A lowdown on the controversy around CA exams

As students appearing for the Chartered Accountancy (CA) exam take to social media outraging over mismanagement by the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI), which conducts these exams, we give you a low down on the controversy:

1. Students are concerned about the safety issues given the Covid pandemic

ICAI’s Response: ICAI is committed to conduct the examinations in a safe and secure environment by observing all necessary guidelines issued by the government like maintaining social distance between candidates, sanitization of the premises, checking the temperature of the candidates.

Further, ICAI had verified the position from the concerned examination centres and was informed by the said examination centres that they are not falling in any containment zones. Also, clarification has been obtained from the concerned examination centres and none of them were declared as COVID-care facilities.

It further says that necessary arrangements have been made for smooth conduct of November 2020 examinations including strict adherence to the precautions/measures related to COVID–19 which include thermal scanning, hands’ sanitization, wearing of masks, maintaining social distancing at all times, following Government guidelines, etc. for the examinees/centre functionaries during the conduct of Chartered Accountant Examination.

• Given the concerned raised by the students, is there a chance for postponement of the exam beginning from 21 November?

ICAI’s Response: No such change in exam dates is proposed or under consideration.  The exam has already been postponed in May and if postponed again many students will decry of a year getting wasted.

• Students are complaining massive mismanagement in the way centres have been changed last minute.

ICAI’s Response: Before finalising any Examination centres, due report/ feedback is undertaken from our local representatives/branch. However, considering the feedback received recently for some of the examination centres, we have already changed more than 20 examination centres.

With regards to receiving e-mails regarding change in examination centers, the ICAI says that in view of large scale logistics arrangements to be made at the Centres, all request for Centre Change received till 13 October 2020 through an open window have been duly considered and accepted. Besides that change in Centre request in extreme medical conditions have also been duly considered even at later date.

• Opt-out option is discriminatory and it will benefit students selectively

ICAI’s Response: The opt-out option isavailable to: (a) students who are currently COVID-19 positive or having symptoms of COVID-19 at any time till exams are over;

(b) Whose family members are COVID-19 positive or become COVID-19 positive at any time till the conclusion of exams;

(c) If the area in which the student resides is declared as Containment Zone by the Central Government/State Government/Local Authorities at any time till the conclusion of exams.

Thus, there is no question of unequal opportunities. Providing Opt-Out option to all students, the whole purpose of Opt-Out option will be lost.

• Those who choose the opt-out option, will they be allowed to carry forward their candidature to the next examination cycle?

ICAI’s response: The students opting for this option can carry forward their candidature to another examination cycle — November, 2020 Examination Cycle-II — to be conducted in the second half of January 2021/first half of February 2021. In this case, the examination fees and exemption, if any, of the particular student will automatically be shifted and carried forward to next examination and this attempt (November 2020) will not be counted. The student will not be required to apply afresh or pay any fees for November 2020 Examination cycle-II at the relevant time. Announcement with detailed schedule shall be issued in second half of December 2020.

• Under the opt-out option, will students be required to give all papers again or only those papers where he/she has not appeared?

ICAI’s response: Students will be required to give all papers again being as per Regulation 37A, 37B, 37C, 38A & 38B of CA Regulations, 1988, exams of ICAI are in groups of 4 papers, and one has to appear in all 4 papers in one sitting.

• What is the total number of students who have registered for the exams and what is the number of exam centres?

ICAI’s response: The total numbers of students appearing in November, 2020 Examination are around 471,619. The numbers of Exam Centres are 1,085. 

The CA examinations are conducted in a staggered manner divided into Foundation, Intermediate and Final streams and further into 2 different groups. Maximum students appearing on any single day of exam would be approximately 1,52,000 students (exams being staggered (inter/final/foundation) and the average comes to 147 students per exam centre.