CA Foundation Exam Pattern 2023 (May Sessions) - Mode, Marking Scheme, Difficulty Level
CA Foundation Exam Pattern 2023 - The Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI) specifies the exam pattern of CA Foundation 2023 on its official website - icai.org. Candidates by referring to CA Foundation exam pattern 2023 can get an idea about the number and type of questions asked in the exam, subjects included, marking scheme and duration of national-level exam. ICAI conducts CA Foundation exam twice in a year , once in May and then in November/December.
Latest Updates for CA Foundation Exam
- 10 Jan 2023:
ICAI has released the CA Foundation exam date for June 2023 session - Check here
- 30 Nov 2022:
ICAI CA Foundation Admit Card December 2022 out, download now!
- 10 Aug 2022:
CA Foundation June 2022 result declared, to check - Click here
Stay up-to date with CA Foundation Exam News

CA Foundation exam pattern 2023 - Overview
Particulars | Details |
Name of the exam | CA Foundation, earlier known as CA CPT (Common Proficiency Test) |
Conducting body | The Institute Of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI) |
Mode of exam | Offline |
Frequency | TWICE in a year May (or June) November (or December) |
Level of exam | National level |
Level of difficulty | Easy to Moderate |
Question paper (s) | The CA Foundation exam includes FOUR papers: Paper 1 - Principles and Practice of Accounting Paper 2 - Business Laws and Business Correspondence and Reporting Paper 3 - Business Mathematics, Logical Reasoning and Statistics Paper 4 - Business Economics and Business and Commercial Knowledge |
Duration of the question papers | Paper 1 and 2 will be of 3 hours Paper 3 and 4 will be of 2 hours |
Question Type | Paper 1 and 2 - Subjective Paper 3 and 4 - Objective |
Marks | Each paper will be of 100 marks. |
Total marks | 400 |
Marking scheme | For subjective (Paper 1 and 2) - NO negative marking For objective papers (Paper 3 and 4) - ¼ mark will be deducted for every wrong answer |
Medium of exam | English/Hindi except for Paper 2 (section b which will be in English only) |
CA Foundation Exam Pattern 2023 - Details
Basic details about CA Foundation exam paper pattern 2023 is given below:
There are four papers in the CA Foundation examination.
Paper 1 and Paper 2 are subjective types
Paper 3 and Paper 4 are objective types
CA foundation exam is for 400 marks where each paper is for 100 marks.
Negative marking is applicable to objective papers. Any wrong answer will deduct one-fourth mark in the paper
The exam is conducted offline
The medium of the exam is either English or Hindi except for Section (b) of paper 2 which will compulsorily be taken in English language only.
CA Foundation Passing Criteria 2023
To qualify the CA Foundation exam 2023, a candidate needs to secure minimum 40% marks in each paper and an aggregate of 55% in all four papers. Candidates securing less than the passing criteria specified by ICAI will not be considered a pass. Such candidates have to reappear for the CS Foundation papers.
Related: Check CA Foundation Pass Percentage
ICAI CA Foundation Syllabus 2023
Along with the exam pattern, it is vital for candidates to be aware of the topics and subtopics covered under the CA Foundation 2023 syllabus. Each topic and subtopic from which the CA Foundation 2023 question paper will be prepared is included in the syllabus. ICAI provides the CA Foundation syllabus on its official website.
Exam Pattern (Topic-wise weightage)
Tabulated below are the sections and topics covered under the CA Foundation exam. Each each row highlights the topic as well as the weightage of the topic covered in all four papers. The table will help candidates to prepare for the exam effectively and focus on major areas.
Note- The revised section-wise weightage has been taken from the CA Foundation May 2020 exams.
Topic-wise weightage
Paper 1 - Principles and Practice of Accounting Marks: 100 | Weightage | |
I | Theoretical Framework | 5-10% |
II | Accounting Process | 25-30% |
Bank Reconciliation Statement | ||
Inventories | ||
Concept and Accounting of Depreciation | ||
III | Accounting for Special Transactions | 15-20% |
IV | Final Accounts of Sole Proprietors | 30-40% |
Partnership Accounts | ||
Financial Statements of Not-for-Profit Organisations | ||
V | Introduction to Company Accounts | 10-15% |
Paper 2: Business Laws and Business Correspondence and Recording Marks - 100 | ||
Section A: Business Laws (60 Marks) | ||
I | The Indian Contract Act, 1872 | 25-35% |
II | The Sale of Goods Act, 1930 | 20-25% |
III | The Indian Partnership Act, 1932 | 20-25% |
IV | The Limited Liability Partnership Act, 2008 | 5-10% |
V | The Companies Act, 2013 | 15-20% |
Section B: Business Correspondence and Recording (40 Marks) | ||
I | Communication | 10-15% |
II | Sentence Types and Vocabulary | 20-30% |
Vocabulary Root Words, Synonyms, Antonyms, Prefixes, Suffixes, Phrasal verbs, Collocations and Idioms | ||
III | Comprehension Passages and Note-Making | 20-30% |
IV | Developing Writing Skills | 35-40% |
Paper 3 - Business Mathematics, Logical Reasoning and Statistics Marks - 100 | ||
Part A- Business Mathematics (40 Marks) | ||
I | Ratio and Proportion, Indices and Logarithms | 20-30% |
Equations and Matrices | ||
Linear Inequalities | ||
II | Time Value of Money | 30-40% |
III | Permutations and Combinations | 30-50% |
Sequence and Series | ||
Sets, Relations and Functions | ||
Basic applications of Differential and Integral calculus | ||
Part B- Logical Reasoning (20 Marks) | ||
IV | Number series coding and Decoding and the odd man out | 60-70% |
Direction Tests | ||
Seating Arrangements | ||
V | Blood Relations | 30-40% |
Syllogism | ||
Part C- Statistics (40 Marks) | ||
VI | Statistical Representation of Data, Diagrammatic representation of data, Frequency distribution, Graphical representation of Frequency Distribution in the form of Histogram, Frequency, Polygon, Ogive, Pie-chart | 45-50% |
Measures of Central Tendency and Dispersion: Mean, Median and Mode, Mean Deviation, Quartiles and Quartile Deviation, Standard Deviation, Coefficient of Variation, Coefficient of Quartile Deviation | ||
VII | Probability: Independent and dependent events; mutually exclusive events.Total and Compound Probability; Bayes’ theorem; and Mathematical Expectation | 25-30% |
Theoretical Distribution: Binomial Distribution, Poisson distribution–basic application and Normal Distribution – basic applications. | ||
VIII | Correlation and Regression: Scatter diagram, Karl Pearson’s Coefficient of Correlation Rank, Correlation, Regression lines, Regression equations and Regression coefficients | 10-15% |
IX | Index Numbers and Time series | 10-15% |
Paper 4 - Business Economics and Business and Commercial Knowledge Marks - 100 | ||
Part 4A- Business Mathematics (60 Marks) | ||
I | Introduction to Business Economics | 15-20% |
II | Theory of Demand and Supply | 35-40% |
Theory of Production and Cost | ||
III | Price Determination in Different Markets | 25-30% |
IV | Business Cycles | 15-20% |
Part 4B- Business & Commercial Knowledge (40 Marks) | ||
V | Introduction to Business | 15-18% |
VI | Business Environment | 15-18% |
VII | Business Organizations | 15-20% |
VIII | Government Policies for Business Growth | 15-18% |
IX | Organizations Facilitating Business | 15-18% |
X | Common Business Terminologies | 15-18% |
For Reference- Click here
CA Foundation Study Material 2023
ICAI also facilitates the candidates by providing complete subject-wise CA Foundation study material. This includes a comprehensive explanation of topics covered, revision question papers, mock test papers along with the outline of the syllabus that will be covered in the CA Foundation 2023 exam. The study material relevant for each year is updated by ICAI on its website.
Official study material link
Paper name | Download link |
Principles and Practice of Accounting | |
Business Laws and Business Correspondence and Reporting | |
Business Mathematics, Logical Reasoning and Statistics | |
Business Economics and Business and Commercial Knowledge |
Frequently Asked Question (FAQs) - CA Foundation Exam Pattern 2023 (May Sessions) - Mode, Marking Scheme, Difficulty Level
Question: How many subjects are there in CA Foundation exam 2023?
Answer:
There are four subjects in CA Foundation exam 2023.
Question: Is there any negative marking in the CA Foundation exam?
Answer:
Negative marking is applicable to objective papers. Any wrong answer will deduct one-fourth mark in the paper.
Question: What is the passing criteria for CA Foundation exam 2023?
Answer:
To qualify the CA Foundation exam, candidates need to secure minimum 40% marks in each paper and an aggregate of 55% in all four papers.
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Questions related to CA Foundation Exam
How many students give CA Foundation exam every year?
Every year, more than 90,000 students appear in CA Foundation exam in every session. The CA Foundation result Dec 2022 pass percentage will be released along with the CA Foundation result.
when ca foundation exam form for nov 2022 exam will open
Dear candidate,
I would like to tell you that the form are already open for November 2022 exam from 10th of August and the last date to submit the form is 31st August. Last date with the late fee is 7th November 2022.
You can view all these details on the official website of ICAI and also apply online by filling the form online. All the best.
I USED NON HB PENCIL TO FILL CIRCLES ON OMR SHEET IN CA FOUNDATION EXAM , WILL MY OMR SHEET CHECK ??
Dear aspirant,
Dont worry, if you have used NON-HB Pencil to fill circles on OMR sheet, OMR will be checked. Proper imprint is needed for the checking. So hopefully problem will not occur. Make sure from next time use pen or HB pencil and make the impressions or imprint more prominently.
can i register now for Ca foundation November
Hello,
The Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI) has OPENED the registration for CA Foundation 2022 November session in online mode. ICAI allows the candidates to register through their official website at icai.org. The last date for CA Foundation November/December 2022 exam is July 1. The last date was 1st July so now you will not be able to fill out the form. As the last date is passed there is no way to fill out the application form now. There are no age limit restrictions for candidates for registering in the CA Foundation exam. so you can try next year again.
Is BBOSE is valid for CA foundation exam
Hello Aspirant,
I hope you are doing well.
The first level exam for chartered accountancy in India is called the CPT, or common proficiency test. You only need to finish two years of higher education, including any diploma courses taken after the tenth grade from a board recognised by the federal or state governments, to be qualified for the CPT exam. If you are in your first year of an online graduating course or have previously received your diploma, you are also eligible.
A board recognised by the government is called the Bihar Board of Open Schooling Examination (BBOSE). Therefore, the CPT examination will be available to all BBOSE students.
I hope this helps.
Good Luck