CA Inter Exam Jan 2025: Exam Form (Released), Exam Date (Out), Registration, Syllabus & Pattern, Preparation Tips

Corporate and other laws (company law): Unit 01

• Preliminary, incorporation of company and matters incidental thereto, prospectus and allotment of securities, share capital and debentures, acceptance of deposits by companies, registration of charges, management and administration

Corporate and other laws (company law): Unit 02

• Declaration and payment of dividend, accounts of companies, audit and auditors

Corporate and other laws (other laws): Unit 01

• Contract of indemnity and guarantee, bailment, pledge, agency

Corporate and other laws (other laws): Unit 02

• Meaning of negotiable instruments, characteristics, classification of instruments, different provisions relating to negotiation, negotiability, assignability, right and obligation of parties, presentment of instruments, rules of compensation

Corporate and other laws (other laws): Unit 03

• Important definitions, extent and applicability, general rules of construction, powers and functionaries, provisions as to orders, rules, etc made under enactments, miscellaneous

Corporate and other laws (other laws): Unit 04

• Rules of interpretation of statutes, aids to interpretation, rules of interpretation/ construction of deeds and documents

Cost and management accounting: Unit 01

• Introduction to cost and management accounting: (a) Objectives and scope of cost and management accounting, (b) the users of cost and management accounting information, functions of management accounting
• Introduction to cost and management accounting: (c) Role of cost accounting department in an organisation and its relation with other departments, (d) installation of costing system, (e) relationship of cost accounting, financial accounting
• Introduction to cost and management accounting: (e) Relationship of management accounting and financial management, (f) cost terms and concepts, (g) cost reduction and cost control, (h) elements of costs, (i) cost behavior pattern
• Introduction to cost and management accounting: (i) Separating the components of fixed, variable semi variable, and step costs, (j) methods of costing, techniques of costing, (k) cost accounting with use of information technology
• Elements of cost and preparation of cost sheets: (a) Functional classification and ascertainment of cost, (b) preparation of cost sheets for manufacturing sector and for service sector

Cost and management accounting: Unit 02

• Material cost: (a) Procurement procedures-store procedures and documentation in respect of receipts and issue of stock, stock verification, (b) valuation of material receipts, (c) inventory control-techniques of fixing level of stocks-minimum, maximum
• Material cost: (c) Inventory control-techniques of fixing level of stocks-reorder point, safety stock, determination of optimum stock level, determination of optimum order quantity-economic order quantity (EOQ)
• Material cost: (c) Inventory control-techniques of inventory control-ABC analysis, fast, slow moving and non moving (FSN), high, medium, low (HML), vital, essential, desirable (VED)
• Material cost: (c) Inventory control-techniques of inventory control-just-in-time (JIT)-stock taking and perpetual inventory system, use of control ratios, (d) inventory accounting
• Employee cost: (a) Attendance and payroll procedures-elements of wages-basic pay, dearness allowance, overtime, bonus, holiday and leave wages, allowances and perquisites, (b) employee cost control
• Employee cost: (c) Employee turnover-methods of calculating employee turnover, causes of employee turnover, effects of employee turnover, (d) utilisation of human resource, direct and indirect employee cost, charging of employee cost
• Employee cost: (d) Identifying employee hours with work orders or batches or capital jobs, (e) Remuneration systems and incentive schemes-premium bonus method (Halsey plan and Rowan plan)
• Overheads: (a) Functional analysis-factory, administration, selling, distribution, research, and development, (b) behavioral analysis-fixed, variable, and semi-variable, (c) allocation and apportionment of overheads using absorption costing method
• Overheads: (d) Factory overheads-primary and secondary distribution, (e) administration overheads- method of allocation to cost centres or products, (f) selling and distribution overheads-analysis and absorption of the expenses in products/ customers
• Overheads: (f) Selling and distribution overheads-impact of marketing strategies, cost effectiveness of various methods of sales promotion, (g) Treatment of research and development cost in cost accounting
• Concepts of activity based costing (ABC)
• Recording and accounting of costs: (a) Non-integrated cost accounting system-ledger under non-integral system, (b) integrated (cost and financial) accounting system-ledgers under integral system
• Recording and accounting of costs: (c) Difference between the non-integrated and integrated accounting system, (d) reconciliation of profit as per cost and financial accounts (under non-integrated accounting system)

Cost and management accounting: Unit 03

• Single output/ unit costing
• Job costing: Job cost cards and databases, collecting direct costs of each job, attributing overheads to jobs, application of job costing
• Batch costing: Determination of optimum batch quantity, ascertainment of cost for a batch, preparation of batch cost sheet, treatment of spoiled and defective work
• Contract costing: (a) Ascertainment of cost of a contract, progress payment, retention money, escalation clause, cost plus contract, value of work certified, cost of work not certified. b) Determination value of work certified, cost of work not certified
• Contract costing: (b) Notional or estimated profit from a contact
• Process/ operation costing: (a) Process cost recording, process loss, abnormal gains and losses, equivalent units of production, inter-process profit, valuation of work in process, (b) joint products-apportionment of joint costs
• Process/ operation costing: (b) Joint products-methods of apportioning joint cost over joint products, (c) by-products-methods of apportioning joint costs over by-products, treatment of by-product cost
• Costing of service sectors: (a) Determination of costs and prices of services

Cost and management accounting: Unit 04

• Standard costing: (a) Setting up of standards, types of standards, standard costing as method of performance measurement, (b) calculation and reconciliation of cost variances-material cost variance, employee cost variance
• Standard costing: (b) Calculation and reconciliation of cost variances-variable overheads variance and fixed overhead variance
• Marginal costing: (a) Basic concepts of marginal costing, contribution margin, break-even analysis, break-even and profit volume charts, contribution to sales ratio, margin of safety, angle of incidence, cost-volume-profit analysis (CVP)
• Marginal costing: (a) Multi-product break-even analysis, consideration of limiting factor (key factor), (b) determination of cost of a product/ service under marginal costing method, determination of cost of finished goods, work-in-progress
• Marginal costing: (c) Comparison of marginal costing with absorption costing method- reconciliation of profit under the both methods, (d) short term decision making using the above concepts (basic/ fundamental level)
• Budget and budgetary control: (a) Meaning of budget, essentials of budget, budget manual, budget setting process, preparation of budget and monitoring procedures, (b) the use of budget in planning and control
• Budget and budgetary control: (c) Flexible budget, preparation of functional budget for operating and non-operating functions, cash budget, master budget, (d) introduction to principal/ key budget factor, zero based budgeting (ZBB), performance budget
• Budget and budgetary control: (d) Control ratios and budget variances

Taxation (income tax law): Unit 01

• Income-tax law: An introduction, important definitions in the income-tax act, 1961, concept of previous year and assessment year, basis of charge and rates of tax

Taxation (income tax law): Unit 02

• Residential status, scope of total income

Taxation (income tax law): Unit 03

• Incomes not included in total income, tax holiday for newly established units in special economic zones

Taxation (income tax law): Unit 04

• Salaries, income from house property, profits and gains of business or profession, capital gains, income from other sources

Taxation (income tax law): Unit 05

• Clubbing of income: An introduction, transfer of income without transfer of assets, income arising from revocable transfer of assets, clubbing of income of income arising to spouse, minor child and son’s wife in certain cases
• Conversion of self-acquired property into property of HUF

Taxation (income tax law): Unit 06

• Aggregation of income, concept of set-off and carry forward and set-off of losses, provisions governing set-off and carry forward and set-off of losses under different heads of income, order of set-off of losses

Taxation (income tax law): Unit 07

• General provisions, deductions in respect of certain payments, specific deductions in respect of certain income, deductions in respect of other income, other deductions

Taxation (income tax law): Unit 08

• Income to be considered while computing total income of individuals, procedure for computation of total income and tax liability of individuals

Taxation (income tax law): Unit 09

• Introduction, direct payment, provisions concerning deduction of tax at source, advance payment of tax, interest for defaults in payment of advance tax and deferment of advance tax, tax collection at source-basic concept
• Tax deduction and collection account number

Taxation (income tax law): Unit 10

• Return of income, compulsory filing of return of income, fee and Interest for default in furnishing return of income, return of loss, provisions relating to belated return, revised return etc, permanent account number
• Persons authorized to verify return of income, self-assessment

Taxation (indirect taxes): Unit 01

• Concept and features of indirect taxes, principal indirect taxes

Taxation (indirect taxes): Unit 02

• GST laws: An introduction including constitutional aspects, levy and collection of CGST and IGST: (a) Application of CGST/ IGST law, (b) concept of supply including composite and mixed supplies, (c) charge of tax including reverse charge
• Levy and collection of CGST and IGST: (d) exemption from tax, (e) composition levy, basic concepts of time and value of supply, input tax credit, computation of GST liability, registration, tax invoice; credit and debit notes; electronic way bill, returns
• Payment of tax

Advanced accounting: Unit 01

• AS 7: Construction contracts, AS 9: Revenue recognition, AS 14: Accounting for amalgamations, AS 18: Related party disclosures, AS 19: Leases, AS 20: Earnings per share, AS 24: Discontinuing operations, AS 26: Intangible assets, AS 29: Provisions
• AS 29: Contingent liabilities, and contingent assets

Advanced accounting: Unit 02

Advanced accounting: Unit 03

• Accounting for employee stock option plan; buy back of securities; equity shares with differential rights; underwriting of shares and debentures

Advanced accounting: Unit 04

• Accounting for amalgamation (excluding intercompany holding) and reconstruction; accounting involved in liquidation of companies

Advanced accounting: Unit 05

• Insurance companies; banking companies; non-banking financial companies; mutual funds and regulatory requirements thereof

Advanced accounting: Unit 06

Advanced accounting: Unit 07

• Concept of consolidation and simple problems on consolidated financial statements with single subsidiary
• Financial statements with single subsidiary (excluding problems involving acquisition off interest in subsidiary at different dates; different reporting dates; disposal of a subsidiary and foreign subsidiaries)

Auditing and assurance: Unit 01

• Auditing concepts: Nature, objective, and scope of audit; relationship of auditing with other disciplines; standard setting process: Overview, standard-setting process
• Standard setting process: Role of International Auditing and Assurance Standards Board (IAASB) and Auditing and Assurance Standards Board (AASB); standards on auditing, guidance note(s) issued by the ICAI; engagement standards: Qualities of auditor
• Engagement standards: Elements of system of quality control (SQC 1 quality control for firms that perform audits and reviews of historical financial information, and other assurance and related services engagements)
• Engagement standards: Ethical requirements relating to an audit of financial statements; inherent limitations of an audit (SA 200 overall objectives of the independent auditor and the conduct of an audit in accordance with standards on auditing)
• Engagement standards: Preconditions for an audit; audit engagement; agreement on audit engagement terms; terms of engagement in recurring audits (SA 210 agreeing the terms of audit engagements); leadership responsibilities for quality on audits
• Engagement standards: Concept of auditor’s independence; threats to independence; acceptance and continuance of client relationships and audit engagements (SA 220 quality control for an audit of financial statements)

Auditing and assurance: Unit 02

• Audit strategy; audit planning (SA 300); audit programme; development of audit plan and programme, control of quality of audit work-delegation and supervision of audit work; materiality and audit plan; revision of materiality; documenting the materiality
• Performance materiality (SA 320 materiality in planning and performing an audit)

Auditing and assurance: Unit 03

• Concept of audit documentation; nature and purpose of audit documentation; form, content and extent of audit documentation; completion memorandum; ownership and custody of audit documentation (SA 230 audit documentation)
• Audit procedures for obtaining audit evidence; sources of evidence; relevance and reliability of audit evidence; sufficient appropriate audit evidence, evaluation of audit evidence (SA 500 audit evidence); written representations as audit evidence
• Objective of auditor regarding written representation; management from whom written representations may be requested; written representations about management’s responsibilities (SA 580 written representations)
• Obtaining evidence of existence of inventory; audit procedure to identify litigation and claims (SA 501 audit evidence-specific considerations for selected items); external confirmation procedures
• Management's refusal to allow the auditor to send a confirmation request; negative confirmations (SA 505 external confirmations); audit evidence about opening balances; accounting policies relating to opening balances
• Reporting with regard to opening balances (SA 510 initial audit engagements-opening balances); meaning of related party; nature of related party relationships and transactions
• Understanding the entity's related party relationships and transactions (SA 550 related parties); meaning of subsequent events; auditor's obligations in different situations of subsequent events (SA 560 subsequent events)
• Responsibilities of the auditor with regard to going concern assumption; objectives of the auditor regarding going concern; events or conditions that may cast doubt about going concern assumption
• Audit procedures when events or conditions are identified (SA 570 going concern)

Auditing and assurance: Unit 04

• Audit risk, identifying and assessing the risk of material misstatement, risk assessment procedures; understanding the entity and its environment; internal control, documenting the risks; evaluation of internal control system; testing of internal control
• Internal control and IT environment (SA 315 identifying and assessing the risks of material misstatement through understanding the entity and its environment); materiality and audit risk (SA 320 materiality in planning and performing an audit)
• Internal audit, basics of standards on internal audit (SIAs) issued by the ICAI; basics of internal financial control and reporting requirements; distinction between internal financial control and internal control over financial reporting

Auditing and assurance: Unit 05

• Responsibility for the prevention and detection of fraud; fraud risk factors; risks of material misstatement due to fraud; communication of fraud (SA 240 the auditor’s responsibilities relating to fraud in an audit of financial statements)
• Provisions of the companies act 2013 relating to fraud and rules there under including reporting requirements under CARO

Auditing and assurance: Unit 06

• Key features, impact of IT related risks, impact on controls, internal financial controls as per regulatory requirements, types of controls, audit approach, understanding and documenting automated environment, testing methods, data analytics for audit
• Assessing and reporting audit findings

Auditing and assurance: Unit 07

• Meaning of audit sampling; designing an audit sample; types of sampling; sample size and selection of items for testing; sample selection method (SA 530 audit sampling)

Auditing and assurance: Unit 08

• Meaning, nature, purpose, and timing of analytical procedures; substantive analytical procedures, designing and performing analytical procedures prior to audit; investigating the results of analytical procedures (SA 520 analytical procedures)

Auditing and assurance: Unit 09

• Audit of sale of products and services; audit of interest income, rental income, dividend income, net gain/ loss on sale of investments ,etc
• Audit of purchases, employee benefits expenses, depreciation, interest expense, expenditure on power and fuel, rent, repair to building, repair to machinery, insurance, taxes, travelling expenses, miscellaneous expenses, etc
• Audit of share capital, reserve and surplus, long term borrowings, trade payables, provisions, short term borrowings and other current liabilities
• Audit of land, buildings, plant and equipment, furniture and fixtures, vehicles, office equipments, goodwill, brand/ trademarks, computer software, etc
• Audit of loan and advances, trade receivable, inventories, cash and cash equivalent, other current assets
• Audit of contingent liabilities

Auditing and assurance: Unit 10

• Eligibility, qualifications, and disqualifications of auditors; appointment of auditors; removal of auditors; remuneration of auditors; powers and duties of auditors; branch audit; joint audit
• Reporting requirements under the companies act, 2013 including CARO; other important provisions under the companies act, 2013 relating to audit and auditors and rules made there under

Auditing and assurance: Unit 11

• Forming an opinion on the financial statements; auditor's report-basic elements (SA 700 forming an opinion and reporting on financial statements); types of modified opinion
• Circumstances when a modification to the auditor’s opinion is required (SA 705 modification to the opinion in the independent auditor’s report)
• Qualification, disclaimer, adverse opinion (SA 706 emphasis of matter paragraphs and other matter paragraphs in the independent, auditor’s report); nature of comparative information; corresponding figure
• Comparative financial statements (SA 710 comparative information-corresponding figures and comparative financial statements)

Auditing and assurance: Unit 12

• Understanding of accounting system in banks, audit approach, audit of revenue items, special consideration in bank audit with emphasis on advances and NPAS

Auditing and assurance: Unit 13

• Appointment of auditor, audit procedure
• Audit report in respect of different category of entities mentioned below: Government; local bodies and not-for-profit organizations; partnership firms, audit of different type of undertakings, that is, educational institutions, hotels, clubs
• Audit report in respect of different category of entities mentioned below: Hospitals basics of limited liability partnerships (LLPs) audit and co-operative societies audit

Enterprise information systems and strategic management (enterprise information systems): Unit 01

• Introduction to enterprise business processes, benefits, risks and controls; diagrammatic representation of business processes using flowcharts; risks and controls for specific business processes: Procure to pay (P2P), order to cash, inventory cycle
• Risks and controls for specific business processes: Hire to retire, supply chain management, fixed assets etc
• Applicable regulatory and compliance requirements including computer related offences, privacy, cyber-crime, sensitive personal data information of information technology act, 2000

Enterprise information systems and strategic management (enterprise information systems): Unit 02

• Integrated (ERP) and non-integrated systems with related risks and controls; business process modules and their integration with financial and accounting systems
• Reporting systems and MIS, data analytics and business intelligence, business reporting and fundamentals of XBRL (extensible business reporting language)
• Applicable regulatory and compliance requirements

Enterprise information systems and strategic management (enterprise information systems): Unit 03

• Components of automated information systems: Application systems, database, network and operating system with related risks and controls
• Mapping of organization structure with segregation of duties in information systems

Enterprise information systems and strategic management (enterprise information systems): Unit 04

• Components and architecture of E-commerce and M-commerce with related risks and controls, business process flow with its related risks and controls, applicable regulatory and compliance requirements
• Emerging technologies with its related risks and controls

Enterprise information systems and strategic management (enterprise information systems): Unit 05

• Components and architecture of CBS and related risks and controls, core modules of banking and business process flow and its related risks and controls, reporting systems and MIS, data analytics and business intelligence
• Applicable regulatory and compliance requirements

Enterprise information systems and strategic management (strategic management): Unit 01

• Business policy, meaning and nature of strategic management, business strategy, strategic levels in organizations, strategic management in government and not-for-profit organization

Enterprise information systems and strategic management (strategic management): Unit 02

• Competitive landscape, strategic analysis, industry and competitive analysis, core competence, competitive advantage, internal and external analysis, SWOT analysis, globalization

Enterprise information systems and strategic management (strategic management): Unit 03

• Strategic planning, strategic intent-vision, mission, and objectives, strategy formulation

Enterprise information systems and strategic management (strategic management): Unit 04

• Concepts and nature of corporate strategy, strategic alternatives at corporate level: Stability, growth/ expansion, business combinations-merger and acquisition, strategic alliances, retrenchment/ turnaround, combination

Enterprise information systems and strategic management (strategic management): Unit 05

• Competitive strategies at business level, Michael porter’s generic strategies, best-cost provider strategy

Enterprise information systems and strategic management (strategic management): Unit 06

• Marketing strategy, financial strategy, operations strategy, human resource strategy, research and development

Enterprise information systems and strategic management (strategic management): Unit 07

• Organisation structure, strategic business unit, strategic leadership, strategy supportive culture, entrepreneurship and intrapreneurship

Enterprise information systems and strategic management (strategic management): Unit 08

• Strategy implementation, strategic change, strategic control, strategy audit, business process reengineering, benchmarking

Financial management and economics for finance (financial management): Unit 01

• Introduction to financial management function: (a) Objective and scope of financial management, (b) role and purpose, (c) financial management environment, (d) functions of finance executives in an organization, (e) financial distress and insolvency
• Financial analysis through ratios: (a) Users of the financial analysis, (b) sources of financial data for analysis, (c) calculation and interpretation of ratios: Analysing liquidity, analysing leverage, analysing solvency, analysing efficiency/ activity
• Financial analysis through ratios: (c) Calculation and interpretation of ratios-analysing profitability, (d) limitations of ratio analysis

Financial management and economics for finance (financial management): Unit 02

• Sources of finance: (a) Different sources of finance, characteristics of different types of long term debt and equity finance, method of raising long term finance, (b) different sources of short term finance, (c) internal fund as a source of finance
• Sources of finance: (d) International sources of finance, (e) other sources of finance-sale and lease back, convertible debt, venture capital, grants, etc
• Lease financing: (a) Concept and classification, (b) significance and limitations of lease financing, (c) financial evaluation of leasing decision
• Cost of capital: (a) Significance of cost of capital, (b) factors of cost of capital, (c) measurement of costs of individual components of capital, (d) weighted average cost of capital, (WACC), (e) marginal cost of capital, (f) effective interest rate
• Capital structure decisions: (a) Significance of capital structure, (b) determinants of capital structure, (c) capital structure planning and designing, (d) designing of optimum capital structure
• Capital structure decisions: (e) Theories of capital structure and value of the firm-relevancy and irrelevancy of capital structure, (f) EBIT-EPS analysis, breakeven-EBIT analysis. g) Under/ over capitalisation
• Leverages: (a) Types of leverages-operating, financial, and combined, (b) analysis of leverages

Financial management and economics for finance (financial management): Unit 03

• Capital investment decisions: (a) Objective of capital investment decisions, (b) methods of investment appraisal: Payback period, discounted payback period, accounting rate of return (ARR), net present value (NPV)-the meaning of NPV
• Capital investment decisions: (b) Methods of investment appraisal-net present value (NPV)-strengths and limitations of NPV method, the working capital adjustment in an NPV analysis, capital rationing, equivalent annual costs
• Capital investment decisions: (b) Methods of investment appraisal-internal rate of return (IRR)-limitations of the IRR method, multiple IRRs, modified internal rate of return (MIRR)-definition and explanation of MIRR, the process for calculating MIRR
• Capital investment decisions: (b) Methods of investment appraisal-modified internal rate of return (MIRR)-strengths of the MIRR approach. Profitability index
• Adjustment of risk and uncertainty in capital budgeting decision: (a) Probability analysis, (b) certainty equivalent method, (c) risk adjusted discount rate, (d) scenario analysis, (e) sensitivity analysis
• Dividend decisions: (a) Basics of dividends, (b) forms of dividend, (c) determinants of dividend, (d) relevancy and irrelevancy of dividend policies-traditional approach, Walter’s model, Gordon’s model, Modigliani, and Miller (MM) hypothesis

Financial management and economics for finance (financial management): Unit 04

• Management of working capital: (a) The management of working capital-liquidity and profitability, (b) the working capital financing decisions-primary and secondary sources of liquidity, (c) the working capital cycle (operating cycle)
• Management of working capital: (c) Effectiveness of working capital based on its operating and cash conversion cycles, (d) assessment of working capital requirement, (e) management of accounts receivables (debtors)
• Management of working capital: (f) Factoring and forfaiting, (g) management of accounts payables (creditors), (h) management of inventory, (i) management of cash, treasury management, (j) banking norms of working capital finance

Financial management and economics for finance (economics for finance): Unit 01

• Macro economic aggregates and measurement of national income, the Keynesian theory of determination of national income

Financial management and economics for finance (economics for finance): Unit 02

• The concept of money demand: Important theories of demand for money, the concept of money supply, monetary policy

Financial management and economics for finance (economics for finance): Unit 03

• Fiscal functions: An overview
• Market failure, government interventions to correct market failure, fiscal policy

Financial management and economics for finance (economics for finance): Unit 04

• Theories of international trade, trade policy-the instruments of trade policy, trade negotiations, exchange rates and its economic effects, international capital movements: Foreign direct investment