Siblings With AIR 1 and 18 Share Preparation Tips & More

The world can be divided into two sets of people: those who like to study alone and those who prefer a study buddy. I fall into the latter category, as having someone in the same boat as you to motivate you and answer your queries is a boon. It’s also fun, as you have someone to discuss doubts with during break times.

What if this study buddy lived in the same house—your sibling? This is usually a rarity unless the sibling is a twin, but these siblings from Morena, Madhya Pradesh are a shining example of the heights that can be achieved together.

Sachin (24) and Nandini (22) Agrawal, although two years apart, were in the same class since Class 2. Nandini skipped two classes and joined her brother in his class.

Their paths intertwined as they decided on a singular goal: to add two letters before their name — CA (Chartered Accountant). The duo worked together towards achieving this goal, choosing the same coaching class and the same city for their articleships.

Their efforts paid off, and how! Both of them achieved ranks in the CA Final in 2021. The icing on the cake was that Nandini set a Guinness World Record by becoming the world’s youngest female chartered accountant with AIR 1.

Here’s how they achieved this tremendous feat, along with tips for aspiring CAs.

A singular focus since Class 7

Sachin recalls that his sister was “extraordinary from the beginning”. Their mother would teach her at home, covering whatever Sachin was being taught at school. “Since she already knew what was being taught in Class 1, my mother asked the school to enrol her in the next class,” Sachin tells The Better India.

Until Class 12, the siblings studied in their hometown and by themselves, with no extra coaching. They topped their district in Class 12. Crystal clear about pursuing CA, they cleared the CPT (Common Proficiency Test), the first level of the course, after Class 12.

“For CA Intermediate (the next exam), we first went to Delhi to look for coaching classes. However, after doing self-study for so long, sitting in a class of 1,000 students seemed impossible. We decided to opt for online coaching, which would help us study at our pace,” says Sachin.

This was in 2017, much before online lectures were the norm. Using online lectures, the duo prepared for the inter exams from Morena, and cleared the exam on the first attempt in May 2018. “We had eight subjects split into two groups in Inter, and while some people advised us to take one group’s exams at a time, we decided to take both,” adds Sachin.

Next, all CA students had to go in for a three-year articleship, a practical training at a CA firm. For this, the siblings moved to Delhi.

Nandini and Sachin secured ranks in CA Final

While Sachin was 18 at the time, Nandini was just 16. A dream place for articleship for many CA students are the Big Four accounting firms — Deloitte, Ernst & Young (EY), PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) and Klynveld Peat Marwick Goerdeler (KPMG).

Nandini had her eyes set on these firms, but despite getting through interviews, she was rejected due to her age. Finally, she secured a position at PwC, after a few months of delay, where she pursued her articleship.

“Some people feared that we might not be able to focus on our studies after moving to a big city. My goal was clear: I wanted to become a CA and create a better life for myself,” says Nandini, adding that she was determined to create her own identity and achieve financial independence.

Even for the CA Final, the siblings chose online coaching, which helped them listen to lectures before and after office hours.

“Work would consume most of our time, from 10 am to 6-7 pm daily. With online lectures, we had flexibility. We would complete a lecture every day by starting our mornings at 6 am and finishing it post work,” adds Sachin.

They started with practical subjects like Financial Reporting (FR), Strategic Financial Management (SFM), and Advanced Management Accounting, as they take the most amount of time and need a lot of conceptual understanding.

Weekends for these teenagers involved ‘no fun’. They were devoted to watching lectures and self-study. In fact, Nandini calls her CA journey the most beautiful part of her life. 

For their CA Final attempt in May 2021, the siblings started intense preparations in December, when their study leave began.

‘We motivated each other’

Their study plan was target-based, not time-based. They would decide what they had to complete each day. They first completed all pending lectures when their study leave started. The first subject they picked up in December was taxation. Their plan was divided into 15-day chunks, each covering one practical and one theory subject.

Nandini and Sachin coached and motivated each other

Since the exam had eight subjects at that time, they completed their first revision in two months. They referred to The Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI) modules and past papers, and took some notes.

The second revision included trying to solve past papers, which gave them an idea about which areas needed more focus. “We targeted 10 days for two subjects in this revision,” says Sachin.

After this, they attempted some mock test papers in the first week of March. The results were shocking, says Sachin. “We failed in a few papers. Even in other subjects, we didn’t get the result we wanted. We were shattered to see the result after all our hard work. This wouldn’t be enough to secure a rank, which was our aim,” he adds.

Sachin and Nandini didn’t take it lightly. They doubled their efforts and spoke to professors about what was lacking. The professors helped them with language, format, templates, and paper presentations.

What also helped was their companionship. Nandini says it kept distractions at bay and made studying an enjoyable experience.

“You don’t feel bored when you study together. We’ve been study buddies since Class 2. We helped each other as we had complementary skill sets. We would teach each other the subjects we were strong in. Sachin also served as a benchmark for me,” says Nandini.

Study buddies Nandini and Sachin

After working on the feedback, they were better prepared. While the exams are usually held in May each year, in 2021, owing to COVID-19, they were postponed to July. Those two extra months served as a major boon.

The duo didn’t let their guard down even with the extra time—they had their eyes on the prize. They did another revision and solved past papers, revision test papers, and mock test papers. For subjects they found difficult, like SFM, they spent extra time, which proved useful as they scored very well in it!“We focused and studied hard right from the start to ensure that we didn’t have to stress too much before the exam. Spend more time at the beginning of your study holidays. This will increase your confidence too,” says Nandini.

Preparation tips from the CA rankers:

Start full-blown preparation six to seven months before the exam. 

Finish your lectures as soon as possible to focus on self-study.

Study from the ICAI modules, past question papers, and revision test papers.

Make a proper plan and stick to it.

Be consistent and focused.

Edited by Khushi Arora, Images Courtesy Nandini Agrawal