Nashik's Sakshi Chandak joins Mumbai's Neil Rajesh Shah at top of CA Intermediate with AIR 1

Nashik, October 24: The Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI) has declared the result of the CA Intermediate examination held in September 2026. Sakshi Chandak of Igatpuri in Nashik district has secured the first rank in the country. The achievement, at just 18, has brought pride to Maharashtra and become a major inspiration for the state's young students.

Sakshi scored 502 out of 600 marks, or 83.67 per cent, earning All India Rank 1 (AIR-1). She shares the top spot in the country with Neil Rajesh Shah of Mumbai.

Sakshi performed well in every subject. She scored 86 marks in Accounts and 95 in Auditing, a difficult subject. This shows her strong grip on her studies. Besides studying for CA, she is currently pursuing a commerce degree at Pune University.

Her success rests on precise planning and relentless hard work. She would get up at 5 am every day to begin studying. In the days before the exam, she extended her study time to 14 hours.

She revised Auditing four times before the exam. She did not leave Taxation for the last moment but practised it daily from the first day. She found Strategic Management difficult, so she gave it more time and strengthened it. She also made good use of AI, or artificial intelligence, to understand difficult concepts and find case law.

Sakshi had shown her ability in her school days too. In Class 10 she scored 97.4 per cent, ranking second in the taluka and first in her school. In Class 12 she scored 94.33 per cent and placed fourth in Nashik district. Sakshi said this success was possible only because of the positive atmosphere at home and her parents' support.