Ujwal and Anujay top city in CA Inter, Foundation exams

Nagpur: The results of the CA Intermediate and Foundation exams declared on Sunday brought mixed success for Nagpur zone. Out of the 391 candidates who appeared for the intermediate exam, 24 cleared it resulting in a passing rate of 6.14%. At 16.9%, the Foundation exam result registered an improvement over the last year when the pass rate was 12.36%.Ujwal Pillare, 18, not only cleared the CA intermediate exam in the first attempt but also emerged as the Nagpur topper with a score of 403 out of 600 (67.17%). In the Foundation exam, Anujay Jain emerged as the city topper. Ujwal told TOI, "Many warned me that cracking the CA exam is very difficult. But I always wanted to do become a Chartered Accountant." Raised by a single mother who works as a househelp, Ujwal prepared through online classes after completing his schooling at Tilak Vidyalaya. He now aims to secure a good articleship and later join a reputed firm.Ketan Sonkusre, 19, secured the second position with a score of 378 in the intermediate exam. Originally from Chandrapur, Sonkusre is currently pursuing an IT course in Mumbai. He told TOI, "My father wanted me to be an automobile engineer, but I wanted to learn about money and taxes, which made CA my first choice." Sonkusre took coaching and self-study.Foundation exam topper, Anujay Jain hails from Keolari in Madhya Pradesh. Anujay rented a room in Nagpur to attend coaching classes. Inspired by close relatives who are CAs, he admitted to feeling pre-exam jitters but managed to stay focused. Vaishali Jena secured second place in her second attempt with a score of 313, while 19-year-old Mahi Mandhani claimed third place with 307 marks. Mandhani comes from a family of CAs, including her father, two uncles, and aunt.Former ICAI president CA Julfesh Shah described this year's intermediate exam performance as below average than expected. "It does happen sometimes, and it's unfortunate. Students need to develop analytical skills because questions are no longer straightforward, they are designed to make you think," he said.