CA Inter failed result Sep 2026: 10-week Jan 2027 plan
If you get a CA Inter failed result for the September 2026 exam, the next attempt is January 2027: Group I on 2, 4 and 6 January and Group II on 8, 10 and 12 January (ICAI schedule, PDF (opens in a new tab)). Fill the exam form between 3 and 16 November 2026 (ICAI important dates, PDF (opens in a new tab)), write only the group or papers you still have to clear, and spend the 72 days from 22 October on full papers, not on starting the syllabus again.
ICAI declared the September 2026 Inter result on 22 October 2026 on caresults.icai.org (ICAI notice, 14 October 2026 (opens in a new tab)); the direct link, how to log in and ICAI's pass percentages are in CA Inter result Sep 2026. This page is for the next morning: what your marksheet means and a week-by-week plan to 2 January.
CA Inter failed result: which of the three cases is yours?
Read the result line for each group first, then the marks. A group passes only with 40 or more in every paper and 150 or more out of 300 in that group, at one sitting (ICAI New Scheme FAQs, Q 3.18, PDF (opens in a new tab)). If the group fails but a paper has 60 or more, and you wrote every paper of that group, that paper is exempt: the marksheet shows "#" against it and the group's result reads "UNSUCCESSFUL-EX" (ICAI Guidance Notes, Sept 2026, para 7, PDF (opens in a new tab)). An "E" means an exemption carried from an earlier exam that is still valid (ICAI FAQs on Examinations, Q33, PDF (opens in a new tab)).
| Your Sep 2026 result | What it means | What you write in Jan 2027 |
|---|---|---|
| Both groups unsuccessful, no "#" | Nothing carries forward | Both groups (2 to 12 January), or one group now and the other later |
| One group passed, the other unsuccessful | The passed group is done for good; groups can be passed "in different sittings" (Q 3.18, PDF (opens in a new tab)) | Only the failed group's three papers |
| Unsuccessful-EX: one or more papers with "#" | Those papers are exempt for the next three Inter exams; their marks count in the 150 | Only the papers without "#", with 40+ in each and the group total at 150+ |
Two things students often get wrong:
- An exemption is not a pass. You still need the group's total. With 64 exempt in one paper, the other two papers must each be 40 or more and add up to at least 86.
- Skipping January doesn't save an exemption. It lasts for the next three exams "irrespective of the fact whether you appeared in those exams or not" (FAQs on Examinations, Q31, PDF (opens in a new tab)).
The full rules, with worked marks tables, are in CA Inter passing marks and exemption rules for Jan 2027.
Failed both groups
You have six papers and 82 days to the last one, on 12 January. Writing both groups together has one advantage: with 40 in every paper, 300 out of 600 across both groups passes both, even if one group is under 150 (Guidance Notes, Sept 2026, para 17, PDF (opens in a new tab)). If most of your Sep 2026 papers were close to 40, write both. If one group was far off, a group you can surely clear is worth more than two you might.
Passed one group
The group you cleared is done. Now three papers get every week until 2 January: enough for three full mocks per paper and both rounds of ICAI's MTPs. Check on SSP that you are registered for the group you will write; ICAI asks Intermediate candidates to do this before the form (ICAI requirements for Jan 2027, PDF (opens in a new tab)).
Got an exemption (UNSUCCESSFUL-EX)
You may be writing one or two papers. Work out the exact marks you need: 150 minus your exempt marks, with at least 40 in each remaining paper. Exemptions earned in September 2026 are valid for January 2027 and the next two Inter exams. If your exemption came from January 2026, January 2027 is its third and last exam.
If your exemption came from September 2025, it ran out with this result. ICAI gives one chance to make it permanent, on your SSP dashboard, from 3 to 22 November 2026 (ICAI dates, PDF (opens in a new tab)). If you don't apply, "that exemption will lapse forever"; if you do, each remaining paper of that group needs 50 and the exempt paper counts as 50 (ICAI guidelines for Jan 2027, PDF (opens in a new tab)).
CA Inter Jan 2027 exam form last date and other dates
| What | Date | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Sep 2026 result | Declared 22 October 2026 | ICAI notice (opens in a new tab) |
| Exam form opens | 3 November 2026, 10:00 AM | Important dates, PDF (opens in a new tab) |
| Last date without late fee | 16 November 2026, 11:59 PM | same |
| Last date with late fee | 19 November 2026, 11:59 PM | same |
| Correction window | 20 to 22 November 2026 | same |
| Permanent exemption window (Inter) | 3 to 22 November 2026 | ICAI dates, PDF (opens in a new tab) |
| Group I | 2, 4 and 6 January 2027 | ICAI schedule, PDF (opens in a new tab) |
| Group II | 8, 10 and 12 January 2027 | same |
| Timing | 2 PM to 5 PM, reading time from 1:45 PM | same |
Valid exemptions are pre-filled in the exam form (FAQs on Examinations, Q34, PDF (opens in a new tab)); check them before you pay, and write to [email protected] (opens in a new tab) if one is missing. The fee chart and city list are on ICAI's January 2027 exam page (opens in a new tab).
Verification and certified copy after the Sep 2026 result
ICAI's September 2026 verification and certified-copy window for Intermediate runs from 23 October 2026 (11 AM) to 21 November 2026 (11:59 PM), online on eservices.icai.org (ICAI, PDF (opens in a new tab)). Its rules say you apply online on SSP within 30 days of the result, and "there is no provision for re-valuation of papers" (Guidance Notes, Sept 2026, paras 24 and 25, PDF (opens in a new tab)). A certified copy is a scan of your own checked answer book, sent to your email. For May 2026, ICAI's Inter window opened on 25 June 2026, the day after that result, and closed on 23 July 2026 (ICAI, PDF (opens in a new tab)).
Order the certified copy for any paper you failed by a few marks. It shows you something more useful for January than the total: where the examiner gave and cut marks.
How to read your CA Inter fail marksheet to find lost marks
Your marksheet says which paper, not why. Find the why in three steps:
- Sort your papers by the gap. Write each failed paper's marks and how far it was from 40, and the group's gap from 150. A paper at 36 needs a different plan from one at 22.
- Read the paper again with ICAI's answers. For each question, mark what you wrote and what the answer needed. Our guide to checking your answers with ICAI's suggested answers shows the method. ICAI's suggested answers page (opens in a new tab) on icai.org now has the September 2026 answers (opens in a new tab) for all six papers.
- Name the loss. Most lost marks fall into a few groups: questions left unattempted, MCQs, a wrong figure carried through a sum, a provision missing from a law answer, or no working notes. ICAI's examiners report the same patterns paper by paper; the May 2026 list is in ICAI examiner comments for CA Inter May 2026. How step marks are given is in step marking in CA exams.
A mini-example (made-up marks). Taxation 34: MCQs 14 of 30, income tax 12, GST 8. The paper was lost in GST and MCQs, not in income tax. That student's remaining weeks lean on GST and on timed MCQ sets, and income tax gets revision only.
A 10-week plan to 2 January 2027
Weeks 1 to 3 fix the gaps, weeks 4 to 8 are full papers, weeks 9 and 10 are revision and one last mock per paper. ICAI's MTP dates are placed in it, from ICAI's MTP announcement for January 2027 (PDF) (opens in a new tab). MTPs run from 10 AM to 1 PM, the papers go up on the BoS Knowledge Portal by 9:30 AM, and the answer keys come within 48 hours.
| Week | Dates | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 23 to 29 Oct | Read your marksheet, list the chapters where marks were lost, order certified copies (ICAI's window is open until 21 November) |
| 2 | 30 Oct to 5 Nov | Weak chapters of your weakest paper; fill the exam form from 3 Nov; apply for permanent exemption if yours ran out |
| 3 | 6 to 12 Nov | Weak chapters of the other papers; one timed MCQ set a day |
| 4 | 13 to 19 Nov | Submit the form by 16 Nov; first full mock of the paper you feel most ready in; MTP Series I starts 19 Nov (Paper 1) |
| 5 | 20 to 26 Nov | Check form details in the correction window (20 to 22 Nov); MTP Series I Papers 2, 3, 4 on 21, 23, 25 Nov |
| 6 | 27 Nov to 3 Dec | MTP Series I Papers 5 and 6 on 27 and 30 Nov; MTP Series II starts 3 Dec (Paper 1); fix what Series I showed |
| 7 | 4 to 10 Dec | MTP Series II Papers 2, 3, 4 on 5, 7, 9 Dec; second full mock in your two weakest papers |
| 8 | 11 to 17 Dec | MTP Series II Papers 5 and 6 on 11 and 14 Dec; redo every question you lost marks on |
| 9 | 18 to 24 Dec | Final full mock per paper, at 2 PM, in exam order; amendments and provisions revision |
| 10 | 25 Dec to 1 Jan | Revision only: your own notes, the mistakes list, formats; no new chapters |
Writing one group? Use the other group's MTP days for another mock. Which chapters carry the most marks is in CA Inter chapter wise weightage for Jan 2027, and a day-by-day revision calendar is in the CA Inter revision planner.
Check your MTP against ICAI's key the way an examiner would, using how to check your ICAI MTP. ICAI's Revision Test Paper for January 2027 is out for all six papers on its BoS RTP page (opens in a new tab). All of ICAI's MTPs, RTPs and past papers are linked on our CA Inter MTP page and CA Inter free resources.
Mindset for the next 72 days
- One result is a measurement of one sitting, not of you. Use it the way you would use a mock.
- You already know most of the syllabus. The marks you need are in the papers you have written, so the work is narrower than it feels today.
- Pick the date of your first full mock now and write it down. A date is easier to keep than a mood.
Frequently asked questions
What if I fail in CA Intermediate?
You write the group, or the papers, you didn't clear in the next exam, which is January 2027. A passed group stays passed, and papers with 60 or more (with "#" on the marksheet) stay exempt for the next three exams, if you wrote every paper of that group (New Scheme FAQs, Q 3.18 and 3.19, PDF (opens in a new tab)).
Can I give only one group in January 2027?
Yes. ICAI allows the two groups to be passed in different sittings (Q 3.18, PDF (opens in a new tab)). Make sure you are registered for that group on SSP before you fill the form.
Is exemption valid for how many attempts?
For the next three Inter exams ICAI holds, whether you write them or not (FAQs on Examinations, Q31, PDF (opens in a new tab)). After that you get one chance to make it permanent (ICAI guidelines, PDF (opens in a new tab)).
What are the CA Inter single group passing marks?
40 out of 100 in each of the group's three papers and 150 out of 300 in total, at one sitting (Q 3.18, PDF (opens in a new tab)). Exempt marks count towards the 150.
Is there re-evaluation of CA Inter answer sheets?
No. ICAI offers verification and certified copies, applied for online within 30 days of the result, and says there is no provision for re-valuation (Guidance Notes, Sept 2026, para 24, PDF (opens in a new tab)).
Write full papers before 2 January
The marks you lost in September were lost on full, timed papers, so that is where you win them back. Our CA test series has CA mock tests for January 2027, set by 15+ qualified CA faculty at the real ICAI exam standard, on the latest pattern, with every amendment applicable for January 2027 tested. You write by hand and upload one PDF; within 24 hours your copy comes back with ICAI-style step-wise marks and the reason for every mark cut, with the correct line to write.
- Writing both groups or not sure yet: CA Inter test series for January 2027
- Writing Advanced Accounting, Law or Taxation: CA Inter Group I mock tests
- Writing Cost, Audit or FM and SM: CA Inter Group II mock tests
For when to place each mock in the calendar, see CA Inter Jan 2027 mock test.