Originally posted by : hariharan
	HI FRIENDS I HAVE READ MANY THREADS ON THIS SITE COMPLAINING THAT THE MODULE ISSUED BY ICAI FOR FINAL (N) COURSE IS NOT UPTO THE MARK.WHAT DO ALL MY FRIENDS HERE MEAN BY NOT UPTO THE MARK?? SINCE I BOUGHT MY MODULE YESTERDAY ITSELF AND HAVE NOT JOINED ANY COACHING TILL DATE PL TELL AS TO FOR WHICH SUBJECTS THE MODULES R NOT GOOD? I JUST GLANCED THROUGH SOME OF THE MODULES AND FOUND OUT THAT CORPORATE LAWS MODULE,COSTING MODULE,MICS MODULE AND ACCOUNTS MODULE R QUIET GOOD AND SUFFICENT. THE PROBLEM LIES WITH TAXES MODULE AND FM MODULE WHICH MAY NOT BE RELEVANT. PL SUGGEST WHY THE MODULE SHOULD BE COMPLETELY AVOIDED AND IF NOT THEN WHICH MODULES R GOOD ENOUGH SO THAT REFERENCE BOOKS MAY NOT BE PURCHASED SINCE ICAI DRAFTS MODULE FOR ALL STUDENTS I.E EVEN FOR STUDENTS  WHO RESIDE IN RURAL AREAS WHERE REFERENCE BOOKS MAY NOT BE AVAILABLE THAT EASILY. IN THE LATEST RESULTS PUBLISEHD BY ICAI FOR FINAL AND PCC,  STUDENTS FROM RURAL AND SEMI-RURAL AREAS HAVE DONE EXCEEDINGLY WELL AS COMPARED TO STUDENTS FROM CITIES LIKE BOMBAY,DELHI,CACLUTTA AND MADRAS. AND I AM SURE THAT THESE PEOPLE MUST HAVE SURELY REFERRED THE MODULE. KINDLY HELP OUT REGARDING THIS AND SUGGEST GOOD BOOKS FOR FINAL CA NEW COURSE WHEREVER REQUIRED REGARDS

 My views on this(Whereever I have used "You" it just means the reader and not Hariharan in specificity).The below is a general message directed to all not to this particular posting...:

The quality of any book is not just the language of the book(Study Material has a good/advanced professional language,no doubt) but the following points to note:

1. Content-quality is a must--

What is the use having a beautiful Auditing study materail without incorporating the changes and adding the new Auditing Standards for the relevant attempt?

What is the use of having very fine printing quality and beautiful language when the sections are not updated in the Taxes modules?(Forget about updating circulars and other notifications;the ICAI study materials in this field does not even update the Section numbers.There is no use coming with an updated version after the attempt is over.

The only exception being the last minute (it comes in the very last month before the attempt!) study materails for Supplementary cases,amendments,circulars,Caselaws with recency.

2. It should be user friendly.To ascertain this---the user here is not some government servant trying to break his head reading through the redtapes and governmental jargons but a budding student.By the time he finishes the study material,he feels that he has become really old! So, the study materials must be made student-friendly. Atleast now it is coming with a good print quality and bound in one book but in days of yore it used to come in booklets and this was most abominal for the student because by the end of the course, the study materail used to be in tatters unless he or she has bound it personally.User friendliness also means using a bit of a simple language atleast.I know the need to be professional but one must cater to the students at large,whether all are able to cope with the high standard of 'dry' language used in the study materials.

3. It should be relevant for the profession and the intended exam and not beat around the bush.Most of the students are in a fumble and confusion as to what to follow reading the study material.

4. For some subjects like MICS,the study material is sufficient for students who have the power to by-heart and learn things by rote.What about people who want to understand a bit? For example: What is Hashkey function? What does the study material say and look at how diagramatically the thing has been explained by Dinesh Madhan in his simplified notes.

So do not compare and contrast.Each material has its positives and negatives.ICAI is not going to dole a prize or a sweetmeat or a pass for supporting the ICAI study material.It is just convincing ourselves and playing to our deep-seated insecurities that we pass up such statements.

Some students I see vehemently support a book or reference material.The fact is that they have paid a fortune and bought the material so naturally they want to see only good reviews about the book and the moment they see even one bad review or comment then they flare up sensitively! This is all most foolish.We must behave professionally.

ANY GOOD REFERENCE BOOK is ENOUGH.Ofcourse,some commonsense must be used while applying this underlined statement.Example: If a student thinks, it is overkill for him/her to buy Dinesh Madhan alongwith ICAI studymaterial and read both or a combination of both or just read DineshMadhan;then he or she is perfectly right as long as he or she has made a proper analysis of his/her strengths and weaknesses,aptitude,interest-level,capacity to memorize vs understand vs learn holitically,etc.So,there can't be a straight answer here! Its just like your taste in food! You might like a kind of food and this might be detested by yet another.Ofcourse,if you are eatign really horrible food(read really bad reference books) then it will be detested by all.

So commonsense must be reckoned in all this.

Coming to the topic of rural students.

I think you need a reality-check here: Gone are the days of rural students being stuck up in villages and not knowing what to do.Many come to cities/towns if not for studies atleast for buying a few books.Some even stay in hostels and write the exams in that centre and go back to their villages(OBVIOUSLY,ICAI has not set up exam centres or study centres in villages)

One thing you need to know is ICAI is not God.It is a good institution but the moment we become complacent then trouble brews.Look at the state of affairs in the helm with the Uttam Prakash Agarwal and the exam-moderation rigmarole.

However, ICAI should not be bashed.ICAI is just bricks and walls! ICAI is made up of you students and members(and ofcourse the admin staff in the premises who are neither students nor members).It is the people ICAI is made up of and people keep coming and going and CHANGE is onething which is very constant in such a dynamic organization.So to throw aspersions against ICAI,just betrays your frustration(or rather the lack of being able to cope with it)

Also,perception is onething and the fact is something else.Not all who come from villages and rural areas also clear.Infact, if you take the success-rate as a percentage of students,it is still high in cities and towns.This is but natural given the motivation and the facilities to study here.

Not all can be Ambedkars sitting in street-lights and studying and clearing with just Study Material.

Also, Im pretty sure that many students even in the rural areas are not following just the Study materials and still clear it numero uno attempt!

And so, the question comes now: If the study material is neither good nor bad,then why is ICAI not doing something about it and make it better?

Well, that process is always there;just that it takes time.There are committes,reviews,approvals,Governmental delays,etc.So finally the product which comes out is a GOVT-DOCUMENT and we all know how a Government document is,especially in a country like India where there is lot of red-tapism.So, meanwhile, we act up, maybe create awareness like this in such forums professionally without cursing anyone or ICAI (it just acts against us! You throw an aspersion and karmically it will boomerang on you one day!); working strategically using commonsense to know where to buy a reference book and where not to buy one,etc.(Please follow my articles in articles section..you can get the links in my profile page...wherein I discuss each subject and also suggest some reference books as unbiasedly as possible)

There is one serneity prayer which many of you might be aware...

God grant me the serenity
to accept the things I cannot change;
courage to change the things I can;
and wisdom to know the difference.

Living one day at a time;
Enjoying one moment at a time;
Accepting hardships as the pathway to peace;
Taking, as He did, this sinful world
as it is, not as I would have it;
Trusting that He will make all things right
if I surrender to His Will;
That I may be reasonably happy in this life
and supremely happy with Him
Forever in the next.
Amen.

--Reinhold Niebuhr

This I have to change thus for our Studymaterial

God grant me the serenity
to Study the Studymaterails that I feel comfortable;
courage to buy reference books that I feel I need;
and wisdom to know the difference.

Living one day at a time;
Enjoying one moment at a time;
Accepting hardships as the pathway to clearing this CA exam;
Taking the CA exam, as ICAI wants, this tough exam
as it is, not as I would have it;
Trusting that ICAI will make all things right for it is not a Demon nor mere bricks and walls but us the students and 'they' the members!
if I surrender to ICAI's dictum with appropriate questioning and a logical mind and study strategically and intelligently this course;
That I may be reasonably happy in this Course
and supremely happy with ICAI

Forever  and clear the exam in one-shot(or atleast minimal attempts) without keeping attempts after attempts pending for the next.
Amen!

Mythreya Sreeraam Bhallyjayappalle

(Now,that was just some humour to keep you smiling as you log-off dont take it seriously!)

So if you see here,I neither support the study materials nor say it is bad.Just that we need to use of discretion and good-judgement for the same.However,one place where I CONCUR/AGREE with Rakehchaji is that Study materials must be kept as a base material for most subjects and then must be referred atleast once or twice to see if what we are reading from the reference material really echoes in the study materials also.This is just a safety-net.

Also, I find people following easy notes.This is to be avoided.

Example:I can understand if someone is following VK Singhania for Direct Taxes(as it is quite comprehensive and definitely a better bet that ICAI study material(atleast for now,till ICAI catches up with it)} but it is entirely a different matter to read some slip-shod XYZ(I dont want to mention names here) last minute crash-course notes and build castles in air that one would pass the exam.

Nay! such things are not possible! You can count me on this.

Dear Mythreya, 

Thanks for your elaborate x-planations. 

Your thoughs are also in the line with my thoughts but the way of presentation is different which of course should be. Each one has his own way of expression and that is known as his BRAND.

"KEEP THE EYES OPEN IS THE KEY OF SUCCESS IN CA."

One cannot resort to one thing specially if certain developments are there. That is why I suggested updation with the help of Journal etc.  All this I have narrated in my article ONE SHOT SUCCESS IN CA; but in altogether different way. 

Please keep sharing specially when students are confused and need help. 

Thanks once again. 

Please correct the following sentence by inserting NOT at the place marked :

From my previous post; it should  NOT be presumed that you need not require reference books.

Dear Surender sir,

I agree with your view, even i passed refering ICAI materials(excluding taxation)

now i am in ca final i wanted to strat prepartion i have not joined coaching i want to start with taxation the module given is for 2010-11 A.Y can i finish that book and go to other reference book or should i ignore the taxation module, plz suggest me

Regards

Prem

For Advanced Management Accounting Saravana Prasad is good