CA Foundation Subjects May 2026, Updated Syllabus & Exam Pattern
Check the complete list of CA Foundation Subjects May 2026 with paper-wise details, exam structure, and ICAI New Scheme updates to plan your preparation.
Table of Content
ICAI has released the CA Foundation subjects May 2026, which are applicable for the Jan/May/Sept 2026 examinations. The course underlines the objectives of the subjects, units, and subjects you will study, paper patterns, and mark weightage.
The ICAI has announced the revised CA Foundation subjects & syllabus for the May 2026 examinations. The latest CA Foundation syllabus for the May 2026 exams is now available. Students can download the complete CA Foundation subject-wise syllabus PDF from the ICAI website or this page.
To ensure effective preparation, it's necessary to follow the official ICAI CA Foundation study material and choose textbooks with the updated syllabus. With the CA Foundation exams scheduled to take place thrice a year in January, May/June, and September, it's necessary to kick-start your preparation now.
Begin by thoroughly understanding the CA foundation subjects and using all available study materials to set yourself up for success. This article provides the revised ICAI CA Foundation syllabus for May 2026, along with a downloadable PDF link, marks weightage details, and exam pattern information.
CA Foundation Subjects May 2026 Overview
Pursuing a CA course requires acquiring complete knowledge and skills for a chartered accountant. The CA syllabus comprises a range of subjects, outlined in the table below, which are designed to equip candidates with the expertise needed to perform their roles efficiently. The first-level syllabus is divided into CA Foundation 4 subjects.
| S.No | Paper Name | Marks | Types of Questions |
| Paper 1 | Accounting | 100 Marks | Objective |
| Paper 2 | Business Law | 100 Marks | Objective |
| Paper 3 | Quantitative Aptitude: Part A: Business Mathematics Part B: Logical Reasoning Part C: Statistics |
100 Marks Part A: 40 Marks Part B: 20 Marks Part C: 40 Marks |
Subjective |
| Paper 4 | Business Economics | 100 Marks | Subjective |
Enroll Now for CA Foundation Courses
CA Foundation: Paper 1 (Accounting Subject)
| Paper 1: Accounting | Weightage | |
| 1. Theoretical Framework | Meaning and Scope of Accounting | 5% - 10% |
| Accounting Concepts, Principles, and Conventions | ||
| Capital and revenue expenditure, Capital and revenue receipts, Contingent assets, and contingent liabilities | ||
| Accounting Policies | ||
| Accounting as a Measurement Discipline: Valuation Principles, Accounting Estimates | ||
| Accounting Standards: Concepts and Objectives | ||
| 2. Accounting Process | (i) Recording accounting transactions: principles of double entry bookkeeping, Books of original entry (journal, subsidiary books, cash book, edger-format), posting from journal and subsidiary books, balancing of accounts. |
30%-35% |
| Preparation of Trial Balance | ||
| Rectification of Errors | ||
| 3. Bank Reconciliation Statement | Introduction, reasons, and preparation of bank reconciliation statement. | 30%-35% |
| 4. Inventories | Cost of inventory, Net realizable value, basis and technique of Inventory valuation, and Record System | 30%-35% |
| 5. Depreciation and Amortisation | Tangible and Intangible assets: Concepts, Methods of computation and accounting treatment of depreciation/amortization, Change in depreciation methods | 30%-35% |
| 6. Bills of exchange and Promissory notes | Meaning of bills of exchange and promissory notes and their accounting treatment; accommodation bills. | 30%-35% |
| 7. Preparation of Final accounts of Sole Proprietors | Elements of financial statements, closing adjustment entries, trading account, profit and loss account, and balance sheet of manufacturing and non-manufacturing entities | 20%-25% |
| 8. Financial Statements of Not-for-Profit Organization | Significance and preparation of receipt and payment account, income and expenditure account and balance sheet, the difference between profit and loss account and income and expenditure account. | 20%-25% |
| 9. Accounts from Incomplete Records | (Excluding preparation of accounts based on ratios) | 20%-25% |
| 10. Partnership and LLP Accounts | (i) Final accounts of partnership firms and LLP’s (ii) Admission, retirement, and death of a partner, including treatment of goodwill (iii) Dissolution of partnership firms and LLPs, including piecemeal distribution of assets |
15%-20% |
| 11. Company Accounts | Definition of shares and debentures | 15%-25% |
| Issue of shares and debentures, forfeiture of shares, re-issue of forfeited shares | ||
| Redemption of preference shares and debentures (excluding purchase and redemption of own debentures and sinking fund method) | ||
| Accounting for bonus issues and the right issue | ||
CA Foundation: Paper 2 (Business Law Subject)
| Paper 2: Business Laws | Weightage | |
| 1. Indian Regulatory Framework | Major Regulatory Bodies such as the Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Corporate Affairs, SEBI, RBI, IBBI, Ministry of Law and Justice, etc. | 0%-5% |
| 2. The Indian Contract Act, 1872 | General nature of contract, Consideration, and Other essential elements of a valid contract, Performance of Contract, Breach of contract, Contingent and quasi-contract, Contract of Indemnity and Guarantee, Contract of Bailment and Pledge, Contract of Agency |
20%-30% |
| 3. The Sale of Goods Act, 1930 | Formation of the contract of sale, Conditions and Warranties, Transfer of ownership and Delivery of goods, Unpaid seller and his rights. | 15%-20% |
| 4. The Indian Partnership Act, 1932 | General Nature of Partnership, Rights, and Duties of partners, Reconstitution of firms, Registration and Dissolution of a firm. | 15%-20% |
| 5. The Limited Liability Partnership Act, 2008 | Introduction: covering nature and scope, essential features, characteristics of LLP, incorporation, and differences with other forms of organizations. | 5%-10% |
| 6. The Companies Act, 2013 | Essential features of company, Corporate veil theory, Classes of companies, Types of share capital, Incorporation of company, Memorandum of Association, Articles of Association, Doctrine of Indoor Management | 10% - 15% |
CA Foundation: Paper 3 (Quantitative Aptitude Subject)
Paper 3 is divided into three parts, i.e.
- Part A: Business Mathematics
- Part B: Logical Reasoning
- Part C: Statistics
| Paper 3: Quantitative Aptitude (100 Marks) | Weightage | |
| Part A: Business Mathematics (40 Marks) | ||
| 1. Ratio and proportion, Indices and Logarithms | Ratio and proportion, time and work-related problems, laws of indices, exponents, logarithms, and anti-logarithms. | 20%-30% |
| 2. Equations | Equations: linear simultaneous linear equations up to three variables; quadratic and cubic equations in one variable. Applications in business-related problems | 20%-30% |
| 3. Linear Inequalities | Linear Inequalities: Linear Inequalities in one and two variables and the solution space | 20%-30% |
| 4. Mathematics of Finance |
|
30%-40% |
| 5. Permutations and Combinations | Basic concepts of Permutations and combinations: Introduction, the factorial, permutations, results, circular permutations, permutations with restrictions, and combinations with standard results |
30%-50% |
| 6. Sequence and Series | Introduction Sequences, Series, Arithmetic and Geometric progression, Relationship between AM and GM and Sum of n terms of special series and Business Applications. | 30%-50% |
| 7. Sets, Relations, and Functions. Basics of Limits and Continuity Functions. | 30%-50% | |
| 8. Basic applications of differential and integral calculus in business and economics (excluding trigonometric applications). | 30%-50% | |
| Part B: Logical Reasoning (20 Marks) | ||
| 9. Number series coding and Decoding and odd man out | 20%-30% | |
| 10. Direction Tests | 20%-30% | |
| 11. Seating Arrangements | 20%-30% | |
| 12. Blood Relations | 20%-30% | |
| Part C: Statistics (40 Marks) | ||
| 13. Unit 1: Statistical Representation of Data | Diagrammatic representation of data, Frequency distribution, Graphical representation of Frequency distribution—histogram, Frequency Polygon, Ogive, Pie-chart |
45%-50% |
| 13. Unit:2 Sampling | Basic principles of sampling theory, comparison between sample survey and complete enumeration, some important terms associated with sampling types of sampling, sampling, and non-sampling errors. | 45%-50% |
| 14. Measures of Central Tendency and Dispersion | Measures of Central Tendency and Dispersion: Mean Median, Mode, Mean Deviation, Quartiles and Quartile Deviation, Standard Deviation, Co-efficient of Variation, Coefficient of Quartile Deviation | 45%-50% |
| 15. Probability | Independent and dependent events; mutually exclusive events. Total and Compound Probability and Bayes’ theorem | 25%-30% |
| 16. Theoretical Distributions | Random variables, Discrete and Continuous Random variables, Expectation of a discrete random variable, Theoretical Distributions: Binomial Distribution, Poisson distribution (basic application), and Normal Distribution (basic application). | 25%-30% |
| 17. Correlation and Regression | Scatter diagram, Karl Pearson’s Coefficient of Correlation Rank Correlation, Regression lines, Regression equations, and regression coefficients | 10%-15% |
| 18. Index Numbers | Uses of index numbers, problems involved in the construction of index numbers, and methods of construction of index numbers. BSE SENSEX and NSE | 10%-15% |
CA Foundation: Paper 4 (Business Economics Subject)
| PAPER 4: BUSINESS ECONOMICS (100 Marks) | Weightage | |
| 1. Introduction to Business Economics | Meaning and scope of Business Economics Basic Problems of an Economy and Role of Price Mechanism. | 5% |
| 2. Theory of Demand and Supply | Meaning and Determinants of Demand, Law of Demand and Elasticity of Demand—Price, Income and Cross-Elasticity Theory of Consumer’s Behavior—Indifference Curve Approach Meaning and Determinants of Supply, Law of Supply and Elasticity of Supply, Market Equilibrium, and Social Efficiency. |
10% |
| 3. Theory of Production and Cost | Meaning and Factors of Production, Short Run and Long Run Law of Production: The Law of Variable Proportions and Laws of Returns to Scale, Producer’s Equilibrium Concepts of Costs: Short-run and long -run costs, Average and Marginal costs; total, Total, and Variable Costs | 10% |
| 4. Price Determination in Different Markets | Market Structures: Perfect Competition and Monopoly Monopolistic Competition. Using Game Theory to study Oligopoly. Price Determination in these Markets Price-Output Determination under different Market Forms | 15% |
| 5. Determination of National Income | a. Macroeconomic Aggregates and Measurement of National Income b. Determination of National Income: Keynes’ Two Sector Basic Model, Three Sectors and Four Sectors Model |
15% |
| 6. Business Cycles |
|
5% |
| 7. Public Finance | a. Fiscal functions: An Overview, Centre and State Finance b Market failure/government intervention to correct market failure. c. Process of budget making: Sources of Revenue, Expenditure Management, and Management of Public Debt. d. Fiscal Policy |
10% |
| 8. Money Market | a. Concept of Money Demand b. Important theories of Demand for Money c. Concept of Money Supply, Cryptocurrency and other new terminology d. Monetary Policy |
10% |
| 9. International Trade | a. Theories of International Trade, including theories of intra-industry trade by Krugman. b. Trade Policy: The Instruments of Trade Policy c. Trade Negotiations d. Exchange Rates and its economic effects e. International Capital Movements: Foreign Direct Investment |
10% |
| 10. Indian Economy | (Before 1950: Chanakya and Nand Vansh, OECD Paper (1950-1991), Basic knowledge 1991 Onwards | 10% |
Why Choose CA Exam Test Series for CA Preparation
When it comes to preparing for the hard CA exams, choosing the right test series can make all the difference. caexams.in has emerged as a trusted and result-oriented platform for CA Foundation, Intermediate, and Final aspirants. Here's why it should be your first choice:
- Trusted by Thousands of CA Aspirants: CA Exams has built a strong reputation among CA students for its consistent quality and excellent student feedback.
- ICAI Pattern-Based Question Papers: All tests are strictly based on the latest ICAI exam pattern and syllabus, ensuring real exam-like practice.
- Timely Evaluation with Expert Feedback: Get your answers evaluated within 48–72 hours along with detailed feedback, a marking scheme, and improvement tips.
- Personalized Mentorship & Study Planner: Get personalized mentorship, performance tracking, and a daily study plan customized to your syllabus completion pace.
FAQs
How many subjects are there in the CA Foundation May 2026?
The CA Foundation May 2026 consists of four subjects divided across four papers. These subjects test accounting basics, business understanding, legal knowledge, and mathematical aptitude required for a Chartered Accountancy student.
What are the subjects included in the CA Foundation May 2026 syllabus?
The CA Foundation May 2026 syllabus includes Accounting, Business Laws, Quantitative Aptitude, and Business Economics, covering both theoretical understanding and practical numerical problem-solving skills essential for the CA course.
Is the CA Foundation syllabus for May 2026 different from earlier attempts?
No major changes have been announced yet for the CA Foundation May 2026. The syllabus remains aligned with the New ICAI Scheme, ensuring continuity in subject structure and learning outcomes.
Which subject in the CA Foundation May 2026 is considered the most scoring?
Many students find Business Economics scoring due to conceptual clarity and objective-based questions, provided concepts are understood properly, and regular practice of MCQs is done.
Which CA Foundation subject requires the most practice?
Accounting usually requires the most practice as it involves numerical questions, journal entries, and adjustments. Regular problem-solving is essential to gain accuracy and speed for the May 2026 exam.
What is Paper 1 in CA Foundation May 2026?
Paper 1 of the CA Foundation May 2026 is Accounting, focusing on fundamentals such as accounting principles, preparation of financial statements, and understanding the logic behind accounting treatments.
What topics are covered in Business Laws for May 2026?
Business Laws covers the Indian Contract Act, Sale of Goods Act, and Business Regulatory Framework, helping students understand basic legal principles relevant to business transactions.
Is Quantitative Aptitude compulsory in CA Foundation May 2026?
Yes, Quantitative Aptitude is compulsory. It includes Business Mathematics, Logical Reasoning, and Statistics, testing numerical ability and analytical thinking essential for professional accounting studies.
What does Business Economics focus on in the CA Foundation May 2026?
Business Economics focuses on micro and macro-economic concepts, including demand, supply, production, and economic environment, enabling students to understand how economic factors impact business decisions.
Are all CA Foundation May 2026 papers objective-type?
No. Papers 3 and 4 are 100% objective-type, while Papers 1 and 2 include subjective descriptive questions, requiring written answers and practical working formats.
We are calling you in 30 seconds