Q-Do CA students have to study 12 to 14 hours daily to qualify?

A-  Before jumping to answer first, try to find out your motive to study for 12 hours. The motive must be primarily, to pass the exams and secondary, to get good marks. Studying for 12-14 long hours may seem to be a viable option to fulfil both motives, especially for CA aspirants, but averaging the study period to 12 hours a day may not guarantee that you will come out with the CA prefix.

It is always said, quality matters, not quantity. So, how well you study is the paramount factor to decide your success in exams, and not how long you study. Hours of study should not be set as a standard because everyone has their capacities, strength, and weakness. So, it may be possible that one can be a slow learner so, they'll take more than usual time to complete a topic, whereas you might cover the same things in less time. The time required by one person should not be seen, as a barometer for another individual. There is no defined number of hours for study. It differs from person to person. Study as many hours as you can, but don't lose the quality while trying to increase the number of hours.

Studying continuously for 12–14 hours without putting your mind and heart into it can have few ill effects. As you will approach towards the end of your stipulated study time, fatigue kicks in. It may result in either oversleeping or ill health for the next day that disturbs the entire schedule or, waking up and studying with an exhausted state of mind, takes away the effectiveness of the study. So, the result will not be very fruitful.

For the preparation of the CA course, you have to follow a goal-plan-oriented approach. 

• First, define your goal.

• Secondly, make a plan accordingly and stick to it. 

By making and sticking to a simple plan will aid you in cracking the exams with flying colours. Below, some tips are mentioned for the aspirants to clear the exams-

• Study every day with consistency and gradually increase the time of the study. Keep a ballpoint pen/pencil to mark the vital point. You must read each chapter at least three times.

• Rote learning doesn't help in professional exams. So, try to understand the concepts. Revise every day whatever you have read by going through the central points marked by you.

• Devote enough time for solving practical problems yourself rather than auditing the numerical problems.

• Analyze past papers to decide on the relative weight to be given to various chapters of a subject. Do not leave any topic untouched.

• Never compare yourself with anyone as to how much time they are devoting to studies.

• Do not lose confidence. 

And, lastly, put your everything into the preparations, there is no harm in studying for any number of hours as you see fit.