STUDYING CONSISTENTLY and constant encouragement from loved ones was key to cracking the exam among the toppers of the CA Intermediate examinations from Ahmedabad, the results of which were declared on Wednesday by the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI).Moksh Rathod, who secured All India Rank 5 with 508 out of 600 marks, is not just a high-scoring student; he is a national-level football player who refused to give up the sport even through the most demanding stretch of his preparation. “I studied eight to ten hours every day, but ensured that weekends were for football,” said Rathod.He described the CA Intermediate syllabus as “vast”, noting that while practical subjects came naturally to him given his affinity to numbers, theoretical papers posed a greater challenge. “Audit and law in particular were difficult for me,” he said. “For theory subjects, my advice is to give them more time, revise multiple times and never skip mock tests.”Moksh, who is planning his articleship followed by working towards clearing his CA Final “with a rank,” mentioned that he stayed off social media platform Instagram entirely, although he used YouTube and WhatsApp, limiting his daily screen time to three-four hours. He also “did not use artificial intelligence (AI) tools”. “You cannot use AI to summarise content for these exams because ICAI is very thorough in what it asks,” he said.According to Moksh, there had been rumours on social media in the days before the CA Intermediate results that ICAI’s servers had been compromised. “It is not a great feeling when you find out that an exam you prepared so hard for has had its paper leaked,” Rathod said, referring to the NEET situation last year. “But I was confident this would not happen with ICAI. Even when the rumours were circulating about a week before our results, I did not buy into them.”He explained how the preparation took a toll on him. “We studied for around eleven months, and those months feel like years. It is exhausting and frustrating, especially towards the end. It demands patience and focus.” To those who did not clear the exam this time, Moksh’s advice was to be prepared for failure. “The preparation is always in our hands. CA is tough and you have to be mentally prepared for failure, but that should not stop you from trying again.”Story continues below this adStuti Goenka, who secured AIR 10 with 484 out of 600 marks, logged 10-12 study hours a day. “Those last three months are important. You have to sacrifice meeting friends in person, isolate yourself a little. But calling them is a must because they encourage you.” Audit was challenging for her too, in the initial stages of preparation. “It gave me a lot of trouble initially. Continuous revision and extensive writing practice helped me get through it.”Goenka managed her screen time with app timers and allowed herself entertainment but was strict about limits. “If I had allocated an hour of TV, I would not let it extend to two.”She mentioned how “hopeless” she would feel if she was compelled to re-attempt her examination due to a paper leak. “ICAI conducts more than 40 examinations every year and there have been no leaks. I am genuinely pleased to be their student. I would feel so sad if I were a NEET student who had to give the exam again after a leak. I sympathise with them deeply.”Stuti, who is looking for an articleship in the taxation domain, spoke about her moments of doubt. “I felt restless at times and questioned whether I could do this. But you have to push those thoughts to the back of your mind.” Her parents contributed as well. “They made sure the TV volume was not too loud and that phone calls did not disturb me. The little things made all the difference.”Story continues below this adKanhaiya Sharma, who secured AIR 40 with 445 out of 600 marks, also maintained a disciplined schedule of 8-10 hours of study daily, leaning heavily on his coaching institute’s material. Like Moksh, Kanhaiya found theory subjects, particularly law and audit, to be more challenging. “In CA, we consider audit a nightmare,” he said. He said that a rank did not feel within reach during preparation. “I gave the papers and they all went well, so I believed I might make it into the ranks.”Kanhaiya says he is looking for an articleship that will help him learn about finance and taxation. He also enrolled in finance courses (short duration) to enhance his skills.On the prospect of a paper leak affecting CA exams, Kanhaiya mentioned focusing on the future rather than the past. “If a leak has happened, there is nothing a student can do. What matters is how you show up for the re-examination.”He spoke about the psychological weight of the preparation period. “Sometimes I thought about dropping it. But if I have started a course like this, I have to finish it.” His parents and sister are a constant source of encouragement. His advice to those who did not pass: “Accept your results graciously and prepare well for the next attempt. Onwards and upwards.”Story continues below this ad(Manushi Patel is an intern at The Indian Express, Ahmedabad)