CA IPCC May exam results have just released and we are once again glad to bring to you the success stories of this year's toppers. It surely motivates everyone!
Meet Ronak Rajendra Jain All India Rank 2 CA IPCC May 2017 who hails from Nashik, Maharashtra. He has a very positive, energetic and diversified persona. He is passionate about music and is very lightheaded and pure hearted person who also plays guitar and love to listen to music. Let us find out what his strategy for the exam was, what suggestions he has for other students and aspirants & how he has achieved this success:
First of all many congratulations to you from the whole team of CAclubindia!!
Thank you so much!!
As you are now AIR 2, how are you feeling right now?
Right now I can only say, I am feeling on top of the world on cloud nine.(smiles)
What was your first reaction when you got to know that you are AIR 2?
I was amazed when I got the call from the ICAI President. Initially, I couldn't believe it, my sir checked my result on phone and he told me that I am AIR 2 but again I didn't believe. But gradually when I checked myself and people started calling me and started congratulating me, I got to know that I have indeed secured the All India 2nd rank.
What was your parent's reaction when you shared this news with them?
Initially, I shared this news with my mother who was very happy to know about my result. There were tears in her eyes. I asked her that why are you crying maa? I told her that “you cry all the time, in sadness you cry and in happiness you cry” and she was like “Tu nahi samjega” (you won't understand this). She then later shared this news with my father and other family members. My father called me and said he is very proud of me and asked me if he can come and pick me up to take home. They are extremely happy. I guess more than me, my parents are happy.
This must have been a great achievement for you!!
Yes Sir, it is.
Were you expecting a rank?
Yes, I was expecting a rank somewhere in top 20, but securing rank 2 was unexpected for me.
So are you geared up for your CA Finals?
Yes Sir. I am ready for it.
What would be your strategy for it?
My first focus would be on my Articleship Training part, which is extremely important in a CA's career. I have decided to take up my articleship in Mumbai. I was waiting for my IPCC results so, now as the results have been declared, I am all geared up for my articleship tenure. Other than that I haven't yet planned about the studies yet.
What is your strategy - Will you be joining some Big4 or some other specifications?
My long term future plan is to practice. If I go for some Big4 with some particular specification only, then I won't get enough exposure and won't be able to do my practice efficiently. So, I have decided to join some mid-size firm where I can work on different fields and gain enough exposure and experience. Later, if I change my mind, I can switch to some big firm.
What was your strategy that you followed for preparing CA IPCC exams?
I did coaching from the same institute for my 11th / 12th standard studies and even did my CPT and IPCC from there itself.I got constant support and guidance from my teachers in the coaching institute who were aware of my capabilities and in which field I should move on.
From examination point of view, I relied basically on Institute materials and practice manuals and referred to reference books only for certain topics where I faced difficulty. But I would suggest referring only Institute materials while preparing for exams.
My faculty taught me only one thing that journey is important. If you make your journey perfect, your destination will be well-formed.
What was the time table that you followed in the 9 months' time period?
Initially, when I started attending the coaching classes, I was not sure how will I strategize the entire schedule. I just decided to revise at least the topics that were taught in the classes daily and on regular basis. So, for the first 4 months, I followed this strategy and prepared notes for the same. After 4 months, I started revising the theory subjects. So, this way I attended my coaching classes and also revised the theory topics simultaneously.
The last three months, I utilized for self-study, like in the first one month, I completed revision of all the subjects from the first group.Then, started solving problems from practice manuals completely from the scratch. Then, I followed this same strategy for the subjects of the second group also. The last 15 days, I had utilized for preparation of my theory subjects only and had also prepared my own notes for the same which helped me to prepare for my exams.
So how many times did you revise a subject?
I revised during the coaching period, two times when I did self-study and quick revision just one day before the examination. So, overall, I revised it to 3 and a half times.
What are the things one should keep in mind while attempting the exam?
I faced the pressure of time management factor while appearing for mock test papers. I didn't face much difficulty with the theory subjects as I had revised it a lot and prepared my own notes, sticky notes and shortcuts to remember the long topics. Preparing your own notes is very important for theory subjects. For practical papers, I had strategized as to which topic needs to be dealt first. So, this is how I had managed while writing the exam papers.
So, mock tests had helped me a lot to handle this pressure and I feel that this can definitely help one to overcome the mental pressure that one undergoes while attempting the exams.
And what did you do to cope up with the stress during these 9 months journey of IPCC?
I was not at home as I was a hostelite. Sometimes, I used to get bored of continuous studying. After (say)15 / 20 days, I used to go out with my friends for some refreshment/hangout and that definitely helped me to rejuvenate my mind and then again, get back with the normal flow of studies. So, this is how I dealt with the stress/depression while I was in my hostel.
And any tips for the students who are not in the hostel but in their own home, doing self-study/coaching etc.?
I would just like to say that - be in the company of a person who can guide you - be it your teacher or parents. They can definitely help you to deal with the stress or depression that one faces during those times. Always have one person whom you can talk things through and share your feelings. Let everything out in front of this person and believe in his advice. You may be intelligent or smart or very talented but you can't achieve success alone. You need to find out who is there to help you in reaching out to that destination.
Would you like to thank someone who has helped you in this entire journey?
I would like to thank my teacher Mr. Mayur Sanghavi who had been there with me since my 11th standard. He was always there to guide and boost confidence in me and showed me the right direction. It was important for me to have that leap of faith in his advice. Sometimes you feel that is this right or wrong but you gotta have faith in that person and his guidance. If he wasn't there for me I might would not have achieved this today. Apart from him, I would like to thank my parents who always supported me.
How important is to take care of your health while you are staying away from your family?
This is very important. What you are eating and what time you are eating or sleeping. As I was a hostelite, my schedule of food was fixed. So, I didn't face much problem as I had already prepared myself for that particular timetable and this also helped me in my study schedule. It is very important to follow a disciplined lifestyle to stay focused.
Apart from studies, what are your other hobbies?
I am interested in music; I love music and even did my coaching in guitar. I used to play guitar whenever I felt depressed and that helped me instantly to cope up with the stress/depression. One should always have one hobby that can be used for rejuvenation and clear your mind.
Any message or any tip that you would like to share with other students?
Just have faith and trust yourself and then everything will be yours.
Ronak thank you once again for sharing your valuable time with us and we wish you all the best for CA Finals!! The journey has just started.
Thank you so much!!
Also read :
Interview with - Raj Paresh Sheth
(All India 1st rank holder of CA Final May 2017)
CAclubindia
