1. A professional course such as CA, CS or CMA is highly desirable by students because of the specialized knowledge (Accountancy, Law, Costing, and other subjects) it imparts and also tremendous career opportunities, whether in job or practice. Also to be considered is that these professionals have certification power backed by the law.
For example, CAs have the power to sign the financials - balance sheet and profit and loss account. Because it has legal backing, no other professional can do the work that these professionals are doing. It, therefore, implies that it is quite obvious that since there is a huge responsibility on these professionals, the students should therefore endeavour to attain these high standards or expectations to clear the exams, which are comparatively difficult, as these are professional exams.
In the same vein, it is therefore important for the students to make a suitable examination preparation strategy so as to attain that level of knowledge (both theoretical and practical - by articleship training) that a professional is expected to have. Without a deep thought process and planning, there is a possibility of losing the motivation or the goal not being achieved in a timely manner.
2. Here, I am emphasizing more on practical training, i.e., articleship training, because it gives us practical experience in the subjects such as income tax, audit, company law, accounts, etc. A subject becomes interesting to read if we have practically worked on that subject or topic in the office and given consultancy or advice to clients in that area of practice; otherwise, many students find subjects monotonous and boring reading from the books. If we read books and simultaneously practically work on that topic in office, we can correlate and clear our practical doubts, which is helpful in writing answers in exams because the examiner comes to know that the candidate has detailed knowledge of the subject, and thus, the scores in that subject increase.
For Example: If a CA student, in his office, files Income Tax Returns of Clients, he will have knowledge of various heads of income, deductions, and tax liability. When he reads Income Tax subject from books for exam preparation, he will find it easy while reading as he has done that work in his office and that practical work experience will enable him to perform better in the exams. So, it's advisable to learn to the maximum extent during the articleship, and it should be taken seriously. It's a unique opportunity to gather knowledge in all aspects of the CA profession: income tax, GST, litigation, company law matters, auditing, etc.
3. The place of study should be silent, distraction-free to the extent possible, so that students can concentrate and gain deep knowledge of the subjects, especially laws, which are intricate with sections, sub-sections, clauses, sub-clauses, provisos, not withstanding exceptions.
If the surroundings are not conducive to study (noisy, space constraints), it will be shallow learning instead of deep study, and the students end up giving attempts after attempts at exams without clearing. If possible, a reading room or library facility should be available for learning if there is no proper environment at home.
4. It is better to stay away from negative people who demotivate and discourage you from appearing in CA exams, saying that CA is a difficult course, etc. Surround yourself with positive, enthusiastic people who motivate you and are instrumental in getting you closer to your goal of getting that coveted degree.
5. The level of difficulty in a professional course is, no doubt, high because it expects expert knowledge from the students and also because there are various stakeholders and many institutions and the public in general relying on the services and opinions of the professionals. So, it is obvious that such a professional should possess in-depth knowledge of various subjects (For example: accounting, auditing, direct and indirect taxes, company law, etc.) so that he can discharge his duties accurately with value addition and in a timely manner. However, it is also true that if a student has qualities of hard work, dedication, passion, planning, a network of right teachers and friends doing professional courses, a high level of motivation, persistency, and such positive qualities, he can clear the professional exams as early as possible.
6. As far as the approach towards study is concerned, the study material provided by the institute is best because it explains everything conceptually, and also the rationale and logic behind it are explained in a detailed manner. Apart from this, there are various textbooks available in the market that are also helpful in getting a grasp of the subject or topic. Those students who are weak in certain theory or practical subject generally join coaching classes. From whatever book a student studies, it should be ensured that there should be at least one time study of all the subjects prior to 3-4 months before the exam, so that at the time prior to the exam, you have ample time to do 1-2 times revision of all the subjects. Revision enhances your capability to retain the subjects in your memory and also boosts your confidence. Also, the time of 3 months prior to the exam should be utilized to read the latest case laws and amendments applicable for the exam. A CA course demands patience and consistent efforts, and there is no shortcut to success, so reading and revising multiple times is required to instill confidence and remove exam fear.
7. Practical subjects such as costing, accounts, finance, tax, etc. should be practised by writing and solving illustrations in a book; merely reading the solved examples from the books does not help much. One point worth mentioning is that practical emanated from theory, so the theoretical base of the practical subjects should be strengthened because if the student does not have conceptual clarity and if the question is asked in a twisted manner to check understanding of the candidates in solving intricate problems, he is unable to answer the question and loses marks.
Also, numerical problems from practical subjects should be practiced invariably before the exam day and during the study leave so that it will be scoring for the students, but at the same time the theory concepts should be revised or brushed up to attempt the full 100 marks paper.
It is advisable to do writing practice before the exams (study leave) so that you are able to write speedily and are able to reflect your thoughts on paper in a fast and flawless manner, and it should not happen that you know 100-mark questions; however, because of your slow writing speed, you could attempt only 80-mark papers, which is a serious loss, especially in a professional exam.
8. Theory subjects such as audit, company law, and theory parts in finance and costing should be studied 1-2 years before the exams, apart from the revision in study leave. These subjects are subjective and less scoring and demand a deeper and more comprehensive understanding of the subject, so it's better to study these subjects early so that by the time the exam approaches, one feels confident that he is well versed with the theory, and then he can devote attention to the practical problems in subjects such as accounts, tax, financial management, and costing. The more you solve the problems, the more the grasp of the subject, and the students are able to appear for the for the exam with confidence and come out with flying colors.
9. Study leave should be utilized to the fullest for academic purposes only, and distractions should be avoided, such as going to a movie or picnic, gossiping with friends on topics not connected with studies, excessive socialization, social websites, apps, etc. As far as possible, focus should be on studies, but there should be a balance maintained between studies and relaxation, as excess studies without breaks can have adverse effects on health—physical and mental.
Mental effects include stress. Physical effects are tiredness of the eye because of excess screen time due to reading on a laptop, back pain due to prolonged sitting in the same posture while reading, and overweight due to less physical exercise and body movement. It is advisable to do some exercises to remain fit, as it is said that "a healthy mind in a healthy body." Drink adequate water as it keeps us hydrated - healthy and active. Walking in the morning, especially in the garden, where plenty of oxygen is there, helps reduce exam-related stress and makes us ready for studying and appearing for the exam.
10. To summarize, if a CA/CS/CMA student has a proper plan, goal setting, execution of the plan in a timely manner, a hardworking nature, the right attitude, persistency, and patience, he is sure to succeed in exams.
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