CA Intermediate Study Plan for January 2027: Schedule & Strategy

The ICAI has announced the January 2027 exam dates, and the countdown has begun. If you are preparing for the CA Intermediate exam, you need more than a list of subjects. You need a CA Intermediate study plan that tells you what to study, in what order, and on which day.

This guide gives you exactly that: the confirmed exam dates, an 11-week schedule that works from today, subject-wise strategy for all six papers, a daily routine, and a revision plan for the final stretch. Whether you have finished your lectures or are still catching up, you will find a track that fits.

Before you plan anything, lock in the dates. Here is what ICAI has announced for the January 2027 session:

Two things stand out. First, every paper is in the afternoon, so train your body to be at peak focus between 2 and 5 PM. Second, there is a one-day gap between consecutive papers, and that gap is part of your study plan (more on that below).

Always confirm dates, fees, and form deadlines on the official ICAI website before you apply, because ICAI can issue revisions.

The CA Intermediate exam has six papers across two groups.

Group 1

• Advanced Accounting
• Corporate and Other Laws
• Taxation (Income-tax Law and GST)

Group 2

• Cost and Management Accounting
• Auditing and Ethics
• Financial Management and Strategic Management

To clear a group, you need to meet ICAI’s passing criteria: a minimum of 40% in each paper and 50% in aggregate for the group. Treat the aggregate requirement seriously. A strong paper can rescue a weak one, but only if you secure the minimum in each.

One important change for this attempt: the Income-tax Act, 2025 comes into force for CA exams from May 2027 onwards. The January 2027 session is the last attempt on the Income-tax Act, 1961. So do not study from material meant for the new Act, and follow the amendments ICAI notifies for your session.

The exam is about 11 weeks away from mid-October. That is enough time to clear both groups, but only if you plan honestly. Pick the track that matches your situation.

Track A: You have completed most of the syllabus

You are in the best position. Use the schedule below as is. Your focus should be revision cycles, test practice and fixing weak chapters.

Track B: You have covered about half the syllabus

Compress the learning phase into the first 3 weeks and be disciplined about it. Prioritise high-weightage chapters, skip optional deep-dives, and begin question practice in parallel instead of waiting for lectures to finish.

Track C: You are starting almost from scratch

Be realistic. Attempting both groups in 11 weeks is possible but very demanding. Many students in this position choose one group in January (usually the one they are stronger in) and give the other group the full runway for the next attempt. A cleared group is never wasted, so a smart single-group attempt beats a rushed double attempt that ends in a fail on both.

If you are reading this early in the cycle, the classic approach is a 10-month plan:

Why Group 2 first? Costing, Audit and FM-SM change less from one attempt to the next, so early study stays valid. Tax laws and corporate law are amended often, so it is smarter to study them closer to the exam and keep your notes current.

If you are past that stage, the schedule below is built for the time that remains.

Phase 1: Finish and Consolidate (Weeks 1 to 3: 16 Oct to 5 Nov)

Goal: close every syllabus gap.

• Finish any pending lectures or chapters. Do not start new reference books.
• Make a one-page chapter tracker for each subject and mark every chapter as strong, average or weak.
• Alternate between a Group 1 and a Group 2 subject each day so neither group goes cold.
• Start solving ICAI study-material questions as you finish each chapter.
• Keep 3 November in mind: your exam form opens that day. Fill it early and avoid the late-fee window after 16 November.

Phase 2: First Revision Cycle (Weeks 4 to 7: 6 Nov to 3 Dec)

Goal: complete one fast, full revision of all six subjects with heavy practice.

• Revise one subject per block of 3 to 4 days, rotating across groups.
• For numerical papers, solve questions instead of re-reading theory.
• For theory papers, make short notes, section tables and answer outlines.
• Download the ICAI’s latest RTP (Revision Test Paper) and read the amendments for each subject as you revise it.
• End the phase with one 3-hour timed paper in your weakest subject.

Phase 3: Test-Driven Revision (Weeks 8 to 10: 4 Dec to 24 Dec)

Goal: convert knowledge into marks.

• Attempt ICAI MTPs (Mock Test Papers) and previous-year papers in full exam conditions: 2 PM to 5 PM, no breaks, 15 minutes of reading time.
• Spend as much time analysing each test as writing it. Log every mistake in an error notebook with the cause: concept gap, calculation slip, time pressure or misread question.
• Do a second pass on every weak chapter from your tracker.
• Practise writing speed. Many Inter students lose marks because they know the answer but cannot finish the paper.

Phase 4: Final Sprint (Last 8 to 9 days: 25 Dec to 1 Jan)

Goal: sharpen, do not learn.

• No new topics. Revise only your own short notes, formula sheets, section lists and error notebook.
• Do one last quick pass of amendments in Taxation and Corporate Laws.
• Slow down the mock-test volume and protect your sleep.
• Pack your admit card, ID and stationery a day early.

The best study plan is the one you will repeat for 11 weeks straight. Here is a model day. Adjust it to your college, job or articleship hours, but keep the structure.

Working professionals or articled assistants with fewer hours can still follow a compressed version: keep 3 to 5 focused hours, protect weekends for full mock tests, and do not skip the error notebook.

Non-negotiables:

• Sleep 7 hours or more.
• One weekly review: what did I plan, what did I finish, what moves to next week?
• Never carry a backlog for more than two days.

These three ICAI resources are free and exam-aligned, so use them in the right order.

1. RTP (Revision Test Papers): Use these during Phase 2 for revision questions and amendments.
2. MTP (Mock Test Papers): Use these in Phase 3 as timed mock exams.
3. Previous-year papers: Use these throughout to understand how the paper is framed and which topics repeat.

Attempt each test in full exam conditions, and then spend more time on the review than on the test itself.

Because papers fall on alternate days, the day between two papers is a revision window, not a holiday.

• Day before a paper: revise only formulas, section lists and your error notebook for that subject.
• Day after a paper: do not analyse it. Switch fully to the next subject.
• Between Group 1 and Group 2: if you are appearing for both groups, the break between 6 and 8 January is short. Do not spend those days on Group 1 post-mortems. Use them to revise Group 2.

• Starting new books late. Stick with ICAI study material, RTPs and MTPs.
• Studying passively. Watching lectures without solving questions gives a false sense of progress.
• Skipping tests. Mock papers expose time-management problems that revision never will.
• Ignoring amendments. In Taxation and Law, outdated provisions cost marks.
• Leaving writing practice for the end. Handwriting speed and presentation need weeks to improve.
• Neglecting health. Burnout in the last fortnight undoes weeks of work.

• Use the 15 minutes of reading time to choose the order in which you will attempt the questions and to mark the ones you are sure of.
• Start with your strongest questions to build confidence.
• Allocate time to every question by marks, and move on once the time is up.
• Show working notes clearly in numericals, since ICAI awards marks for method.
• Reach the centre early with your admit card and valid ID.

A good CA Intermediate study plan is simple: finish the syllabus early, revise twice, test often and protect your last week for sharpening rather than learning. The students who clear Inter are rarely the ones who study the most hours. They are the ones who follow a plan and stick to it.