ICAI campus placement: how it works and how to prepare

ICAI's campus placement programme is where many newly qualified CAs get their first job. Dozens of companies meet thousands of candidates, and offers are made within days. It rewards the people who prepared before the result.

Here's how campus works now, and how to get ready.

How campus works now

From May 2026, CA Final is held twice a year, in May and November. Campus follows each result, so there are now two programmes a year:

The November 2026 Final runs from 2 to 13 November. Results usually come about six weeks after the exams, so expect them around late December or early January, on the date ICAI announces. That leaves a few weeks between your result and campus registration. You'll want to spend them applying, not scrambling, so start preparing now.

Who can sit

The programme is for newly qualified CAs from the attempt it covers, plus some earlier pass-outs. ICAI also sets conditions on when your articleship was completed, and these change with each programme. Read the eligibility notice and FAQ on the ICAI placements portal (icaiplacements.icai.org) as soon as they're out.

How the programme runs

1. Registration. You register on the ICAI placements portal, usually within a window of about two weeks, and pay a fee. You also fill in a profile. Recruiters shortlist from what you enter, so fill it in as carefully as your CV.
2. Orientation. ICAI runs an orientation programme for candidates before the interviews. The campus brochure says whether it's compulsory; plan to attend.
3. Centres. Interviews run first at the big centres, then at smaller centres a few weeks later. In 2026 the big centres were Delhi, Mumbai, Pune, Kolkata, Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Chennai, Hyderabad and Jaipur.
4. Day slots. Companies book interview days according to the salary they offer: the higher the CTC, the earlier the day. ICAI sets a minimum CTC for each slot; the campus brochure has the current figures.
5. Shortlists and rounds. Each company shortlists from the registered profiles. It then usually runs some mix of a group discussion, a technical interview and an HR interview. Some add a written or online test.
6. Offers. Offers often come the same day, or within a few days. ICAI has rules on accepting offers and on sitting further interviews once you're selected. Read them before your first interview, not after.

A six-week plan, from your last paper to registration

Weeks 1 and 2: rest, then your CV. Take a real break first. Then write a one-page CV around your articleship:

• your clients, by industry and size;
• the areas you handled, and what you found;
• the tools you used;
• your industrial training, if you did one.

The same facts go into your campus profile. Our CV guide has before-and-after examples.

Weeks 3 and 4: pick two domains and revise. Recruiters test depth in the areas you say you want. Revise to match:

• Audit and assurance: the reporting standards (SA 700, 701 and 705), CARO, internal financial controls and sampling.
• Financial reporting and controllership: Ind AS 115, 116 and 109, consolidation, month-end close and reconciliations.
• Direct tax: computation, TDS, assessments and the basics of transfer pricing.
• Indirect tax: GST input tax credit, returns, reconciliation and e-invoicing.
• FP&A and corporate finance: budgeting, variance analysis, working capital, NPV and WACC, and reading an annual report.

Weeks 5 and 6: practise out loud.

• Your two-minute story: who you are, what you did in articleship, what you want next, and why.
• Group discussion: three practice rounds with friends on business and economy topics, such as the Union Budget, GST changes, RBI policy, AI in finance, or a big merger in the news. Practise making one clear point early, and summarising at the end.
• At least one mock interview, with someone who'll be honest with you.
• Excel: pivot tables, SUMIFS, XLOOKUP and a quick model. Some companies test these.

What recruiters ask

Most interviews come back to four questions, asked in different ways:

• "Walk me through your articleship." They want specifics: the client, the area, what you did, what went wrong and what you learned.
• Technical questions in your chosen domain. Expect to be pushed one level deeper than your first answer. "I don't know, but here's how I'd find out" beats bluffing.
• "Why this company and this role?" Read their annual report or website the night before. One specific reason beats five general ones.
• HR questions: relocation, your attempts, where you see yourself in three years, and why you're not going into practice. Answer the one about attempts honestly and briefly, then move on to what you learned.

Choosing where to sit

• Look beyond premier-day companies. Judge the role and the team, not only the CTC.
• Apply where your profile fits. A strong audit profile will do better in an audit-heavy role than on a treasury shortlist.
• Decide on relocation in advance. Knowing your answer helps you choose companies, and it makes the question easy when it comes up.

Keep off-campus going

Campus isn't the only way in. Between the result and campus, companies hire newly qualified CAs off campus: through their careers pages, referrals and job portals. Apply to both. An off-campus offer in hand also makes campus far less stressful.

If campus doesn't work out

It happens to good candidates, and it isn't the end of anything. Off-campus hiring carries on, and there's another programme six months later. Ask two or three interviewers what you could have done better, fix it, and keep applying.

If you're semi-qualified now

Plan for both outcomes before your result. If you clear, this guide is your next six weeks. If you don't, keep your job or your routine, and plan the next attempt: Final comes round again in six months.

How MSC helps

• Free CA fresher resources: the interview syllabus, the interview booklet, CV templates and a cover letter.
• Free tools: the Interview Predictor and the CV Reviewer.
• CA fresher jobs for your off-campus search.
• The MSC CA Freshers Program, ₹1,999 including GST, which includes:
  • a 7-day live masterclass with recordings;
  • an ICAI campus placement strategy session;
  • a CV review and a mock interview;
  • the AI CV tools;
  • exclusive vacancies.

Good luck with your result. Hojayega.