Varsha Arora from Delhi has achieved second rank in the Chartered Accountancy Final exams held in May 2024. With a total of 480 marks out of 600, she scored 80 per cent in the CA Final exams. The 25 year old qualified all the three levels of the Chartered Accountancy-Foundation, Intermediate and Final exam in her first attempt. She also achieved 20th rank in the CA Foundation exam in 2019.
Talking about her preparation strategy, Varsha says she never took any classes for cracking the Foundation exam as she had a strong understanding of subjects in class 12. Her coaching in the subsequent years for Intermediate and Final course was majorly in online mode. "I enrolled in a coaching institute for my intermediate preparation. Initially it started in an offline mode and was later shifted to online mode when Covid struck. For the intermediate level, I took classes for six subjects out of eight. In the CA Final preparation, I took coaching for four subjects out of six. The coaching would continue for a duration of three hours ," adds Varsha.
"After the classes, I would dedicate nearly 8-10 hours for self study. In the final months before the CA exam the numbers of hours devoted to self study gradually increased, I would study for 12 to 14 hours two months before the exam," she adds.
Highlighting what motivated her to take up CA, Ms Arora says, " After my graduation, I was planning to prepare for UPSC. However, my preference changed when I met my friends who were pursuing CA. They helped me realise the vast career opportunities that the CA course offers. Also, my father's finance background could be one of the reasons."
Varsha's father works as Accounts Manager in a private firm and her mother is a homemaker. Her sister is pursuing PhD from IIT Delhi.
While preparing for the CA Final exam, Ms Arora was engaged in Articleship which is a mandatory practical training in the CA course. The articleship continues for three years and is still undergoing. After finishing her practical training in October, she plans to take up a job in the corporate sector.
"Females in CA are increasing as the industry is very welcoming towards us. The number is almost equal as men. I am looking to explore opportunities in the Chartered Accountancy profession and will join soon after finishing my Articleship," she adds.
Varsha has earned a degree in BCom Honours from Indraprastha College for Women, Delhi University (DU). She completed her schooling from Arwachin Bharti Bhawan Senior Secondary School, Delhi and scored 95 per cent in class 12.
Sharing her mantra for coping up during the preparation of the difficult CA exams, Ms Arora says, "I would take short breaks and would go for a 30-40 minutes walk with my family. I am really thankful to my parents and friends for their constant support and help. Parents have a major role to play in our life and students who are preparing for the CA exam, must remain in constant touch with their parents to avoid stress during any difficult life."