Your Go-to Guide to Prepare for the CA Foundation Exam (Books and more)


  1. What is CA Foundation all about?

Formerly known as Common Proficiency Test, CA Foundation is an entrance exam for the Chartered Accountancy course. It consists of four question papers and is conducted twice a year (June and December). Each paper consists of 100 marks. All those who aspire to become a Chartered Accountant need to appear for this exam. Now, that you have a brief overview of CA Foundation, let's look at its eligibility criteria, exam pattern, syllabus and how to prepare for it.

What is the eligibility criteria for the CA Foundation 2019?

You can appear for this entrance exam once you have cleared your 12th standard examination (recognized by the government).

What is the exam pattern?

This exam consists of a total of 400 marks, which have subjective and objective questions both. The first two papers constitute of descriptive/ subjective type of questions. The third and fourth paper include multiple choice questions. For the third & fourth paper, there is a negative marking system. This means you will lose 1/4th mark from your total score for every wrong answer. You can answer this exam in either English or Hindi.

Syllabus for CA Foundation

As mentioned earlier, this examination consists of four papers. According to The Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI), the syllabus for each paper is as follows.


  • Paper 1- Principles and Practices of Accounting

Theoretical Framework

Accounting Process

Bank Reconciliation Statement

Inventories

Concept and Accounting of Depreciation

Accounting for Special Transactions

Final Accounts of Sole Proprietors

Partnership Accounts

Financial Statements of Not-for-Profit Organizations

Introduction to Company Accounts

Basic Accounting Ratios


  • Paper 2- Business Law and Business Correspondence and Reporting

  •  

Section A: Business Law

The Indian Contract Act, 1872

The Sale of Goods Act, 1930

The Indian Partnership Act, 1932

The Limited Liability Partnership

The Companies Act, 2013

Section B: Business Correspondence and Reporting

Communication

Sentence Types, Direct-Indirect, Active-Passive speech

Vocabulary

Comprehension passages

Note Making

Introduction to Basics of Writing

Precis Writing

Article Writing

Report Writing

Writing Formal Letters and Official Communication

Writing Formal Mails

Resume Writing

Meetings


  • Paper 3-  Business Mathematics and Logical Reasoning and Statistics

Part 1- Business Mathematics

Ratio and Proportion, Indices, Logarithms

Equations and Matrices

Linear Inequalities

Time Value of Money

Basic Concepts of Permutations and Combinations

Sequence and Series - Arithmetic and Geometric Progressions

Sets, Functions and Relations

Basic Concepts of Differential and Integral Calculus

Part-2: Logical Reasoning

Number Series, Coding and Decoding and Odd Man Out

Direction Tests

Seating Arrangements

Blood Relations

Syllogism

Part-3: Statistics

Statistical Description of Data

Measures of Central Tendency and Dispersion

Probability

Theoretical Distributions

Correlation And Regression

Index Number and Time Series


  • Paper 4- Business Economics and Business and Commercial Knowledge

Section A: Business Economics

Nature & Scope of Business Economics

Theory of Demand and Supply

Theory of Production and Cost

Meaning and Types of Markets

Business Cycles

Section B: Business and Commercial Knowledge

Introduction to Business & BCK

Business Environment

Business Organizations

Government Policies for Business Growth

Organizations Facilitating Business

Common Business Terminologies

How to prepare for the CA Foundation exam 2019

Now, that you have a basic idea about the syllabus for this entrance exam, let's look at how you can prepare for it. To help you out with this, we have created a list of books for each paper. This list will be your go-to guide while preparing for the 400 marks exam.

A. Principles and Practices of Accounting

1. Fundamentals of Accounting for CA – CPT  by P.C Tulsian and Bharat Tulsian

Why should you read it?

The book content is updated according to the revised syllabus

"Teach yourself" style

Easy to understand and learn

2. CPT Grewal's Accountancy by M.P Gupta & B.M Aggarwal

What does it offer?

Updated subject-matter

Representative-numerical questions with complete solutions

"Important aspects to remember" to summarize every chapter

3. Fundamentals of Accounting for Anyone & Everyone by CA D.G. Sharma

Why should you read this book?

Understand Accounting from Basics to advanced

Comprehensive syllabus

Applicable for May 2019, November 2019 and May 2020

B. Business Law and Business Correspondence and Reporting

1. Business Laws by P. P. S. Gogna

What can you expect?

Concise and self-explanatory style

400+ analytical examples

1400+ MCQs with detailed answers

2. Mercantile Laws for CA CPT by P C Tulsian

Why you should choose this?

Ideal for beginners

Step-by-step explanation

800+ MCQs

3. Mercantile Law by M.C.Kuchhal & Vivek Kuchhal

Updated syllabus

Latest cases

An in-depth explanation of the practical implication of every law

4. Padhuka's Business Law & Business Correspondence and reporting by CA B. Saravana Prasath CA G. Sekar

What does it offer?

Easy to understand and retain information

Samples of different types of letters

Tables and diagrams to illustrate the text

C. Business Mathematics and Logical Reasoning and Statistics

1. Quicker-Business Mathematics Logical Reasoning & Statistics by Kailash Thakur

Key highlights

Simple calculator tricks

Tabular statements to spend minimum time in memorizing

Short-cut tricks to understand problems

2. Scanner CA Foundation Paper -3 Business Mathematics, Logical Reasoning and Statistics

Why should you opt for this book?

Practice question papers

Lucid language

Tips to save time while solving the question paper

3. Statistics without Tears: An Introduction for Non-Mathematicians by Derek Rowntree

Perks of choosing this book

Suitable for those who do not have any background in statistics

Logical explanation behind every solution

Easy-to-understand language

D. Business Economics and Business and Commercial Knowledge

1. Business & Commercial Knowledge by Dr P. M. Salwan and Dr C. B. Gupta

Why should you buy it?

Introduction to different theories

Examples of objective questions

Easy-to-grasp writing style

2. Padhuka – Basics of General Economics for CA CPT by G Sekar, B Saravana Prasath

Important characteristics

An in-depth explanation of micro and macro theory and principles

Updated syllabus

Sample multiple choice questions

Conclusion

We hope this helps you get a complete overview of CA Foundation, its exam pattern, eligibility criteria and the books you need to prepare for it. Along with the books mentioned above, you should browse through the study material available on The Institute of Chartered Accountants of India website.

Remember, books aren't your only saving grace. There is something more you need to ensure you can excel in this exam. You need to solve mock question papers. Mock papers can help you revise the entire syllabus multiple times, accelerate your speed, identify areas you need to work on, and help you become confident. This is precisely what Prepca can provide you with. With the books mentioned above and our mock test series, you will be all set to outshine in this exam. Click here to learn more about our CA foundation mock test series. Feel free to get in touch with us, if you have any doubts or feedback. All the best!

 

 

24-May-2019




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