It is already July 2020 and if you are planning to sit for the November 2020 CA Intermediate exams, it is high time that you start preparing for the exams at a break-neck pace. Read on to know more about how much time you will need to devote to getting yourself ready for the exams...
How much time will any student need to prepare for CA Intermediate is a subjective question and I will try to touch upon bits of everything in the answer. Before I begin, let me assume that you are appearing for both the groups together.
The study time for CA Intermediate, as per what the ICAI prescribes, is 9 months. But the actual study time will obviously differ due to a lot of factors. Let's see what they are:
Mode of study: If you are doing self-study, you will no doubt have a lot of time at your disposal, as tuitions take up anywhere between 5–8 hours daily. The caveat is that self-study will need a lot of effort and time devotion to Intermediate studies than college studies. If you are taking classes (online or Youtube whatever), the time at your disposal for self-study and digestion will seem very less. So you might consider even 9 months to be insufficient to be fully prepared.
Level of prep desired: I count this as a factor because some students study just to pass, while some study to get a rank. If you are in the latter category, the percentage of syllabus coverage automatically increases. Hence you need more time to be thoroughly prepared.
Level of dedication: This will determine the quality of studies achieved in an hour of time devoted. If you can study for long hours with decent levels of concentration and memory, the time required for preparation will reduce drastically.
Quality of studies: If you are someone who feels the urge to look at the phone in every 5 minutes, or who easily gets distracted by what's happening around and starts daydreaming, the time required for prep will increase.
Term due: If your attempt is due in Nov.'20, the time is automatically restricted and your race against the time has already started. Now it all depends on the level of prep and the other factors listed above which will help you decide whether you are ready to slay it in Nov. exams. If you first eligible attempt is May'21, you still have a lot of time on hand to plan it out and take it easy throughout the preparation time.
Overall understanding and clarity: If you are someone who can build a sufficient degree of understanding and clarity of concepts by going through the syllabus say, twice or thrice - the time required will be less. If you feel that you would need more rounds of studying one or more subjects, the time required will be more.
CA Intermediate is a great lesson in time management for all students. You learn to not just prioritize things, but also juggle different priorities. While I have tried to cover all the major factors which come to my mind as of now, the answer to this question will only depend upon your own assessment of yourself. No one, except you yourself can really prescribe anything or give you a well-drafted study schedule which would be the best for you.
So all I can say is to weigh out all the factors at play and introspect. Judge how your mind will react to the vastness and complexity of the syllabus and decide the future course of action accordingly.
Hope this helps…
Do let me know if you have any comments, suggestions, or queries regarding this.
PS: CA Exam Strategies is now active on all major social media platforms - Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Quora, Telegram, and LinkedIn. All these social media handles are operated by me. So you may use any of these media (along with the traditional e-mail) to get in touch with me for any queries, comments, observations, or feedback.
Comments