u/bunnnygirl06

I’m 19F and have given CA Foundation twice. I started preparing in April 2025. I scored 122 in my first attempt and 136 in my second, passing only Law both times. I also had to skip one attempt because I was very sick.

I decided to give CA one last chance for September 2026, but everything went downhill again. I went through a breakup, became mentally exhausted, and now I’m seriously sick. I’ve lost 4 kg and now weigh 35 kg, have fever, cold, low BP and severe weakness. I’m on medication and my doctor said I may need IV fluids if I don’t improve.

My exam is on September 2, and it’s already August 9. I’m extremely underprepared.

The worst part is, I don’t even genuinely want to become a CA. I think I’m continuing mainly because I don’t want to feel like a failure after spending so much time on it.

Should I still try for September after recovering, or accept that CA isn’t for me and move on?

What would you do in my situation?

Hi everyone, I’m 19 years old, and I’ve appeared for CA Foundation twice.

I started preparing in April 2025 and gave my first attempt in September 2025 with only half of the preparation because I had quit my classes. I scored 122 marks in aggregate and passed only Law.

After that, I filled the form for the January 2026 attempt, but I became really sick and couldn’t appear for the exams, so I skipped that attempt.

Then I filled the form for May 2026 and actually prepared with a lot of patience and hard work. I genuinely thought I would do better this time. But when the results came on July 3, 2026, I scored only 136 in aggregate and again passed only Law.

At that point, I honestly didn’t want to continue CA anymore. I felt completely exhausted and disappointed. But on the last date of the September attempt form application, June 19, I suddenly thought, “No, I should give it one more try.” So I decided to attempt it again.

I started preparing, but then things started going downhill again.

On July 28, I got a little sick, although I recovered. Then on August 3, my boyfriend broke up with me. He came back, but on August 4 he said a lot of things about my capabilities that really affected me.

I was already mentally exhausted and unstable because of the constant pressure of exams, failures, and everything else going on. I wasn’t myself for almost 1.5 weeks, and a lot of problems in our relationship happened during that period.

On August 5, I finally ended the relationship myself.

Then, on August 7, I got seriously sick. I went to the hospital yesterday, and I’ve lost around 4 kg and now weigh only 35 kg. I currently have fever, cold, low BP, extreme weakness, and I’m taking five medicines. My doctor said that if I don’t improve, I may need IV fluids/drips.

And today is August 9.

My CA Foundation exams are on September 2, and I’m nowhere near prepared. I’m still sick, and I don’t even know how long it will take me to recover.

A part of me desperately wanted to give this attempt because I wanted to prove everyone wrong — especially after failing twice and hearing people question my capabilities.

But now I’m starting to think that maybe I simply won’t be able to give this attempt because my health has genuinely reached a point where studying is not even my priority anymore.

And the biggest problem is: I don’t even have a genuine interest or dream of becoming a CA.

I think I’ve been holding onto CA partly because I’ve already spent 1.5 years on it, because I’m scared of feeling like a failure, and because I wanted to prove that I could do it.

So I genuinely don’t know what I should do next.

Should I still try to give the September attempt after recovering, even though I’m extremely underprepared and have already failed twice?

Or should I accept that CA might simply not be for me and move on to something else?

I know ultimately the decision is mine, but I would really appreciate some honest, practical advice from people who have been through CA or something similar.

Please be brutally honest. What would you do if you were in my position?

Hi everyone, I’m 19 years old, and I’ve appeared for CA Foundation twice.

I started preparing in April 2025 and gave my first attempt in September 2025 with only half of the preparation because I had quit my classes. I scored 122 marks in aggregate and passed only Law.

After that, I filled the form for the January 2026 attempt, but I became really sick and couldn’t appear for the exams, so I skipped that attempt.

Then I filled the form for May 2026 and actually prepared with a lot of patience and hard work. I genuinely thought I would do better this time. But when the results came on July 3, 2026, I scored only 136 in aggregate and again passed only Law.

At that point, I honestly didn’t want to continue CA anymore. I felt completely exhausted and disappointed. But on the last date of the September attempt form application, June 19, I suddenly thought, “No, I should give it one more try.” So I decided to attempt it again.

I started preparing, but then things started going downhill again.

On July 28, I got a little sick, although I recovered. Then on August 3, my boyfriend broke up with me. He came back, but on August 4 he said a lot of things about my capabilities that really affected me.

I was already mentally exhausted and unstable because of the constant pressure of exams, failures, and everything else going on. I wasn’t myself for almost 1.5 weeks, and a lot of problems in our relationship happened during that period.

On August 5, I finally ended the relationship myself.

Then, on August 7, I got seriously sick. I went to the hospital yesterday, and I’ve lost around 4 kg and now weigh only 35 kg. I currently have fever, cold, low BP, extreme weakness, and I’m taking five medicines. My doctor said that if I don’t improve, I may need IV fluids/drips.

And today is August 9.

My CA Foundation exams are on September 2, and I’m nowhere near prepared. I’m still sick, and I don’t even know how long it will take me to recover.

A part of me desperately wanted to give this attempt because I wanted to prove everyone wrong — especially after failing twice and hearing people question my capabilities.

But now I’m starting to think that maybe I simply won’t be able to give this attempt because my health has genuinely reached a point where studying is not even my priority anymore.

And the biggest problem is: I don’t even have a genuine interest or dream of becoming a CA.

I think I’ve been holding onto CA partly because I’ve already spent 1.5 years on it, because I’m scared of feeling like a failure, and because I wanted to prove that I could do it.

So I genuinely don’t know what I should do next.

Should I still try to give the September attempt after recovering, even though I’m extremely underprepared and have already failed twice?

Or should I accept that CA might simply not be for me and move on to something else?

I know ultimately the decision is mine, but I would really appreciate some honest, practical advice from people who have been through CA or something similar.

Please be brutally honest. What would you do if you were in my position?

Hey guys, I'm a Nov 2010 pass out. I joined this sub thinking I'll meet more professionals with similar experience but given most activity is around studies and early career, thought I'll share some experience and offer advice.

Some basic questions that might come across:

Studies - I wasn't extremely studious but generally sincere. Didn't miss classes, got serious few months before the exams. Did only 80% syllabus to barely pass kind of guy. But I did socialize, went out, etc. So it wasn't like 24x7 studies throughout the course. Never found the curriculum overwhelming.

Articleship - dummy initially, did last 1.5 years with a non descript firm in tier 2/3 city.

Career track - joined a big4 in Mar 2011 in transfer pricing, spent 2 years. It was grinding, but I enjoyed the time. Joined an in-house team and been here since then (2013). Got 3 offers in the last 12 years but my organization retained me. Have a 4th offer now, might move unless I get retained again :D Joined as an AM, will be a Director soon. Expanded my role from TP to international tax compliance, provisioning, audits, due diligence, and a lot more. More like a global tax manager now.

Career advice - your degree is a hall ticket that will open doors for you, but doesn't guarantee success. Different jobs require different skillset and the ability to read the room and adapt is very important for growth. Consulting requires technical knowledge and ability to grind, inhouse work requires persistence, innovation, after a point it requires people management skills, and so on. Communication is another thing that will take you very far. And lastly, luck. No matter what they say, luck plays a big role in how things turn around and when.

Not comfortable sharing organization names. In terms of compensation, I started with 6L, now at 14x after 14 years.

Feel free to ask me anything in this thread, don't DM.

Mods - happy to provide proof if required

Edit: Phew, been a busy afternoon, I'll be back later in the evening and answer any open comments. Thanks for the good wishes :)

Edit 2: all views are personal and based on my experience so far and may or may not represent industry standards. It could be complete bullshit from your perspective, dont fret about it