Considering the alarming spike in the rise of the COVID-19 cases per day, the Institute of Chartered Accountant of India (ICAI) has decided to relax some of its stringent norms. The ICAI Chartered Accountant Examination is one of the most prestigious examinations conducted in India, for which lakhs of students apply each year. But owing to the pandemic, many examinees have shown concern over the conduction of the examination.
The ‘Opt-Out’ Facility
ICAI has introduced a facility called the ‘opt-out,’ under which candidates will be able to carry forward their candidature to the next cycle of examination slated for the end of January 2021 or the beginning of February 2021. But there is a catch: not all candidates who wish to opt will be allowed to do so. The facility for the opt-out will only be exercised under the following circumstances:
- If the candidate has tested positive for COVID-19 or is showing symptoms of the same.
- The candidates are staying in close contact with the family member who has tested positive for COVID-19.
- The candidate is residing in an area that falls under the containment zone.
How to Exercise the Option?
If a candidate has fallen under the circumstances mentioned above, he/she is eligible to exercise the ‘opt-out’ option. To do so, the candidates need to visit the official website – icaiexam.icai.org and login to the candidate portal. The candidate dashboard will show an undertaking which they need to submit from 7 November 2020 to 14 November 2020. Once ICAI verifies the same, the portal will offer an option for the ‘opt-out’. Candidates can click on the tab, and their candidature will then be carried forward till the next examination cycle.
Note Further
Candidates must note that the papers for which the candidates have opted can also be changed for the May 2021 cycle only if the candidate has appeared in all of them. If a candidate has only appeared in a few papers while the rest of them remain, the candidates will have to appear for the same set in the next cycle. Furthermore, the candidates will have to fill out new forms for the next cycle, where they will have to fill out the previous credentials for validation. The candidates who wish to change their paper for the next cycle will have to pay a nominal fee when filling the application form.
