#NewsBytesExclusive: Interview with CA Final November 2019 topper, Suryansh Agarwal
What's the story
The Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI) recently announced the much-awaited results of the Chartered Accountancy Final (Old and New Courses) November 2019 examinations.
Suryansh Agarwal from Noida and Abhay Bajoria of Kolkata shared the first position (New Course) this time.
In an exclusive interview with NewsBytes, Suryansh talked about the CA exams, preparation strategy, and also gave some tips for aspirants.
Topping CA Final
All hard work finally paid off: Suryansh on bagging AIR-1
On securing AIR-1 in CA Final, Suryansh said, "It feels really good. It feels like all the hard work in the past 2.5-3 years has finally paid off."
When asked if he was expecting to be among the toppers, he said, "To be honest, no. The exams went well...I was very confident about clearing them. But I didn't expect to top...at the all-India level."
Details
Suryansh also secured AIR-1 in CS Professional Programme
Suryansh scored 603 out of 800 marks, securing 75.4% in the CA Final examination. He had completed his schooling from Delhi Public School, Noida, and later pursued BCom (Hons.) from the prestigious Shri Ram College of Commerce, Delhi.
Notably, Suryansh had also secured the all-India first rank in the Company Secretaryship (CS) Professional Programme examination held in December 2016.
Preparation
Studied for 14-15 hours a day during preparation leave: Suryansh
Suryansh also talked about his preparation strategy for the CA Final. He said, "Basically, the preparation started around three years back... along with articleship."
He added, "I took coaching for several practical subjects during the course of my articleship. In the last 3.5-4 months of the preparation leave that we get (during articleship), I used to put in 14-15 hours a day into studies."
Challenges
Focusing on right things during preparation is important, says topper
Talking about the challenges he faced, Suryansh said, "There were a lot of challenges during the course of preparation. There were times when I felt low and...that the entire preparation wasn't going in the way I wanted."
"I got guidance from my seniors and teachers to focus on the right things, which is important, and not to worry about what's not done," he added.
Plans
Suryansh is currently an Article Intern at EY
At present, Suryansh is serving as an Article Intern at EY (Ernst & Young) in Gurugram.
Asked about his future plans, he said, "Currently, I am serving the last six months of my articleship with EY, after which I will have to see if I want to continue there or if I get a chance to join some other industry."
Tips, advice
Avoid distractions: His advice to CA aspirants
Signing off with some advice to CA aspirants and NewsBytes' readers, Suryansh said, "At the time of preparation, it's very important to stay focused. Avoid distractions...I stopped using social media in the last 1.5-2 months (before exams)."
He added, "Rely on the ICAI's revision/mock test papers...they help evaluate where you stand and give you a lot of confidence before appearing for the examination."