How to land your CA articleship: the complete guide

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Articleship 7 min read

You've written CA Inter. The firm you pick next will shape the next two years, your options for industrial training and your first job. Most students make that choice in a rush, in the fortnight after the result. This guide is here so you don't have to. Bookmark it.

1. The rules in one minute

Under the new scheme of education and training:

  • You can start once you've passed both groups of CA Intermediate and completed ICITSS, the four-week IT and Orientation course. One group isn't enough.
  • Articleship lasts two years (old-scheme articles already running stay at three).
  • There's no calendar window. Once you've passed and finished ICITSS, you can join on any day.
  • Leave is 12 days a year. Any leave beyond that extends your end date.
  • Registration has two parts, both due within 30 days of joining: the articleship deed on stamp paper, and Form 103 on the ICAI Self-Service Portal (SSP). Late filing needs condonation, with fees from ₹500 up to ₹10,000.
  • The stipend has an ICAI minimum that depends on your city and your year of training. Under the current regulation it's ₹2,000 to ₹4,000 a month in year one and ₹3,000 to ₹5,000 in year two. The rates may be revised for the new scheme, so check ICAI's latest notification.
  • In year one, you can change firms only by mutual consent with your principal. Choose well the first time.

2. The two dates that decide your first CA Final

To sit CA Final, your articleship must be complete at least six months before the first day of the exam month. Final is now held twice a year, in May and November, so:

  • for a May Final, your articleship must end by 31 October of the year before;
  • for a November Final, it must end by 30 April of the same year.

Count two years back from those dates and you get the two days that matter when you join: 1 May and 1 November.

  • Join on 1 November 2026: you finish on 31 October 2028, and your first Final is May 2029.
  • Join on 3 November 2026: you finish on 2 November 2028, and your first Final is November 2029.

Joining two days later costs you six months.

What it means for your attempt (result dates follow ICAI's usual pattern and are not announced yet):

  • Sep 2026 attempt (result expected in early November 2026). You'll join after 1 November anyway, so your first Final is November 2029, as long as you join by 1 May 2027. The Final isn't your reason to move fast; the firms are. The best seats go in the first few weeks after the result.
  • Jan 2027 attempt (result expected in early March 2027). Join by 1 May 2027 and your first Final is November 2029. Join on 2 May and it becomes May 2030.
  • May 2027 attempt (result expected in late June 2027). Join by 1 November 2027 and your first Final is May 2030.

Keep two more things in mind:

  • Excess leave pushes your end date back too. If it pushes it past 30 April or 31 October, you lose a whole cycle.
  • CA Final also needs Final registration, Advanced ICITSS and the Self-Paced Online Modules. Plan those for year two.

Leave a few days' margin on every date. ICAI's eligibility notice for your attempt is the final word.

3. Before the result: get three things ready

Use the weeks between your last paper and the result, and you'll be applying on day one.

A one-page CV. Put your contact details and CA status (Inter attempt, marks once you have them) at the top. Then list skills you can prove (Excel, Tally, GST or income tax portal work), anything you've organised or led, and one line on the area you're curious about.

The free MSC CV Builder has templates made for this, and our CV guide shows before-and-after examples.

A list of 20 firms. Mix Big 4, mid-size firms and smaller practices. For each, note the kind of work it does, where its office is and one reason you'd join. Read what current and past articles say on MSC's articleship firm reviews, and ask seniors.

ICITSS, booked. You can't register your articleship without it. Where the rules allow it, many students finish it before the result, so they can join the day they clear. Check your region's batches, and when you can take them, on the ICAI Board of Studies pages.

4. What kind of firm?

  • Big 4: a strong name, structured training and large clients, but you may work on one part of a big audit for months.
  • Mid-size firms: often the best balance of good clients and early responsibility.
  • Smaller practices: the widest exposure, often audit, GST and income tax for the same client, with less structure.

Size matters less than four things. Ask about all of them:

  • the work you'll do in year one;
  • who reviews it;
  • the firm's attitude to industrial training after year one;
  • whether you'll get time to study for Final.

5. Where the openings are

  • Articleship vacancies on MSC, added every week.
  • Firm careers pages. Big 4 and larger mid-size firms run their own articleship hiring, and some interview between the exams and the result. Check their pages now, not after the result.
  • Seniors. Ask articles you know to pass your CV to their manager.
  • Practices near you. A short mail to the partner, then a visit.

6. The application mail

Mail the partner or HR directly, from your own email ID, one firm per mail.

Subject: Articleship application: CA Inter (both groups), available from <month>

Dear <name>,

I have cleared both groups of CA Intermediate (<attempt>) and completed ICITSS. I'd like to start my articleship at <firm> from <month>. I'm keen on <firm> because <one specific reason: a client sector, a service line, something a senior told you>.

My CV is attached. I'd be glad to come in for an interview at your convenience.

Regards,
<Name> | <phone> | <city>

Follow up once, after five working days. Keep a simple tracker: firm, contact, date sent, reply and next step.

7. The interview

Articleship interviews are usually short: one or two rounds. Expect:

  • "Tell me about yourself." Keep it to thirty seconds: your result, one skill you can prove, and why this firm.
  • "Why our firm?" Give one specific reason. General praise doesn't count.
  • The basics: the accounting standards you studied, audit concepts (vouching, verification, internal control), and GST and income tax fundamentals. They're testing clarity, not depth.
  • Excel: sometimes a quick practical test.
  • "What stipend do you expect?" Know the ICAI minimum for your city, and say the work matters more to you.

Then ask your own questions; you'll compare offers on the answers:

  • What will I do in my first six months?
  • Who will review my work?
  • What's your approach to industrial training after year one?
  • How do you handle study leave before exams?

8. Comparing offers

Score each offer out of five on the work, the people, your domain fit, the industrial training policy, study time and the stipend. The stipend matters, but the difference between firms is usually small next to the difference in what you'll learn. What you learn decides your first job.

Before you accept, ask for a day to decide, and talk to one current article at the firm.

One more thing: nobody should charge you money for an articleship seat. MSC never charges anyone for a job or a referral.

9. Your first week: the paperwork

  • The articleship deed, on stamp paper, signed by you and your principal, dated within 30 days of joining.
  • Form 103, filed on the ICAI SSP within 30 days of joining.
  • Your records. Scan everything, and start a leave tracker on day one; industrial training and Final eligibility both depend on it.

10. Cleared only one group?

Under the new scheme, you can't start articleship yet. Prepare the pending group properly, and pick up one practical skill (advanced Excel, Tally or GST return filing) that will show on your CV when you apply.

How MSC helps

Start your firm list today.

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