Girish Aswani (AIR 8): How He Scored 70 in CA Final Audit

Girish Aswani
AIR 8 · 70 in Audit
Audit student of CA Ravi Taori · All Success Stories

Girish Aswani secured All India Rank 8 in CA Final and scored 70 in Audit, which he calls the toughest of the six papers. He learnt Standards on Auditing and Professional Ethics almost word for word from the Study Material, kept his plan simple, and revised from the same material every time. He learnt Audit from CA Ravi Taori.

How did Girish Aswani plan his CA Final preparation?

Girish kept his plan deliberately simple: finish all six subjects by a fixed point, then complete two more revisions. He did not make hour-by-hour targets.

He did not use detailed Excel sheets or daily page targets. “For me, I like things to go simple,” he said. He kept one long-term goal instead of short-term daily goals, because daily targets only added pressure for him.

When some days went off-plan, he did not panic. He had about four months of study leave and treated that as his main time constraint.

First, decide which subjects are your strong points. For him, the practical subjects were.
Then decide which subjects need the most revision. For him: Audit, DT and IDT.
Make a broad outline of days for the first, second and third revision. It does not have to be followed strictly.

How did Girish learn SAs and Professional Ethics for CA Final Audit?

He saw from the official marks division that Standards on Auditing and Professional Ethics carry roughly 80-85 marks, so he learnt both from the Study Material and gave them full priority.

He read Professional Ethics once from the Study Material and then followed his faculty notes. He learnt the SAs specifically from the Study Material. His reasoning: if he had command over this part, about 90% of the subject was done.

For Ethics, he would sit for an hour on the clauses alone, revising line by line, saying them in his mind and then aloud while walking. Ravi Sir pointed out that Girish had the SAs almost word for word, and said this suits some students. Others can keep the broad points and write in their own language.

The remaining chapters he covered from faculty notes or a summary, aiming to cover 90-95% of the course so he could write something in every answer.

How many days did Girish give Audit in his first reading?

Around nine days in study leave for the first full read of Audit, right after his classes. He finished the SA and Ethics portion in about six days and used the remaining three for the rest.

If three or four chapters were still left near the end, he switched to a shorter version of the faculty notes so the whole course was covered.

Ravi Sir’s advice to other students: take nine days as a base and top it up to about 12 days if you need more time. Girish’s six-day pace on the SAs is not something everyone should copy.

How did Girish revise Audit and use the Question Bank?

He revised from the same material every time and solved the faculty Question Bank once, marking the few questions he would need to see again before the exam.

He solved the Question Bank once. He felt he could do about 90% of the questions even on the first attempt, so he focused on the remaining 20% or so.
He noted down tricky Professional Ethics questions, where a clause applies even though it does not look like it would, to see again on exam days.
He did not switch books between revisions. Reading one source again and again gave him what he called a photographic memory of it.
By the exam he had revised three times, so even chapters he could not revise again on the last days came back to him in the paper.

Why did Girish move his CA Final attempt?

He was doing industrial training and needed to perform well to get a pre-placement offer, so he chose to move his attempt rather than appear half-prepared.

During about eight months of industrial training he could hardly study. He estimates he gave four to five hours in total, on a single IDT chapter. He took a risk-averse call: focus fully on the training first, then on studies.

He also explained his reason for choosing industrial training. A job offer in hand reduced the pressure of needing a rank. His aim was never the rank itself. “I just wanted to give my best in that particular moment.” Ravi Sir added that it takes common sense and courage to move an attempt when preparation is not where you planned it.

How did Girish handle stress and sleep before the exams?

He openly says stress and a broken sleep schedule were his biggest problems in CA Final, and he does not recommend how he coped.

Many people expected a rank from him. He would lie awake remembering a chapter he could not recall. In the last days he walked from room to room unable to sleep.

On exam days he leaned on sleep tablets and several cups of coffee, and he says plainly that this is not recommended. Ravi Sir’s message: what suited Girish may not suit you, and good sleep is necessary to focus the next day.

In Girish’s own words

“I don't want a target to score 80 marks or 70 marks. I just want to give my best in that particular moment.”

“I still can't believe how I would sit for an hour just learning the clauses of Professional Ethics, revising line by line, saying them in my mind, then saying them aloud while walking.”

“Audit, I would say, is the toughest of all six. Ultimately you need to grasp it, and grasping demands effort, time and continuous revision.”

“There is no such XYZ path. You have to make your own. You need to understand yourself and tailor the path accordingly.”

“If you follow the same material again and again, you build that photographic memory, and you have command over that book.”

“If you complete your lectures before your study leave and give 100% of your effort with your full heart, that period is enough.”

Girish’s advice for students

Complete your lectures before study leave; the study leave is then enough if you give it your full effort.
Keep your plan simple: finish all subjects by a fixed point, then revise. Avoid stressful daily targets.
Do not copy another ranker's path. Understand yourself and make your own.
In Audit, give SAs and Professional Ethics full priority, and stick to the same material in every revision.
Note down the tricky questions you must see again before the exam.

Frequently asked questions

How did AIR 8 Girish Aswani score 70 in CA Final Audit?

He gave top priority to Standards on Auditing and Professional Ethics, which he learnt from the Study Material almost word for word. He covered the remaining chapters from shorter notes and revised from the same material three times.

Should I learn SAs from the Study Material or from notes for CA Final Audit?

Girish learnt the SAs from the Study Material because, by the official marks division, SAs and Ethics carry about 80-85 marks. Ravi Sir adds that word-for-word learning suits some students; others can keep the broad points and write them in their own words.

How many days should I give Audit for the first reading in CA Final study leave?

Girish took about nine days for his first full read of Audit. Ravi Sir suggests using that as a base and topping it up to around 12 days if you need it.