Success mantras of CA Toppers 2013

‘It’s not hard, it’s just lengthy,’ say CA 2013 toppers about the Chartered Accountancy exam, and that 'There is no substitute for hard work', and 'Determination is the key to success' as Ipsita Sarkar Gupta of shiksha.com catches up with them to know what’s behind their success story.

Kruti Shah, 21 yrs Mumbai, CA 1st topper

Extremely great...  like on top of the world! I still can’t believe it. The phone hasn’t stopped ringing. Everyone, including my past teachers, friends and distance relatives, called me up after seeing my name in the news.

My dad is a chartered accountant, while my mother is a housewife. My sister is also pursuing CA – just cleared her entrance exam. My father runs his own CA practice in Boriveli.

I completed 10^th from Thakur Vidya Mandir, Mumbai, with 91.93% marks and then pursued Bachelors of Commerce from NM College. Here too, I was the first rank holder. I enrolled for CA in 2009 and joined S. G. Salecha & Company for articleship. I had joined Mahesh Tutorials for CA coaching. They helped me a lot with everything. Whatever I required, whenever needed, they would provide it immediately.  The second topper, Kalvin, was also in my tutorials.

I scored a total of 611 out of 800 (76.38%).

Group I: Financial Reporting – 84; Strategic Financial Management – 64; Advanced Auditing and Professional Ethics – 71; Corporate and Allied Laws – 74 (Total – 293)

Group II: Advanced Management Accounting – 86; Information Systems Control and Audit – 69; Direct Tax Laws – 91; Indirect Tax Laws – 72 (Total – 318)

I plan to pursue my LLB (Bachelor of Laws) soon. But as of now, I may join a consultancy firm.

My strategy was to plan out everything in advance, so that there is proper time to revise. Also, I made sure that boredom doesn’t creep in. In the morning I would study theory, in the evening – practical subjects. The idea is to keep swapping subjects after a few hours of study so that you don’t get bore.

Like any other student, I too was tempted to party and go out with friends. But I resisted everything. During those four months of preparation, getting everything right is important – for it will lead to a great life later on. To help me focus, I joined a library nearby. Everyone would be studying there. It motivated me to study harder.

You have to work hard with proper focus and determination. There is no substitute for hard work. Give your 100% dedication and God will give you the results.

Great! I don’t have words to explain.

Both my parents are working with HSBC Bank. I have an older brother who is pursuing his engineering final year from St. Francis, Mumbai.

I completed 10^th class from Don Bosco and later joined HR College for 11^th and 12^th. I also pursued Bachelors of Commerce (BCom) in distance mode from Mumbai University. My three-year articleship was with Sukhbir & Associates.

My grand total is 582 out of 800 (72.75%).

Group I: Financial Reporting – 66; Strategic Financial Management – 66; Advanced Auditing and Professional Ethics – 81; Corporate and Allied Laws – 74 (Total – 287)

Group II: Advanced Management Accounting – 80; Information Systems Control and Audit – 62; Direct Tax Laws – 82; Indirect Tax Laws – 71 (Total – 295)

I plan to join the corporate world now. I have also enrolled for CFA and would appear for Level 1 exam in December this year.

I took classes at Professional Academy to help with studies. To be frank, I did not study much, but gave my best in the four-month preparatory leave. I decided to pursue theory subjects in the morning and practicals in the evening. I would devote at least 10 -11 hours of dedicated study in a day and get up only once or twice during study hours.

Save the last 10-14 days for thorough revision; 1-2 days on each subject. Also, determination is the key to success.

Make your plans in advance. Save enough time to revise. Also, please go through the practice manuals, suggested answers and test papers thoroughly.

Aatresh Somayajula, 22 yrs Jaipur, CA 3rd Topper

Really elated! Finally I am a CA. After the initial rush of celebrations yesterday, I am feeling quite stable now. (Laughs)

A South Indian by birth, 13 years ago my family settled in Jaipur. My father is an aeronautical engineer in Amritsar and my mother is a teacher. She teaches History and English subjects. I have an older brother who has completed his Bachelors in Commerce (BCom) and is now pursuing other interests.

I completed my 12^th standard (Commerce with Maths) from Jaipuria Vidyalaya, Rajasthan. Since the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI) doesn’t permit to pursue a full time course, I completed my BCom (Honours) from IGNOU in 2012. I enrolled for CA in May 2009, and pursued my three-year articleship at KPMG, Delhi.

I am the third rank holder in the country, with a grand total of 577 out of 800 (72.13%).

Group I: Financial Reporting – 81; Strategic Financial Management – 79; Advanced Auditing and Professional Ethics – 69; Corporate and Allied Laws – 77 (Total – 306)

Group II: Advanced Management Accounting – 70; Information Systems Control and Audit – 80; Direct Tax Laws – 68; Indirect Tax Laws – 53 (Total – 271)

Currently, I am waiting for job offers. To be frank, my chief area of interest is Civil Services – something I have dreamt since childhood. However, after three years of corporate experience at KPMG, I am swaying a bit towards an MBA too. I need to know what I want before devoting 30 years of my life to any profession. I’ll join somewhere and then decide on the course of action – IAS or MBA.

Due to the three-year internship, I already had some hand-on experience in Accounts and Auditing. Taxes too, I knew a bit. I took the exam preparatory leave of four-months, wherein I focused on the remaining subjects and revision.

To prepare, I first devised a monthly plan, followed by a weekly plan and daily targets with revisions. I would pick up a subject, complete it in seven to eight days and then moved on to the next subject. Thereafter, I focused on regular revisions.

Proper guidance is also important. I had regular talks with previous CA toppers. All this, combined with corporate experience and guidance, helped me nail it.

As mentioned before, proper guidance is a must. You should know what to do, when to do and how to do it. Analyse yourself and how you can cope with studies. Some need to study more than others. Make a plan and follow it. Finally, get a good tried and tested book for preparation.

CA –It’s not hard, it’s just lengthy. You may have revised several times, but still forget stuff during the three hour exam. For instance, I was weak in ISCA. So I revised it six times. Other subjects, I revised only 3 times.

Work hard. Have motivation. In my first year, I secured 10^th rank. My name was in the papers. In the second year, I did not get any rank. So my motivation was to see myself again in the papers. And look...I am on Cloud 9 now!