IPCC full form is Integrated Professional Competence Course. It is an intermediate program administered by the Chartered Accountants (CA).
IPCC in CA is Integrated Professional Competence Course. If you've appeared and cleared CPT before, then you're likely well-informed about ICAI. If not, then let's introduce you to it briefly.
ICAI is the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India; they power the Chartered Accountant courses in India, ranging from seminars and articles to exam exercises and training schedules and protocols. IPCC is a program administered by these Chartered Accountants. The article will walk you through everything you need to know about the IPCC.
IPCC Full Form in CA
The Integrated Professional Competence Course(IPCC), the second step to the CA (Chartered Accountancy) program. As mentioned above, it's administered by the ICAI. After completing the program, candidates are then qualified to proceed to the next phase or the final course of Chartered Accountancy.
As an intermediate curriculum, it helps obtain a practical understanding of the core and sub-core disciplines involved in CA, which takes close to 9 months of training before taking the exam. As of July 2017, the IPC exam was restored to the CA intermediate exams.
The synopsis of the ICAI exam saw numerous notable changes, including its subject structure. Rest assured, it's simply to add depth to the subjects, so the syllabus was largely rearranged, with minor deletions and additions sprinkled around. Nevertheless, it doesn't take away your choice to opt for either one or two groups of papers when writing this exam. There's not a lot of significant change to look forward to. It's best not to dwell on the changes and study hard for the CA exam regardless.
IPCC Admission and Eligibility Criteria
Candidates can write the exam as long as they meet the following eligibility criteria. One can apply for the exam via a direct route or by clearing the Common Proficiency Test (CPT) conducted by the ICAI.
If the candidate is applying through a direct route, then the criteria to be met is as follows:
- Aggregate marks of 55% if your core stream was commerce; 60% for other streams.
- Should have cleared at least intermediate level in Institute of Cost Accountants or Company Secretary
- Even if a candidate is a non-graduate who chose a non-related stream, they still need to write the CPT first.
This particular part applies only to anyone who applied via the Direct Route. As discussed above, there are two modes of entry. But as a Direct Route candidate, some extra things apply to direct route candidates.
- First, enrol in either Group I or Group II under the IPC program (candidates could choose both if they want).
- After that, visit the orientation presentation, which happens for one full week.
- Then, finish up the Information Technology Training (ITT), which is a total of 100 hours, cumulatively speaking.
- Once that's done, ensure to meet an 8-month fulfillment (from the registration date to the date of the beginning of the examination).
Most importantly, direct route candidates are required to register for practical training for a total of 3 years. During these years, candidates will be asked to complete 9 months of training for the exam.
IPCC Exam Details
The 7 subjects in total are classified into two combinations. Doing this helps students prioritize which one they want to appear for. However, the student may choose both groups and prepare for their exams accordingly. The absolute minimum needed to pass a subject is 40 marks on each paper.
The number given may seem easy to achieve, but when we're talking about achieving the same amount for each paper, the dynamic is completely different from what you likely are thinking of. A minimum of 200 marks in Group I and 150 marks in Group II must pass both groups to put things into perspective.
There's one interesting point about this: Obtaining 60 marks in any discipline can excuse you from appearing in that particular subject in the upcoming trials.
Here are the papers in which candidates must ensure to pass.
Group I Papers
The group 1 papers are as follows.
- Accounting (100 marks)
- Law (60 marks), Ethics (20 marks), Communication (20 marks)
- Cost Accounting (50 marks), Financial Management (50 marks)
- Income Tax (50 marks), Indirect Tax (Taxation) (50 marks)
Group II Papers
The group 2 papers are as follows.
- Advanced Accounting (100 marks)
- Auditing and Assurance (100 marks)
- Strategic Management (50 marks) and Information Technology (50 marks)
If this seems too little, then here's a detailed example of the grading system at works:
| Subjects/Candidates | A | B | C |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paper 1 | 40 | 55 | 55 |
| Paper 2 | 42 | 55 | 55 |
| Paper 3 | 43 | 61 | 56 |
| Paper 4 | 40 | 34 | 40 |
| Total Marks | 165 | 205 | 206 |
| Individual Subject | Pass | Fail | Pass |
| Sectional Cut-off | Fail | Pass | Pass |
| Overall Result | Fail | Fail | Pass |
IPCC Exam Dates
ICAI will conduct the CA IPCC 2021 exam during May-June 2021 for all enrolled candidates. The enrolled candidates will have to adapt to the new syllabus as per the CA intermediate program. If there's a delay in you applying for the exam, you can still finish the admission process along with a delayed penalty fee deposit of INR 600 between 13-16 April 2021. The CA, IPCC exam level, will be administered between 22nd May to 6th June 2021 for both Group I and Group II.
If you have already started preparing for the exams, don't hesitate to use the study material provided on the official ICAI website; the synopsis and the preceding years' question papers are found there. As for the CA IPCC 2021 results, they will be announced sometime around June-July 2021.
IMPORTANT NOTICE: Please note that the exam dates have been rescheduled to a later date. Currently, there have been no announcements made related to it. However, we will notify you of any changes to these dates through your email address, or your mobile number, or your GetMyUni account the moment we receive any news. Alternatively, you can also bookmark this page and check back for any further updates related to the exam.
| Events | Dates (Tentative) |
|---|---|
| Exam Application Last Date - Without Late Fees | 6th August 2022 |
| Exam Application Last Date - With Late Fees (INR 600) | 4th October 2022 |
| CA IPCC Exam Dates | 1st November to 18th November 2022 |
IPCC Study Materials
The study materials, the course curriculum, and the issues described in the book modules originate from the institute itself. So quality is assured; the knowledge is packed full of solid materials and are comprehensive yet simple to grasp. The difficulty is its density; students found it challenging to revise from the modules simply because the volume is immense. This is why the best approach is to keep short notes to help you.
If one prefer hard copies of the same, then it's worth looking into:
- Previous year exam papers along with recommended solutions;
- Revision test papers;
- And webcasts and PowerPoint presentations.
Additional reference volumes are also available in the market. Though many prefer these books to the modules presented, we recommend going through both to stay on the safe side.
IPCC Career Aspects
After clearing IPCC Group 1, you can be contracted as an articled chartered accounting assistant, for which the work you put in will earn you at least INR 3,000 to INR 4,000 per month, or even INR 8,000 to INR 15,000 in some cases (it depends from company to company). However, it's crucial for your self-development as a CA applicant, which is why the financial amount you're receiving shouldn't be your focus here at all. Of course, this is made an exception if you're hired in one of the Big Four, i.e., Deloitte, Ernst & Young, KPMG, and PwC.
As for training, some private institutes/coaching centres provide their expertise on CA IPCC, apart from ICAI Bhavans, if that's what you're looking for.
Here's a list of the top 10 CA coaching centres you can join in India today:
| Coaching Centre | Location |
|---|---|
| Academy of Commerce | New Delhi |
| Aldine CA | New Delhi |
| Nahata Professional Academy | Indore |
| Vidya Sagar Career Institute Ltd | Jaipur |
| Mittal Commerce Classes Pvt Ltd | Jaipur |
| Yeshas Academy | Bangalore |
| JK Shah Classes | Mumbai |
| AT Academy | Mumbai |
| Chanakya Academy for Management and Professional Studies | Hyderabad |
| Agarwal Classes | Pune |
Taking the IPCC route is brave, considering the length and the challenges you'd have to deal with. But, it proves more than beneficial to the seeds you plant; the fruits they bear may serve you for a long time to come. With the right knowledge, expertise, and general skills, you will amass a fortune no sooner than later. If you are genuinely serious about the IPCC programmes, finish your CA finals and pass with flying colours to build a strong foundation for your CA career.
Full Form of IPCC in Environment
The IPCC full form in the environment is the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. It is the United Nations body for evaluating the science related to climate change. The IPCC is responsible for preparing thorough evaluation reports. The evaluation report is based on scientific, socio-economic, and technical knowledge on climate change, including impacts and future risks of climate change. Besides, IPCC is responsible for providing special reports and methodology reports that include guidelines for preparing greenhouse gas inventories on climate topics accepted by its member governments.
