In India, Chartered Accountants are regulated by the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI)
which was established by the Chartered Accountants Act, 1949. Prior to 1949, restricted state auditors
were registered with the respective princely states and British provincial state governments.
Associate members of the ICAI are entitled to add the prefix 'CA' to their names.
Members who are in full-time practice, and have completed five years of practice, can add 'FCA' as a prefix to their names.
As of April 2014, the ICAI had nearly 230,000 registered members.
Entry to the profession can be made by taking the CPT after completion of schooling (12th grade).
Alternatively, graduates may take the intermediate exam.
The intermediate examination is divided into two groups of subjects.
On clearing the first group of the IPC level, the student has to get training as an articled assistant for three years in a chartered firm.
In the third year of training, before taking the final exam, trainees have the option to work in any industry.
A comprehensive 100 hours of information technology training and an orientation programme for soft skills development have to be completed before being articled.
For overall development, the student has to undergo training course in soft skills and communication, named GMCS ,
which usually last for fifteen days.GMCS-II and advanced information technology training have to be completed
in the final year of article ship or can be undertaken after the exams.