CA Final Topper Interview November 2023: “Practice and Revision is key” says, Tikendra Kumar Singhal, AIR 3

It was a moment of great elation for Tikendra Kumar Singhal and his family when the CA Final Nov 2023 results were declared. Singhal, who hails from Jaipur, secured All India Rank 3 in the CA Final November 2023 exams. Success is not something new for Singhal, as he also secured AIR 22 in his CA Foundation and AIR 8 in CA Intermediate exam. Singhal says his motivation behind pursuing Chartered Accountancy came from within his family as both his sisters are CAs.

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CA November 2023 results were declared in online mode on January 9, 2024. According to CA Final pass percentage, a total of 8,650 candidates qualified as Chartered Accountants. In CA Final November 2023 session, 65,294 students appeared for Group 1 and 62,679 appeared for Group 2. The CA Pass Percentage for Group 1 was 9.46% and 21.6% of students passed in Group 2.

Careers360 got in an exclusive conversation with the CA Final topper Nov 2023. Here are some excerpts from the conversation.

Careers360: What was the feeling when you first saw your rank?

Tikendra: Obviously, it was a great feeling. CA results 2023 were declared on January 9 at around 11 am. I got a call from ICAI President 15 minutes before the declaration of the results. The ICAI President calls all the top 3 CA rankholders personally. It was a mixed feeling, I was a little nervous and excited and a stream of emotions flowed after.

Careers360: Tell us briefly about your family and education background.

Tikendra: I belong to Jaipur. This is the last year of my articleship. I have completed my schooling from Akashdeep Public School, Jaipur. My articleship will be completed in November this year.

Careers360: What made you choose Chartered Accountancy?

Tikendra: Chartered Accountancy is a prestigious course. The motivation behind becoming a CA came from my family itself. My two elder sisters are already Chartered Accountants. So as I grew up I saw them studying for the exams and eventually living the life of a CA. It was my father’s dream too to see me as a CA.

Careers360: At what point in your life you decided that you wanted to become a Chartered Accountant

Tikendra: Like I told, it was my dream to become a CA right from the beginning. After class 10, when I had to choose streams, I opted for Commerce. I was determined to pursue Chartered Accountancy.

Careers360: Can you tell us about your preparation strategy for the CA Final exam?

Tikendra: I took coaching for my CA Final. My coaching finished in December 2022. Around January 2023 I started my revision. I believe that revision is the key. Proper revision will result in better understanding and control over a subject. I planned on completing three revisions and the goal was achieved.

During your articleship, you get less time to prepare as you are occupied with office tasks. However, I ensured I studied four to five hours during my articleship. I made sure that I watched one lecture every day. A single lecture is almost three hours in duration. Also, practicing sample papers and mock tests is very important. Students who have conceptual clarity and proper knowledge also fail to clear the exams due to a lack of practice.

I also focused on target-based learning. If you set a target for learning, you make efforts to make sure the target is achieved. I used to set daily targets in terms of topics and subjects.

Careers360: Can you shed some light on your CA journey so far from CA Foundation / Inter to now finally clearing the CA Final exams? Did you find it tough or was there any point you felt you should pursue something else?

I appeared for the CA Foundation exam in November 2019 where I secured AIR 22. Immediately after appearing for the exam, I started my coaching for CA Intermediate. I appeared for CA Intermediate exam in November 2020 and secured AIR 8 in CA Inter results. I started getting the feeling of becoming a CA during my articleship where I learnt the practical aspect of what I have learned during my preparations. There were many highs and lows during my preparation. However, I never had any second thought about becoming a CA. No matter how hard the road got, I pushed myself more and focused on preparations.

Careers360: What is your view about the ICAI new scheme of education and training? Does it really change anything?

I believe it is a very good initiative by ICAI. In my opinion, the ICAI new scheme of education and training is more application-based. Students with conceptual clarity will find it easy to crack the exam.

Careers360: What are your future plans?

Tikendra: Right now, I am looking forward to the CA placement drive. CA conducts its placement during November. There are options for off-campus placement too. Currently, I want to opt for a corporate job. I am clear that I want to pursue the consulting domain, be it Business Consulting or Management Consulting. In the long run, I can think of starting something of my own, but right now I am focused towards placement into consulting.

Careers360: What advice would you give to students who are aspiring to become CA?

Tikendra: I would advise students to be confident and maintain consistency during their preparation. Enjoy the journey and stay focused. Every candidate faces lows and highs during their preparation, but don’t ever let it lead you to give up. Push yourself every day.