Never Miss an exam Attempt : How I Finally Became a #CA After 8 attempts....
I cleared CA Foundation, CA Intermediate, and Group 2 of CA Final in my first attempt. I was staying in a hostel in Pune and my articleship training was smooth.
Life felt on track.
Then reality hit in November 1999. For the first time in my life, I failed an exam — Group 1 of CA Final. It was devastating.
Back then, there were almost no coaching classes for Audit and Corporate Law. We had to rely completely on self-study from ICAI material or few books avaialble that time.
I appeared again in May 2000. This time, I cleared all subjects but missed the aggregate by just 4 marks. That pain still stays with me. (Unfortunately, I lost the marksheet of that attempt and could not attach in collage).
The failures continued in November 2000 as well. By then, the stamp of failure had started affecting me. People began questioning my abilities. To handle this, I started taking up part-time accounting assignments while continuing to work in the same CA firm where I completed my articleship.
The attempts in May 2001, November 2001, and May 2002 were extremely stressful. ICAI had changed the paper pattern of MAFA, and many questions were coming from outside the study material or even coachin class studies, something many students have updated facing in recent attempts. But that was not an excuse for me because at Final level, you require EXPERT KNOWEDGE as per ICAI guidelines mentioned in study material.
In December 2001, I shifted back to Aurangabad (now Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar). I joined a CA firm as a full-time Audit Assistant. The job involved extensive travelling.
At 23 years of age, I had to support my family financially .
Despite everything, I never missed a single attempt.
In November 2002, I again missed the aggregate — this time by 7 marks. This was my 7th attempt for Group 1. By then, I was handling significant office responsibilities, including internal audits, which were both time-consuming and thankless. I used to study whenever I could find time.
Then came the May 2003 attempt. I could manage only 15 days of study leave because of an important assignment with a strict deadline.
The Advanced Accounting paper was very tough and lengthy — I could attempt only 65–70 marks. I genuinely thought it was over this time. However, I had prepared MAFA from Ravi Kishore Sir’s book, especially the capital market chapters. I was able to attempt the entire paper, which gave me confidence. I then performed well in Audit and Corporate Law too.
After 8 attempts, I finally cleared Group 1 of CA Final. I scored the highest marks in MAFA at the Aurangabad centre. I was also lucky to get 40 marks in Advanced Accounting. Had I failed in Advanced Accounting, I would have got group exemption in the other three papers. But this time, my persistence paid off.
To all students who are facing repeated failures:
Failure is neither new nor rare in CA exams. I was part of that majority for almost four years.
During this period, I faced immense mental pressure, self-doubt, and external judgment. But my aim never allowed me to accept defeat. I never skipped any attempt — and that single decision played a big role in my success.
Since 2003, I have had the privilege of mentoring over 30 article assistants and students, many of whom have cleared CA and are doing well in their careers.
If you are currently struggling with failures, remember this: Don’t lose courage. Your consistent efforts matter more than you think.
Strengthen your mind, stay focused on your goal, and never miss an attempt.
Success eventually comes to those who keep showing up and it changes your perspective.
#ICAI #CAStudents #CAJourney #CharteredAccountant
Must listen this powerful 136 seconds video out of your day and listen to Sundar Pichai.🔥🔥
What a speech that can inspire millions of people.
Must listen and share it with all🔥🔥
"Good message not just for graduates but for all".
Choose the hard things.
Choose things which excite you.
Be optimistic and move forward
Actually in Bhagavad Gita shloka 2.37 this is wonderfully captured.
हतो वा प्राप्स्यसि स्वर्गं जित्वा वा भोक्ष्यसे महीम् |
तस्मादुत्तिष्ठ कौन्तेय युद्धाय कृतनिश्चय: |
@sundarpichai@Google@YouTube@YouTubeCreators@X
@R_N_Vaghani Ye 370 + industrialization+ vnde bharat + Gift city + SEZ + ram mandir+ digitalization+ Gas to each corner of india + toilets etc. ye apke chacha ji n kiya h