From Staplers to Pre-Printed Details: CA Calls for Small but Impactful Changes in ICAI Exam Process

A chartered accountant on the social media platform “X” has proposed a few practical reforms to improve the efficiency, transparency, and overall experience of candidates appearing for ICAI exams.

The following are suggested procedural reforms for ICAI examinations:

1. Replace thread binding with stapling for answer booklets and supplementary sheets.

Using staplers instead of thread binding can speed up the process of issuing and attaching additional sheets and reduce interruptions during the exam. Apart from this, it will make handling answer books easier for both candidates and invigilators.

2. Provide answer booklets with preprinted candidate details

Exam details, including name and roll number, subjects, enrolment number, etc., are already available with the institute. Pre-printing them on answer booklets would save five to ten minutes at the beginning of each paper. Apart from this, it would also reduce manual errors and allow candidates to use that time to read questions and plan their answers.

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3. Release suggested answers with examiner’s remarks

Along with model answers, including examiners comments on common mistakes, presentation standards, and areas where students typically lose marks would help candidates better understand the evaluation process and improve their preparation.

The CA requested the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI) to kindly consider these suggestions. He further added that these small improvements could help lakhs of candidates who appear for ICAI’s challenging three-hour examinations by reducing stress, preventing avoidable mistakes, and supporting better learning.