18-year-old Rajalakshmi from Chennai not only cleared the Chartered Accountancy (CA) Foundation September 2025 session exam but also secured All India
Rank 1. Rajalakshmi’s father is a general manager at a firm, and her mother is a homemaker. Her brother also cleared the CA exam on his first attempt and now works as a Chartered Accountant. When her brother was in Class 12, he attended CA counseling, and she accompanied him. That’s when she was inspired to pursue CA. The fact that she didn’t like Science further strengthened her decision to choose Commerce. Like her brother, L. Rajalakshmi also enrolled in coaching classes to prepare for the exams. The call from the ICAI President came as a pleasant surprise. “Honestly, I never expected to be one of the rank holders. Even after receiving the call from the ICAI President, I contacted my faculty to cross-check if it wasn’t a prank,” she told Times Now Digital. L Rajalakshmi completed Class 12 this year from CBSE and scored 494 out of 500 marks, with full marks in Accounts and 99 in Mathematics. Don't Miss: ICAI CA May Exams 2026: Check Foundation, Intermediate & Final Schedule
‘There was no fixed routine’
When asked how she managed Class 12 board as well as CA preparation, Rajalakshmi shared that she began preparing for the Foundation exam after completing her Class 12 board exams. She attended coaching for five hours a day and studied at home for another three to five hours. In the final months, she revised two subjects daily.
Calling herself an introvert, Rajlaxmi prefers texting over calling and is quite active on social media. “The key to using social media wisely and as a break is self-control,” says Rajalakshmi. She also listened to music to relax.
‘I had a plan B’
Without revealing the same, L. Rajalakshmi shared that she had a Plan B in mind, as she believes one should always consider the other side of the coin.
L Rajalakshmi has already started preparing for the Intermediate exam, which she plans to attempt in September 2026. “I’m not appearing for the January session as I need four to six months to complete the syllabus and a few months for revision.”
For her, conceptual understanding is extremely important. “I refer to multiple sources and materials until I’m satisfied. I only start another topic after I completely understand the previous one,” says Rajalakshmi.
