Exam Pattern & Subjects
CA Foundation under the New Scheme 2023 has 4 papers — 2 descriptive and 2 objective (OMR-based). Exams are held in May and November.
CA Foundation New Scheme 2023 has 4 papers:
Paper 1: Principles and Practice of Accounting (100 marks — Descriptive)
Paper 2: Business Laws (100 marks — Descriptive)
Paper 3: Business Mathematics, Mathematical Reasoning and Statistics (100 marks — Objective/OMR)
Paper 4: Business Economics (100 marks — Objective/OMR)
Total: 400 marks. Exams are held in May and November each year.
CA Foundation has 4 papers, each of 100 marks:
1. Paper 1: Accounting — Understanding basic accounting concepts, principles, and preparation of financial statements
2. Paper 2: Business Laws — Law of contracts, sale of goods, partnership, companies, negotiable instruments
3. Paper 3: Quantitative Aptitude — Business Mathematics (40 marks) + Logical Reasoning (20 marks) + Statistics (40 marks)
4. Paper 4: Business Economics — Microeconomics, macroeconomics, money market, international trade
Papers 1 and 2 are subjective type. Papers 3 and 4 are objective type with negative marking.
Yes — but only in Papers 3 and 4 (Objective/OMR papers). For every wrong answer in Papers 3 and 4, ¼ mark (0.25) is deducted. Papers 1 and 2 are descriptive (written) with no negative marking. Unattempted questions in OMR papers carry no negative marks.
To pass CA Foundation Examination, a candidate must:
- Score a minimum of 40% marks in EACH paper
- Score a minimum of 50% marks in AGGREGATE (total of all 4 papers)
Papers 1 & 2 are subjective type. Papers 3 & 4 are objective type with negative marking for wrong answers.
Each CA Foundation paper is 3 hours long. Papers 1 and 2 are descriptive (you write answers in a paper booklet). Papers 3 and 4 are objective/OMR (you fill in circles on an OMR sheet). All papers carry 100 marks each.
CA Foundation exams are held twice a year — in May (results in July) and November (results in January). Students can appear in both sessions within the validity of their registration.
Negative marking applies to Papers 3 (Quantitative Aptitude) and 4 (Business Economics) as they are objective type papers. Papers 1 (Accounting) and 2 (Business Laws) are subjective type and have no negative marking. The exact quantum of negative marking is as specified by ICAI in the examination notification.