Entry

To be qualified as a cost accountant a candidate has to take the examinations conducted by the Institute of Cost and Works Accountants of India (ICWAI). This is an examination comprising of three stages; preliminary, intermediate and final.

Eligibility

To sit for the preliminary examination, an individual should have passed the 10+2 exam. Gazetted officers, post graduates/engineering graduate: and graduates with 50 percent are eligible for direct registration. It is obligatory for registered students of the ICWAI to undergo either postal or oral tuition before appearing for the intermediate and final stages. Tuition is conducted by regional councils and certain other institutions recognized by the Directorate of Studies of the ICWAI. 

There are four papers in the intermediary stage namely financial accounts, cost accounts, corporate laws and secretarial practice and direct taxation. In order to clear the final stage papers of cost and management accounts, auditing, indirect taxation and quantitative methods a candidate has to clear the preliminary stage. A degree or diploma certificate is offered at the end of the course.

PERSONAL ATTRIBUTES

Academic ability; numeracy; ability to speak and write concisely; business sense; logical mind; ability to negotiate with people at all levels within an organization. Training demands determination, motivation and staying power.