CA Foundation 2025 Exam - Exam Date, Registration, Pattern, Syllabus, Sample Papers, Cutoff, Previous Year Papers

The ICAI CA Foundation exam is administered by the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI). Those who pass the CA Foundation examination can move to the next stage which is CA Intermediate. Eventually, after clearing the Intermediate exam, candidates can attempt the CA Final examination which will allow them to practise as CAs.

Being the 1st stage of the CA qualification, the CA Foundation exam is very competitive requiring in-depth knowledge and a complete understanding of the concepts of Accounting, Law, Economics and Mathematics.

Here are the three phases to securing CA qualification. Applicants have to clear all three levels.

• CA Foundation examination (4 papers)
• CA Intermediate examination (8 papers based on the New Syllabus and 8 as per the Old Syllabus)
• CA Final examination (8 papers based on the New Syllabus and 8 as per the Old Syllabus)

Here are the dates related to the CA Foundation examination for September 2024, January 2025, and May/ June 2025.

CA Foundation 2024 (September) Dates:

CA Foundation 2025 (January) Dates:

CA Foundation 2025 (May/ June) Dates:

Here is an overview of the CA Foundation exam 2025 - 

Here are the major pointers related to CA Foundation 2025 eligibility criteria - 

• Applicants must have completed class 12 or a similar examination from a recognised board of education.
• They must register with the Board of Studies of the ICAI for at least 4 months on or before the 1st day of the month in which the CA Foundation examination is scheduled to be conducted.

CA Foundation aspirants must register with the ICAI Board of Studies within the stipulated period, once the process begins. Please note that they have to complete the specified minimum period of study to be eligible to appear for the CA Foundation examination. 

How to Register for CA Foundation?

Check out the main steps for CA Foundation registration -

• Applicants must head on to the official portal of the ICAI CA Foundation and open the relevant link.
• They must type in all the details, click on the tab - “generate OTP” and get the account validated. Once validation is done, they will receive the login particulars via SMS or email.

CA Foundation Registration Form Filling 2025

Once the test takers get the registration credentials they have to log in to the portal using the registration number and password and click on the link named “Apply for CA Foundation". After the tab opens, they can begin filling out the CA Foundation 2025 registration form by entering personal details, then typing in qualification details, uploading essential documents, and making the payment.

CA Foundation Registration Fees 2025

Here is a quick breakdown of the CA Foundation Registration fees. 

N.B. Please note students from J&K and the Northeastern States are allowed a concession in the CA Foundation fees. They are advised to confirm the details from the official webpage.

ICAI issues the CA Foundation online examination application form on the official portal. To complete the online examination application form, applicants have to visit eservices.icai.org and log into the Self-Service Portal (SSP) with the help of their credentials (username and password). Once they complete the exam form, they have to pay the required examination fee via online mode. Please note these forms are available on the SSP as per the designated dates announced by the conducting authority.

CA Foundation Application Form Correction 2025

CA Foundation application form correction facility is activated during the application process. During this one-time opportunity, students can make corrections to certain fields of the already submitted form. They have to sign in to the webpage - eservices.icai.org with the login ID and password, tap on the link “Changes required”, make the rectifications required and follow further instructions.

CA Foundation examination fees have to be paid via online modes such as using a VISA or MASTER or MAESTRO Credit/ Rupay Card/ Debit Card/ Net Banking/ Bhim UPI. 

The CA Foundation admit card will be launched a few weeks before the exam day. To access the CA Foundation admit card, the registered candidates have to visit eservices.icai.org, furnish the “student registration number” and password and press the “Download Admit Card” button. Once the hall ticket is available, they have to save a copy of it and take 2 printouts of the same.

It is mandatory to bring the CA Foundation Admit Card on the exam day, as without it, the aspirants cannot appear for the examination.

ICAI CA Foundation syllabus is provided by the conducting authority on the official web portal. The syllabus indicates the papers included along with the main topics and the sub-topics. 

According to the CA Foundation syllabus, there are 4 papers -

Here is the CA Foundation syllabus official PDF -

The main aspects related to the ICAI CA Foundation exam pattern are highlighted in the below points - 

• As per the CA Foundation exam pattern, the sections of the individual papers have different weightages.
• Paper 1 and Paper 2 will include subjective questions and the exam duration for each will be 3 hours.
• Paper 3 and Paper 4 will have objective questions (MCQ). The time for each will be 2 hours.
• The exam will be organised in offline mode.
• There is no negative marking in Papers 1 and 2. 
• While Papers 3 and 4 will have negative markings. For each wrong answer, in the said papers, 0.25 will be deducted.
• The passing mark in each paper is 40%, while the overall aggregate must be 50%. However, besides meeting the criteria mentioned, please ensure that the overall mark achieved is 200 out of 400 (total marks).

Below are some preparation tips for CA Foundation 2025 - 

• Familiarise yourself with the exam pattern and syllabus for a thorough idea about the topics, weightage, marking scheme, overall marks etc. Create a study routine and allocate time to study for each subject.
• Consistency matters. Hence aspirants must dedicate fixed hours of study every day, preferably 6 - 8 hours.
• ICAI releases official mock test paper series, revision test paper series, and previous year question papers which must be attempted for extensive preparation. 
• Aspirants are advised to use the recommended study materials, books, and other online resources. Study materials can be retrieved from the official portal and are available in both English and Hindi. These can provide insights and easier explanations of complex topics.
• Those not confident in self-study can prefer joining a reputed coaching institute for offline guidance or taking online classes. The experienced faculty at such institutes can help the test takers with their doubts and assist them in their preparation journey.
• Additionally, candidates are suggested to regularly check the ICAI CA website for the latest updates or any amendments relevant to the CA Foundation.

Also Read:

Preparing for the CA Foundation needs the right resources and study materials. For the convenience of the test takers, we have attached the below list of CA Foundation best books - 

• SCANNER-CA Foundation Scanner Cum Compiler (Paper 1 to 4) by Dr. S.K.Agrawal, CA Manmeet Kaur
• Mercantile Law by M.C.Kuchhal and Vivek Kucchal
• Accounting for CA Foundation by D.G. Sharma
• Fundamentals of Accounting for CA by P.C Tulsian and Bharat Tulsian
• Taxmann's Business Laws by CA Shashank S. Sharma
• General Economics by Agarwal Shiv Kumar 
• Business Economics for CA Foundation by Dr. P. V. Rathi
• CA Foundation Principles and Practice of Accounting by P.C Tulsian and S.Chand
• Quantitative Aptitude for CA Foundation by Dr. R.S. Aggarwal

ICAI CA Foundation mock tests are released on the official webpage of the Board of Studies - boslive.icai.org. The mock tests can be taken offline at certain regional or branch offices of the conducting body. Apart from the offline mock tests, students can save the soft copies of the CA Foundationmock test series and solve them in the stipulated time. 

The answer keys to these mock tests will be uploaded within 48 hours from the launch of the respective papers. With the help of the answer keys, the test takers can evaluate their performance.

CA Foundation will be held in more than 190 cities across the country as well as at overseas centres. While filling out the application form, applicants have to opt for their preferred exam centres. 

Some of the major CA Foundation exam centres include Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, New Delhi, Lucknow, Noida, Varanasi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Nagpur, Nashik, Pune, Jammu, Srinagar, Jaipur, Hyderabad, Mangalore, Vellore, Vijayawada, Chennai, Guwahati, Shillong, Durgapur, Gangtok etc.

CA Foundation results are notified via icai.nic.in/caresult. Typically within 4 to 6 weeks after the exam is held, the results are announced. Students have to obtain their scorecards from the result link by entering the required login credentials. 

Please remember that the result download window remains active for a short period. Hence, we advise the applicants to get their scorecards at the earliest. 

Below is the contact information for any queries on the ICAI CA Foundation - 

Website: https://www.icai.org/post/contact-us