CA Foundation Syllabus 2027: Paper-wise Topics and Where to Start
The CA Foundation syllabus is set by the Board of Studies of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI). It covers four papers: Accounting, Business Laws, Quantitative Aptitude and Business Economics. ICAI publishes study material for each paper, and each edition states which exam sessions it applies to. The topic lists on this page follow the current ICAI study material for the May 2026 exam onwards, which covers the January 2027 session.
Below you will find a paper-wise checklist, the topics that usually deserve an early start, and a phased plan to finish the syllabus with time left for revision and mock tests. Always confirm the applicable edition on the ICAI Board of Studies portal before you buy or print material, because ICAI sometimes issues amendments and corrigenda.
CA Foundation syllabus
Paper | Sections | Type | Marks | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Paper 1: Accounting | 11 chapters in two modules | Subjective | 100 | 3 hours |
Paper 2: Business Laws | 7 chapters | Subjective | 100 | 3 hours |
Paper 3: Quantitative Aptitude | Business Mathematics, Logical Reasoning, Statistics | Objective | 100 | 2 hours |
Paper 4: Business Economics | 10 chapters | Objective | 100 | 2 hours |
Key changes to know
Paper 2 is Business Laws only: Many older pages still show a Business Correspondence and Reporting section. That was part of the earlier scheme and is not in the current study material.
Paper 4 is Business Economics only: The Business and Commercial Knowledge section shown on older pages is not part of the current Paper 4 material.
Check chapter lists against the current material: The current Accounting material includes company accounts and LLP accounts, and the Business Laws material includes the Indian Regulatory Framework, the LLP Act, the Companies Act and the Negotiable Instruments Act. Do not rely on an older book that leaves these out.
Papers 3 and 4 are objective: Both carry a 0.25-mark deduction for each wrong answer and run for two hours, so learn these syllabi for speed and accuracy, not just understanding.
Older pages may still show the earlier paper structure, so follow the ICAI study material marked for your exam session.
Paper 1: Accounting syllabus
Module | Topics to cover | Start with |
|---|---|---|
Module 1 | Theoretical framework (concepts, principles, capital and revenue items, contingent assets and liabilities, accounting policies, valuation principles, accounting standards); accounting process (journal, ledger, trial balance, subsidiary books, cash book, rectification of errors); bank reconciliation statement; inventories; depreciation and amortisation; bills of exchange and promissory notes; final accounts of sole proprietors (non-manufacturing and manufacturing) | Accounting process and final accounts, since every later chapter builds on them |
Module 2 | Financial statements of not-for-profit organisations; accounts from incomplete records; partnership and LLP accounts (goodwill, admission, retirement, death, dissolution); company accounts (issue, forfeiture and re-issue of shares, debentures, bonus and rights issues, redemption of preference shares and debentures) | Partnership and LLP accounts, the chapter with the most units in Module 2 |
Accounting rewards daily practice. Final accounts, partnership adjustments and company accounts involve multi-step problems where formats and working notes carry marks, so solve them by hand rather than just reading solutions.
Paper 2: Business Laws syllabus
Chapters
Indian Regulatory Framework: The opening chapter, which sets out how business law in India is made and administered.
Indian Contract Act, 1872: Nature of contracts, consideration, other essentials, performance, breach and remedies, contingent and quasi contracts, indemnity and guarantee, bailment and pledge, agency.
Sale of Goods Act, 1930: Formation of the contract of sale, conditions and warranties, transfer of ownership and delivery, rights of an unpaid seller.
Indian Partnership Act, 1932: Nature of partnership, relations of partners, registration and dissolution of a firm.
Limited Liability Partnership Act, 2008: The LLP form and how it differs from a partnership firm and a company.
Companies Act, 2013: The company form and the provisions covered in the ICAI study material.
Negotiable Instruments Act, 1881: Promissory notes, bills of exchange and cheques.
The Contract Act is the largest chapter, with nine units, and its concepts reappear in the Sale of Goods and Partnership chapters. Start there. Practise writing answers in a clear structure: the relevant provision, the facts applied to it, and a conclusion.
Paper 3: Quantitative Aptitude syllabus
Part | Topics to cover | Start with |
|---|---|---|
Part A: Business Mathematics (40 marks) | Ratio and proportion, indices, logarithms; equations; linear inequalities; mathematics of finance; permutations and combinations; sequence and series (AP and GP); sets, relations and functions, basics of limits and continuity; basic applications of differential and integral calculus | Ratio, indices and logarithms, then mathematics of finance |
Part B: Logical Reasoning (20 marks) | Number series, coding and decoding, odd man out; direction sense tests; seating arrangements; blood relations | Any of the four; the chapters are short and improve quickly with practice |
Part C: Statistics (40 marks) | Statistical description of data and sampling; measures of central tendency and dispersion; probability; theoretical distributions; correlation and regression; index numbers | Central tendency and dispersion, then correlation and regression |
Logical Reasoning carries 20 marks across four short chapters, which makes it an efficient part of the paper to secure early. Calculus and probability take longer; leave enough time for them rather than skipping, because you need 40% in this paper on its own.
Paper 4: Business Economics syllabus
Area | Chapters | Start with |
|---|---|---|
Microeconomics | Nature and scope of business economics; theory of demand and supply (law of demand, elasticity, consumer behaviour, supply); theory of production and cost; price determination in different markets | Demand, elasticity and market forms |
Macroeconomics | Business cycles; determination of national income (national income accounting, Keynesian theory); public finance (fiscal functions, market failure, budget making, fiscal policy); money market (money demand, money supply, monetary policy) | National income and money market |
International and Indian economy | International trade (theories, trade policy instruments, trade negotiations, exchange rates, international capital movements); Indian economy | Trade theories, then the Indian economy chapter |
Business Economics is objective, so precise definitions and graph-based reasoning matter. Options often differ by a single word, so revise definitions closely rather than reading for the general idea.
Where the papers overlap
Area | Paper 1 | Paper 2 | How to plan |
|---|---|---|---|
Partnership | Partnership and LLP accounts | Indian Partnership Act and LLP Act | Study both in the same week; the legal rules explain the accounting adjustments |
Companies | Company accounts (shares, debentures) | Companies Act, 2013 | Learn share-capital terms once and use them in both papers |
Negotiable instruments | Bills of exchange and promissory notes | Negotiable Instruments Act, 1881 | Pair the accounting entries with the legal definitions |
Is there a syllabus for anything beyond the four papers?
No. CA Foundation has no interview or practical stage. Your result depends only on the four written papers.
How to cover the CA Foundation syllabus
Months 1 and 2, core concepts: Accounting process and final accounts, the Contract Act, Business Mathematics basics, and microeconomics. Study a little of every paper each week.
Month 3, the heavier chapters: Partnership and company accounts, the remaining law chapters, Statistics, and macroeconomics. Add Logical Reasoning practice three times a week.
Month 4, chapter tests: Solve ICAI illustrations and past questions chapter by chapter. Take short timed MCQ sets for Papers 3 and 4.
Final six to eight weeks, full papers: Attempt full-length papers in exam timing, review ICAI Mock Test Papers and Revision Test Papers, and revise from your error log.
The official chapter-wise study material is on the ICAI Board of Studies portal.
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