The world could be divided into two units of individuals: those that like to check alone and people who want a research buddy. I fall into the latter class, as having somebody in the identical boat as you to encourage you and reply your queries is a boon. It’s additionally enjoyable, as you may have somebody to debate doubts with throughout break occasions.
What if this research buddy lived in the identical home—your sibling? That is normally a rarity until the sibling is a twin, however these siblings from Morena, Madhya Pradesh are a shining instance of the heights that may be achieved collectively.
Sachin (24) and Nandini (22) Agrawal, though two years aside, had been in the identical class since Class 2. Nandini skipped two courses and joined her brother in his class.
Their paths intertwined as they selected a singular objective: so as to add two letters earlier than their identify — CA (Chartered Accountant). The duo labored collectively in the direction of attaining this objective, selecting the identical teaching class and the identical metropolis for his or her articleships.
Their efforts paid off, and the way! Each of them achieved ranks within the CA Closing in 2021. The icing on the cake was that Nandini set a Guinness World File by changing into the world’s youngest feminine chartered accountant with AIR 1.
Right here’s how they achieved this super feat, together with ideas for aspiring CAs.
A singular focus since Class 7
Sachin recollects that his sister was “extraordinary from the start”. Their mom would educate her at residence, masking no matter Sachin was being taught at college. “Since she already knew what was being taught in Class 1, my mom requested the college to enrol her within the subsequent class,” Sachin tells The Higher India.
Till Class 12, the siblings studied of their hometown and by themselves, with no additional teaching. They topped their district in Class 12. Crystal clear about pursuing CA, they cleared the CPT (Widespread Proficiency Check), the primary stage of the course, after Class 12.
“For CA Intermediate (the following examination), we first went to Delhi to search for teaching courses. Nonetheless, after doing self-study for therefore lengthy, sitting in a category of 1,000 college students appeared inconceivable. We determined to go for on-line teaching, which might assist us research at our tempo,” says Sachin.
This was in 2017, a lot earlier than on-line lectures had been the norm. Utilizing on-line lectures, the duo ready for the inter exams from Morena, and cleared the examination on the primary try in Could 2018. “We had eight topics break up into two teams in Inter, and whereas some folks suggested us to take one group’s exams at a time, we determined to take each,” provides Sachin.
Subsequent, all CA college students needed to go in for a three-year articleship, a sensible coaching at a CA agency. For this, the siblings moved to Delhi.
Whereas Sachin was 18 on the time, Nandini was simply 16. A dream place for articleship for a lot of CA college students are the Large 4 accounting corporations — Deloitte, Ernst & Younger (EY), PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) and Klynveld Peat Marwick Goerdeler (KPMG).
Nandini had her eyes set on these corporations, however regardless of getting by way of interviews, she was rejected resulting from her age. Lastly, she secured a place at PwC, after just a few months of delay, the place she pursued her articleship.
“Some folks feared that we’d not be capable to concentrate on our research after shifting to a giant metropolis. My objective was clear: I needed to change into a CA and create a greater life for myself,” says Nandini, including that she was decided to create her personal id and obtain monetary independence.
Even for the CA Closing, the siblings selected on-line teaching, which helped them hearken to lectures earlier than and after workplace hours.
“Work would devour most of our time, from 10 am to 6-7 pm day by day. With on-line lectures, we had flexibility. We’d full a lecture on daily basis by beginning our mornings at 6 am and ending it publish work,” provides Sachin.
They began with sensible topics like Monetary Reporting (FR), Strategic Monetary Administration (SFM), and Superior Administration Accounting, as they take probably the most period of time and want quite a lot of conceptual understanding.
Weekends for these youngsters concerned ‘no enjoyable’. They had been dedicated to watching lectures and self-study. The truth is, Nandini calls her CA journey probably the most stunning a part of her life.
For his or her CA Closing try in Could 2021, the siblings began intense preparations in December, when their research go away started.
‘We motivated one another’
Their research plan was target-based, not time-based. They might determine what they needed to full every day. They first accomplished all pending lectures when their research go away began. The primary topic they picked up in December was taxation. Their plan was divided into 15-day chunks, every masking one sensible and one concept topic.
Because the examination had eight topics at the moment, they accomplished their first revision in two months. They referred to The Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI) modules and previous papers, and took some notes.
The second revision included attempting to unravel previous papers, which gave them an concept about which areas wanted extra focus. “We focused 10 days for 2 topics on this revision,” says Sachin.
After this, they tried some mock take a look at papers within the first week of March. The outcomes had been surprising, says Sachin. “We failed in just a few papers. Even in different topics, we didn’t get the consequence we needed. We had been shattered to see the consequence in any case our onerous work. This wouldn’t be sufficient to safe a rank, which was our intention,” he provides.
Sachin and Nandini didn’t take it frivolously. They doubled their efforts and spoke to professors about what was missing. The professors helped them with language, format, templates, and paper shows.
What additionally helped was their companionship. Nandini says it stored distractions at bay and made learning an pleasing expertise.
“You don’t really feel bored once you research collectively. We’ve been research buddies since Class 2. We helped one another as we had complementary ability units. We’d educate one another the topics we had been sturdy in. Sachin additionally served as a benchmark for me,” says Nandini.
After engaged on the suggestions, they had been higher ready. Whereas the exams are normally held in Could annually, in 2021, owing to COVID-19, they had been postponed to July. These two additional months served as a serious boon.
The duo didn’t let their guard down even with the additional time—that they had their eyes on the prize. They did one other revision and solved previous papers, revision take a look at papers, and mock take a look at papers. For topics they discovered tough, like SFM, they spent additional time, which proved helpful as they scored very nicely in it!
“We centered and studied onerous proper from the beginning to make sure that we didn’t should stress an excessive amount of earlier than the examination. Spend extra time in the beginning of your research holidays. This may enhance your confidence too,” says Nandini.
Preparation ideas from the CA rankers:
- Begin full-blown preparation six to seven months earlier than the examination.
- End your lectures as quickly as attainable to concentrate on self-study.
- Research from the ICAI modules, previous query papers, and revision take a look at papers.
- Make a correct plan and persist with it.
- Be constant and centered.
Edited by Khushi Arora, Pictures Courtesy Nandini Agrawal
