CA topper: Everybody who's hardworking inspires me

FAST FACTS

Name: Roohie Aggarwal
City: Hyderabad
Exam: CA Final Examination - November 2011
Rank: AIR Rank 1 and NIRC topper
Roll number: 133357
Marks: 619
Percentage: 77.38

For this 21-year-old daughter of Delhi-based businessman, chasing success is not new.

She was the All India CBSE commerce topper from Delhi in the class 12 board exam, secured All India Rank 5 in the CA entrance exam and secured 20th rank in PCC.

She tips off CA aspirants saying "If a person is not able to do self-study and has less time, it's better to go for coaching."

What made you pick CA as a career option?

The syllabus, my interests in the subjects, the practical exposure during articleship training and the application of knowledge during audit assignments encouraged me to choose CA.

Tell us about your background.

I come from a pure business class family. My father is a businessman having a steel rolling mill and my mother is housewife. 

In 2008, I was the CBSE commerce topper from Delhi. I went to Hyderabad, to study BCom from Osmania University.

Who inspired you the most?

Everybody who is hardworking inspires me, be it a hawker selling vegetables under sunlight or a watchman standing the whole day.

What did you learn from your articleship?

I did my articleship training from Tukaram & Co at Basheerbagh for four years.

It helped me a lot in terms of application of concepts. It learnt time management, communication and report preparation skills. Alternate day schedule was blissful -- I was able to relax and revise for the next exam.

So, what was your preparation strategy?

I allocated my limited time to different subjects based on weightage of different and important topics in the exam. During my preparatory leave, I studied for 15 hours. I achieved my goal as I aimed to clear it in the first shot.

Do you think coaching is important?

Yes, if a person is not able to do self study and has less time, it's better to go for coaching. It boosts your confidence and improves your understanding of concepts.

I stayed back in Hyderabad for my articleship. There is a common perception that going to Delhi for coaching is must.

Why waste money in logistics? Students can easily access books authored by Delhi teachers.

Did you feel any pressure during your exam?

Sometimes, I did face the pressure when I was unable to crack few questions. The results kept lingering over my head.

The toughest part was to cover the whole syllabus in the available time and revise it many times as we have only one day before exams for revising the whole syllabus.

What is your advice to future CA aspirants?

My advice to CA aspirants is to dream it, do it and achieve it! Give your best and forget the rest. You must strategise your preparation as per your strengths and weaknesses.

Study with full concentration. Keep the fire on and work hard.

Yes, sound sleep of minimum six hours daily is a must. Be confident that you have done whatever you could.

Illustration: Uttam Ghosh