
5th August, 2025
CA Inter Exam
CA Inter Accounting Paper: Scoring Areas & Common Mistakes
Table of Contents
Have you ever walked out of an exam thinking? “I knew everything, but I just couldn’t recall or write it properly”? If yes, you are not alone – especially when it comes to the CA Inter Accounting Paper.
Many students lose confidence if their first exam doesn’t go well — and that one paper ends up affecting the rest. This is especially common in CA Inter Group 1, where Advanced Accounting often becomes a turning point.
But here’s what most students don’t realize — Advanced Accounting is actually the one paper where strategy can beat stress. The questions are predictable, the marks are within reach, and the patterns repeat more than you think. Yet, year after year, students struggle — not because they didn’t work hard, but because they didn’t study smart. They miss out on scoring areas, ignore working notes, skip theory, or mismanage their time in the exam.
You don’t need to learn the CA Inter Advanced Accounting full syllabus, you need to learn what matters the most. With the help of this blog we will give you a roadmap of what to focus on, what to avoid, and how to structure your answer in CA Inter Advanced Accounting.
Click and check our CA Inter Accounting Plans now
Scoring Areas in CA Intermediate Advance Accounting
Are you preparing for the CA Inter Advanced Accounting exam or aiming for exemption? Then it is necessary to understand high weightage or scoring areas in CA Inter Paper 1.
Based on ICAI recent trends and past paper analysis, here’s a list of most scoring areas to focus on in CA Inter Accounting for the next attempt:
Chapter |
Key Focus Areas |
Expected Weightage |
1. Financial Statements |
Statement of Profit & Loss and Balance Sheet formats; MCQs on Schedule III classification |
10–14 Marks |
2. Buyback of Shares |
Questions based on limits under Companies Act; Treatment of CRR and Premium |
6–8 Marks |
3. Internal Reconstruction |
Focus on capital reduction and journal entries; full-length question highly probable |
10–14 Marks |
4. Amalgamation (AS-14) |
Nature of Merger vs Purchase, Share Exchange Ratios, Journal Entries, Purchase Consideration |
14 Marks |
5. Cash Flow Statement (AS-3) |
Emphasis on Direct Method; Adjustments in Operating Activities |
7 Marks |
6. Investment Accounting |
Focus on Fixed Income Securities – Debentures, Bonds, Accrued Interest |
4–7 Marks |
7. Branch Accounting |
Foreign Branch, Independent Branch, Stock & Debtor Method |
6 Marks |
8. Consolidated Financial Statements |
Balance Sheet preparation of Holding + Subsidiary Company |
14 Marks |
Scoring 60+ isn’t luck – its strategy. Get expert help to focus on what matters most. Click here
Common mistakes and how to avoid them in CA Inter Advanced Accounting
1. Rushing without understanding Adjustments
Many CA students often recognize a familiar looking question and start solving immediately – without reading all the adjustments carefully. By doing this, they miss hidden details and conditional statements.
How does it affect?
Even a single missed adjustment can lead to incorrect answers. Calculation errors or an imbalanced balance sheet can lead to losing multiple marks.
Solution:
- Read the full question twice
- Underline or highlight all adjustments before solving
- Pause and plan – don’t rush to write
- Attempt mock test papers and get detailed feedback to analyze your mistakes before final exam
2. Missing Narrations in Journal entries
Many CA students write correct journal entries but skip narrations, either to save time or because they think they are not necessary.
How is it affected?
You lose marks even if the debit credit is right, because a journal entry without narration is treated as incomplete in CA Inter Paper 1 Advanced Accounting.
Solution:
- Write narration for every journal entry
- Practice writing journal entries in full format during revision
- By attempting mock test papers under timed conditions students will learn to manage time without cutting corners in things like narrations.
Ignoring working notes
CA Inter students focus only on the final answer, assuming that’s what matters, and skip the detailed working notes in papers like Advanced Accounting.
How does it affect?
ICAI follows stepwise marking, if your answer is wrong but your method is correct, you can still earn partial marks – but only if you show your work.
Solution
-
Show all assumptions, formulas, and steps used in solving
- Write “working note 1”, “working note 2” clearly under each question.
- Treat working notes as a part of your answer, not rough work.
4. Spending too much time on a single question
Students often get stuck on one question – especially a tricky 14 mark one and spend too much time trying to solve it perfectly.
How does it affect?
Time is crucial in every exam, and wasting too much time on one tough question means you will not finish the CA Inter paper on time and may miss easier questions.
Solution:
- Attempt those questions first in which you are confident.
- If stuck, leave space and move on – come back if time permits
- Join a Mentorship Program in which mentors help you by providing tips and tricks to handle tricky questions smartly.
5. Ignoring theory and Accounting Standards
Many CA students think CA Inter advanced accounting is based only on practical and ignore theory and Accounting standard based questions
How does it affect?
CA Inter Advance Accounting includes 15-20 marks allocated for theory questions related to accounting standards or concepts. Leaving these unattempted can heavily impact your overall score.
Solution:
Use short notes or handwritten notes for better understanding of concepts
Practice writing answers by using keywords
Revise theory on a daily basis
Want free notes + AS summaries? Get everything you need for smart study click here
6. Poor Formatting and Presentation
Even if a student gets the calculation right, they often present the final accounts in out-dated formats, without heading, tables, totals, and sub-classifications.
How do they affect?
Poor formatting and presentation make your answer look incomplete or unclear which can lead to a deduction in marks even when the calculations are accurate.
Solution:
- Always practice question by using proper format
- Include proper headings, note numbers, date, and sub totals
- Make a proper table by using alignments and follow the same structure used in ICAI’s study material and suggested answers.
- Give Bhagya Achievers mock test papers to get detailed feedback from experienced CA Experts on your formatting, structure, and overall presentation
Join now and fix your weak points before the exam hits
How Bhagya Achievers helps to overcome these common mistakes?
Bhagya Achievers helps students to overcome these challenges by providing:
- 70-80% Similar question coverage mock test papers
- Stepwise evaluation and detailed feedback to analyze where you lost marks
- Provide mentorship to manage time and handle tricky questions
- Free notes for quick revision and concept clarity
- Timed mock test papers to practice under exam like pressure to avoid delays
Join Bhagya Achievers Now and fix all your mistakes
Reference Study Material for CA Inter Advanced Accounting
Get expert concept notes for each chapter |
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Practice 1000+ questions from our Question Bank |
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Revise with short notes & tricks for fast recall |
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Download handwritten notes by subject experts |
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Access Past 10 years papers with solution |
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Get last 10 years MTPs in one click |
FAQs
Ques: Is CA Intermediate Advanced Accounting difficult?
Ans: No, CA Inter Advance Accounting is one of the most-scoring subjects if you avoid the above-mentioned common mistakes in the exams.
Ques: Why is understanding scoring areas in CA Intermediate Advance Accounting necessary?
Ans: By understanding scoring areas in CA Intermediate Advanced Accounting can help you to give more focus on those areas and get good marks in final exams.
Ques: Are working notes compulsory in the CA Inter Advance Accounting exam?
Ans: Yes, ICAI follows stepwise marking and working notes help you get marks even if your final answer is wrong.
Ques: What are the reasons students fail in Advanced Accounting?
Ans: Because of repetitive common mistakes, students fail in CA Inter Advance Accounting like:
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Poor time management
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Skipping theory
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Incorrect formulas
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Ignoring presentation
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Not practicing full papers
Ques: How can I handle lengthy questions in the CA Inter advance accounting paper?
Ans: Always start with the questions in which you are confident about. If any question seems lengthy or tricky skip it and come back later. Do not spend more time on one question.
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