GENIESTUDY BLOG
CA, CS & CMA exam guides
Clear, up-to-date guides on salaries, syllabus, course details and exam strategy for CA, CS and CMA students.
CMA Salary in India (2026): What to Expect After You Qualify
CMA salary in India 2026 — average, fresher and by-experience pay for Cost & Management Accountants, the sectors that pay most, and how to earn more.
Read guideCMA Course Details (2026): Levels, Eligibility, Duration & Fees
CMA course details for 2026 — the three levels, eligibility, duration, fees, exam pattern and career scope of the ICMAI Cost & Management Accountant course.
Read guideCS Executive Syllabus (2026): All 7 Papers & How to Study Them
CS Executive syllabus for 2026 — the module structure, papers, marks and a concept-first way to study each subject for the ICSI Company Secretary Executive level.
Read guideCompany Secretary (CS) Salary in India (2026)
Company Secretary salary in India 2026 — average, fresher and by-experience pay for CS professionals, the sectors that pay most, and how to earn more.
Read guideCA Course Details (2026): Foundation, Inter & Final Explained
CA course details for 2026 — the three levels, eligibility, articleship, duration, fees and exam pattern of the ICAI Chartered Accountancy course, explained clearly.
Read guideCA Foundation Syllabus (2026): All 4 Papers, Marks & Pattern
CA Foundation syllabus 2026 — the four official ICAI papers, marks, exam pattern and negative marking, plus a concept-first way to prepare each subject.
Read guideCA Intermediate Syllabus (2026): 6 Papers Across 2 Groups
CA Inter syllabus 2026 — the six official ICAI Intermediate papers across Group 1 and Group 2, with marks, sections and a concept-first way to prepare.
Read guideCA Final Syllabus (2026): 6 Papers Across 2 Groups
CA Final syllabus 2026 — the six official ICAI Final papers across Group 1 and Group 2 under the New Scheme, with a concept-first way to prepare each.
Read guideCMA Intermediate Syllabus (2026): 8 Papers Across 2 Groups
CMA Inter syllabus under ICMAI Syllabus 2022 — all eight official Intermediate papers across Group 1 and Group 2, with a concept-first way to prepare.
Read guideCA Foundation Registration (2026): Fees, Process, Eligibility & Last Date
CA Foundation registration fee is ₹9,000, plus a ₹1,500 exam form fee — ₹11,300 all in. Full ICAI fee breakdown, eligibility, step-by-step process and the last date to register.
Read guideCA vs CS: Which Course Should You Choose?
CA vs CS compared for 2026 — course focus, duration, difficulty, careers and salary, so you can decide between Chartered Accountancy and Company Secretary.
Read guideCA vs CMA: Which Course Is Right for You?
CA vs CMA compared for 2026 — focus, duration, difficulty, careers and salary, so you can choose between Chartered Accountancy and Cost & Management Accountancy.
Read guideCA vs CS vs CMA: Which Course Is Right for You?
CA vs CS vs CMA compared for 2026 — focus, levels, duration, difficulty, pass rates, careers and salary — so you can choose between ICAI's CA, ICSI's CS and ICMAI's CMA.
Read guideCA Articleship Stipend & Salary (2026): What to Expect
CA articleship stipend 2026 — ICAI's minimum monthly stipend rates by city and year, what firms actually pay, and how stipend differs from salary.
Read guideCA Articleship Salary (2026): How Much Do Articles Actually Earn?
ICAI minimum stipend, Big 4 rates, and the 2026 revision — everything CA articles need to know about what they'll actually earn during training.
Read guideWhy CA Students Fail (And the Real Fix Nobody Talks About)
Why do CA students fail despite months of study? The real reason is hidden concept gaps — not effort. Here's how to find and fix them before the exam.
Read guideHow to Study CA Foundation Without Coaching — A Real Plan
A practical plan to study CA Foundation without coaching — using ICAI material, concept-wise MCQ practice and self-diagnosis to clear on your first attempt.
Read guideCA Attempt Limit (2026): How Many Chances Do You Really Get?
ICAI doesn't cap your CA attempts — but registration validity limits your window. Here's exactly how many chances you get at Foundation, Inter, and Final.
Read guideCA Exam Pattern (2026): Marks, MCQs & Negative Marking
CA exam pattern 2026 for Foundation, Intermediate and Final — subjective vs objective papers, MCQ components, negative marking and passing criteria.
Read guideCA Final Pass Percentage (Latest): The Real Numbers
CA Final pass percentage across recent ICAI sessions, why it stays low, and how to beat the odds with concept-first preparation.
Read guideCA Intermediate Pass Percentage (Latest): The Real Numbers
CA Inter pass percentage across recent ICAI sessions, why it's low, and how concept-first preparation puts you on the right side of the odds.
Read guideCA Foundation Passing Marks (2026) & How to Actually Hit Them
Score 40% in every paper and 50% overall to pass CA Foundation. Here's exactly how the rule works, what trips students up, and how to clear it first attempt.
Read guideCA Intermediate Passing Marks (2026): The Exact Rule
Pass CA Inter by scoring 40% in each paper and 50% per group. Here's how the two-group rule works, common mistakes students make, and how to clear both.
Read guideCA Job Opportunities (2026): Where a CA Can Work
CA job opportunities after qualifying — audit, taxation, corporate finance, consulting, banking and practice, plus why Chartered Accountants stay in demand.
Read guideLife of a Chartered Accountant: The Honest, Real Picture
What is the life of a Chartered Accountant really like? Day-to-day work, articleship, practice vs industry, the rewards and the challenges — an honest look.
Read guideCA Coaching vs Self-Practice: What Actually Works in 2026
CA coaching vs self-practice — the real pros and cons, what coaching actually adds, and why concept-wise self-practice is the smarter modern route for many students.
Read guideCA Foundation Coaching vs Self-Practice: Do You Need Online Coaching?
Do you need CA Foundation online coaching, or can self-practice clear it? A 2026 look at coaching vs self-study for CA Foundation — what each suits, and how to combine both.
Read guideCA Foundation Study Plan (2026): A Concept-First Approach
A practical CA Foundation study plan for 2026 — how to structure your months, build a daily routine, and prepare concept-first to clear on the first attempt.
Read guideCA Intermediate Study Plan (2026): A Concept-First Approach
A practical CA Inter study plan for 2026 — how to handle six papers across two groups, build a routine, and prepare concept-first to clear both groups.
Read guideCMA Foundation Syllabus (2026): All 4 Papers
CMA Foundation syllabus under ICMAI Syllabus 2022 — the four official Foundation papers, with a concept-first way to prepare each and clear on the first attempt.
Read guideCA Foundation Subject-Wise Weightage: Where to Focus
CA Foundation subject-wise weightage and study priorities — how the four papers are marked, where to focus, and how to turn weightage into a concept-first plan.
Read guideCA Foundation Books (2026): What You Actually Need
CA Foundation books 2026 — why ICAI's own study material is the primary resource, how to use RTPs and MTPs, and how to choose supplementary reference books.
Read guideCA Inter Books (2026): What You Actually Need
CA Inter books 2026 — why ICAI's study material is primary, how to use RTPs and MTPs across six papers, and how to choose supplementary reference books wisely.
Read guideCA Inter Question Paper Pattern and ICAI Weightage Explained
CA Inter question paper pattern under ICAI's New Scheme — the 70:30 descriptive and MCQ split, marks per paper, negative marking, passing criteria, and how to read ICAI's skill-wise weightage.
Read guideCA Inter Group 1 Subjects (2026): Advanced Accounting, Law & Taxation
CA Inter Group 1 has three papers — Advanced Accounting, Corporate and Other Laws, and Taxation — 100 marks each, 70:30 descriptive to MCQ. Marks split, weightage and study order.
Read guideCA Inter Group 2 Subjects (2026): Costing, Auditing & FM-SM
CA Inter Group 2 has three papers — Cost and Management Accounting, Auditing and Ethics, and Financial Management & Strategic Management — 100 marks each. Marks split and study order.
Read guideHow to Become a Company Secretary in India (2026): The Full Route
Become a Company Secretary via ICSI in three stages — CSEET, Executive, Professional — plus 21 months training. Official 2026 fees, eligibility, duration and the CSEET offline change.
Read guideCA Salary in India (2026): What a Chartered Accountant Actually Earns
ICAI's Secretary put the average CA starting package at ₹12–13 lakh in May 2026. Campus placement figures, the highest packages, and an honest look at who earns less.
Read guideHow to Crack CA Exams (2026): The Method, Not the Motivation
CA Foundation passed 19.23% and CA Inter both groups just 9.39% in January 2026. A five-phase method built on ICAI's own MTPs, RTPs and past papers — plus the mark arithmetic most students never plan for.
Read guideCA Exemption Rules (2026): Normal Exemption, Permanent Exemption, and Which to Take
Score 60+ and you earn a normal exemption for three attempts. When it exhausts, ICAI's permanent exemption caps those marks at 50 and raises the bar to 50% in every remaining paper. Full rules, worked maths and how to decide.
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