The ICAI rolled out the New Scheme of Education and Training in July 2023, with the first batch writing exams from May 2024 onward. By 2026, every active CA student is on the New Scheme. The changes look bigger than they are once you see the structure side by side. Here is the New Scheme in plain English, with the rules every student needs to act on.
The three levels (and what each contains)
CA Foundation — four papers, 400 marks. Paper 1 is Principles & Practice of Accounting. Paper 2 is Business Laws + Business Correspondence (one paper, two sections). Paper 3 is Business Mathematics, Logical Reasoning & Statistics. Paper 4 is Business Economics + Business and Commercial Knowledge. All four are written exams. Entry: class 12 pass or appearing.
CA Intermediate — six papers, two groups of three. Group 1: Accounting, Corporate & Other Laws, Taxation. Group 2: Cost & Management Accounting, Auditing & Code of Ethics, Financial Management & Strategic Management. Each paper is 100 marks. You can clear one group at a time or both together. Entry: cleared CA Foundation OR a graduate/post-graduate with the prescribed minimum percentage (direct entry).
CA Final — six papers, two groups of three. Group 1: Financial Reporting, Advanced Financial Management, Advanced Auditing & Professional Ethics. Group 2: Direct Tax Laws & International Taxation, Indirect Tax Laws, Integrated Business Solutions. Entry: cleared CA Intermediate (both groups).
What's new compared to the old scheme
Reduced paper count: Intermediate dropped from 8 papers to 6. Final dropped from 8 papers to 6. The compulsory Information Systems Control Audit (ISCA) and Information Technology papers from the old Final are gone — their material is folded into Integrated Business Solutions and other papers.
Self-Paced Online Modules (SPOM): Four new SPOM sets — A, B, C, D — must be cleared before you receive the Final qualification. SET A is Corporate & Economic Laws. SET B is Strategic Cost & Performance Management. SET C is one of six electives (your choice). SET D is one of four skill papers (your choice). SPOMs are conducted online, on a rolling basis, separately from the regular Final exam cycle.
Articleship duration: Reduced from 3 years to 2 years under the New Scheme, but you must clear at least one Final group AND finish SPOM to receive the qualification. Practical training continues to be mandatory.
MCQ-based assessment: Foundation Papers 3 & 4 are fully MCQ. Intermediate Papers 1-6 have a 30-mark MCQ section + 70-mark descriptive section. Final Papers 1-5 have a 30-mark MCQ section + 70-mark descriptive. This is a big shift — MCQs are unforgiving on accuracy and reward concept depth, not rote memorisation.
Registration & eligibility — practical rules
Foundation registration: open year-round. After registering, you must wait 4 months before appearing in your first exam. Exams are in January, May, and September.
Intermediate registration: open year-round. After registering, you must wait 8 months before appearing. Exams are in May and November. Direct entry candidates must also complete the orientation course and ICITSS before exams.
Final registration: opens after you've cleared both Intermediate groups. After registering, you must wait 6 months before appearing. Exams are in May and November.
SPOM: register and attempt at your own pace; can attempt any SET once you've registered for CA Final. You must clear all four SPOM SETs before you receive your CA qualification certificate, but they don't block exam attempts.
Exam pattern, marking, and pass criteria
Each paper is 100 marks. The pass criteria is: 40% in each individual paper AND 50% aggregate across the group. So you cannot have a 35 in one paper and 90 in another — you fail the group.
Negative marking applies to the MCQ section in Intermediate and Final papers. The penalty is 25% of the marks allotted to each question (typically -0.5 for a 2-mark MCQ). Guesswork is penalised; only attempt MCQs you have actual conviction on or can narrow to two options.
The descriptive section is marked on a step-marking scheme: you earn marks for correct working even if the final answer is wrong. Section citations, formula derivations, and clear presentation all attract marks. Do not skip working to save time.
What this means for your study plan
Treat MCQs as a separate skill, not a softer version of descriptive. Many students assume MCQs are easier; they are not. They reward exact recall. Negative marking destroys careless answers. Practise 2,000+ MCQs per group before your attempt.
Articleship + studying together is real. The New Scheme assumes you're at a CA firm while preparing. Make peace with the constraint. Use commute time for MCQ drills, dinner-to-bed for descriptive practice, weekends for full mocks.
SPOM is not optional. Many Final candidates plan to 'do SPOM later' and then can't get the certificate even after passing Final. Knock off two SPOMs before your Final attempt to spread the load.
Bottom line
The New Scheme is structurally cleaner than the old one — fewer papers, more MCQs, two-year articleship — but the standards are not lower. ICAI explicitly aims to keep pass rates stable. The students who succeed treat the New Scheme as a precise blueprint, not a list of optional checkpoints.
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