CA Final Exam Rank 2 holder Mridu Garg is a sportsperson and listens to music to relax

Delhi’s Mridu Garg scored 530/800 to hold the All India second rank in the CA final exam 2013. This down-to-earth girl credits her parents to be the force behind her success.
Mridu is definitely a bright student; however, the thing which is commendable about her is the determination and clarity of thought possessed by this young girl. She is absolutely confident and clear about every aspect of her CA exam preparation and we at shiksha.com applaud her for her achievements.
One advice that Mridu has for all CA aspirants is not to over-stress themselves, she also emphasizes on the fact that one should be focused in their efforts if they want to score well in CA exams.
Interestingly, Mridu shared with us that she took frequent breaks during her preparation and even went on strolls to relax while she was preparing for CA final exams, which are considered to be one of the toughest exams that take place in the country.
For the first time ever, listen to the exclusive podcast of Mridu Garg talking about her CA final exam 2013 preparation on Shiksha.com.

Congratulations on behalf of shiksha.com! So how are you feeling and how is your family reacting to your success?

I was feeling on top of the world. Even my parents, were very very happy. It is an overwhelming experience and I have no words to describe it. I was flooded with calls of congratulations. So, yes it was a great moment.

Please tell us about your educational background?

I did my schooling from Delhi. Then I attended the Hans Raj College in Delhi University to pursue my bcom honours. I have been doing my articleship thereafter and I gave my final exams in November 2013.

We would also like to know more about your family?

My father is working as an Executive Director with the Ministry of Railways and my mother is a homemaker. I have a younger brother; he is pursuing engineering from Manipal University.

So what as per you was your success mantra? How did you prepare for the exam?

Since we had our articleship going on in the three years, so, what I used to do is I used to study regularly. Like on Saturdays and Sundays I used to give some time to my studies and the four months we got prior to our examination, I used to study 10-11 hours, every day and kept my focus on studies during those 10-11 hours.

Did you join any coaching?

I had joined some coaching for the practical subjects. For the theoretical subjects I did self study.

Please tell us about your CA score card?

Accounts I scored 63, SFM (Strategic Financial Management) 60, Audit- 70, Law- 80, Advanced management accounting-66, ISCA (Information Systems Control and Audit)-59, Direct tax- 74, Indirect tax- 58, which makes it 530.

Who do you attribute your success to?

It has to be my parents. My parents and my seniors at the firm, they have been really supportive and of course, my parents they have been there by my side throughout, my brother has also been a constant support.
My success would not have been possible without their support and sacrifices.

Did you have some weak areas or did you face any hurdles while preparing?

Yes, basically while preparing for CA final exams, you face time constraint. You have to do your articleship and then you have to manage your studies plus work. So, yes you have to manage time and be regular in your studies.

Did you hear that the success rate of CA exams has dipped this time around what is your reaction to that?

In this course, if you have the right dedication and manage your time well then you are sure to sail through; basically, the rates of success are dependent on our performance. The success rate is dependent on our performance, so if we are performing well then the institute would not have any problem in giving us those marks that we deserve.

Tell us more about you, Mridu, as a person?

I like playing table tennis, listening to music. During the studying schedule it is very important that you go for a stroll. I used to go for a stroll every day. I used to play basketball. I was a sportsperson in school and college.

What are your plans for the future?

I will be joining a job and I will pursue short term courses introduced by ICAI.

Do you have any do's and don’ts for students preparing for this exam?

Dos…I would definitely say, keep the focus on and study regularly. Rather than stretching yourself in those four months, do regular study for the theory subjects. If you are doing a coaching maybe side by side you can revise the concepts that are done in class.
Don’t would be not to over-stress yourself. Regularly keep revising because the course is so vast that it is difficult to recapitulate what you have already read. Mark all the important things and read them again and again which is important to sail through.

What advice would you like to give to aspiring CA candidates?

Keep your focus, keep your calm, study regularly and be honest to yourself when you are studying.