that was broken while we were talking to him. A very down to earth person and most importantly honest by heart are the strikingly visible qualities in him.

How did he get there, was it planned or destined or really not thought about? We'll get to know all this in his honest words.

"I was waiting for results eagerly, then someone called me up congratulating me having topped the CA Final exams, it was our own Mr. Uttam Prakash Aggarwal, the ICAI President. It was so unexpected, half an hour before the results were out I couldn't believe it, couldn't even greet Mr. President well, didn't have much to speak and was over excited. I thought maybe somebody is just playing a prank with me. As soon as I disconnected the phone, I went onto confirm the result with my brother and with my friends. But the results were not out till then. After half an hour the results were out and I was confirmed about the news, I had topped the CA Final exams. And soon after friends, family, neighbours and not to forget media all were pouring in to be a part of the celebration. All day long I was surrounded by news channels, educational institutes, and news reporters and never ending phone calls. All was fun I was enjoying the attention and the praise."

"I did expect a rank somewhere around 20th as I was also the 30th Rank holder in CA-PCC exams. I took up CA and CS both as I was a commerce student and these are the best available options. I am open to further studies but will take a decision once i'm done with my CS exams. There is a myth that clearance from few centres are high like from Bhilwara, Jaipur, etc. but the truth is that here the environment is such. Many students are pursuing CA course and they are exposed to less distractions than in metros. I don't think centre makes a difference but focus does.I did my coaching from both Mumbai and Bhilwara and articleship from Mumbai. I use to attend my classes in the morning and then go for training during the day. There was no time for self studies then. I had planned that I would give 5 months for self studies but as exams were postponed to June I got a grace period of 1 month."

"I gave more importance to practical subjects, and that worked for me, MAFA and Accounts were my strength. I had always appeared CA exams in Hindi, this was the first time I gave papers in English medium and was a bit apprehensive. But there's no substitute for hard work and I guess that paid me off. If you have worked hard, luck will surely be 100% on your side. My mantra was regular 7-8 hours of self studies without fail. I used to go for walking every morning and evening in my garden as it is very important to move out of mental pressure while studying. Even I used to feel pressurized at times as everybody expected a very good result from me. It use to make me nervous but at the same time this pressure gave me positive strength to work even harder."

"My inspiration is my Grandfather who has retired and now is a social worker, his simplicity to deal with complicated situations is what mesmerizes me."

"I would suggest students to work hard regularly and not pile up everything for the last few days. They should go through the ICAI module thoroughly for the practical subjects and over all mental health is very important so do exercise or make a routine to go for some physical activity atleast for an hour a day. Articleship should also be taken seriously and the new announcement on ban on transfer is a good move but ICAI should have exception for genuine cases."

We hope Giriraj gets whatever he aspires for, as he deserves it all !!