Hey Prabhat,

Be it a Charted accountant or an IAS officer, both are the most respected and honorable jobs in our country, hence the exam is tough. But remember when you are selected, you are one in lakh who got this chance.

You also say that you want a job with great salary faster, well, none of the above career options give you a chance to earn faster. Both the career options require a lot of time in training, experience and then finally, you get the job. As a CA, you might have more lucrative options since even private companies need CAs but for IAS, it is more of a matter of prestige and serving the country, your salary, allowances, promotion etc. is based on govt. regulations.

How to become a CA?

As a B. Com(H) student, you are eligible for the Direct Entry Route system in CA Course in which you do not have to pass the entry level exam i.e. CA Foundation. You can directly apply for CA Intermediate (second level of CA course)

A. Enroll with the Institute for Intermediate Course.

B. You need to complete Courses on Information Technology and Orientation Course before the commencement of the articleship.

C. on completion of the course, register for Practical Training of three years.

D. You can appear for the CA intermediate exam.

Paper pattern for CA Intermediate (which is the first exam you need to give!)

Group I

• Paper 1: Accounting

• Paper 2: Corporate & Other Laws

• Part I: Company Law

• Part II: Other Laws

• Paper 3: Cost and Management Accounting

• Paper 4: Taxation

• Section A: Income-tax Law

• Section B: Indirect Taxes

Group II

• Paper 5: Advanced Accounting

• Paper 6: Auditing and Assurance

• Paper 7: Enterprise Information Systems & Strategic Management

• Section A: Enterprise Information Systems

• Section B: Strategic Management

• Paper 8: Financial Management & Economics for Finance

• Section A: Financial Management

• Section B: Economics for Finance

E.  Successfully undergo Four Weeks Advanced Integrated Course on Information Technology and Soft skills (AICITSS) consisting of Courses on Advanced Information Technology and Management Communication Skills during the last two years of practical training but before appearing in the Final Examination.

F. During the last 6 months of 3 years of articled training, appear in the CA Final Examination. Pass Group I and Group II of CA Final Examination.

G. Enrol as a member of the ICAI and be designated as “Chartered Accountant”.

NOTE- These guidelines are in accordance with latest ICAI rules.

How to become an IAS?

A. Any candidate possessing a graduation degree can apply for IAS exam

B. IAS Prelims Exam tests General knowledge and Mental Aptitude of the candidates

Paper I

• current events, history of India and Indian national movement, Indian and world geography, Indian policy Panchayati Raj system and governance, economic and social development, environmental ecology, biodiversity, climate change, and general science, Art and culture.

Paper II

• comprehension, interpersonal skills, communication, logical reasoning, analytical ability, decision making, problem-solving, basic numeracy, data interpretation, English language comprehension skills and mental ability.

C. After clearing the Prelims with percentage as mentioned by govt., you need to qualify Mains.

D. On qualifying Mains, you are now eligible for the personality test/ interview round.

E. After the personality test, a final merit list is prepared. If you have a decent score, you can get into Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration.

F. In the academy, you will be given training for 2 years. On completion of your training, you finally become an IAS officer.

What to choose?

The career route of both CA & IAS is provided to give you a gist of what you have to do. For a commerce student, CA is one of the best jobs. But in our country in general, IAS is the most respected job. So, basically, they both have their own advantage.

But you also need to pay attention to the fact that both these careers are very difficult to pursue hence you do need to choose because you cannot go for both. Think about in which you are more interested, what concepts (as mentioned for exams) are more meant for you. Then decide one and make it your aim to achieve it!

I hope this helped. If you have any other doubt or query feel free to ask.

All the best!

Hi Prabhat. You should consider that what all is required in preparing for both CA and IAS officer. For eg: for being CA, you need to go through all the books of accountancy and should be aware of all the new rules and regulations related to companies, partnership,etc. and for the preparation of the exam of IAS, you need to enhance your general knowledge, read newspapers on regular basis, maintain your physical health etc.

You should make a list of what all you need to do for being a CA and what all is required for IAS. And after examining the lists, you should compare the lists and  find out which all things interest you and what are the things you can actually do. This way you'll be able to decide what to do and what not to.