How many actually clear CA? And what the number hides.
Pass rates by level and group, read honestly — with the failure modes behind the numbers and the strategies that separate the passing minority. Absolute criteria, no quotas: everyone above the line passes.
≈15–30%
CA Foundation
CA Foundation pass rates have historically ranged between roughly 15% and 30% per attempt, moving with the profile of the cohort (first attempt after boards vs repeaters) and paper difficulty. The objective Papers 3 and 4 with negative marking are where most aggregate failures originate.
Read the trend →Typical band≈10–25%
CA Intermediate
CA Intermediate pass rates typically sit in the 10–25% band per group, with 'both groups' pass rates lower still. Group I and Group II rates diverge attempt to attempt depending on paper difficulty, and repeaters form a large share of every cohort.
Read the trend →Typical band≈8–22%
CA Final
CA Final pass rates generally range from about 8% to 22% per group, with both-groups rates in single digits to low teens. The cohort is the most prepared in the course — everyone has cleared Intermediate and served articleship — which is exactly why the absolute criteria still filter hard.
Read the trend →A pass rate describes a cohort. It does not describe you.
What the percentage is not
- A quota — ICAI uses absolute criteria, so everyone above the line clears
- A measure of how hard your attempt will be
- Comparable across sessions without knowing the cohort
- A reason to choose one level as easier than another
What it actually tells you
- A signal of how much of the cohort prepares to the required depth
- Context for how many are repeaters versus first-attempt students
- A reminder that the marginal candidate fails on execution, not knowledge
- A prompt to plan for the paper you are weakest in
Nobody is competing with you. The line is fixed — clear it.
Kartavvya covers all three levels: study any topic at your depth, practise the questions that actually repeat, and see which chapters are still costing you marks.
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- All 3 CA levels
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