Hyderabad: Four students from Hyderabad secured ranks in the top 50 in the Sept 2026 CA Intermediate examination, with Mohammed Qutub Riyan leading the group at AIR 11 with 473 marks out of 600. Saanvi Sharma secured AIR 29 with 455 marks, while Jhanvi Goel and Shrishti Tayel secured AIR 40 and AIR 41 with 444 and 443 marks, respectively. For the students, preparing for the examination meant tackling a demanding syllabus through repeated revision, conceptual clarity and extensive practice.For Riyan (18), the challenge was not just completing the syllabus but also retaining what he had learnt as the examination approached. About three months before the exam, anxiety and disappointing scores in weekly tests began to shake his confidence. “The hardest part was to keep trusting my preparation when the results did not reflect my efforts,” he told TOI.Riyan had scored 98.6% in his Class 12 state board examinations, ranking fourth in Telangana. When regular classes ended in mid-June, he still had around 40 recorded lectures – equivalent to about 20 days of classes – pending in auditing and financial management and strategic management. He cleared the backlog by mid-July, putting in extra study hours without compromising on daily revision. Corporate law posed another challenge, particularly remembering section numbers. He tackled it through repeated revision and videos by a corporate law faculty member.Saanvi, who secured AIR 11 in the CA Foundation examination with 333 marks out of 400, said her interest in accounting and finance helped sustain her as the syllabus grew more demanding. She studied two or three subjects at a time, completing the syllabus before moving on to repeated revisions, particularly of theory papers. She also took mock tests to identify gaps in her preparation.“I have always been interested in accounting and finance. I knew CA was hard, but I like studying concepts in depth, and the course offered that,” she said. During the final stretch, she studied for 14 to 16 hours a day, taking short breaks when long study sessions began to affect her concentration. Jhanvi broke the syllabus into smaller portions, focusing on the reasoning behind concepts and amendments rather than memorising them. Taxation, with its extensive syllabus, was particularly demanding, and she worked through it in manageable sections.“I tried to understand each concept, revise it and practise questions extensively. I did not expect this result, but I am very happy and my parents are proud,” she said. Shrishti relied on a daily plan that balanced practice in practical subjects with repeated revision of theory papers. She studied for 12 to 14 hours a day and used mock tests to identify and correct mistakes. Her preparation was disrupted in April when a minor accident forced her to switch to online classes. She also developed a tennis elbow, which caused fluctuating pain in her right hand.“Sometimes the pain became unbearable. Staying consistent through the last three months was another struggle, because some days I had no energy. I took 15- to 20-minute power naps, and they helped me get back to studying,” she said. All four cleared the examination on their first attempt. They are now looking to begin articleship before preparing for the CA Final examination.
