CA Inter AIR 18 Arvind Patel: How PW Classes, Revision and Practice Shaped His Success in May 2026 Exam

Securing a top rank in CA Intermediate requires more than completing the syllabus. For Arvind Patel, who secured AIR 18 in the CA Inter May 2026 examination, the final phase of preparation revolved around using the available three months effectively, revising repeatedly, and practising questions with a focus on understanding concepts.

Arvind had taken Advanced Accounts and Taxation classes with PW. He completed his classes around three months before the examination and used the remaining time for revision, question practice, and self-evaluation. His preparation also included selective writing practice for practical subjects, self-made notes for Audit, and previous-year questions as mock tests.

Arvind Patel’s Preparation Took Shape with Early Class Completion

Arvind’s preparation strategy gave him a dedicated window before the examination. He watched his classes in recorded mode, generally at 2X speed, while also completing the required homework. This helped him finish his classes approximately three months before the exam.

Explaining how he used this time, Arvind said:

“Teen mahine pehle mere classes sab khatam ho gaye the to three months mereko mile the to usmein mera plan to aisa tha ki three mein three revision aur wo jaisa karke us practical subject mein two revision par mera sab mein do revision hua tha. Kisi mein three revision hua hi nahi.”

Although his initial plan was to complete three revisions, he managed two revisions across his subjects and used the final week for another round of revision. This phase became particularly important for strengthening his theoretical subjects, where repeated revision gradually improved his performance.

Arvind Patel Focused on Revision and Self-Evaluation

With the classes completed, Arvind shifted his attention towards revision and mock practice. Instead of relying only on separate mock papers, he used previous-year questions from the latest attempts to test his preparation and evaluate his performance.

He explained:

“Mock test bhi maine do diye the. Matlab mock test mein kya karta tha? Latest jo teen do teen attempt ke PYQ hai jo mere baaki hai karne jo matlab ismein nahi hai. Module ke andar apne to wo main deta tha to isse mera PYQ bhi ho jaata tha aur mereko pata bhi chal jaata tha ki kitne marks aa rahe hain sir.”

This approach allowed him to combine two purposes: practising previous-year questions and checking how well he was performing under test conditions. It also gave him a clearer idea of the areas that needed more revision.

His experience particularly highlighted the difference between practical and theoretical subjects. In practical subjects, he focused more on understanding concepts and practising questions, while theory required repeated revision.

How PW Classes Helped Arvind Patel Strengthen His Preparation

Arvind had specifically taken Advanced Accounts and Taxation classes with PW. His experience with these subjects involved following the classroom practice sessions and using the material to build conceptual clarity and question-solving confidence.

Speaking about Taxation, he said:

“Taxation mein to aap jaise-jaise karwa sakte the waise-waise hi hum aur practice sessions vagera one shots ko dekha—one shots nahi, practice session mein jo aapne practice karwayi thi wo.”

For Advanced Accounts, he followed the regular batch rather than replacing it with one-shot content. This was in line with the guidance given during the batch itself.

Arvind also found the Taxation classes helpful in making concepts easier to approach, particularly in GST and Income Tax. His preparation therefore relied on the regular teaching process, followed by his own revision and practice.

Arvind Patel Used Different Revision Methods for Theory and Practical Subjects

As the examination approached, Arvind adapted his revision method according to the subject. For practical subjects such as Advanced Accounts and Costing, he did not write every question in full. Instead, he selected questions for detailed writing practice and audited or worked through the remaining questions.

He explained:

“Advance Accounts mein matlab jaise aap do teen sawaal roz ke dete the na, matlab bade wale, to main ek likhkar karta tha, baaki sab main khaali audit kar deta tha ya final answer kisi mein nikalna ho.”

This helped him practise without spending unnecessary time writing every question completely.

For theory, however, revision played a much larger role. Arvind created his own notes for Audit and found them especially useful during the final revision.

“Audit mein maine notes banaye the aur wo notes matlab last day revision mein bhi kaafi easily ho jaata hai. Matlab Audit ke andar maine to poora padh ke gaya tha aur wo isliye hua kyunki mere paas notes the mere khud ke.”

His self-made notes became a compact revision resource, allowing him to go through important material more efficiently during the final days.

Arvind Patel’s Key Lesson: More Revision Can Improve Theory Scores

One of Arvind’s biggest takeaways from his preparation was the importance of revision, particularly for theory-based subjects. He noticed a gradual improvement in his mock-test scores as he revised the material more frequently.

He shared:

“Theory mein to bahut zyada zaroori hai, jitna zyada revision utna zyada marks hai.”

For practical subjects, he viewed conceptual understanding as the foundation. Once the concept was clear, question practice became the next priority.

“Practical mein concept agar samajh mein aa gaya to phir baad mein question practice hi baaki hai.”

This distinction helped him structure his preparation according to the demands of each subject instead of applying the same study method everywhere.

What Arvind Patel Would Change in His Preparation

Despite securing AIR 18, Arvind felt that he could have used his final three months more aggressively. His original plan was to complete three revisions, but he ultimately managed two in most subjects.

Reflecting on what could have been improved, he said:

“Main kya thoda aise aaram se padh raha tha, matlab bahut zyada stress lekar nahi padh raha tha. Phir teen revision nahi hue, do hi revision hue.”

His experience suggests that having sufficient time before the examination is useful only when that time is converted into repeated revision and practice. For future aspirants, his preparation demonstrates why the final months should be planned around revision rather than simply extending the learning phase.

Arvind Patel’s May 2026 Result and the Preparation Behind AIR 18

Arvind entered the CA Inter May 2026 examination with a preparation process built around early completion of classes, self-revision, selective writing practice, previous-year questions, and subject-specific strategies.

His marks reflected a strong performance across the papers:

• Advanced Accounts: 83

• Taxation: 75

• Law: 67

• Costing: 96

• Audit: 76

• FM & SM: 74

His overall preparation ultimately resulted in AIR 18 in CA Intermediate May 2026.

Arvind’s journey shows that a rank-oriented preparation strategy does not necessarily require studying every question in the same way. Finishing classes on time, understanding concepts, revising theory repeatedly, practising selected questions in writing, and using PYQs for self-evaluation can help create a more focused preparation cycle. His experience also underlines a simple lesson for CA aspirants: once the syllabus is covered, the quality and frequency of revision can make a significant difference.