I cleared my CA final exams in November 2015. It was my fourth Attempt. Here are some things which really helped me alot to clear my exams.
First of all everybody keep saying the result is low. However, result is always good its just 80% of the students are not prepared well. Mostly students could not revise or complete the syllabus.
In first 2 attempts I didnt clear any group, then had a thought where am I going wrong.
The two important things are to complete whole syllabus and revising it and revising it a day before exams.
Here it goes:
1. Mostly students study with full dedcation BUT without a plan i.e when we start stuidying we dont know at the pace we are studying when will the syllabus complete. And we end up prepration without completing full syllabus. This happened with me in my first two attempts. For this I made up a excel sheet and made a plan day by day for a month..
After making this plan I had in my mind what I have to do and If I am unable to complete 1 day study study it will accumalate to next days. So I have a goal and a focus and always have a target and try to achieve it everyday. However I couldnt but my output for the days increased significantely. Seriously everyone should do it who ever start their syllabus but always end up leaving topics in the end. Heres an extract of my schedule.
Date | Day | Audit | Law | SFM | Accounts |
18-Oct-15 | Sunday | 700 series Peer Review |
Competition Act | Cap budget | |
19-Oct-15 | Monday | Co Audit, AC | FEMA | Portfolio | EVA |
20-Oct-15 | Tuesday | Cost Audit,CFS,bank questions | Insurance, Interpret question | Portfolio,Forex | EVA |
21-Oct-15 | Wednesday | Investigation | Winding up | Forex | SBP |
22-Oct-15 | Thursday | 800 series,SAE, Coop soc,NBFC | Opression | Right isse,Factoring, Misc | SBP |
23-Oct-15 | Friday | PSU,Fiscal audit | Investigation,foreign co | Derivative | NBFC HR MF |
24-Oct-15 | Saturday | Special Audit Eng, SOX | Banking sebi questions | Derivative | AS 1-10 |
25-Oct-15 | Sunday | CIS,IA | producer co,misc co audit, BM question | Derivative | |
26-Oct-15 | Monday | RTP | RTP | RTP | AS11,12,13,16,17,18 Valuation |
27-Oct-15 | Tuesday | Valuation,19,20,29 | |||
28-Oct-15 | Wednesday | 24,25,26,28,22 | |||
29-Oct-15 | Thursday | 15,30-32,Amalg | |||
30-Oct-15 | Friday | Amalg+revision start | |||
31-Oct-15 | Saturday | Revision |
2. Revising whole syllabus a day before exam
If you have studied well but unable to revise a day before exam all efforts could go in vien so its very immportant. for this also. I made hour by hour plan.
10.30 PM to 12AM | SA Phase I |
12 to 12.30 | Co audit |
12:30 to 1 | 700 series Audit report |
1 to 2 | liablities,AC,CFS |
2 to 3 | Peer Review |
10 AM to 12 PM | SA Phase II |
12 to 1:30 | PE Phase I |
1:30 to 2:30 | CARO PG |
2:30 to 5 | Bank Audit |
5 to 6 | Coop Soc NBFC |
6 to 8 | Fiscal audit,PSU |
8 to 9 | PE Phase II |
9 to 10 | Internal Audit |
10 to 11:30 | Insurance |
11:30 PM to 1 AM | Cost Audit Amend |
1 to 3 | SAE |
3 to 4 | CIS |
Morning | SA Phase III |
This really bossted my effeciency and I easily cut out various hrs which would have wasted.
As ICAI says Failing to Plan is Planning to Fail.
Its true it took me 2 Attempts i.e 1 YEAR to understand this. We should make these plans and try to follow it.
Frankly I was never able to complete what I planned but in the end I knew If I never made plans I won't have completed the amount of syllabus they I did. Its just an Adrenaline to keep you boosted.
3. Subjectwise tips.
Accounts: I studied from Praveen Sir. His notes are great for studying. I marked some Comprehensive quesions in each chapter & AS which cover all the the concpts so that I dont have to do each quesion everytime. But Practice is must for that I solved every quesion of Practice Manual.
SFM: Took classes from Aaditya Jain Sir. Just study its notes for 1 time and made a seprate register for Formula where every formula that comes up while studying it wrote it down and then never saw his notes just did Practice Manuals quesions. For revising in last month I just read formula for 15 mins for one chapter and start doing all the quesion of PM. Also marked goord and comprehensive quesions that I have to do a day before exam as all queions cannot be solved and in a day before exam just see formula copy and did quesion of PM only chapterwise. And in November 2015 apart from few every quesions was from practice manual and I felt paper was very EASY where everbody was saying SFM paper was bad. I was able to attempt only 70 Marks as paper was very lenghhy this time still I got 62 maks as all the quesions were of PM.
Audit: For SA I did Surbhi mam class. Those are must watch earlier I couldnt do a single SA in 4 hrs as didnt know how to study but in classes she taught what acually come in exam and gave a summary of each SA from which i could do most of the SA in 10 MINITUES per SA only. and red all the PM quesions of SA. For Professional Ethics I just did the class and did all the 56 quesions of PM which made PE on y tips which clause and schedule
Law: For most of the chapters of Company Law I made my hand written notes. I could complete Directors, Board Meeting, Accounts and audit in just 3-4 Hrs which covers around 50 marks in exam.
For rest chapters of Law and Audit I think instead of reading book Just do quesions of Practice Manual as they cover mostly full syllabus.
Costing: OR is very easy and intersting always a good bet to score and if you can do Theory then do quesions from PM only as all quesion comes from there and you can complete your 16 moarks quesion in just half hr which is really good for paper like costing. OR+theory= 40-45 marks. and very easy to score in that.
ISCA: Its a subject from which I am always scared of but this book of Devang Dalal made made it so easy its a combination of Study Mat language+ Dinesh madan presentation+ Manish Valecha Mnemonics. Its Study Mat in short. In jitna bhi matter pad lo last mai apni laguage mai hi likhogay exam mai. So thats important in ISCA is it memorise all the points. When I had all points learned I revise it every week an I could do chapter 8 of ISCA Cloud computing in just 30 mins. I would really recommend that book.
DT: Cant say anything I was lucky to pass in this. i cant recommend anything.
IDT: DG classes are best for concept clarity but at last you need a lot of queisons so that the concept is set in mind for that I did Bangar Summary module. It have alot of quesions. There cant be anything in exams out of it. And in IDT case laws are also must for that. I wrote 5 case laws in register every day and crux of it and revise it every day before doing next. it hardly take 30 mins to write and every case law was on my tips. would recommend to fo Case law book of ICAI and case laws of RTP.
Other things
- Everybody have their own speed of studying so never compare with others thinking that he/she has done alot and you are lagging. In fact I stopped talking to the ones who study so fast as tried to compete with them make syllabus run fast which was no use.
- On the day of exam everybody discusses something and I felt omg usne kitna pada hai. Its all crap. You have done your best.
- Always sleep well in your preparatery days as Too much studying make make tired. Have a 7-8 hrs of sleep.
- Efficiency in studying at night is 2 times that of day. Try to study 11-6 with lots of coffee. Coffee is a enrgy dring in exams.
- Always go for BOTH groups as yous have enough load you will study more. As in Firt two attepts I gave only Second group but didnt clear when in 3rd attempt I opted for for both groups I found I studied second group that much only as in my first two attempt and side by side I completed first group study. and in 3rd attempt I cleard my 2nd group
- Do make your daily schedule so that you know if you start today when will your syllabus end and if you find short of time you will automatiically start studying effectively. Its like you have seen your future.
You can ask me any quesions in comment section.