Chartered Accountant Course: Fees, Duration and Subjects (2026)

Frequently asked questions

What is the total fee for the chartered accountant course?

Counting only what you pay ICAI — registration and examination fees across Foundation, Intermediate and Final — the course is comparatively inexpensive, typically well under ₹1,00,000 in total. Coaching is the larger and more variable cost, ranging from nothing if you self-study to several lakhs for full classroom tuition across all three levels. Confirm current ICAI fees at icai.org before budgeting.

How long does the chartered accountant course take?

Four to five years is realistic for most students entering after 12th: Foundation, then Intermediate, then a practical training period of two years, then Final. Very few complete it faster, and taking longer is common because papers are frequently re-attempted. Plan for five and treat four as the good outcome.

What are the subjects in the CA course?

Foundation covers accounting, business laws, quantitative aptitude and business economics. Intermediate covers advanced accounting, corporate and other laws, cost and management accounting, taxation, auditing, financial management and strategic management. Final covers financial reporting, advanced financial management, advanced auditing, direct and indirect tax laws and a set of specialisation options.

Is the CA course difficult?

Yes, and the difficulty is mostly volume and endurance rather than any single concept. Pass rates at Intermediate and Final are frequently in the low double digits per attempt, so most qualified CAs have re-attempted at least one group. The people who finish are usually the ones who kept a schedule for years, not the ones who found it easy.

Can I do the CA course while working?

The articleship period is itself full-time practical training, so it is structured work rather than a job you fit around. Studying for Final alongside articleship is the norm and is demanding. Doing CA alongside an unrelated full-time job is possible in principle but rare in practice.

What is the CA course material and where do I get it?

ICAI issues its own study material for every level — study modules, practice manuals, revision test papers and past papers — provided on registration and published on the ICAI website. Most students supplement it with coaching notes, but the institute material is the syllabus of record and is what the examination is set from.

About CELSE Labs

CELSE Labs — the Centre for Experiential Learning and Skill Enhancement — is an NSDC-certified, ISO 9001:2015 accredited skill training institute and an Approved Training Partner of Medhavi Skills University. We work with commerce graduates, career changers and working professionals across Kerala who want a job in accounting, finance, compliance or data, and who need practical capability rather than another certificate.

Our training is experiential rather than lecture-based. Instead of textbook exercises, trainees operate the books, bank account, invoices and internal correspondence of simulated companies — M & M Technologies, Toy Kingdom and PetalSoft — where transactions arrive incomplete, out of order and occasionally wrong, exactly as they do in a real office. Trainees learn judgement by making decisions and correcting them, which is the part of the work that cannot be transferred by explanation.

Teaching is one-to-one, so pace follows the learner rather than a cohort. New batches start every Wednesday at both centres. Scholarships of up to 30% are available through a free online scholarship test, and our placement record includes 36+ named alumni at HDFC, ICICI, Bajaj Finserv, Kotak Mahindra, Big Basket, Ford, Amrita Hospital and JRHA Accounting in the UAE.

Visit us at Edappally in Kochi or Mavoor Road in Kozhikode, or call +91 8007 980 000 to arrange a free counselling session.