After 12th the very crucial question is which Professional course to choose. And if you are considering Commerce Professional courses then read along. Chartered Accountancy (CA) and Company Secretary (CS) both are professional courses of Commerce. One unique feature about both these courses is student of any stream i.e. Commerce, Science or Arts can appear for CA Foundation and CSEET i.e. CA Entrance Exam and CS Entrance Exam respectively.
In this you can expect to get the similarities and differences in CA & CS courses and how you can select these courses.
1. Chartered Accountancy (CA)
There are 3 Levels in it and they are as follows:
1.1 CA Foundation
Eligibility: 12th pass or appeared students or equivalent thereto.
| Paper | Subject | Marks |
|---|---|---|
| Paper 1 | Accountancy | 100 marks |
| Paper 2 | Business Laws | 100 marks |
| Paper 3 | Quantitative Aptitude | 100 marks |
| Section A: Mathematics | 40 marks | |
| Section B: Statistics | 40 marks | |
| Section C: Logical Reasoning | 20 marks | |
| Paper 4 | Business Economics | 100 marks |
Passing Criteria:
50% in each paper (with negative marking -25% for each wrong answer to MCQ’s in paper 3 and 4).
Once you clear the CA Foundation exam then you shall be eligible for the next level i.e., CA Intermediate.
1.2 Intermediate Course:
| Group | Paper | Title | Marks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Group I | Paper 1 | Advanced Accounting | 100 marks |
| Paper 2 | Corporate and Other Laws | ||
| Part I: Company Law and Limited Liability Partnership Law | 70 marks | ||
| Part II: Other Laws | 30 marks | ||
| Paper 3 | Taxation | ||
| Section A: Income Tax Law | 50 marks | ||
| Section B: Goods and Service Tax | 50 marks | ||
| Group II | Paper 4 | Cost and Management Accounting | 100 marks |
| Paper 5 | Auditing and Ethics | 100 marks | |
| Paper 6 | Financial Management and Strategic Management | ||
| Section A: Financial Management | 50 marks | ||
| Section B: Strategic Management | 50 marks |
The paper shall be partially objective and partially subjective (30% case study based MCQ’s and 70% descriptive questions) in all papers. It shall be a closed book test for all the papers. There would be no negative marking for wrong answers to MCQ.
1.3 Final Course:
| Group | Paper | Title | Marks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Group I | Paper 1 | Financial Reporting | 100 marks |
| Paper 2 | Advanced Financial Management | 100 marks | |
| Paper 3 | Advanced Auditing, Assurance and Professional Ethics | 100 marks | |
| Group II | Paper 4 | Direct Tax Laws and International Taxation | 100 marks |
| Paper 5 | Part I: Goods and Service Tax | 80 marks | |
| Part II: Customs and FTP | 20 marks | ||
| Paper 6 | Integrated Business Solutions (Multidisciplinary Case Study with Strategic Management) | 100 marks |
Apart from this there are Self-Paced Online Modules which are to be cleared.
For more information: All About CA
2. Company Secretary (CS)
2.1 CSEET (CS Executive Entrance Test)
Eligibility: 12th pass or appeared students or equivalent thereto.
The details for CSEET are as follows:
| Paper No. | Subject | No. of questions | Marks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paper 1 | Business Communication | 35 | 50 |
| Paper 2 | Legal Aptitude and Logical Reasoning | 35 | 50 |
| Paper 3 | Economic and Business Environment | 35 | 50 |
| Paper 4 | Current Affairs | 15 | 20 |
| TOTAL | 120 | 170 | |
To pass the CSEET exam, candidates need a minimum of 40% in each subject and an aggregate of 50%.
2.2 CS Executive
Eligibility: CSEET pass students with CSEET pass result not older than one year/CS Foundation pass students/ Graduates/ Post Graduates/ CA Final pass students / CMA Final pass students.
Subjects details for CS Executive are as follows:
Group I:
Paper 1: Jurisprudence, Interpretation and General Laws.
Paper 2: Company Law & Practice
Paper 3: Setting up of Business, Industrial & Labour Laws
Paper 4: Corporate Accounting & Financial Management
Group II:
Paper 5: Capital Market & Securities Laws
Paper 6: Economic, Commercial & Intellectual Property Laws
Paper 7: Tax Laws & Practice
2.3 CS Professional
Eligibility: CS Executive pass students
Other points to remember while choosing the CA and CS course:
- If you are well versed with theory subjects and want to pursue your career with formation of company, registration of company, managing the corporate governance standards etc. then you surely need to choose CS.
- If you are very well versed with Accountancy and fairly good with Math and other practical subjects and want to work for Taxation, Finance, Audit etc. then go for CA.
- Also, both the Commerce Professional courses do not require Math as the compulsory subject in XI or XII.
- Also, students of any stream whether Commerce, Science or Arts can appear for CA or CS entrance exam.
- Both the professional courses are financially rewarding.
- Both the professions help to maintain a perfect work life balance.
- Both the professions are noble and can earn you great respect.
- Also, an interesting fact is you can pursue CA and CS simultaneously. Though it becomes a bit hectic but yes, many students do it so it’s finally your choice.
For more information: All about CS
I hope this blog helps you choose wisely.
Also check this out:- How to become CA/CS after 12th?
Group I:
Paper 1: Environmental, Social and Governance Principles and Practice
Paper 2: Drafting, Pleadings and Appearances
Paper 3: Compliance Management, Audit & Due Diligence
Paper 4: Elective 1 (Select 1 paper out of 4)
- CSR & Social Governance
- Internal & Forensic Audit
- Intellectual Property Rights – Law & Practice
- Artificial Intelligence, Data Analytics and Cyber Security Laws & Practice
Group II:
Paper 5: Strategic Management & Corporate Finance
Paper 6: Corporate Restructuring, Valuation and Insolvency
Paper 7: Elective 2 (Select 1 paper out of 5)
7.1 Arbitration, Mediation & Conciliation
7.2 Goods & Service Tax (GST) & Corporate Tax Planning
7.3 Labour Laws & Practice
7.4 Banking & Insurance – Laws & Practice
7.5 Insolvency & Bankruptcy – Laws & Practice