Summary: The CA Foundation pass percentage has declined substantially since the introduction of ICAI’s 2023 examination scheme. An analysis of 20 examination sessions from May 2018 to September 2026 shows that the overall candidate-weighted pass rate fell from 29.7% under the 2017 scheme to 18.1% under the 2023 scheme. During the 12 old-scheme sessions, 9,21,937 candidates appeared and 2,73,485 passed. In comparison, 7,58,864 candidates appeared and 1,37,510 passed across eight new-scheme sessions. The latest September 2026 CA Foundation result, declared on 6 November 2026, recorded 19,736 successful candidates out of 1,04,240, representing a pass percentage of 18.93%. Although this marks an improvement over September 2025, when the pass percentage was 14.78%, the overall trend indicates that fewer candidates are clearing Foundation examinations under the revised scheme. The article examines the historical results, variations between examination sessions and possible factors contributing to lower performance, including presentation deficiencies in Accounting and Business Laws, negative marking in objective papers and preparation challenges arising from three examination opportunities annually. It also provides practical guidance for candidates preparing for the January and May 2027 examinations, emphasising timed mock tests, external evaluation of descriptive answers, careful handling of multiple-choice questions, minimum paper-wise passing requirements and reliance on ICAI’s official study materials, Revision Test Papers and Mock Test Papers. The historical data highlights the importance of examination-oriented preparation rather than relying solely on conceptual familiarity or previous pass-rate trends.
- Introduction
- The numbers, session by session
- What the table says
- Old Scheme vs New Scheme: Overall Pass Percentage
- Lowest and Highest Pass Rates Under the New Scheme
- September 2026 CA Foundation Result: 18.93% Passed
- Why the drop? What I see from the checking side
- What I would do if I were writing in January or May 2027
- The full data
Introduction
Every result day, someone in my student groups asks the same question: is CA Foundation getting harder, or does it just feel that way? I went back through every Foundation result ICAI has published since May 2018 and put the numbers side by side. The short answer is that the pass rate has dropped, and it has stayed lower for more than two years now. Here is what the official figures show, and what I think a student writing in 2027 should take from them.
The numbers, session by session
All figures below are ICAI’s own: from its result announcements and, for six older sessions, its Examination Key Statistics.
| Session | Scheme | Appeared | Passed | Pass % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 2018 | 2017 | 6,315 | 1,215 | 19.24 |
| Nov 2018 | 2017 | 48,702 | 21,488 | 44.12 |
| May 2019 | 2017 | 30,971 | 5,753 | 18.58 |
| Nov 2019 | 2017 | 87,084 | 30,563 | 35.10 |
| Nov 2020 | 2017 | 78,014 | 27,327 | 35.03 |
| Jan 2021 | 2017 | 27,808 | 6,922 | 24.89 |
| Jul 2021 | 2017 | 71,967 | 19,158 | 26.62 |
| Dec 2021 | 2017 | 1,10,662 | 33,510 | 30.28 |
| Jun 2022 | 2017 | 93,729 | 23,693 | 25.28 |
| Dec 2022 | 2017 | 1,26,015 | 36,864 | 29.25 |
| Jun 2023 | 2017 | 1,03,517 | 25,860 | 24.98 |
| Dec 2023 | 2017 | 1,37,153 | 41,132 | 29.99 |
| Jun 2024 | 2023 | 91,900 | 13,749 | 14.96 |
| Sep 2024 | 2023 | 70,437 | 13,858 | 19.67 |
| Jan 2025 | 2023 | 1,10,887 | 23,861 | 21.52 |
| May 2025 | 2023 | 82,662 | 12,474 | 15.09 |
| Sep 2025 | 2023 | 98,827 | 14,609 | 14.78 |
| Jan 2026 | 2023 | 1,09,694 | 21,099 | 19.23 |
| May 2026 | 2023 | 90,217 | 18,124 | 20.09 |
| Sep 2026 | 2023 | 1,04,240 | 19,736 | 18.93 |
What the table says
Old Scheme vs New Scheme: Overall Pass Percentage
Under the old scheme, across the twelve sessions from May 2018 to December 2023, 9,21,937 candidates appeared and 2,73,485 passed. That is 29.7% overall. Individual sessions swung a lot, from 18.58% to 44.12%, but nine of the twelve fell roughly between 25% and 35%.
Under the 2023 scheme, across the eight sessions from June 2024 to September 2026, 7,58,864 candidates appeared and 1,37,510 passed. That is 18.1% overall. The range has also narrowed: no session has gone below 14.78% or above 21.52%.
So in plain terms, about three in ten candidates used to clear Foundation in a sitting. Now it is closer to one in five or six.
Lowest and Highest Pass Rates Under the New Scheme
Two smaller points are worth noticing. The lowest new-scheme result so far was 14.78% in September 2025, and three of the eight sittings have come in below 15.1%. And the best new-scheme result, 21.52% in January 2025, is still below every old-scheme session except two.
September 2026 CA Foundation Result: 18.93% Passed
The latest result, declared on 6 November 2026, fits the same pattern. In September 2026, 19,736 of 1,04,240 candidates passed, or 18.93%. That is a clear improvement on September 2025 (14.78%) and the most passers in any September sitting so far, but it sits close to the new-scheme average rather than anywhere near the old one. ICAI’s press release also mentions 1,17,458 candidates appearing across 580 centres; the result table itself gives 1,04,240. ICAI does not explain the difference, so I have used 1,04,240, the base on which the 18.93% is worked out.
Why the drop? What I see from the checking side
ICAI does not publish a reason, and I would be careful with anyone who claims to know one for certain. I can only share what I see in the answer sheets we check.
- Accounts and Law are less forgiving of presentation. In the descriptive papers, students who know the answer still lose marks for missing working notes, unclear formats in Accounts, and Law answers that state the conclusion without the provision and the reasoning. These are marks you can recover with practice, not with more reading.
- The objective papers punish guessing. In Paper 3 (Quantitative Aptitude) and Paper 4 (Business Economics), each wrong answer costs 0.25 mark, so a student who attempts every question without being sure often ends up below 40. Knowing when to leave a question is a skill in itself.
- Three sittings a year changes how people prepare. With Foundation now held in January, May and September, some students sit before they are ready because the next attempt is only a few months away. A quick second chance is useful, but it can also make the first attempt feel like a trial run.
None of this is a law of nature. It is what shows up repeatedly when we mark Foundation papers.
What I would do if I were writing in January or May 2027
- Write full papers under the clock, not just questions. Most students I check know far more than their marks show. The gap is time management and presentation, and you only see it in a full timed attempt: three hours for Accounts and Law, two hours for the two objective papers.
- Get at least a few answers checked by someone else. Self-checking against a suggested answer tends to be generous. An outside checker will mark the missing working note you would have forgiven yourself for.
- Treat the 40-per-paper rule seriously. You need 40 in each paper and 50% overall. A strong Accounts score does not rescue a weak objective paper.
- Use ICAI’s own material first. The Study Material, RTPs and MTPs come from ICAI’s Board of Studies, so start there. Anything else should come after them.
The full data
I have kept every CA Foundation result since May 2018 in one table, with the ICAI source linked on each row, at gradehunt.com/ca-foundation-pass-percentage. The Inter and Final figures are at gradehunt.com/pass-percentage. It is free to use; if you reuse the numbers, a credit is appreciated.
The pattern so far is clear: the new scheme is clearing fewer students per sitting. That is not a reason to be afraid of it. It is a reason to prepare for the paper as it is marked, not as you hope it will be.
