The Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI) has issued key notifications concerning the May 2026 examination session, introducing significant changes to the Chartered Accountancy (CA) Final examination cycle and revising the schedule for the Intermediate exams.
According to the official announcement, the CA Final examination will now be conducted twice a year instead of thrice, starting from the May 2026 session. Previously, the Final exams were held in January, May, and September. However, after reviewing stakeholder feedback, the ICAI Council has decided to shift to a biannual schedule, with exams to be conducted in May and November going forward.
In a separate update, the ICAI has also revised the schedule for the Chartered Accountant Intermediate examinations, both in India and abroad. The exams, which were earlier slated to begin on May 3, 2026, will now commence from May 5, 2026. Despite the change in dates, the examination timings will remain unchanged, with all papers scheduled from 2 PM to 5 PM.
As per the revised timetable, Group I examinations will be held on May 5, 7, and 9, 2026, while Group II exams are scheduled for May 11, 13, and 15, 2026. Candidates appearing for the Intermediate exams are advised to take note of the updated dates and plan their preparations accordingly.
The institute has clarified that there will be no changes to the examination schedules for the Foundation and Final courses, as well as the Post Qualification Course (PQC) examinations, apart from the revised frequency of the Final exams. All other exam timelines will continue as previously notified.
Candidates are encouraged to stay updated with official notifications to avoid any confusion regarding the examination schedule.