Chartered Accountancy Course Duration

While searching for career opportunities, one definitely takes into consideration the time duration by when the course will be completed. Chartered Accountancy is a course which is mostly in the list of careers prospective for any commerce Candidate or even for some Candidates who do not have a commerce background. The Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI) is the regulatory body for Chartered Accountants. ICAI conducts the CA examinations and regulates the profession of Chartered Accountancy. This course generally takes 4.5 years to complete if all the levels are cleared at one go, but there are certain exceptions. Any person without any age limit can register himself/herself for this course at any time.

There are 3 levels that are required to be cleared to become Chartered Accountant, Foundation Level, Intermediate Level, and Final Level. Intermediate and Final Level consists of 2 groups, Group 1 and Group 2 which are allowed either to be taken separately or jointly. Exams for CA Courses are generally taken twice a year:

Examination	Months of Examination
Foundation Level	May and November
Intermediate Level	May and November
Final Level	May and November

We will consider 3 cases to know about the Course Duration:

If registered after class 10+2 (General Case)
If registered after class 10
Direct Entry Route

Lets discuss these cases separately,

If Registered After Class 10+2

This is the general case. Candidates after clearing their 10+2 are eligible to give an attempt for Foundation Course after registering for the same. Registration for CA Foundation is mandatory. Usually, the gap between registration and examination for CA Foundation is 4 months, i.e.,4 months of study period are given by ICAI for CA Foundation. So, if the Candidate has decided in advance to opt for CA Course, they can register themselves on or before 31^st December and can make themselves eligible for May Attempt after giving their Boards Examination. The next option is to register on or before 30^th June and make themselves eligible for the November attempt.

The results of the Foundation level are generally declared within 2- 3 months. After clearing the Foundation level, the Candidate can register himself/herself for CA Intermediate level. ICAI requires 8 months gap for a Candidate to appear in examination after Intermediate level registration. It is not necessary to mention at the time of registration whether he/she wants to opt for Single Group (Group 1 or Group 2) or both. At the time of application for examination, the Candidate can choose whether he/she wants to give Single Group or Both.

Results are declared after 2-3 months of examinations. Candidates after clearing any of the Group or Both the Groups are required to undergo mandatory 3 years of practical training under any Registered Chartered Accountant Practice firm. The Final Level Attempt is generally made after 2.5 years of registering under a Chartered Accountant Firm for practical training. If he/she has joined after clearing any of the single group, then he/she can clear his/her other group after 6 months, i.e. in the next attempt within the article ship period, and can give the final attempt after 2 years. CA Final Examinations can only be given when both the Intermediate Level Groups are cleared by the Candidate.

Once CA Final Examinations are cleared for both the groups, he/she becomes a Chartered Accountant and is eligible to put CA prefix in his/her name after becoming a member of ICAI by applying for a Membership number. So, generally, it takes for a person to become a Chartered Accountant a minimum of 4.5 years if all the levels given with both groups are cleared at one go. And after completion of practical training, he/she can apply for jobs off campus or on Campus.

If Registered after Class 10^th.

ICAI has given a provision to Candidates to register themselves for CA Course after clearing Class 10^th. Candidates can register themselves for CA Foundation via provisional certificate in their 10^th class. But the eligibility to give the examination of CA Foundation level is only after appearing for Class 10+2. Thus, it will take additional 2 years for a Candidate for this course if registered after clearing class 10^th. That means a total of 6.5 years will be taken to complete this course if all the levels are cleared at one go.

After appearing for Class 10+2 exams, Candidates can apply for the CA Foundation examination and can give their attempts. The whole procedure will be the same as the candidates who have registered themselves after 10+2.

Note: There is no need to register again for this Course as the Candidate is already registered with ICAI. Candidates need to only apply for CA Foundation examination and to make themselves eligible for the attempt.

Direct Entry Route

ICAI has provided a provision to those Candidates who are either:

under-graduated, or
post-graduated, or
appeared for CS Intermediate Level, or
appeared for CFA Intermediate Level,

to get themselves registered for CA Course directly to CA Intermediate Level. That means Candidates are exempted to register themselves for CA Foundation Level and are not required to give Foundation Level examination.

Under Graduated or Post Graduated Candidates

Commerce Under Graduates/ Post Graduates who have secured a minimum of 55% marks or other Non-Commerce Background Graduates (Under/Post) who have secured a minimum of 60% marks is eligible to enroll themselves for CA Intermediate directly through Direct Entry Route. They can then gets themselves registered for 3 years of practical training under any Registered Chartered Accountant Firm. Candidates are eligible to give their Intermediate Exam after completing 9 months of practical training.

After successfully clearing both the groups of CA Intermediate, Candidates can get registered to CA Final Course. They are eligible to give their Final level attempt during the last 6 months of Practical Training if registered within the timeline given by ICAI.

Once CA Final Examinations are cleared for both the groups, he/she becomes a Chartered Accountant and is eligible to put CA prefix in his/her name after becoming a member of ICAI by applying for Membership number. So, it takes for a person to become a Chartered Accountant a minimum of 3 years if all the levels given with both groups are cleared at one go. And after completion of practical training, he/she can apply for jobs off-campus or on Campus.

After clearing CS/CFA Intermediate Level Examination

The procedure for registration in the CA Intermediate Level, for candidates who have cleared their CS/CFA Intermediate Level Examination, through the direct entry scheme will be the same as normal route students.

After registering for the CA Intermediate, ICAI requires 8 months gap for a Candidate to appear in the examination. It is not necessary to mention at the time of registration whether he/she wants to opt for Single Group (Group 1 or Group 2) or both. At the time of Application for examination, the Candidate can choose whether he/she wants to give Single Group or Both.

Results are declared after 2-3 months of examinations. Candidates after clearing any of the Single Group or Both Groups are required to undergo mandatory 3 years of practical training under any Registered Chartered Accountant Practice firm. The Final Level Attempt is generally made after 2.5 years of registering under a Chartered Accountant Firm for practical training. If he/she has joined after clearing any of the single group, then he/she can clear his/her other group after 6 months, i.e. in the next attempt within the articleship period, and can give the final attempt after 2 years. CA Final Examinations can only be given when both the Intermediate Level Groups are cleared by the Candidate.

So, it takes a minimum of 4 years to become Chartered Accountant if all the levels given with both groups are cleared in one go. And after completion of practical training, he/she can apply for jobs off campus or on Campus.