60 Days CA Intermediate Study Plan: Complete 2-Month Preparation Strategy
60 Days CA Intermediate Study Plan
Preparing for CA Intermediate in just 60 days sounds difficult—and honestly, it is not going to be easy.
But difficult does not mean impossible.
If you already have some understanding of the syllabus, have completed your classes or studied important chapters earlier, and are ready to follow a disciplined routine, the next 60 days can make a huge difference to your preparation.
The biggest mistake students make at this stage is trying to study everything randomly.
One day they study Advanced Accounting for eight hours. The next day they switch completely to Taxation. After three days, they start watching revision lectures. Then they realise that the chapters studied during the first week are already fading from memory.
A better approach is to divide these 60 days into concept revision, question practice, first revision, second revision, mock tests and final revision.
The CA Intermediate course under the current scheme has six papers:
| Group | Papers |
| Group I | Advanced Accounting |
| Group I | Corporate and Other Laws |
| Group I | Taxation |
| Group II | Cost and Management Accounting |
| Group II | Auditing and Ethics |
| Group II | Financial Management and Strategic Management |
ICAI’s current Intermediate structure confirms these six papers, with Taxation comprising Income-tax and GST and Paper 6 comprising Financial Management and Strategic Management.
This 60-day plan is designed around those subjects.
Is 60 Days Enough for CA Intermediate?
The honest answer is: it depends on where you are starting from.
If you have already attended classes and need a structured revision plan, 60 days can be very useful.
If you have studied only a small portion of the syllabus, completing everything from zero in 60 days will require significantly more hours and very careful prioritisation.
Do not judge your preparation only by the number of chapters you have watched.
Ask yourself:
- Can I solve questions without looking at the solution?
- Can I recall important provisions?
- Can I write theory answers properly?
- Can I complete practical questions within a reasonable time?
- Can I remember what I studied one week ago?
- Have I taken any full-length tests?
If the answer to most of these questions is “not yet,” your 60-day plan should focus heavily on active revision and question practice, not just reading.
The 60-Day CA Intermediate Strategy
The easiest way to manage two months is to divide the preparation into four phases.
| Phase | Days | Main Objective |
| Phase 1 | Day 1–20 | Complete first revision and identify weak areas |
| Phase 2 | Day 21–40 | Intensive question practice + second revision |
| Phase 3 | Day 41–52 | Mock tests + exam-oriented revision |
| Phase 4 | Day 53–60 | Final revision + memory consolidation |
This structure prevents one of the most common CA preparation problems: finishing the syllabus but not being exam-ready.
Phase 1: Days 1–20 — First Revision
The first 20 days are not about becoming perfect.
They are about bringing the entire syllabus back into your active memory.
If you have studied the subjects previously, don’t spend hours watching complete lectures again unless a concept is genuinely unclear.
Use:
- ICAI study material
- Your class notes
- Revision notes
- RTPs
- MTPs
- Previous exam questions
- Self-made summary sheets
ICAI also provides study material, revision test papers, mock test papers and other learning resources through its Board of Studies ecosystem.
Days 1–5: Advanced Accounting + Law
Start the plan with a combination of practical and theory preparation.
Advanced Accounting
Focus on:
- Important accounting standards
- Major practical chapters
- Adjustments
- Presentation-based questions
- Previous exam questions
Corporate and Other Laws
Focus on:
- Company Law
- Important sections
- Definitions
- Provisions
- Exceptions
- Case-based questions
Do not simply read Law.
After completing a chapter, close your book and try to recall the major provisions yourself.
Days 6–10: Taxation
Taxation requires both conceptual understanding and repeated practice.
Divide your study between:
Income Tax
- Basic concepts
- Residential status
- Heads of income
- Deductions
- Computation-based questions
- Important provisions
GST
- Supply
- Time of supply
- Place of supply
- Input tax credit
- Registration
- Payment and other important areas
Always use the study material and amendments applicable to your examination attempt.
This is especially important because tax and law are areas where applicability and amendments can affect preparation.
Days 11–15: Costing + FM
These five days should be highly practical.
For Cost and Management Accounting:
- Understand formulas
- Solve illustrations
- Practise standard question patterns
- Maintain a formula sheet
- Rework mistakes
For Financial Management:
- Learn the concept behind formulas
- Practise calculations
- Focus on presentation
- Solve questions under time pressure
Do not spend the entire day reading solutions.
Question practice should dominate practical subjects.
Days 16–20: Audit + Strategic Management
Auditing and Strategic Management require a different approach.
For Audit:
- Understand the meaning of provisions
- Learn important keywords
- Practise answer presentation
- Revise chapter-wise questions
For Strategic Management:
- Focus on concepts
- Learn keywords
- Create short revision notes
- Practise writing answers in a structured manner
By the end of Day 20, you should have touched the complete syllabus at least once during this revision cycle.
Phase 2: Days 21–40 — Question Practice and Second Revision
This is where your preparation starts becoming exam-oriented.
Reading alone is not enough.
The next 20 days should answer one important question:
“Can I actually reproduce what I studied in the examination?”
A good daily combination is:
| Activity | Approx. Time |
| Main Subject | 2.5–3 hours |
| Second Subject | 2–2.5 hours |
| Question Practice | 2 hours |
| Revision | 1 hour |
| MCQs/Recall | 30–45 minutes |
You can adjust these hours depending on your college, articleship, job or other responsibilities.
The objective is not to sit with books for 14 hours.
The objective is to make your available hours productive.
How to Revise Practical Subjects
For Advanced Accounting, Taxation, Costing and FM, use this three-step method:
Step 1: Understand
Read the concept and understand the logic behind the solution.
Step 2: Solve Without Help
Close your notes and attempt the question yourself.
Step 3: Analyse Your Mistake
Don’t just check whether your final answer is correct.
Ask:
- Did I use the correct formula?
- Did I miss an adjustment?
- Was my working note clear?
- Did I make a calculation error?
- Did I misunderstand the question?
Maintain a Mistake Book.
It can become one of your most valuable revision resources during the final week.
How to Revise Theory Subjects
Law, Audit and Strategic Management should not be treated like novels.
Use active recall.
For example, after studying a chapter, close the book and write down:
Definition → Provision → Exception → Example → Conclusion
This forces your brain to retrieve information instead of simply recognising it.
Recognition feels like learning.
Recall is what helps during the examination.
Phase 3: Days 41–52 — Mock Tests and Exam Practice
By Day 40, you should stop thinking only about completing chapters.
Now your preparation should start looking like the actual examination.
ICAI publishes mock test papers and other examination-oriented resources for Intermediate students, making them useful inputs for exam practice.
Suggested Test Schedule
| Day | Activity |
| Day 41 | Advanced Accounting sectional test |
| Day 42 | Law sectional test |
| Day 43 | Taxation sectional test |
| Day 44 | Costing sectional test |
| Day 45 | Audit sectional test |
| Day 46 | FM/SM sectional test |
| Day 47 | Group I mixed test |
| Day 48 | Analyse mistakes |
| Day 49 | Group II mixed test |
| Day 50 | Analyse mistakes |
| Day 51 | Full-length mock |
| Day 52 | Full mock analysis + weak-area revision |
The important part is analysis.
A three-hour test followed by no analysis is a missed opportunity.
Spend time identifying:
- Questions you could not solve.
- Questions where you lost marks.
- Questions that took too much time.
- Chapters where you repeatedly make mistakes.
- Theory answers where presentation can improve.
Phase 4: Days 53–60 — Final Revision
The final eight days should not become a panic period.
You should not suddenly start new books.
You should not start five new YouTube playlists.
You should not download ten different PDFs.
You should revise what you have already prepared.
Final 8-Day Plan
| Day | Focus |
| Day 53 | Advanced Accounting |
| Day 54 | Corporate and Other Laws |
| Day 55 | Taxation |
| Day 56 | Cost and Management Accounting |
| Day 57 | Auditing and Ethics |
| Day 58 | Financial Management |
| Day 59 | Strategic Management + weak areas |
| Day 60 | Full syllabus rapid revision + formulas + important provisions |
The exact order can be changed according to your examination timetable.
Daily Timetable for a 60-Day CA Intermediate Plan
Here is a practical timetable for students who can study around 8 hours a day.
| Time | Activity |
| 7:00–9:00 AM | Main practical subject |
| 9:00–9:30 AM | Break |
| 9:30–11:30 AM | Second subject |
| 11:30–12:00 PM | Break |
| 12:00–1:30 PM | Question practice |
| 1:30–3:00 PM | Lunch + rest |
| 3:00–5:00 PM | Theory/practical revision |
| 5:00–6:00 PM | Break |
| 6:00–8:00 PM | Questions/Test practice |
| 8:00–8:30 PM | Daily revision/recall |
This is only a framework.
If you are doing articleship, working, attending college or have classes, create shorter study blocks instead.
Consistency matters more than copying somebody else’s timetable.
Subject-Wise Strategy for CA Intermediate
1. Advanced Accounting
Accounting should be practised almost every day during your preparation.
Focus on:
- Concepts
- Accounting standards
- Practical illustrations
- Adjustments
- Previous examination questions
Maintain a separate formula/concept sheet for topics that repeatedly confuse you.
The goal is not simply to understand the solution after seeing it.
The goal is to reach the point where you can solve a similar question independently.
2. Corporate and Other Laws
Law demands memory, understanding and answer presentation.
Use short notes for:
- Important sections
- Definitions
- Exceptions
- Penalties
- Important provisions
While writing answers, use headings and appropriate keywords.
Avoid writing everything you know.
Answer what the question actually asks.
3. Taxation
Taxation becomes easier when you stop treating every question as a completely new problem.
Identify patterns.
Practise computation questions repeatedly and keep an updated list of important amendments applicable to your attempt.
For GST, focus on conceptual clarity and question application.
For Income Tax, practice is especially important because even a small mistake can affect the final computation.
4. Cost and Management Accounting
Costing requires practice.
Make a formula sheet and revise it frequently.
After solving a question, ask yourself whether you could solve a slightly different version of it.
Do not memorise solutions.
Understand the process.
5. Auditing and Ethics
Audit preparation should focus on understanding + keywords + writing practice.
Read ICAI material carefully and learn how to frame answers.
Practice writing answers in a structured format:
Introduction → Main Provision → Explanation → Conclusion
Where appropriate, use headings and subheadings.
6. Financial Management and Strategic Management
Treat FM and SM as two different preparation styles.
For FM:
- Formula revision
- Concept clarity
- Numerical practice
- Time management
For SM:
- Concept understanding
- Keywords
- Short notes
- Answer-writing practice
Don’t leave SM entirely for the last two days.
Regular short revisions work much better.
60-Day CA Intermediate Revision Rule
One of the most effective methods during these 60 days is the:
1–3–7 Revision Rule
Whenever you complete an important topic:
After 1 day: Revise it briefly.
After 3 days: Test your recall.
After 7 days: Solve questions from it.
This prevents the common problem of studying a chapter once and forgetting most of it before the exam.
How Many Hours Should You Study for CA Intermediate?
There is no magic number.
Some students can effectively study for six focused hours while others need eight or ten hours depending on their circumstances.
Instead of asking:
“How many hours did I study?”
Ask:
“What did I complete?”
A productive six-hour day is better than ten hours of distracted study.
For students following a 60-day plan, a reasonable target could be around 6–10 focused hours, depending on their existing preparation and daily responsibilities.
What Should You Avoid During These 60 Days?
The final two months are not the time for unnecessary experimentation.
Avoid:
1. Changing Teachers Repeatedly
If your existing classes are understandable, stay with them.
2. Collecting Too Many Resources
One good set of notes + ICAI material + relevant practice material is better than ten PDFs.
3. Ignoring Tests
A student who only reads may feel prepared but struggle when faced with a three-hour paper.
4. Studying Only Favourite Subjects
Your weak subject needs attention too.
5. Sacrificing Sleep
A tired brain cannot retain information efficiently.
6. Comparing Study Hours
Someone else’s 12-hour timetable does not automatically make it the right timetable for you.
How to Track Your 60-Day CA Intermediate Preparation
Create a simple tracker.
| Date | Subject | Topic | Questions Solved | Revision Done | Test Score |
| Day 1 | Accounting | Chapter | 25 | Yes | — |
| Day 2 | Law | Chapter | 15 | Yes | — |
| Day 3 | Tax | Chapter | 20 | Yes | — |
| Day 4 | Costing | Chapter | 25 | Yes | — |
| Day 5 | Audit | Chapter | 15 | Yes | — |
At the end of every seven days, review your tracker.
Ask:
What improved?
What is still weak?
Where am I losing time?
Which chapters need another revision?
This makes your plan dynamic instead of blindly following a timetable.
The Most Important Rule: Don’t Chase Completion
A common CA Intermediate mistake is saying:
“I completed the syllabus.”
But syllabus completion means very little if you cannot recall the concepts.
Instead, use this definition:
A chapter is complete when you have understood it, revised it, practised questions from it and tested your recall.
That is a much more useful definition of preparation.
Can CA Mentoring Program Help With Your Preparation?
A structured preparation plan becomes easier when you have someone or something helping you stay accountable.
CA Mentoring Program focuses on structured guidance for CA students, including preparation planning, revision and mentorship-oriented support. The platform’s CA Intermediate preparation guidance also emphasises sustainable study schedules, rolling revision and focusing on actual progress rather than simply counting study hours.
For a student following a 60-day plan, mentorship can be useful when you are struggling with questions such as:
- What should I study next?
- Which subject needs more attention?
- Am I spending too much time on one chapter?
- How should I revise?
- When should I start mock tests?
- Why am I forgetting topics after studying them?
- How should I analyse my test performance?
The purpose of guidance should not be to make your timetable complicated.
It should make your preparation more organised.
Final 60-Day CA Intermediate Checklist
Before entering the examination hall, make sure you have:
- Revised all six papers.
- Practised important practical questions.
- Revised important Law and Audit provisions.
- Prepared short notes for difficult areas.
- Revised Tax amendments applicable to your attempt.
- Practised MCQs wherever applicable.
- Solved mock tests.
- Analysed your mistakes.
- Revised formulas.
- Practised answer presentation.
- Worked on time management.
- Completed at least one rapid revision of the entire syllabus.
Remember, the purpose of a 60-day plan is not to make your preparation look perfect on paper.
It is to make you exam-ready in 60 days.
There will be days when you complete everything on your timetable.
There will also be days when you don’t.
That is normal.
If you miss one day, don’t spend the next day worrying about the missed day.
Start again.
If one chapter takes longer than expected, adjust the schedule.
If a mock test goes badly, analyse it instead of losing confidence.
CA Intermediate preparation is not about having a perfect 60-day journey.
It is about making sure that when the examination arrives, you can sit with the paper calmly and say:
“I have practised this. I know what to do.”
That confidence comes from repeated revision, question practice and honest self-analysis.
And that is exactly what these 60 days should be used for.
