Fewer than one in five candidates cleared the Chartered Accountancy (CA) Foundation September 2026 examination, according to results released by the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI) on November 6.

Of the 1,04,240 candidates who appeared for the examination, 19,736 qualified, taking the overall pass percentage to 18.93%.

The pass rate declined from 20.09% in the May 2026 session, when 18,124 of the 90,217 candidates who appeared cleared the examination. The January 2026 session recorded a pass percentage of 19.23%.

The September session also saw a higher number of candidates appearing than in May. The number rose from 90,217 to 1,04,240, an increase of 14,023 candidates.

Male candidates record higher pass rate

The gender-wise results show a difference in the performance of male and female candidates.

Of the 53,398 male candidates who appeared, 10,931 passed, recording a pass percentage of 20.47%. Among 50,842 female candidates, 8,805 qualified, resulting in a pass rate of 17.32%.

The difference between the two pass percentages stood at 3.15 percentage points. Male candidates accounted for 10,931 of the 19,736 successful candidates.

Examination conducted across 580 centres

ICAI conducted the September 2026 CA Foundation examination on September 2, 5, 7 and 9 across 580 examination centres.

The examination consists of four papers: Accounting, Business Laws, Quantitative Aptitude and Business Economics. Candidates must secure at least 40% marks in each paper and an aggregate of 50% to qualify.

Candidates who clear the Foundation examination can register for the CA Intermediate course, the second level of the Chartered Accountancy programme.

The next CA Foundation examination is scheduled for January 3, 5, 7 and 9, 2027. Candidates who did not qualify in the September session can appear for the January examination.