ICAI has issued an official announcement dated 6 April 2026 stating that the Chartered Accountants Final Examination will now be conducted twice a year from May 2026 examination onwards. The announcement says the revised exam cycle will be in May and November. This is a direct change to the CA Final exam frequency and is the latest official position published by the Examination Department.
This is a notable revision because ICAI had earlier moved CA Final to a three-times-a-year pattern. In March 2025, the institute had announced that CA Final would be held in January, May and September. The new 6 April 2026 announcement changes that arrangement and brings the CA Final examination back to two sessions a year.
Candidates should also read the change in its actual time context. The January 2026 CA Final examination had already been conducted and its result was declared on 1 March 2026. The revised pattern therefore takes effect from the May 2026 examination onwards, which means the future CA Final cycle is now expected to continue in May and November unless ICAI issues another change later.
Official ICAI announcement
ICAI issued an important announcement on 6 April 2026 stating that the Chartered Accountants Final Examination will be held twice a year from the May 2026 examination onwards. The document has been issued by the Examination Department and signed by the Joint Secretary (Examinations).
The official change is clear on the exam months as well. ICAI says the CA Final examination will now be conducted in May and November.
What exactly has changed
Before this latest decision, CA Final examinations were being conducted three times a year. The official announcement itself refers to the existing cycle as January, May and September.
With the 6 April 2026 decision, ICAI has reduced the number of CA Final attempts in a year from three to two. The new cycle is May and November only.
When the new rule starts
The announcement specifically says the change will apply from the May 2026 examination onwards. That means May 2026 is the first CA Final examination session under the revised twice-a-year pattern.
This wording matters because the January 2026 CA Final examination had already taken place before the 6 April 2026 announcement was issued.
How this differs from ICAI's 2025 policy
In March 2025, ICAI had officially announced a major examination-system change under which the CA Final examination was to be held three times a year. The months announced at that time were January, May and September.
The latest April 2026 announcement revises that earlier policy for CA Final. So, compared with the 2025 decision, the current official position is a return to two CA Final exam sessions every year.
Why ICAI says the change was made
The official announcement says the decision has been taken in view of feedback received from stakeholders. ICAI has not added a long explanatory note in the announcement PDF, but the reason given is clearly tied to stakeholder feedback.
Since the document is brief, candidates should avoid assuming other reasons unless ICAI issues a detailed explanatory circular later.
What this means for the exam cycle
For CA Final students, the practical result of the announcement is that the expected annual cycle now becomes May and November. The January and September pattern that existed under the earlier three-attempt system will no longer define the CA Final calendar from May 2026 onward.
Students planning their preparation, articleship-related scheduling, and attempt strategy should therefore work with a two-session yearly pattern unless ICAI later publishes another change.
What remains unchanged in the notice
The 6 April 2026 announcement is about frequency and exam months. It does not announce any change in syllabus, paper structure, eligibility, exemption rules, or application process for CA Final in that document.
So candidates should read this as a schedule-frequency update, not as a full scheme revision. For all other examination-related matters, ICAI's regular exam notifications and guidance notes continue to matter.
May 2026 exam context
ICAI already has a dedicated official page for Examinations - May 2026. That page includes guidance notes, fee charts, important dates, and other examination materials for Final, Intermediate and Foundation candidates appearing in May 2026.
This means the latest announcement should be read alongside the existing May 2026 exam process. The change does not cancel the May 2026 CA Final examination. Instead, it makes May 2026 the starting point of the new twice-a-year pattern.
What students should do now
Students should first treat the 6 April 2026 announcement as the latest official policy for CA Final frequency. Then they should continue following the official May 2026 examination page for current guidance notes, important dates, fee charts, and application-related instructions.
- Read the official announcement PDF carefully
- Follow the May 2026 examination page for current exam-cycle instructions
- Plan preparation on the basis of May and November attempts
- Watch ICAI announcements for any detailed follow-up or schedule clarification
Where to track future updates
The safest sources for further updates are the official ICAI announcements page, the examination-students page, and the May 2026 examinations page. These pages are where ICAI has already posted the latest CA Final frequency announcement and other examination notices.
Candidates should avoid relying on forwarded summaries or unofficial screenshots when the official PDF and notice pages are available directly from ICAI.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the latest ICAI announcement for CA Final exams?
ICAI has announced that CA Final examinations will be held twice a year from May 2026 examination onwards.
Which months will CA Final exams now be held in?
The official announcement states that CA Final exams will be conducted in May and November.
From when is the new CA Final exam pattern effective?
The revised pattern is effective from the May 2026 CA Final examination onwards.
How many times was the CA Final exam being held before this change?
Before the latest change, CA Final was being conducted three times a year in January, May and September.
Does the 6 April 2026 announcement change the CA Final syllabus or paper pattern?
No such change is stated in the announcement. The notice is about exam frequency and exam months.
What reason has ICAI given for reducing CA Final exams to two sessions a year?
ICAI says the decision has been taken in view of feedback from stakeholders.
Was the January 2026 CA Final exam already conducted before this announcement?
Yes. The January 2026 CA Final examination had already been held, and the result was declared on 1 March 2026.