Nashik's Sakshi Chandak tops CA Intermediate with 502 out of 600

Chartered accountancy is counted among the toughest examinations in the country, and passing it takes relentless effort. Sakshi Chandak of Nashik, Maharashtra, has shown that with the right strategy, support from family and sound use of today's technology, a topper's rank is within reach.

Sakshi scored 502 out of 600, or 83.67 per cent, in the CA Intermediate examination and secured All India Rank 1. She is the topper of the CA Intermediate September 2026 exams. She achieved this while pursuing a BCom at Pune University.

Her success is not merely a story of poring over books. It is also an example of smart study and of adopting new technology. A strong student since her school days, Sakshi credits her parents and hard work for the success. Her day began at 5 am. She used AI sensibly to understand case studies.

According to Sakshi, her greatest strength was consistency, which she called "satatya". She began preparing for CA Intermediate in July 2025. She woke at 5 am every day and went to bed at 10:30 pm. With short breaks for breakfast, lunch and dinner, she studied an average of 12 hours a day. In the last days before the exam, this went up to 14 hours. Sakshi believes that how attentively one studies matters more than how many hours one studies.

Sakshi made use of AI tools to understand difficult concepts in subjects such as audit and law in depth, and to explain complex case laws in simple language. Students preparing for CA often get tangled in theory and legal terms. Sakshi used AI tools such as ChatGPT to understand case law through simple everyday examples.

Each subject has its own demands, and Sakshi prepared accordingly. For taxation, she solved many practical questions from the start. She revised Strategic Management (SM), a subject that calls for memorising, again and again. She revised audit, a difficult and theory-heavy subject, four times. As a result, her grip on the entire syllabus was firm by the day of the exam.

Exam stress and doubts about one's preparation during the study holidays are entirely common, and Sakshi went through them too. At that difficult point, her faith in her own effort, her parents' words and her teachers' guidance helped her. The stress-free atmosphere at home kept her mentally and emotionally strong.

Sakshi's story shows that even a very difficult goal can be achieved through a combination of proper guidance, dedication and new technology. For students preparing for CA, her disciplined 12-hour routine and smart thinking could make the path easier.