CA Final Exam May 2025 - Admit Card (Released), Exam Dates (Out), Syllabus & Pattern, Question Paper

Strategic financial management: Unit 01

• Strategic decision making framework, interface of financial policy and strategic management, balancing financial goals vis-à-vis sustainable growth

Strategic financial management: Unit 02

• Identification of types of risk faced by an organisation, evaluation of financial risks, value at risk (VAR), evaluation of appropriate method for the identification and management of financial risk

Strategic financial management: Unit 03

• Fundamental analysis, technical analysis: (a) Meaning, (b) assumptions, (c) theories and principles, (d) charting techniques, (e) efficient market hypothesis (EMH) analysis

Strategic financial management: Unit 04

• Theory of valuation, return concepts, equity risk premium, required return on equity, discount rate selection in relation to cash flows, approaches to valuation of equity shares, valuation of preference shares, valuation of debentures/ bonds

Strategic financial management: Unit 05

• Portfolio analysis, portfolio selection, capital market theory, portfolio revision, portfolio evaluation, asset allocation, fixed income portfolio, risk analysis of investment in distressed securities
• Alternative investment strategies in context of portfolio management

Strategic financial management: Unit 06

• Introduction, concept and definition, benefits of securitization, participants in securitization, mechanism of securitization, problems in securitization, securitization instruments, pricing of securitization instruments, securitization in India

Strategic financial management: Unit 07

• Meaning, evolution, types, advantages and disadvantages of mutual funds

Strategic financial management: Unit 08

• Forward/ future contract, options, swaps, commodity derivatives

Strategic financial management: Unit 09

• Exchange rate determination, foreign currency market, management of transaction, translation, and economic exposures, hedging currency risk, foreign exchange derivatives-forward, futures, options, and swaps

Strategic financial management: Unit 10

• International capital budgeting, international working capital management: (a) Multinational cash management-(i) objectives of effective cash management, (ii) optimization of cash flows/ needs, (iii) investment of surplus cash
• International working capital management: (b) Multinational receivable management, (c) multinational inventory management

Strategic financial management: Unit 11

• Interest rate risk, hedging interest rate risk: (a) Traditional methods, (b) Modern methods including interest rate derivatives

Strategic financial management: Unit 12

• Conceptual framework of valuation, approaches/ methods of valuation: (a) Assets based valuation model, (b) earning based models, (c) cash flow based models, (d) measuring cost of equity-(i) capital asset pricing model (CAPM), (ii) arbitrage pricing theory
• Approaches/ methods of valuation: (d) Measuring cost of equity-(iii) estimating beta of an unlisted company, (e) relative valuation-(i) steps involved in relative valuation, (ii) equity valuation multiples, (iii) enterprise valuation multiple
• Approaches/ methods of valuation: (f) Other approaches to value measurement-(i) economic value added (EVA), (ii) market value added (MVA), (iii) shareholder value analysis (SVA), (g) arriving at fair value

Strategic financial management: Unit 13

• Conceptual framework, rationale, forms, mergers, and acquisitions: (a) Financial framework, (b) takeover defensive tactics, (c) reverse merger, divestitures: (a) Partial sell off, (b) demerger, (c) equity carve outs
• Ownership restructuring: (a) Going private, (b) management/ leveraged buyouts, cross border mergers

Strategic financial management: Unit 14

• Introduction including pitch presentation, sources of funding, start up India initiative

Advanced auditing and professional ethics: Unit 01

• Engagement and quality control standards, statements and guidance notes on auditing issued by the ICAI; elements of system of quality control, leadership responsibilities for quality within the firm

Advanced auditing and professional ethics: Unit 02

• Acceptance and continuance of clients relationships and specific engagements, engagement performances, etc
• SQC 1 quality control for firms that perform audits and reviews of historical financial information and other assurance and related services engagements

Advanced auditing and professional ethics: Unit 03

• Planning the flow of audit work; audit strategy, audit plan, audit programme and importance of supervision; principal’s ultimate responsibility; extent of delegation; control over quality of audit work

Advanced auditing and professional ethics: Unit 04

• Analytical procedures prior to audit as well as towards finalization; concept of principal auditor and other auditor, acceptance as principal auditor, procedures to be performed by principal auditor
• Coordination between the principal auditor and other auditor (SA 600 using the work of another auditor); concept of internal audit functions and its evaluation, using the work of the internal audit function
• Using internal auditors to provide direct assistance (SA 610 using the work of internal auditors); auditor's expert-meaning, need for an auditor’s expert, understanding the auditor’s expert, agreement with the auditor’s expert
• Adequacy of the auditor’s expert’s work (SA 620 using the work of an auditor’s expert)

Advanced auditing and professional ethics: Unit 05

• Evaluation of internal control procedures; components of internal controls; internal control and risk assessment; risk-based audit audit-risk analysis, general steps; internal audit
• Reporting on internal control weaknesses (SA 265 communicating deficiencies in internal control to those charged with governance and management); framework on reporting of internal controls

Advanced auditing and professional ethics: Unit 06

• Key features of automated environment, related risks and controls, standards, guidelines and procedures, using relevant frameworks and best practices, understanding and documenting automated environment, enterprise risk management overview
• Assessing IT-related risks and controls, evaluating risks and controls at entity level and process level, considerations of automated environment at each phase of audit cycle, using relevant analytical procedures and tests using data analytics
• Key concepts of auditing in real-time automated environments such as e-commerce, ERP, core banking, etc

Advanced auditing and professional ethics: Unit 07

• Application of relevant provisions under the companies act, 2013 relating to audit and auditors and rules made there under; powers/ rights, duties of auditors; branch audit; significance of true and fair view; dividends and divisible profits-financial
• Dividends and divisible profits-legal, and policy considerations; depreciation; special features of audit of limited liability partnerships (LLPs)-eligibility for audit, appointment of auditor, remuneration, etc
• Audit report under the companies act, 2013; reporting under CARO

Advanced auditing and professional ethics: Unit 08

• Basic elements of auditor’s report; types of opinion; notes on accounts; distinction between notes and qualifications; distinction between audit reports and certificates; communication to management and those charged with governance
• Self review threats; drafting of different types of audit reports

Advanced auditing and professional ethics: Unit 09

• Audit committee; role of auditor in audit committee and certification of compliance of corporate governance; compliances with laws and regulations (SA 250 consideration of laws and regulations in an audit of financial statements)
• Disclosure requirements including those of SEBI; regulatory requirements of corporate governance, report on corporate governance

Advanced auditing and professional ethics: Unit 10

• Provisions under the companies act, 2013 in respect of accounts of companies and rules made there under; audit of consolidated financial statements-responsibility of parent company, auditor of the consolidated financial statements
• Audit considerations-permanent consolidation, current period consolidation; reporting

Advanced auditing and professional ethics: Unit 11

Advanced auditing and professional ethics: Unit 12

• Audit under fiscal laws, viz, direct and indirect tax laws including documentation for form 3CD, etc

Advanced auditing and professional ethics: Unit 13

• Special features, directions of comptroller and auditor general of India; concept of propriety audit; performance audit; comprehensive audit

Advanced auditing and professional ethics: Unit 14

• Professional negligence; civil liabilities; criminal liabilities; liabilities under different statutes-for example income tax act, companies act

Advanced auditing and professional ethics: Unit 15

• Provisions of internal audit as per companies Act, 2013; scope of internal auditing; relationship between internal and external auditor; basics of internal audit standards issued by the ICAI; drafting of internal audit report
• Management audit and operational audit

Advanced auditing and professional ethics: Unit 16

• Due diligence review; audit versus investigation; steps for investigation; types of investigation; procedure, powers, etc of investigator; types of fraud, indicators of fraud, follow-up thereof; forensic audit-meaning

Advanced auditing and professional ethics: Unit 17

• Forensic audit-difference between statutory audit and forensic audit, forensic audit techniques, forensic audit report, etc

Advanced auditing and professional ethics: Unit 18

Advanced auditing and professional ethics: Unit 19

• Code of ethics with special reference to the relevant provisions of the chartered accountants act, 1949 and the regulations there under

Corporate and economic laws (corporate laws-company law): Unit 01

• Appointment and qualifications of directors, appointment and remuneration of managerial personnel, meetings of board and its powers, inspection, inquiry, and investigation, compromises, arrangements, and amalgamations
• Prevention of oppression and mismanagement, winding up, producer companies, companies incorporated outside India, miscellaneous provisions, compounding of offences, adjudication, special courts, national company law tribunal and appellate tribunal

Corporate and economic laws (corporate laws-company law): Unit 02

• Drafting of notices, resolutions, minutes, and reports

Corporate and economic laws (corporate laws-securities laws): Unit 01

• Introduction and important provisions

Corporate and economic laws (corporate laws-securities laws): Unit 02

• SEBI (issue of capital and disclosure requirements) regulations, 2009 and SEBI (listing obligations and disclosure requirement) regulations, 2015

Corporate and economic laws (economic laws): Unit 01

• Introduction, broad structure of FEMA, definition, regulation and management of foreign exchange, contraventions and penalties in brief, miscellaneous provisions

Corporate and economic laws (economic laws): Unit 02

• Important definitions, regulation of securitisation and reconstruction of financial assets of banks and financial institutions, enforcement of security interest, offences and penalties, miscellaneous matters

Corporate and economic laws (economic laws): Unit 03

• Definitions, punishment for the offence of money laundering, obligation of banking companies, financial institutions and intermediaries or a person carrying on a designated business or profession, appellate tribunal, special court
• Procedure for attachment and confiscation of property and recovery of fines and penalties

Corporate and economic laws (economic laws): Unit 04

• Definitions, regulation of foreign contribution, and miscellaneous provisions

Corporate and economic laws (economic laws): Unit 05

• General provisions, arbitration agreement, tribunal, conciliation

Corporate and economic laws (economic laws): Unit 06

• Preliminary, corporate insolvency resolution process, liquidation process and other provisions

Strategic cost management and performance evaluation (strategic cost management and decision making-strategic cost management): Unit 01

• Concept of strategic cost management, limitations of traditional cost management, traditional vs. strategic cost management

Strategic cost management and performance evaluation (strategic cost management and decision making-strategic cost management): Unit 02

• Introduction/ characteristics of the modern business environment, cost of quality, total quality management, business excellence model, throughput accounting and theory of constraints, supply chain management (SCM), gainsharing arrangements, outsourcing

Strategic cost management and performance evaluation (strategic cost management and decision making-strategic cost management): Unit 03

• Introduction to lean system: (a) Just-in-time (JIT), (b) Kaizen costing, (c) 5 Ss, (d) total productive maintenance (TPM), (e) cellular manufacturing/ one-piece flow production systems, (f) six sigma (SS)
• Introduction to process innovation and business process re-engineering (BPR)

Strategic cost management and performance evaluation (strategic cost management and decision making-strategic cost management): Unit 04

• Cost control/ waste control, cost reduction, target costing, value analysis/ value engineering, pareto analysis, life cycle costing, environmental management accounting

Strategic cost management and performance evaluation (strategic cost management and decision making-strategic cost management): Unit 05

• Agricultural sector, information technology sector, power sector

Strategic cost management and performance evaluation (strategic cost management and decision making-strategic decision making): Unit 01

• Decision making using CVP analysis, decision making using relevant cost concepts, decision making using activity based costing, ethical and non-financial considerations relevant to decision making

Strategic cost management and performance evaluation (strategic cost management and decision making-strategic decision making): Unit 02

• Theory and principles of product pricing, pricing-new product, finished products and pricing of services, sensitivity analysis in pricing decisions, pricing decision under special circumstances, pricing strategies

Strategic cost management and performance evaluation (performance evaluation and control-performance evaluation and reporting): Unit 01

• Responsibility accounting, linking critical success factors (CSFs) to key performance indicators (KPIs) and corporate strategy; performance measurement models-the balanced scorecard, the performance pyramid
• Performance measurement models-the performance prism and the building block model; divisional performance measures; benchmarking schemes, performance measurement in the not-for-profit sector, preparation of performance reports

Strategic cost management and performance evaluation (performance evaluation and control-performance evaluation and reporting): Unit 02

• Meaning, purpose and principles of transfer pricing, methods of transfer pricing, the behavioural consequences arising from divisional structures, international transfer pricing

Strategic cost management and performance evaluation (performance evaluation and control-performance evaluation and reporting): Unit 03

• Operating profit analysis, advanced activity based costing, activity based management (ABM), activity based budgeting (ABB)

Strategic cost management and performance evaluation (performance evaluation and control-managerial control): Unit 01

• The concept of feedback and feed forward control, behavioural aspects of budgeting-imposed style, participative budget, behavioural aspects of budgetary control, beyond budgeting

Strategic cost management and performance evaluation (performance evaluation and control-managerial control): Unit 02

• Analysis of advanced variances, integration of standard costing with marginal cost accounting, reconciliation of profit, variance investigation techniques, interpretation of variances, possible, interdependence between variances and reporting
• Behavioural aspects of standard costing, limitation of standard costing, (including its use in the contemporary business environment)

Strategic cost management and performance evaluation (case study): Unit 01

Risk management: Unit 01

• The concept of risk, risk and uncertainty: Distinction, classification of risks, dynamic nature of risks, types of risk, including: (a) Strategic and operational risks, (b) business risk, (c) financial risk, (d) information risk, (e) liquidity risk

Risk management: Unit 02

• Identification and sources of risk, quantification of risk and various methodologies, impact of business risk, identify and assess the impact upon the stakeholder involved in business risk, role of risk manager and risk committee in identifying risk

Risk management: Unit 03

• Concept of risk management, objective and process of risk management, importance of risk management, risk management techniques

Risk management: Unit 04

• Risk management strategy alignment with business strategy, internal control environment and linkages with risk management, risk culture and attitudes to risk management, integrated risk reporting and stakeholder responsibilities
• It risk management-disaster recovery

Risk management: Unit 05

• VAR, stress testing, scenario analysis, country and sovereign risk models and management

Risk management: Unit 06

• Understanding the component of credit risk, evaluating credit risk, mitigating credit risk, qualitative and quantitative techniques to manage risk, credit scoring models

Risk management: Unit 07

• Evaluation of risk associated with governance, description and evaluation of framework for board level consideration of risk, OECD guidelines for corporate governance

Risk management: Unit 08

• Definition, scope, and techniques

Risk management: Unit 09

• Definition, scope, and techniques

Financial services and capital markets: Unit 01

• Introduction to global financial market, role of financial market in economic development of a country, stakeholders in financial market (domestic and global), Indian financial market scenario

Financial services and capital markets: Unit 02

• Credit policy of RBI, fed policy, inflation index, CPI, WPI, etc

Financial services and capital markets: Unit 03

• New issue market-domestic and global, private placement , QIP, disinvestment, right issue

Financial services and capital markets: Unit 04

• Secondary market, stock market operations, Indian debt market

Financial services and capital markets: Unit 05

• Basics of money market, money market participants, money market instruments, repo and reverse repo, CRR, SLR, MIBOR, LIBOR, government securities market

Financial services and capital markets: Unit 06

• Depository, stock and commodity exchanges-Indian and global, intermediaries, institutional investors, FPIs, custodians, clearing houses

Financial services and capital markets: Unit 07

• What are commodity markets, role of commodity markets, commodity market in India, application of derivative in commodities, global commodities exchanges

Financial services and capital markets: Unit 08

• Concept of project financing, working capital management, reverse mortgage

Financial services and capital markets: Unit 09

• Meaning, evolution, types, performance measures, NAV, mutual fund organization, advantages and disadvantages of mutual fund, exchange traded funds (ETFs), real estate investment trusts (ReITs), infrastructure investment trusts (Invits)

Financial services and capital markets: Unit 10

• Meaning and classification: (a) Venture capital, (b) buyouts, (c) special cases, (d) hurdle rate, (e) paid in capital, (f) term sheet-cost of investing in private equity, exit routes, valuation of private equity transactions
• Meaning and classification: (f) Term sheet-private equity funds (distribution of returns in general partner and limited partners)

Financial services and capital markets: Unit 11

• Concept, functions, challenges, developments in investment banking, merchant banking and issue management

Financial services and capital markets: Unit 12

• Introduction, rating services, objectives and types, uses, credit rating process, credit rating methodology, rating revisions, credit rating agencies in India and abroad, limitations with case studies

Financial services and capital markets: Unit 13

• Raising and deployment of funds, risk management

Financial services and capital markets: Unit 14

• Preventive controls, early signals, credit risk

Financial services and capital markets: Unit 15

• Credit default swaps, collateralized debt obligations (CDO), pricing of credit derivative instruments

Financial services and capital markets: Unit 16

Financial services and capital markets: Unit 17

Financial services and capital markets: Unit 18

International taxation (taxation of international transactions and non-resident taxation in India): Unit 01

• Arm’s length price, international transactions, most appropriate method, functions, assets and risk analysis, documentation and compliances, specific reporting regime in respect of country by country reporting and master file, advance pricing agreements

International taxation (taxation of international transactions and non-resident taxation in India): Unit 02

• Non-resident taxation (including source rule of taxation), double taxation relief, advance rulings

International taxation (taxation of international transactions and non-resident taxation in India): Unit 03

International taxation (other aspects of international taxation): Unit 01

• OECD model tax convention, UN model tax convention, US model tax convention

International taxation (other aspects of international taxation): Unit 02

• Features of tax treaties, overview of tax information exchange agreements, commentaries and their importance, role of Vienna convention in application and interpretation of tax treaties

International taxation (other aspects of international taxation): Unit 03

• Controlled foreign corporations, base erosion and profit shifting, other anti avoidance measures

International taxation (other aspects of international taxation): Unit 04

• Introduction, emerging issues, equalisation levy

Economic laws: Unit 01

Economic laws: Unit 02

Economic laws: Unit 03

Economic laws: Unit 04

Economic laws: Unit 05

Economic laws: Unit 06

Economic laws: Unit 07

Global financial reporting standards: Unit 01

Global financial reporting standards: Unit 02

Global financial reporting standards: Unit 03

Multidisciplinary case study: Unit 01

Multidisciplinary case study: Unit 02

Multidisciplinary case study: Unit 03

Multidisciplinary case study: Unit 04

Multidisciplinary case study: Unit 05

Multidisciplinary case study: Unit 06

Multidisciplinary case study: Unit 07

Direct tax laws and international taxation (direct tax laws): Unit 01

• Basis of charge, residential status, income which do not form part of total income, heads of income, income of other persons included in assessee’s total income, aggregation of income, set-off and carry forward of losses
• Deductions from gross total income, rebates and reliefs, special provisions relating to companies and certain persons other than a company, provisions relating to charitable and religious trust and institutions, political parties and electoral trusts
• Tax planning, tax avoidance, and tax evasion, collection and recovery of tax, refunds, income-tax authorities, procedure for assessment, appeals, and revision, settlement of tax cases, penalties, offences, and prosecution, liability in special cases
• Miscellaneous provisions and other provisions

Direct tax laws and international taxation (international taxation): Unit 01

• The provisions under the income-tax act, 1961, including: (a) Specific provisions relating to non-residents, (b) double taxation relief, (c) transfer pricing and other anti-avoidance measures, (d) advance rulings, equalisation levy

Direct tax laws and international taxation (international taxation): Unit 02

Direct tax laws and international taxation (international taxation): Unit 03

Direct tax laws and international taxation (international taxation): Unit 04

Indirect tax laws (goods and services tax): Unit 01

• Introduction to GST in India including constitutional aspects, levy and collection of CGST and IGST-application of CGST/ IGST law; concept of supply including composite and mixed supplies, inter-state supply, intra-state supply
• Supplies in territorial waters; charge of tax including reverse charge; exemption from tax; composition levy, place of supply, time and value of supply, input tax credit, computation of GST liability, procedures under GST including registration
• Tax invoice, credit and debit notes, electronic way bill, accounts and records, returns, payment of tax including tax deduction at source and tax collection at source, refund, job work, liability to pay in certain cases
• Administration of GST; assessment and audit, inspection, search, seizure, and arrest, demand and recovery, offences and penalties, advance ruling, appeals and revision, other provisions

Indirect tax laws (customs and FTP): Unit 01

• Introduction to customs law including constitutional aspects, levy of and exemptions from customs duties-all provisions including application of customs law, taxable event, charge of customs duty, exceptions to levy of customs duty
• Levy of and exemptions from customs duties-exemption from custom duty, types of customs duties, classification and valuation of imported and export goods, officers of customs; appointment of customs ports, airports etc
• Import and export procedures including special procedures relating to baggage, goods imported or exported by post, stores, provisions relating to coastal goods and vessels carrying coastal goods, warehousing, drawback, demand and recovery; refund
• Provisions relating to prohibited goods, notified goods, specified goods, illegal importation/ exportation of goods, searches, seizure, and arrest; offences; penalties; confiscation and prosecution, appeals and revision; advance rulings
• Settlement commission, other provisions

Indirect tax laws (customs and FTP): Unit 02

• Introduction to FTP-legislation governing FTP, salient features of an FTP, administration of FTP, contents of FTP and other related provisions, basic concepts relating to import and export
• Basic concepts relating to export promotion schemes provided under FTP