CA Inter Question Paper Pattern and ICAI Weightage Explained
Two things decide how you should prepare for CA Intermediate: the shape of the question paper, and where ICAI puts the marks. Most students learn the syllabus thoroughly and still lose marks because they never studied the paper itself.
This guide covers the CA Inter question paper pattern under ICAI's New Scheme of Education and Training — the 70:30 split, what the MCQ portion actually tests, the passing rules — and then the part almost nobody uses properly: ICAI's published weightage, and how to turn it into a study order.
CA Inter paper structure: 6 papers, 2 groups
Under the New Scheme, CA Intermediate has six papers split into two groups of three. Each paper is 100 marks and 3 hours. You can appear for one group at a time or both together.
Note the group split carefully — several coaching sites list it wrongly. Papers 1 to 3 form Group I and Papers 4 to 6 form Group II, as set out on ICAI's own Intermediate course page.
| Group | Paper | Subject | Marks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Group I | Paper 1 | Advanced Accounting | 100 |
| Group I | Paper 2 | Corporate and Other Laws | 100 |
| Group I | Paper 3 | Taxation (Income-tax Law + GST) | 100 |
| Group II | Paper 4 | Cost and Management Accounting | 100 |
| Group II | Paper 5 | Auditing and Ethics | 100 |
| Group II | Paper 6 | Financial Management + Strategic Management | 100 |
CA Intermediate papers under the ICAI New Scheme
The 70:30 pattern in every paper
Since ICAI moved objective assessment to 30% at Intermediate and Final level, every one of the six papers is split the same way: 70 marks of descriptive questions and 30 marks of objective questions.
The important detail is what those 30 marks look like. They are largely case-scenario MCQs — a short fact pattern followed by questions that need you to apply a provision, not recall a definition. Reading the scenario correctly is most of the work.
| Portion | Marks | What it tests |
|---|---|---|
| Descriptive | 70 | Written answers, computations, and reasoning you must show |
| Objective (MCQ) | 30 | Case-scenario questions applying a provision to given facts |
Marks split per CA Inter paper
Is there negative marking in CA Inter MCQs?
No. There is no negative marking on the objective portion of CA Intermediate papers. That has a direct consequence for exam strategy: never leave an MCQ blank. A considered guess costs nothing and an unanswered question is a guaranteed zero.
This is the opposite of how you should treat practice. In practice, guessing hides a gap; in the exam, guessing is free. Use practice to remove the guessing, then use the exam rule to your advantage.
Passing criteria
You need both of these in the same attempt for a group to be cleared:
- 40% in each individual paper of the group
- 50% in aggregate across the three papers of that group
- Score 60% or more in a paper and you may be granted an exemption in that paper for the following attempts, under ICAI's exemption rules
How to read ICAI weightage for CA Inter
Searches for "ICAI weightage CA Inter" usually expect a chapter-by-chapter mark table. ICAI publishes something more useful than that, and it comes in two forms.
The first is section-wise weightage: in the syllabus for each paper, ICAI gives ranges of marks against content sections. The second, and the one students overlook, is skill-wise weightage — how the marks divide across levels of thinking.
| Type | What it tells you | Where to find it |
|---|---|---|
| Section-wise | Approximate mark range for each content section of the paper | The syllabus pages at the front of each BoS study module |
| Skill-wise | How marks split across comprehension and knowledge, application, and analysis and evaluation | The skill assessment table alongside the syllabus |
The two weightage tables ICAI publishes per paper
Why skill-wise weightage matters more than chapter lists
A chapter with a high mark range still fails you if you only memorised it. The skill table tells you the exam mostly rewards application and analysis, not recall — which is why students who complete the syllabus can still score in the thirties.
Read it as an instruction about how to study, not what to study. For a high-application paper, working problems beats re-reading notes. For papers weighted toward comprehension, precise wording and section references earn the marks.
Turning pattern and weightage into a study order
Weightage tells you where the marks are. Your own attempts tell you where you are weak. Neither is much use alone — the highest-return study is the overlap: topics that carry marks and that you keep getting wrong.
- Attempt a chapter test before revising the chapter, so you find the gap instead of assuming it
- Treat every wrong MCQ as a concept to repair, not a mark lost
- Give the 30-mark objective portion real practice time — it is nearly a third of the paper
- Re-test a repaired concept a week later to check the fix held
Frequently asked questions
What is the CA Inter question paper pattern?
Each of the six papers is 100 marks over 3 hours, split 70 marks descriptive and 30 marks objective. The objective portion is largely case-scenario MCQs that ask you to apply a provision to a given set of facts.
Is there negative marking in CA Inter?
No. There is no negative marking on the MCQ portion, so you should attempt every objective question rather than leave any blank.
How many marks do I need to pass CA Inter?
40% in each paper and 50% in aggregate across the three papers of the group, both in the same attempt. Scoring 60% or more in a paper can earn an exemption in that paper under ICAI's rules.
Where can I find the official ICAI weightage for CA Inter?
In the ICAI Board of Studies study material for each paper. The syllabus pages carry section-wise mark ranges and a skill-wise assessment table. Always take the figures from the module for your own attempt, since they are revised.
Which CA Inter papers have MCQs?
All six. Objective assessment applies across the Intermediate papers under the New Scheme, at 30 marks per paper.