CA Final May 2026 Appeared Candidates: Group I, Group II and Both Groups

CA Final May 2026 appeared and qualified candidate statistics will be released with the result at icaiexam.icai.org. In May 2025, the most comparable session, 66,943 students appeared for Group I, 46,173 for Group II and 29,286 for Both Groups, with pass percentages of 22.38%, 26.43% and 18.75% respectively.

The CA Final May 2026 examination was held from May 2 to May 12, 2026 — Group I papers on May 2, 4 and 6 and Group II papers on May 8, 10 and 12. ICAI publishes group-wise appeared, passed and pass percentage data alongside each result declaration. May 2026 is the first CA Final session under ICAI’s revised schedule of conducting the exam only in May and November each year, replacing the earlier four-session calendar that included January and September cycles. This change is expected to consolidate the appeared pool into two larger annual sessions.

• CA Final May 2026 result is expected in late June or early July 2026 at icaiexam.icai.org.
• In May 2025, 66,943 students appeared for Group I and 14,979 qualified (22.38%).
• In May 2025, 46,173 students appeared for Group II and 12,204 qualified (26.43%).
• In May 2025, 29,286 students appeared for Both Groups and 5,490 qualified (18.75%).
• May 2026 is the first CA Final under ICAI’s new twice-yearly exam schedule (May and November only).

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CA Final May 2026 Appeared and Qualified Statistics

ICAI releases the official group-wise appeared, passed and pass percentage data at the time of result declaration. The May 2026 statistics will be published at icaiexam.icai.org on result day. The table below will reflect official figures as released by ICAI.

Based on previous May sessions, Group I typically sees over 60,000 students and Group II over 40,000. With May 2026 now one of only two annual CA Final sessions, the appeared count is likely to be higher than the September 2025 and January 2026 cycles, which drew smaller pools of 51,955 and 53,652 for Group I respectively.

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Attempt-wise CA Final Statistics: November 2024 to January 2026

The table below covers all CA Final attempts from November 2024 to January 2026, with official appeared, passed and pass percentage data as released by ICAI.

May and November sessions consistently draw the highest appeared counts. September and January cycles, which existed before ICAI’s 2026 schedule change, attracted significantly fewer students — often 20,000 to 30,000 fewer for Group I alone.

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Group I vs Group II: What the Trends Show

Group I draws more appeared students than Group II in every attempt. Students who have not yet cleared Group I cannot attempt Group II independently under most eligibility rules, making Group I the larger pool. Group II figures represent students clearing the second half — either those who have already passed Group I or those attempting both groups simultaneously.

Key observations from the data:

• May sessions attract the highest appeared counts. Group I in May 2025 saw 66,943 students vs 51,955 in September 2025 — over 15,000 more.
• Both Groups appeared numbers are the smallest of the three categories. Attempting all seven papers in one sitting is a high-risk strategy; fewer students opt for it, but those who clear Both Groups complete qualification in a single attempt.
• Pass percentages vary sharply between attempts. Group II swung from 26.43% in May 2025 to just 9.76% in January 2026 — indicating large difficulty variation between sessions.
• Group I pass percentage held within a narrower band of 16.80% to 24.66% across the four recent attempts, suggesting more consistent difficulty for that paper set.

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New CAs Qualified: Attempt-wise Count

ICAI separately announces the total number of new Chartered Accountants who qualify in each attempt. This figure represents students who have completed qualification — having cleared both Group I and Group II, either in one sitting or across multiple attempts.

May 2025 was one of the strongest sessions in recent years, producing over 14,000 new CAs. January 2026 saw a lower count of 7,590, partly due to the smaller appeared pool in that cycle. May 2026, with a larger appeared base expected, may produce new CA numbers comparable to the May 2025 session.

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How to Check CA Final May 2026 Appeared Statistics

ICAI publishes appeared and pass statistics as a PDF alongside the result. Follow these steps on result day:

1. Go to the official portal at icaiexam.icai.org.
2. Click the Result section on the homepage.
3. Select CA Final as the exam category.
4. Look for the Statistics or Pass Percentage PDF link on the result page.
5. Download the PDF to view Group I, Group II and Both Groups appeared, passed and pass percentage figures.

ICAI also issues a press release on icai.org on result day, which includes the headline appeared and qualified figures for each group and the total new CAs for the session.