A prominent career option every commerce students aspire to choose, Chartered Accountancy is not a cake walk to crack but not impossible for those determined aspirants. The students have to prepare rigorously for Chartered Accountant Common Proficiency Test (CA CPT), a National level exam which is conducted by The Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI) twice a year, in the months of June and December. The registration process for CA CPT 2018 which was started on April 4, 2018, is closed now and the examination for the June session is been scheduled to held from June first week onwards.

Eligibility Criteria:

Candidates must have passed 10+2 examination or equivalent from a recognized institution and must be registered for the Common Proficiency Test with the Board of Studies of the Indian Chartered Accountancy of India (ICAI).

Exam Pattern:

The CPT is an objective type examination of 4 hours duration divided into 2 sessions of 2 hours each. The total marks for the test are 200. Candidates must note that there is a negative marking of 0.25 or one-fourth for every wrong answer. To clear the CPT, a student has to obtain a total of 50% marks in all the papers together. The admission requirements for the second level of the course i.e. PCC (Professional Competency Course) require that the student should have qualified in the CPT. This level is thus the entry level for all the students including graduates.

Exam Centre:

CA CPT Exam is conducted at various examination centers across India. Candidates need to go to the examination center allotted to them. Complete details of the examination centers are given in the admit card. Candidates will not be given an entry in any other examination hall than the one allotted to them.

Changed Examination Scenario:

As per the official notification, CA CPT will cease to be conducted beyond June 2019 session. After that period, candidates will compulsorily be required to appear for CA exam under the revised CA Foundation scheme. Candidates who will qualify CPT exam will be enrolled to IPCC (Intermediate Professional Competence Course) which would train them for next level of Chartered Accountancy course. For now, the applicants for June 2018 test can download their respective admit cards from the official website of ICAI.

For only handful days remained for the exam, here are some last minute tips:

Coaching: Although undergoing coaching is a pivotal part of CA CPT, it is not alone sufficient as self-study is equally essential. Students should not leave everything in the hands of their mentor and always should be highly motivated to their own part of hard work. So this is the right time to revise whatever you studied and be clear the doubts.

Practice: Create an exam life ambiance on your study table and take up questions and try to solve them in a stipulated time. This will eventually raise your confidence, lessening the chances of getting nervous during the examination. Make a daily timetable and follow it without a fail.

Adopt your own Strategy: Several candidates who have successfully cleared the CPT exam have vouched on the point of adopting a strategy and be clear with the basics. Aspirants should concentrate on the weak points and work on those areas. It's been advised to always remember it’s ok not to attempt all the questions in the examination and skip the ones you are not sure about. And don't forget to keep yourself healthy by maintaining a proper diet and exercising daily as at the end health is wealth.

We hope this article will be useful for getting success in CA examinations.